Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Teriz]

Again, in the absence of any broader context of those zones I would respectfully suggest you are jumping at shadows in 4 still images. My point in bringing up the Drakthyr was that an image in a vacuum really does not tell us that we're doomed to what you fear. Could it happen? Yeah, of course. But the instant doom and gloom when we know practically SFA is seriously eyeroll-worthy (and this is all assuming it is real).

Again, the difference is that the Dracthyr is a tiny part of the overall experience in the current expansion. You can completely avoid the Dracthyr if you want to. You can't avoid the landscapes you're questing in, and the landscapes look remarkably similar to the current expansion and that's a problem. I'm not sure what possible context could be missed here if this is real. This looks like a primordial wilderness with titan influence just like the Dragon Isles did. What gimmick do you think could be implied to alleviate that feeling?

Additionally, not sure why you're homing in on dragons being present again. There is an indication we may see a small coven of Greens that set up shop there (somehow, considering a sole dragon made the journey...), that's it. The lore book that introduced that concept strongly hints that dragons have otherwise never been there.

Because Green dragons are involved and if Odyn is involved there's going to be storm dragons as well. So yeah, more dragons.

I also remember you leading the hype train on titan-related content not long ago, so that is an interesting pivot.

Yes, titan related content that is different than what we're currently experiencing. This isn't the case here. This is pretty much exactly what we're playing through now; Dragons and Keepers and dealing with anti-titan heretics.

[pacotaco]

Those harpy’s is interesting - could there be an elemental lord for storm?

Isn't Alakir currently missing according to the Lore?

[Pyrophax]

The one in stormheim?

Loch Modan?

[Auxis]

I'm still leaning towards it being fake.

Hell, I think the Goliath one used this for background.

This is such a weird piece of art, to me. It looks like the overworld map for one of the SNES Donkey Kong Country games.
Like, IDEK what angle of the DI's it's supposed to be. Waking Shores, given the lava flows? But its so chaotic looking on the bottom section.

[Raetary]

Isn't Alakir currently missing according to the Lore?

Al'akir is dead.
We killed him Cata and replaced him with Thunderaan in legion.

[Rathwell]

Al'akir is dead.
We killed him Cata and replaced him with Thunderaan in legion.

It's remarkable how much lore one misses out on by not having played every class in the Legion campaigns

[Wangming]

Again, in the absence of any broader context of those zones I would respectfully suggest you are jumping at shadows in 4 still images. My point in bringing up the Drakthyr was that an image in a vacuum really does not tell us that we're doomed to what you fear. Could it happen? Yeah, of course. But the instant doom and gloom when we know practically SFA is seriously eyeroll-worthy (and this is all assuming it is real).

To be fair quite a few of us still hate about the dracthyr what we hated about them since the first leaked photos. They don't even remotely resemble anything the players asked for.

[ImTheMizAwesome]

Im on the side that thinks its more real than fake but i also just want for it to be fake.

Especially for new playable race possibility that might end up just being a neutral stone taller dwarves. taller dwarves, that would be so amazing and creative.

Still, it's good to finally have some well made leak fake or not.

[CrossNgen]

You know, if those screenshots are real, I'll be a little bit worried if the new Dwarves will act identically like the other tribes considering they developed in a completely different region/continent on Azeroth.

[Lady Atia]

You know, if those screenshots are real, I'll be a little bit worried if the new Dwarves will act identically like the other tribes considering they developed in a completely different region/continent on Azeroth.

Well, we knew that already from the Uldaman book though?

[Raetary]

You know, if those screenshots are real, I'll be a little bit worried if the new Dwarves will act identically like the other tribes considering they developed in a completely different region/continent on Azeroth.

They already do, the Uldaman books describe them as portraying a culture and behavior similar to that of Khaz Modan dwarves, despite how far apart those groups are.

[Teriz]

Yeah, I'm not buying the notion that Blizzard would introduce another neutral race after just introducing a neutral race in Dragonflight.

Also what is the basis of those taller stone dwarves? Earthen don't look like that. Dracthyr look the way they do because we couldn't play as huge four legged dragons. What's the purpose behind making taller, ogre-looking Earthen?

[Myrrh]

Again, the difference is that the Dracthyr is a tiny part of the overall experience in the current expansion. You can completely avoid the Dracthyr if you want to. You can't avoid the landscapes you're questing in, and the landscapes look remarkably similar to the current expansion and that's a problem. I'm not sure what possible context could be missed here if this is real. This looks like a primordial wilderness with titan influence just like the Dragon Isles did. What gimmick do you think could be implied to alleviate that feeling?

You have four images. Still images. Four of them. One per zone, presumably. We're not in Vanilla any more Toto, modern day zones are significantly larger and typically have multiple environmental 'gimmicks'.

Take the Legion features video and its few second presentation of Stormheim. Was Stormheim all about a tree with a face on it? No, and it canvassed multiple biomes. But a still image of that clip might convey the impression that tree was pivotal to the zone. It wasn't, it was just a landmark that worked well for the video.

Four still images does not an expansion canvass - at least, it's a stretch to argue that it does until we actually see the full zone previews.

Loch Modan?

I think the Loch Modan dwarf statue is sitting on a throne (if I'm thinking of the right one), so not that one either.

To be fair quite a few of us still hate about the dracthyr what we hated about them since the first leaked photos. They don't even remotely resemble anything the players asked for.

Oh I don't disagree haha - was using that as a conveniently timed point about expectations based on an image. A zone probably has more room for variance than a race :P

[Rathwell]

They already do, the Uldaman books describe them as portraying a culture and behavior similar to that of Khaz Modan dwarves, despite how far apart those groups are.

Nature vs nurture, eh. Must suck for the Khaz Modan Dwarves to be told that their culture isn't an invention of their own but rather something deeply instinctual to dwarven programming

[Yarathir]

I am, or was, leaning towards "the leak" being true, but that dwarf is kinda weird.

Maybe it's just the low resolution, but the hands seem kinda... asymmetrical? While they look like they are intended to be symmetrical. It's something I would expect from an AI generation. One hand has a clear index finger alongside the protrusion, the other side doesn't. The wrists on one side also seem more prominent than the other. It's, similarly, what I've come to expect from AI generations.

[Cherry123]

Goodbye to hopes for Void expansion with the gigachad army of light and waifu Xal'atath. Alleria with a big strap-on attacks Turalyon. Anduin cries and Velen calms him down.

Long live dragonflight 2.0!

Expansion without a villain and a central force, now classic 2 patches (they liked the Covid Shadowlands)

It's funny how Blizzard is degrading, the graphics are at the level of 2015, but they demand money like for a triple AAA project

[CrossNgen]

Well, we knew that already from the Uldaman book though?

Didn't know that, that's disappointing.

[Nightshade711]

I don't believe it being an archipelago would help at all because the zones look VERY similar to what we're currently playing. I've never experienced early expansion pics where I had a feeling that I had been there before. I get that experience with these pictures, and I got that feeling instantly in this case. If I got that feeling, I'm willing to bet that other players are going to feel the same.

Are you just upset that we’re not going Underground / to Undermine again

- - - Updated - - -

Goodbye to hopes for Void expansion with the gigachad army of light and waifu Xal'atath. Alleria with a big strap-on attacks Turalyon. Anduin cries and Velen calms him down.

Long live dragonflight 2.0!

Expansion without a villain and a central force, now classic 2 patches (they liked the Covid Shadowlands)

It's funny how Blizzard is degrading, the graphics are at the level of 2015, but they demand money like for a triple AAA project

I mean I still think void having a big part to play could be possible.
If you got random screenshots from the Legion reveal without any context you might not think they’re from a Legion expansion. (Hell might think its night elf/Naga related)

[Myrrh]

Edit for pedantry: the dwarf statue, not the eagle(?) one, i mean that woul be weird...

New class/race combo - Stormrider eagles. The class fantasy is a very angry eagle wielding an axe. That's it.

Are you just upset that we’re not going Underground / to Undermine again

In Teriz' defence, I also still hope we've got some decent underground content en route. My whole point to him is that, for all we know, one of these images could be the entryway to an underground zone - because that's how little info a single image can give per zone.

[Explicit Teemo Nudes]

In the second image with the dwarf: isn't that the snow leopard druid form that was datamined in SL but never implemented?
And in the fourth image; those pillars with the light orbs on top looks like the pillars with orbs shown in one of the Blizzcon prop images.

Unlike everyone else here, I am pro going to a new island with 4-5 new zones. The problem is that Blizzard has ZERO imagination and uses too many props from older expansions to make things look new and exciting. They just use the same concept and the same looks over and over again instead of using just new ideas to create a truly unique continent.