Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Marlamin]

Thats a really cool logo.

Protip on embedded imgur images, you can add a s or m to the image filename (before the .jpg) to get a thumbnail of it that stretches the page a bit less.

[Chickat]

I agree. I threw some related things into DALL-E and I'm definitely a bit suspicious, especially with the blur.

So we think thats fake now?

[Polybius]

The big bad of Shadowlands should have been Mueh'zala. At least he had some build-up.

Too many missed opportunities. This is why I now mostly cling to transmogs and dungeons over lore. WoW's story has become its own bootleg version, almost indistinguishable from Runes of Magic and the like. Thankfully some of us have played enough games to know what's good.

[ZyntosAran]

So we think thats fake now?

Thats AI generated.

[milkmustache]

After Blizzcon i don't want to hear the word build-up for at least another 2 years. It's wearing out its welcome lol

Don't worry, we'll talk about world revamp instead!

[Pheraz]

My DF cinematic experience was like:
- The world is healing!
- Who asked?
- Dragons will be protectors of Azeroth once more!
- Who asked?
- The age of the Dragons
- Whoa, really, who asked?

Alexstrasza's whole speech seemed disconnected from any plot lol

So you don't remember the woooooooounds? Those were healing ofc :P
Yeah, on a serious node, it was kind of obvious that it won't get any more cosmic after zereth mortis for the "moment". Though something more back to earth was the general consensus I guess. But no one asked for this specific "trapped in dragon soap opera land" expansion for sure. Dragons? Yeah sure, let em burn things, let them lure us into their caves to get eaten alive. But re-live their soap opera moments or past lovers? nooooo thanks.

[Harbour]

I think people think these cinematics are easier to pull of than they are in reality.

I've said this before. Metzen left Blizzard 2016. The Saurfang cinematic was the last thing he worked on. That was 2018.

Blizzard can learn all they want from DF cinematic, and it won't mean a single thing for whatever is done now.

Carpenter left Blizzard in 2016 as well. He was the guy who directed all WoW and SC2 cinematics, and afaik WoD one was his last one. It really shows, since in my opinion WoD cinematic directing wise and technlogy wise still blows every single later WoW cinematics out of the water.

[Krakerz]

Since there hasn't yet been a 100% verifiable leak like a website or a trademark, here's my prediction:

World of Warcraft: Emerald Breach

Eons ago at what is now know as Khaz'Algar, the veil between the Dream and our world was weakened by Aman'Thul ripping out Elun'Ahir from the world.

When Fyrakk sliced open a path between our world and the Emerald Dream, it caused the Dream to become unstable, cracking at the seams and leaking into our world.

Old wounds are reopened and a part of the Emerald Dream bursts into Azeroth at Khaz Algar, creating a new landmass that is a twisted mix of what is there now, what was once there before the Sundering, and the untouched, wild nature of the Dream.

Zones include:
-Bottom of the ocean forced up to the surface and now kept alive by the power of the Dream, giant corals, sharp cliffs, ancient shipwrecks, outerworldly
-A massive jungle with impossible, winding tree shapes
-An ancient underground cavern now cracked open and exposed to the sun, with the roots of Elun'Ahir starting to grow once again

WoD had a Burning Legion patch leading up to a whole Burning Legion expansion, why not again?

[Sondrelk]

SL's cinematic was actually cool. The only reason it got flack is because the average viewer doesn't know Bolvar has no access to Frostmourne, and Arthas' martial experience and callousness. Top that off with the hindsight of SL's story being a solid turd.

I still standby that trailer being an easy top three pick for its use of colour, and how it tells a simple story that leads us very naturally into the next expansion.

[kavikor]

So we think thats fake now?

Look at the center of that image two of the people is literally shaped like an Among Us and the other is a blob whose limb becomes a cat

[Chickat]

Huge if real, best leak of the season so far

Blizzard heard we wanted CATaclysm.

[ercarp]

Carpenter left Blizzard in 2016 as well. He was the guy who directed all WoW and SC2 cinematics, and afaik WoD one was his last one. It really shows, since in my opinion WoD cinematic directing wise and technlogy wise still blows every single later WoW cinematics out of the water.

WoD had probably the most hype cinematic ever. It somehow managed to pull even the most jaded players back into the game after they had sworn to never come back. Just look how high the subscriber numbers went at the start of WoD.

At the time it really felt like the promised "we going back to the Warcraft roots" expansion. It sucks that it didn't deliver on that.

[Hitei]

Didn't you all do this same detective work on that leaked dracthyr leaked picture that came out to be true, you all picked it apart for days.

No. Quite the opposite:

In what way? just out of curiosity.

The scales are almost exactly the type found on wow creatures,



The body shapes are 1:1 with existing races (hands, leg and arm shape, stance, etc.)

The wings are very similar to those found on Nathrezim, Demon Hunters, etc.

It's goofy, but it is 100% the wow aesthetic.

[Sondrelk]

So you don't remember the woooooooounds? Those were healing ofc :P
Yeah, on a serious node, it was kind of obvious that it won't get any more cosmic after zereth mortis for the "moment". Though something more back to earth was the general consensus I guess. But no one asked for this specific "trapped in dragon soap opera land" expansion for sure. Dragons? Yeah sure, let em burn things, let them lure us into their caves to get eaten alive. But re-live their soap opera moments or past lovers? nooooo thanks.

I think it's more correct to say that we won't be going cosmic the majority of the expansion, and that will instead probably only go full cosmic for the final expansion, similarly to how Legion only went to Argus for the final patch.

[Polybius]

I still standby that trailer being an easy top three pick for its use of colour, and how it tells a simple story that leads us very naturally into the next expansion.

I loved the subversion at the end followed by the sky breaking. I only hope for a void expansion cinematic to feel the same. We were robbed of Old Gods/Naga in BFA.

[ercarp]

Since there hasn't yet been a 100% verifiable leak like a website or a trademark, here's my prediction:

WoD had a Burning Legion patch leading up to a whole Burning Legion expansion, why not again?

I like your ideas, I would definitely play that expansion. And you bring up a good point, 10.2 could be bridging us into more Emerald Dream esque stuff, it has happened before.

[blaatschaap]

about that synthwave youtube video. periodically nozdormu opens a portal somewhere. can anyone identify the location? there seems to be some void tentacle on a beach at the place, but the video is kinda unclear.

[Mecheon]

So you don't remember the woooooooounds? Those were healing ofc :P
Yeah, on a serious node, it was kind of obvious that it won't get any more cosmic after zereth mortis for the "moment". Though something more back to earth was the general consensus I guess. But no one asked for this specific "trapped in dragon soap opera land" expansion for sure. Dragons? Yeah sure, let em burn things, let them lure us into their caves to get eaten alive. But re-live their soap opera moments or past lovers? nooooo thanks.

Eh, 'give the aspects back their powers' was a bit of a thread some people had expressed interest in. Plus, let's be honest, the re-living soap opera moments with the blue dragonflight kind of slaps and the best part of the expansion, especially if you've got the Tarecgosa staff

This expansion's main 'why are we going here' event was the Primalists running around the world causing problems (Some people said 'oh they're in a jungle somewhere' but like, they were causing these problems in the Barrens, right on Org's doorstep) and Wrathion telling us 'yo their boss is over in the dragon isles'

Also were causing problems down in Un'goro, which adds more to the 'Un'goro is where Elun'ahir was' theory

[NoTimeToDie5426]

My DF cinematic experience was like:
- The world is healing!
- Who asked?
- Dragons will be protectors of Azeroth once more!
- Who asked?
- The age of the Dragons
- Whoa, really, who asked?

Alexstrasza's whole speech seemed disconnected from any plot lol

Yeah I feel this. DFs cinematic was the only one I didn't enjoy or feel at least a little bit of hype for.

[ercarp]

No. Quite the opposite:

I remember using those dino models as evidence that the Dracthyr were fake. If you look at the texture on the legs of the blue dino, it looks like the exact same pattern the Dracthyr used on their legs.