Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Northelim]

Which is why I believe the next expansion is underground with elemental antagonists.

The lore even states that Iridikron is most comfortable underground. Also of course we have Old Gods, World Souls, and several major lore locations beneath the surface.

Assuming the leak is fake then I'd have to agree with you. It's weird for blizzard to make a whole special seamless underground system for Zaralek Caverns and then never use it again.

[Moth Preacher]

I think Zaralek's loading can be reused for every other location in the future, not only Underground

[Algarstorms]

I'm more excited for the revamped cities then anything on Avaloren.

[Walrusking]

I'm more excited for the revamped cities then anything on Avaloren.

Your leak source is your own ass.

If blizz doesn't make Tuskarr playable this expac I'm going to fucking explode

[Teriz]

Assuming the leak is fake then I'd have to agree with you. It's weird for blizzard to make a whole special seamless underground system for Zaralek Caverns and then never use it again.

Yeah, and I can even see Dynamic Flying being a part of that. Imagine for example flying over EK near Khaz Algar, and then nose diving into the fissure and zipping through the city and landing within. Conversely, flying over Northrend and then nose diving into Azjol Nerub, or flying over the Maelstrom and nose-diving through the storm to reach Deepholme or some other location.

Considering how much Blizzard despises people flying in early expansion content, they could make it so that the only way you can enter/exist these new places from the air is through dragon riding/dynamic flying.

[Hitei]

Not to mention it'll almost certainly have Titan theming, and a strong possibility of dragons being prominent again. We don't know exactly what it'll be like, but this is what the issue is when people go "we almost always go to new islands/continents, what's the big deal with this?" Avaloren just sounds far too similar to the particular set of islands we're on already, and there's fatigue over the Dragon Isles already. Even with popular expansions and locales, people generally want to move on to something different after 2 years.

I disagree.

I dunno why people have jumped on this "it'll be Titan themed" kick. The only thing we know about Khaz Aglar is that it was someplace without Titan stuff (a contingent of Earthen had to be sent there and it was an unnamed sector with an anomaly the watchers didn't know about, that still remains a minor footnote to t hem). If we conflate it with Alvaloren, then we know that whatever group of heretics from the Titan's forces set up shop there (presumably those same Earthen) have outright rejected the Titan stuff. If Erinethria's story is also the same place, we know additionally that Tyr saw the entire region as a lost cause to be avoided.


So there's no reason to assume we're going to show up wherever it is and get Titan themes. We'll show up and find Earthen who are basically just stone dwarves, and potentially some other titan-forged who have rejected the Titans to the point of hostility. But these could be anything. That basically just describes the Mogu and Tol'vir, except here we know that they aren't sitting on top of important Titan facilities. So less Titan-themed than Pandaria.

Likewise, I don't see any reason to assume that dragons will be prominent again. We have a single green dragon matron potentially there. That doesn't mean she's some huge story element. It could mean she's like the single brood of blue dragons in the Broken Isles. Part of of one zone's questing and show up a little in end game campaign stuff and that's it.

[Fahrad Wagner]

Assuming the leak is fake then I'd have to agree with you. It's weird for blizzard to make a whole special seamless underground system for Zaralek Caverns and then never use it again.

And they were SUPER excited about that too

[IronWasher]

LOL imagine it. Cool idea tho tbh.

It's not the exact same neck as before, I should've mentioned. It has higher stats and item level. Minor / Major powers do stay tho, just new ones. We get the upgraded version right before entering Khaz'Algar from Magni.

[Holdodlig]

One thing that makes me reconsider the truth of this leak is the fact we haven't seen any female dwarf model yet. With Blizzard's desire of inclusivity, I highly doubt they'd make another 1 gender race unless it have a neutral body, which is not the case here as you can easily compare those dwarves with the one we already have.

[Demonly]

Imagine starting Dragonflight with an unknown Island covered by Storms, with Elementals antagonists

Only to start the next expansion with an unknown Island covered by Storms, with Elementals antagonists

Holy hell

This is another reason why I think Avaloren is a 10.3 patch -- not 11.0

[Algarstorms]

Your leak source is your own ass.

If blizz doesn't make Tuskarr playable this expac I'm going to fucking explode

See you at blizzcon

[Hitei]

See you at blizzcon

Ah, yes. The exact same line literally every single low effort fake leak uses.

Very convincing.

[Ersula]

TBF, we got the Tangled Dreamweaver in Dragonflight, and we don't need it to get to the Emerald Dream in 10.2.

Not the same situation at all. The Dragon Expansion's Heroic edition mount was still a dragon. Not to mention there are Tangled Dreamweavers in the Dream area, and they did use Animawyrms to traverse the Shadowlands.

[Nightshade711]

Assuming the leak is fake then I'd have to agree with you. It's weird for blizzard to make a whole special seamless underground system for Zaralek Caverns and then never use it again.

The Zaralek tech doesn’t need to be limited to underground.

I could see them using it to fly (storm riding?) or sail (like Nightsquall) through storms west of Kalimdor & to utilize the Zaralek tech like that.

I saw some posters previously have the idea that it could be a “Kessel run” type thing.

[M1dkn1ght]

One thing that makes me reconsider the truth of this leak is the fact we haven't seen any female dwarf model yet. With Blizzard's desire of inclusivity, I highly doubt they'd make another 1 gender race unless it have a neutral body, which is not the case here as you can easily compare those dwarves with the one we already have.

Body type, not female. Get with the times.

[Walrusking]

See you at blizzcon

I hope I don't see you at blizzcon

[Nightshade711]

I think the “story” behind the “storm riding races” for preorder would be to get us trained or used to flying through storms to prepare us to go to Avaloren/Khaz Algar.

If the idea of the “Kessel run”-esque flying through storms to get to Ava/KA is what they’re doing.

[Teriz]

Not the same situation at all. The Dragon Expansion's Heroic edition mount was still a dragon. Not to mention there are Tangled Dreamweavers in the Dream area, and they did use Animawyrms to traverse the Shadowlands.

And the Algarian Stormrider could be an elemental gryphon that allows us (along with other mounts) to transverse the deep places of Azeroth.

- - - Updated - - -

I think the “story” behind the “storm riding races” for preorder would be to get us trained or used to flying through storms to prepare us to go to Avaloren/Khaz Algar.

If the idea of the “Kessel run”-esque flying through storms to get to Ava/KA is what they’re doing.

That "storm" could be the Maelstrom that leads to Deepholme. That would explain Thrall on the Key art.

[milkmustache]

That "storm" could be the Maelstrom that leads to Deepholme. That would explain Thrall on the Key art.

I still think we're looking too far into Thrall on the key art. I really think that's a huge Metzen/iconic character thing, less an expansion hint.

[Floot]

How so? What does this prove other than that the same person created the two leaks? I really hope this one isn't legit. That... thing, looks like it's got an Ogre's head slapped on Rexxar's body, with a Dwarf's beard glued onto its face. It looks ridiculous.

I remember people saying the same about Dracthyr...