Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[allegrian]

Azahara was already wasted and they wont use her succesfully again. She'll.probably become an ally or a secondary boss. Same thing with Denathrius. Xalatath has more evil waifu potential so is more marketable

[doledippers]

im huffing copium rn, feeling a 10.2.6 news / release date drop today

[Lorgar Aurelian]

I'm talking about the actual storyline in retail. The SoD stuff is neat, but it should stay as fluff and not mandatory reading for 11.0.

Really he only stuff you really need to know about is the BFA questline where you free her from the knife, the SP or possibly Sod stuff is nice but it’s mostly just fluff about other characters that tells us next to nothing about Xal her self.

[Cheezits]

im huffing copium rn, feeling a 10.2.6 news / release date drop today

I think announcement will be next tuesday with a release date of the 16th. I think they are sticking to their guns in this despite the unhappiness.

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Really he only stuff you really need to know about is the BFA questline where you free her from the knife, the SP or possibly Sod stuff is nice but it’s mostly just fluff about other characters that tells us next to nothing about Xal her self.

"Xal'atath is a mysterious void entity that was trapped in a blade, which was used by priests in Legion. She was let out during the events of BFA, possessed the corpse of a blood elf, and helped N'zoth before disappearing."

Boom. There you go.

[doledippers]

I think announcement will be next tuesday with a release date of the 16th. I think they are sticking to their guns in this despite the unhappiness.

isnt the 16th a saturday? i assume you mean the 19th, cuz imo i think thats probably the most likely. announcement next week, then it releases the day after the HS event ends, tuesday the 19th

[Cheezits]

isnt the 16th a saturday? i assume you mean the 19th, cuz imo i think thats probably the most likely. announcement next week, then it releases the day after the HS event ends, tuesday the 19th

Yes, the 19th. And they probably won't tease next Tuesday either.

If the release date is the 26th there will be a more detailed tease.

[Xilurm]

What do you mean "mine didn't"?

Azshara being a final boss would be welcomed. The only people that would complain that she's the final boss "again" would be the same people that would complain if we got a literal nobody as the final boss.

I shouldn't have said "literal nobody". Now everyone replying to me thinks I'm talking about a void lord.

[Cheezits]

That is a good question. The answer could be a simple: the tip of the sword and the Qiraji will be in an patch zone.

That is the dream. However I worry that they will not go for it as the first raid is Nerubian, and they wouldn't want to replicate the theme. Unless the raid itself is Uldaz/titan themed and is just occupied by Qiraji.

Redeemed Nerubians vs Qiraji would be great.

[Woggmer]

This kinda brings up another question. Is this patch/event going to be another Time Rifts, Archives, Dreamsurge, etc where it has high engagement upon release, then is nearly dead within 3 weeks, or are we maybe ggoing to see something that could hypothetically be somewhat evergreen?

Whatever it is, it's something that both Retail and Classic can enjoy at least based on the initial announcement they provided. So it seems like content that anyone can access.

[Cheezits]

Whatever it is, it's something that both Retail and Classic can enjoy at least based on the initial announcement they provided. So it seems like content that anyone can access.

It's actually "it does not require a Dragonflight license". So it means that you don't have to buy the newest expansion to play it, but it will be in Retail.

So whatever it is takes place in the Cata-Shadowlands world. Which is why a leveling thing could fit.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

"Xal'atath is a mysterious void entity that was trapped in a blade, which was used by priests in Legion. She was let out during the events of BFA, possessed the corpse of a blood elf, and helped N'zoth before disappearing."

Boom. There you go.

Ya that’s a pretty awful introduction to some one who has done nothing with the character.

Compare it to some one like Gul’dan where instead of getting a info dump we have him leading the broken shore and then blowing of Varian. Even if you have no idea who Gul’dan is it’s a great intro to his character.

[Varodoc]

Also TLT is going to be really underwhelming if it consists entirely of reused models and assets from previous expansions.

-Legion: Vrykul
-Shadowlands: Scourge
-DF: Titan stuff, Tuskarr, Dragons
-TWW: Nerubians, Earthen
-Midnight: Amani (reused for Drakkari)

What will the one new model be? Wolvar? Magnataurs?

People always say that "not every expansion needs to reinvent the game" in terms of systems and features; why can't that apply to the Lore and Setting too?

Do we need a new asspulled race/new asspulled island? Can't we just have an expansion with updated Vrykul/Scourge/Titans/Nerubians/Drakkari, etc.?

This is the only acceptable way to cut costs. As I said before, it's a Win-Win. People love Vrykuls and the Scourge, and since all the concept art is already in place, artists don't have to work nearly as hard as coming up with a new asspulled race from scratch (like the Djaradin or whatever they're called).

Yeah it's just cutting costs, because they're not coming up with any new faction or culture, but people won't care, because people are just starving for more Vrykul or Nerubian content.

[Lady Atia]

That is the dream. However I worry that they will not go for it as the first raid is Nerubian, and they wouldn't want to replicate the theme. Unless the raid itself is Uldaz/titan themed and is just occupied by Qiraji.

Redeemed Nerubians vs Qiraji would be great.

To be fair, half of the bosses from the first BfA raid were old god minions, same for the mini-raid which was 100% old god themed and we still got Nyalotha after that. Even with Dragonflight you could argue that VotI and Amirdrassil pretty much have the same style of enemies, just that Amirdrassil focuses on fire/nature.

[Cheezits]

Ya that’s a pretty awful introduction to some one who has done nothing with the character.

Compare it to some one like Gul’dan where instead of getting a info dump we have him leading the broken shore and then blowing of Varian. Even if you have no idea who Gul’dan is it’s a great intro to his character.

The point is that she doesn't have a lot of crazy lore that needs to be explained. They will probably AU Gul'dan her as you said by having her be present in the leveling campaign for TWW, hopefully more often than Razsageth. And she doesn't have to split screentime with other characters as she is the one big antagonist besides the Nerubian queen.

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Yeah it's just cutting costs, because they're not coming up with any new faction or culture, but people won't care, because people are just starving for more Vrykul or Nerubian content.

Nerubian interest will be sated in TWW. It just might feel like a very "samey" expansion to cap off the saga, especially when one of the zones will be so similar to Azure Span. They will have to lean pretty heavily into the Drakkari and Vrykul stuff.

[Lady Atia]

People always say that "not every expansion needs to reinvent the game" in terms of systems and features; why can't that apply to the Lore and Setting too?

Do we need a new asspulled race/new asspulled island? Can't we just have an expansion with updated Vrykul/Scourge/Titans/Nerubians/Drakkari, etc.?

This is the only acceptable way to cut costs. As I said before, it's a Win-Win. People love Vrykuls and the Scourge, and since all the concept art is already in place, artists don't have to work nearly as hard as coming up with a new asspulled race from scratch (like the Djaradin or whatever they're called).

Yeah it's just cutting costs, because they're not coming up with any new faction or culture, but people won't care, because people are just starving for more Vrykul or Nerubian content.

I think his issue is more that it seems like we wouldn't get any new assets/models for TWW, which I doubt will happen. Imagine how people would riot if they did Dragonsoul-level rehash of old stuff but on an Expansion level.

[Woggmer]

It's actually "it does not require a Dragonflight license". So it means that you don't have to buy the newest expansion to play it, but it will be in Retail.

So whatever it is takes place in the Cata-Shadowlands world. Which is why a leveling thing could fit.

I don't know how pirates fit into it.. but I would likely expect it has something to do with the all the classic items that were lost in the Cata revamp will be worked into the game somehow to be made available again..

[Cheezits]

I think his issue is more that it seems like we wouldn't get any new assets/models for TWW, which I doubt will happen. Imagine how people would riot if they did Dragonsoul-level rehash of old stuff but on an Expansion level.

We will get new stuff, but it will probably be the least "new stuff" expansion we've ever gotten in a single expansion unless they introduce some radically new cultures into Northrend.

Revamped Scourge, Keepers, Tuskarr, Earthen, Vrykul, Dragons and Nerubians are all covered by the past several and next expansions. Frost Giants (I forgot them), Magnataur, Wolvar, and Drakkari are the things that are exclusive to Northrend and would be the bulk of the "new" unless I am forgetting anyone else.

[Varodoc]

Nerubian interest will be sated in TWW. It just might feel like a very "samey" expansion to cap off the saga, especially when one of the zones will be so similar to Azure Span. They will have to lean pretty heavily into the Drakkari and Vrykul stuff.

That is Dragonflight's fault. Now much of Northrend will feel too "samey" because Dragonflight literally copy-pasted the Tuskar, Blue Dragonflight, and Storm Peaks aesthetic into the Dragon Isles.

Had Dragonflight never existed, this could have been the Revamped Coldarra:



This could have been the Revamped Grizzly Hills:





Now it is too late. Clearly they were not planning the 3-expansions format while working on Dragonflight, or they would have realized that the Azure Span is ripping off Northrend and would clash with a planned Northrend Revamp.

You'll just have to deal with it and hope that Azure Span will be a distant memory in 2028.

As for the Scourge and Drakkari stuff, I am not worried about them. Torghast shows us the potential of a Revamped Icecrown, Zuldazar the potential of a Revamped Zul'Drak.

Suramar shows us the potential of a Revamped Silvermoon, and that is why I can't wait for TWW to be over so that we can get to the actual meat of this saga, Midnight.

[Reive]

they won't announce anything this week. the devs like uphill battles where they have to regain trust after pissing off their playerbase first lol

[Cheezits]

That is Dragonflight's fault. Now much of Northrend will feel too "samey" because Dragonflight literally copy-pasted the Tuskar, Blue Dragonflight, and Storm Peaks aesthetic into the Dragon Isles.

I mean, Dragonflight is purposefully connected to Northrend not only by location but by how it is a reflection (retroactively) of the original locales and things the Dragons liked from their homeland and subsequently built in Northrend. The Blue made a new Azure Archives through creation of Coldarra, the Red made a small red garden that resembles the Ruby Life Pools, the Wyrmrest tower was made to resemble Valdrakken. Etc. The devs probably looked at Dragonblight first and foremost when getting ideas for the Dragon Isles.

Dev-wise, yes, it means that they can reuse a lot of stuff from Dragonflight in Northrend. But they have to play it careful because it seems the bulk of the expansion will heavily rely on models and concepts from previous expansions. Even if there is a heavy Northrend influence in the Dragon Isles, they still updated a bunch of old models that were never updated before (Dragons, Dragonkin, Centaurs, Gnolls).

Midnight is still going to be the Big Expansion between the three as there is more hype for a revamped Quelthalas than Northrend, even if both were requested. Also it has the biggest potential for a new Class (void-themed equivalent to Paladin) and Race (Ethereals or Naga) vs TLT (Tuskarr are possible, still iffy on Vrykul, and Drakkari would be an AR as would Amani).