Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[doledippers]

https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com...bruary-26-2024

8 new hero talents tomorrow, 3 new promos this week too

[UnholyGTX]

What are we thinking those 8 are going to be? Im hoping for at least one for Shamans, Rogues, Monks, Warlocks, and DHs since we havent gotten anything for them yet. The other 3 are kinda up in the air.

[doledippers]

What are we thinking those 8 are going to be? Im hoping for at least one for Shamans, Rogues, Monks, Warlocks, and DHs since we havent gotten anything for them yet. The other 3 are kinda up in the air.

probably a mixed bag of classes we havnt seen yet

[Enrif]

What are we thinking those 8 are going to be? Im hoping for at least one for Shamans, Rogues, Monks, Warlocks, and DHs since we havent gotten anything for them yet. The other 3 are kinda up in the air.

We have not seen anything for Demon Hunter, Monk, Rogue, Shaman and Warlock, so they are certainly there.
As for the other three, i think they might show of slayer or colossus for warrior to explain why no blademaster. Rework for Oracle would be too fast, so i don't think that. Probably another Druid one, as they got the most out of all classes. As for the last one... hmm i'd like to see deathbringer DK, Sentinel Hunter, Voidweaver Priest, Templar Paladin

[Nymrohd]

8 Hero Talents! OK now that's interesting And they clearly need the feedback

[Enrif]

Could also be them laying the groundwork for something typically Horde going Alliance later on. Perhaps some major shakeup regarding elven races in Midnight?

There was talks about Midnight having a big feature that will shake up things. And recently i got the following thinking: Midnight is about elven unification. And what is something that is unified? A Faction?
This got me thinking, elves had a bad hand with the horde and alliance in the last 30 or so years. What if the big thing coming for warcraft is a third faction? A neutral faction that is sick an tired of the alliance and horde problems. The elves create that faction. Earthen might join, and that's why they are available for both sides already with TWW.

We had interviews that the horde and alliance faction stuff is a mess to code away due to soo much legacy stuff being bound to it. But the same was said about character progress, and with TWW we get warbands. The next step would be to break down factions completely. So the big feature for Midnight could be: Neutral Factions/No Factions.

No more are the elves split between two factions.

[Enrif]

Interesting ideas.

I think it would be pretty logical if factions were formed out of races with something in common.

But I doubt they'd rip current ones apart. Maybe a new neutral faction at most.

Certainly. A opt in/opt out. New character can be created directly in this neutral faction (or horde/alliance), while established characters would be able to switch in-game.

I would in a heartbeat swap all my characters from alliance/horde to being neutral.

[Auxis]

Eight Hero trees, March trading post AND 3 new promotions? Damn we eating good this week (in terms of news).

[Varodoc]

There's no need to make a "Neutral" faction. There's no need for a third faction.

What is long overdue is the ability to play a mercenary beyond just PvP battleground for faster queues.

The PC is supposed to be special, like Valeera Sanguinar (Blood Elf working for the House of Wrynn) and Renzik The Shiv (Goblin working for the SI:7).

There's no reason why the PC couldn't work as mercenary for the other faction. The option has already been there for years in PvP, it's a matter of just expanding it beyond PvP.

And I can already hear the thundering "bUt AlLiAnCe AnD hOrDe ArE tHe CoRe Of WoW"; I don't disagree, nor am I saying that factions should be removed. I'm just saying that a Blood Elf PC should be given the option to work for the Alliance if they want to, like Valeera Sanguinar was the bodyguard of King Varian Wrynn...

[Viridiel]

What are you guys hoping to see in that initial batch of datamining?

Definitely mainly the actual location of the new zones and anything that can be gleaned from large structures and new models. I'm worried that any fine details will be changed before release. I think it's fairly rare for them to do something like they did with Gorgrond and completely change a zone but it's not all that rare for them to completely change questlines and other lore points before release.

I'm still burnt from the loss of Farahlon

[Woggmer]

There was talks about Midnight having a big feature that will shake up things. And recently i got the following thinking: Midnight is about elven unification. And what is something that is unified? A Faction?
This got me thinking, elves had a bad hand with the horde and alliance in the last 30 or so years. What if the big thing coming for warcraft is a third faction? A neutral faction that is sick an tired of the alliance and horde problems. The elves create that faction. Earthen might join, and that's why they are available for both sides already with TWW.

We had interviews that the horde and alliance faction stuff is a mess to code away due to soo much legacy stuff being bound to it. But the same was said about character progress, and with TWW we get warbands. The next step would be to break down factions completely. So the big feature for Midnight could be: Neutral Factions/No Factions.

No more are the elves split between two factions.

Why not just make the player the neutral party instead of having to dissolve both factions? If it's a gameplay reason then I'd be fine with it, but if it effects the story then I won't stand by it. Not after how that went for DF with the Dragonscale Expedition and practically homogenized both sides to just... a small pointless faction that has no reason for being there other than to be the ones to invite the players and make this into an expedition.

- - - Updated - - -

Definitely mainly the actual location of the new zones and anything that can be gleaned from large structures and new models. I'm worried that any fine details will be changed before release. I think it's fairly rare for them to do something like they did with Gorgrond and completely change a zone but it's not all that rare for them to completely change questlines and other lore points before release.

I'm still burnt from the loss of Farahlon

That's par for the course when it comes to Alpha stuff, they put in ideas that some players might enjoy but then someone within the dev team will be like "No, this is stupid" and cuts it out of the final product. Like how at the start of BFA's alpha, they wanted to bring back Party Wide Buffs again and each class would have their own buff that they would give to everyone... but that was scrapped.. Then there was the incident with Djaradin where they were going to be much more evil and barbaric but that was later had to be toned down to the Djaradin to what we got now.

And if you thought the loss of Farahlon was bad, in SL they were going to have an entire content patch dedicated to the Drust, their origins, their realm, and why they were attacking Ardenweald but that was cut to focus on the final patch with the Jailer in Zereth Mortis. (It's especially worse because they built up the Drust back in BFA being terrifying force of nature and power.)

[Teriz]

Definitely interested in the Evolved Nerubian model and seeing if they are expressive/being modeled with players in mind.

I really can't imagine a scenario where they have an angle for us to be playable Nerubians and not take it.

[Nibelheimy]

All the ones with this new model are so far allied explicitly with Xal'atath and our enemies. Considering that form is a gift given from the void soul. It's unlikely they'll join up whatsoever.

I can't believe they'd pass up on Tuskarr right now. They have a new capital. Female, male and child models. Perfect racial mounts, and are pretty unique to each faction look and feel wise. Plus, they've been one of the well received parts of dragonflight. It's right there, would be pretty well received, and they're not doing it.

[Teriz]

All the ones with this new model are so far allied explicitly with Xal'atath and our enemies. Considering that form is a gift given from the void soul. It's unlikely they'll join up whatsoever.

I can't believe they'd pass up on Tuskarr right now. They have a new capital. Female, male and child models. Perfect racial mounts, and are pretty unique to each faction look and feel wise. Plus, they've been one of the well received parts of dragonflight. It's right there, would be pretty well received, and they're not doing it.

Yeah, Tuskarr not being playable is a real head-scratcher too. Maybe Blizzard will make them playable at the tail-end of Dragnflight?

[Eldryth]

All the ones with this new model are so far allied explicitly with Xal'atath and our enemies. Considering that form is a gift given from the void soul. It's unlikely they'll join up whatsoever.

And in the initial Legion reveal, we were told that the Nightborne were all evil and we'd have to kill them all, but we can all see how that turned out. If the devs want to make them playable, then it'd be easy to write the story so it works out, even if the previews suggest otherwise. And personally, it's hard for me to believe that they bothered to make a new form for them that could work as a playable race and aren't planning to use it.

They could have easily given them another monstrous form, or just updated versions of existing Nerubians, but they chose to create a humanoid form that could fit as a player character instead. All they'd have to do is figure out how to make the extra arms work, which doesn't sound that big compared to the stuff they did to make their vision for Dracthyr work.

[Nibelheimy]

And in the initial Legion reveal, we were told that the Nightborne were all evil and we'd have to kill them all, but we can all see how that turned out. If the devs want to make them playable, then it'd be easy to write the story so it works out, even if the previews suggest otherwise. And personally, it's hard for me to believe that they bothered to make a new form for them that could work as a playable race and aren't planning to use it.

They could have easily given them another monstrous form, or just updated versions of existing Nerubians, but they chose to create a humanoid form that could fit as a player character instead. All they'd have to do is figure out how to make the extra arms work, which doesn't sound that big compared to the stuff they did to make their vision for Dracthyr work.

Were we? I don't believe we were told that whatsoever. What we've actually been told this time however, is that we're siding with and helping some of these Nerubians, and it isn't the ones with that model. If you'd also like to read the rest of my post you quoted, it's hard for me to believe they'd do the same, but they have, and do, and will.

[Enrif]

Why not just make the player the neutral party instead of having to dissolve both factions? If it's a gameplay reason then I'd be fine with it, but if it effects the story then I won't stand by it. Not after how that went for DF with the Dragonscale Expedition and practically homogenized both sides to just... a small pointless faction that has no reason for being there other than to be the ones to invite the players and make this into an expedition.

This would work too, but i think if blizzard ever made something in that direction, they will make it also part of the narrative. They did so with covenant, azerite powers, artifact powers, dragon riding. So reflecting a "neutral" choice for players with a narrative direction of elves going neutral could make sense.

[Lady Atia]

Yeah, Tuskarr not being playable is a real head-scratcher too. Maybe Blizzard will make them playable at the tail-end of Dragnflight?

Either that, or they make them available together with Vrykul in TLT.

[Woggmer]

This would work too, but i think if blizzard ever made something in that direction, they will make it also part of the narrative. They did so with covenant, azerite powers, artifact powers, dragon riding. So reflecting a "neutral" choice for players with a narrative direction of elves going neutral could make sense.

And people are already showing pushback against the direction of making both sides friendly. Again, there's already people having a lot of criticism about DF's "Friendship/Feelings" stuff and how it doesn't make sense.

I don't believe for a second that the Elves will achieve full peace with each other, at best we can only expect a temporary truce rather than anything permanent. Hoping for faction neutrality (or even worse, a 3rd faction) is never gonna go well. (The 3rd faction option is even worse in a pvp setting as all BGs and what not have to be built with the 3rd faction in mind and that 3rd extra faction is going to be the most dominant of the other two... i.e. Elder Scrolls Online.)

I'm just very skeptical about the whole thing and people are really expecting too much out of it.

[Reive]

i hate saying this, but i think we should just let factions go because they won't bring faction pride/conflict. it's clear that the worldsoul saga is the last chapter of wow's story before a big reset happens. they have a plot in mind and they will probably stick with it