Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Wangming]

Guys, my son's aunt's brother has leaked the expansion to me!
I cannot go into details because I don't want to jeopardize my son's aunt's brother's secret job, but here are the big line;
New continent : Tel'abim
New race: Banaren
New class: (REDACTED) a master at making enemies slip and hit themselves against nearby objects, Banaren only
New dungeons and raids
New cooking sub-specialization: You can now master 50 different kinds of banana boat recipes!
New feature: (REDACTED)

See you at blizzcon! 8)

Can you sail the banana boats though?

[Catastrophy349]

I would love to see a "leak" that is just entirely opposite the one we have (circulating around). For example, Void vs. Light, another dimension/planet, anything. Just something different to speculate on!

[Marlamin]

I mean we discussed the images for over a hundred pages, did we not? I think any media leak will have its time in the thread. If the leak is just a short text blurp then yes, it will be dismissed because we'd have no way to evaluate it.

Yeah, as I said it'd have to be a very visual leak (one that isn't obvious AI) or a Blizzard-sourced one, and those are relatively hard to come by.

I do think there's some more discussion to be had about this post as it's been racking my brain a bit as it doesn't make complete sense yet how the Chinese NY retail mount in the 12mo sub bundle can match up with a wood-themed mount and pet in Classic, nor how the also wood-themed Fyrn pet and its related mount (probably the retail chinese NY mount) relate to it all.

Now that actually sounds legit interesting. Care to ellaborate in a way leymen would understand?

It's not something that provides any context/hints for future content, so it's hardly very interesting for the speculation thread. A very short TL;DR is that they've been updating the layer that interfaces with your GPU with a layer they use in other games since Shadowlands, and more recently have been working on tech that allows for hotfixing files/applying (minor) patches while in-game as well as hints of new/improved file formats for models that they've been working on since Legion.

There's also of course stuff that is already generally known like improving how they encrypt things, the input system, the improved seamless teleports they started doing in Shadowlands and improved upon in DF and more specifically Zaralek.

[bruxx]

Can you sail the banana boats though?

It's the only way to get through the forbidden milkshake and reach the Banana Royale

[Nyel]

I would love to see a "leak" that is just entirely opposite the one we have (circulating around). For example, Void vs. Light, another dimension/planet, anything. Just something different to speculate on!

Yeah, something that’s not Avaloren. Heck, I’d be fine with a Bronze Dragon / Void + Space leak to get something remotely fresh and exciting.

[Nymrohd]

Yeah, as I said it'd have to be a very visual leak (one that isn't obvious AI) or a Blizzard-sourced one, and those are relatively hard to come by.

I do think there's some more discussion to be had about this post as it's been racking my brain a bit as it doesn't make complete sense yet how the Chinese NY retail mount in the 12mo sub bundle can match up with a wood-themed mount and pet in Classic, nor how the also wood-themed Fyrn pet and its related mount (probably the retail chinese NY mount) relate to it all.

I noticed when you posted that but I could not really see how I'd link that to anything other than Avaloren/Erinethria's Brood and/or a race protecting Elun'ahir and that has been extensively discussed.

- - - Updated - - -

Yeah, something that’s not Avaloren. Heck, I’d be fine with a Bronze Dragon / Void + Space leak to get something remotely fresh and exciting.

See, any leak that talks about locations needs to include Khaz Algar to be worth talking about.

[Rathwell]

Guys, my son's aunt's brother has leaked the expansion to me!
I cannot go into details because I don't want to jeopardize my son's aunt's brother's secret job, but here are the big line;
New continent : Tel'abim
New race: Banaren
New class: (REDACTED) a master at making enemies slip and hit themselves against nearby objects, Banaren only
New dungeons and raids
New cooking sub-specialization: You can now master 50 different kinds of banana boat recipes!
New feature: (REDACTED)

See you at blizzcon! 8)

Fake. Why would Blizzard make this Banaren-exclusive class when the theme would lorewise fits better with a Bananomancer Mage, a class already available to most races? If anything, a Bananomancer support Mage spec available to all races that can be mages would be a far greater addition to the game, rather than locking such long-awaited playstyle to a new race not everyone's going to want to play.

[Nymrohd]

Yeah, as I said it'd have to be a very visual leak (one that isn't obvious AI) or a Blizzard-sourced one, and those are relatively hard to come by.

Heck the original Shadowlands leak was that concept art from Bastion and that could EASILY be made by AI so even if something like that leaks, people will very much distrust it. I've made dozen such images fooling around with expansion concepts on my own by now.

Or you know, Classic+ Emerald Dream. Or even crazier, Wrath+ Emerald Dream (the Stormrage book + Me'dan comics could easily have been combined into a fully expansion between Wrath and Cata).

[Rathwell]

Heck the original Shadowlands leak was that concept art from Bastion and that could EASILY be made by AI so even if something like that leaks, people will very much distrust it. I've made dozen such images fooling around with expansion concepts on my own by now.

Worse yet, the concept art for Bastion really looks very little like Bastion ended up looking

[Marlamin]

I noticed when you posted that but I could not really see how I'd link that to anything other than Avaloren/Erinethria's Brood and/or a race protecting Elun'ahir and that has been extensively discussed.

Yeah, it just creates more questions than it generates answers for me. Can't really link it to anything tangible outside of the new year mount. :/

Heck the original Shadowlands leak was that concept art from Bastion and that could EASILY be made by AI so even if something like that leaks, people will very much distrust it. I've made dozen such images fooling around with expansion concepts on my own by now.

"Haha, I can't believe the AI got something so basic as Bolvar's eye color wrong!!!!"

Or you know, Classic+ Emerald Dream. Or even crazier, Wrath+ Emerald Dream (the Stormrage book + Me'dan comics could easily have been combined into a fully expansion between Wrath and Cata).

I'd actually play that and have a lot of thoughts in that department, but this thread isn't the place for those considering it should probably stay on the mainline WoW topic as much as possible.

[Sondrelk]

Yeah, as I said it'd have to be a very visual leak (one that isn't obvious AI) or a Blizzard-sourced one, and those are relatively hard to come by.

I do think there's some more discussion to be had about this post as it's been racking my brain a bit as it doesn't make complete sense yet how the Chinese NY retail mount in the 12mo sub bundle can match up with a wood-themed mount and pet in Classic, nor how the also wood-themed Fyrn pet and its related mount (probably the retail chinese NY mount) relate to it all.



It's not something that provides any context/hints for future content, so it's hardly very interesting for the speculation thread. A very short TL;DR is that they've been updating the layer that interfaces with your GPU with a layer they use in other games since Shadowlands, and more recently have been working on tech that allows for hotfixing files/applying (minor) patches while in-game as well as hints of new/improved file formats for models that they've been working on since Legion.

There's also of course stuff that is already generally known like improving how they encrypt things, the input system, the improved seamless teleports they started doing in Shadowlands and improved upon in DF and more specifically Zaralek.

Isn't the Chinese new years mount most likely the Auspicious Arborwyrn to go along with the next year in the Chinese calendar being the year of the wood dragon?

[Jolly Roger]

Heck the original Shadowlands leak was that concept art from Bastion and that could EASILY be made by AI so even if something like that leaks, people will very much distrust it. I've made dozen such images fooling around with expansion concepts on my own by now.

Or you know, Classic+ Emerald Dream. Or even crazier, Wrath+ Emerald Dream (the Stormrage book + Me'dan comics could easily have been combined into a fully expansion between Wrath and Cata).

anything with Medan becoming canon has my vote

[Marlamin]

Isn't the Chinese new years mount most likely the Auspicious Arborwyrn to go along with the next year in the Chinese calendar being the year of the wood dragon?

Yup, but it's (also?) in 3.4.3 while the bundle image very clearly implied it to be a retail only kinda thing, similar to the Rabbit mount which only showed up in Classic in pet form.

[Sondrelk]

Fake. Why would Blizzard make this Banaren-exclusive class when the theme would lorewise fits better with a Bananomancer Mage, a class already available to most races? If anything, a Bananomancer support Mage spec available to all races that can be mages would be a far greater addition to the game, rather than locking such long-awaited playstyle to a new race not everyone's going to want to play.

Obviously Blizzard wants to incentivize players to make Baren by making the new class exclusive to them. I have no doubt that Blizzard will make the class available more widely once we learn the Secrets of the Tel'dorei hidden in the caverns underneath Tel'abim, and stop the plot of Iridikron to gain the powers of the chocolate brittle skin.

[dadori]

I just hope we dont get Dynamic flight in new zones from start, it kills immersion really. Best way for me would be like TBC and WOTLK, level up without flying then buy/gain flying once you reach max level.

[Nymrohd]

anything with Medan becoming canon has my vote

It's just a general idea I had that you could add things to Classic WITHOUT retconning retail; they'd just be events that happened in the lore but did not happen in game. Plenty of content in the novels could be used to create entire expansions or at least to extend existing expansions by a full season.

[Sondrelk]

Yup, but it's (also?) in 3.4.3 while the bundle image very clearly implied it to be a retail only kinda thing, similar to the Rabbit mount which only showed up in Classic in pet form.

Couldn't Fyrn and the other thing be similar though? Auspicious Arborwyrn for Retail, and Fyrn as a recooured spirit of competition pet for Classic?

[Nymrohd]

I just hope we dont get Dynamic flight in new zones from start, it kills immersion really. Best way for me would be like TBC and WOTLK, level up without flying then buy/gain flying once you reach max level.

Honestly what I'd want is a version of pathfinding that opens at launch.

[bruxx]

Fake. Why would Blizzard make this Banaren-exclusive class when the theme would lorewise fits better with a Bananomancer Mage, a class already available to most races? If anything, a Bananomancer support Mage spec available to all races that can be mages would be a far greater addition to the game, rather than locking such long-awaited playstyle to a new race not everyone's going to want to play.

I understand your confusion, but I'll remind you about the pre-dragonflight discussions about how Evoker made no sense because we already had mages with evocation. It will make sense in a week. Trust my son's aunt's brother.

[Sondrelk]

I just hope we dont get Dynamic flight in new zones from start, it kills immersion really. Best way for me would be like TBC and WOTLK, level up without flying then buy/gain flying once you reach max level.

I hope they change Dynamic flying to be less about inherent boosts to Vigor recharging, and more about learning the locations of vigor refills, updrafts, and speed boosts placed throughout the zone as well.

Dragonriding with all upgrades makes it far too easy to gain height, which in turn makes it too easy to use as a movement option.

Being skilled at Dragonriding or Dynamic Flying should look impressive, not just be slightly faster.