Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Makabreska]

I mean, we literally had an unfinished and scrapped raid of Abyssal Maw in game file for years, you can see it's entrance left of TotT. Same with Defense of the Alehouse BG. Things being partially implemented in the files and then scraped is nothing new.

[Lady Atia]

I mean, we literally had an unfinished and scrapped raid of Abyssal Maw in game file for years, you can see it's entrance left of TotT. Same with Defense of the Alehouse BG. Things being partially implemented in the files and then scraped is nothing new.

Do you really compare old shitty Blizzard with the current gang?

If something shows up in the files, we will get it. This was true for the whole of Shadowlands and Dragonflight. They are even working through the backlog of old just to give us the cosmetics they were too incompetent to give us in the first place, lol.

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People always twist their minds to invalidate all the filenames and development info, and it's always true. People thought that Kultiras file name didn't mean anything, people thought the mention of Zaralek Caverns didn't mean anything, people thought emeralddreamoutdoor didn't mean anything, people thought the datamined Aug quest didn't mean anything.

If it's far enough along to have icons or a presence in the game, yeah, it'll probably happen. There will be a goblin raid. There is no question about it. Undermine makes the most sense seeing how we literally have an underground expansion.

This, 10 points for Ravenclaw here.

[Khaza-R]

Do you really compare old shitty Blizzard with the current gang?

If something shows up in the files, we will get it. This was true for the whole of Shadowlands and Dragonflight. They are even working through the backlog of old just to give us the cosmetics they were too incompetent to give us in the first place, lol.

Damn old shitty Blizzard for not finishing things

Nu Blizzard totally never does that.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

Seems like the perfect time time finally experience the Undermine. Where is Kezan's proximity to Khaz Algar in the ocean?

[Marlamin]

Do you really compare old shitty Blizzard with the current gang?

If something shows up in the files, we will get it. This was true for the whole of Shadowlands and Dragonflight. They are even working through the backlog of old just to give us the cosmetics they were too incompetent to give us in the first place, lol.

While I doubt the goblin raid icon is a ruse/something that won't happen/scrapped, that's not exactly true. Has it become more true over the years that they tend to stick with what they're making? Yeah, but let's not go as far as saying "if something shows up in the files, we will get it".

I think more of the reason we don't see any of the things they stopped doing for whatever reason is because they've also gotten better at hiding things (no more filenames outside of interface files) and cleaning up as any test builds are much further in development art-wise than they were in previous expansions, and that's usually where the leaks come from/gain traction. There's plenty of minor references to things that never happened in SL/DF and maybe even TWW.

BfA was probably the last expansion where it was so clear/egregious, though. But again we only know that because of the stuff they left in after the fact, so similar things might have been the case for recent expansions too, but cleaned up.

[Auxis]

Is Gazlowe involved in TWW at all? Just seems odd that he's got a short-story in a book if he's not gonna be present, while every other character who has a short-story is involved in TWW somehow. Makes me think they're gearing him up to be involved in something, given he has that new model/new outfit and is suddenly getting some more development.

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Seems like the perfect time time finally experience the Undermine. Where is Kezan's proximity to Khaz Algar in the ocean?

Going by this map, it's near the S-SE side of the Maelstrom. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say there is some creative liberty at play and it's not THAT close to the giant death-whirlpool. But it should be a close estimate where it's at.



.. and Khaz Algar is between the southern tip of Kalimdor and the western coast of Pandaria. So not really close at all.

[Makorus]

This is true, it's just as likely that there will be a Goblin-themed raid as there will be a singular goblin raid boss in the second raid, or maybe even just the world boss. Sometimes they just style drops to a particular fight rather than the theme of the entire raid.

It's not. Icon naming has been consistently the same for the last 6 expansions or so.

Items from Xymox weren't called "brokerraid", they were called "progenitorraid" or "revendrethraid". Antumbra from Rygelon wasn't called "cosmicraid", it was called "progenitorraid".

Every single icon that was made for a raid drop item has the "xraid" file name, every single icon that was made for an openworld drop has the "xoutdoors" file name. The only time you will find exceptions is when an item in a raid uses an icon that was previously used somewhere else, obviously, but that's not relevant here.

I mean, hell, we can look at Nerub'ar:

inv_knife_1h_nerubianraid_d_01 is the dagger, inv_hand_1h_nerubianraid_d_02_blue is the unique Ethereal fist weapon and so on.

And it's definitely a raid as well, because dungeons have different file names as well.

inv_staff_2h_earthendungeon_c_01 with "earthendungeon" seemingly being the only one so far.

[Raetary]

Seems like the perfect time time finally experience the Undermine. Where is Kezan's proximity to Khaz Algar in the ocean?

They are rather far apart.

Undermine is under Kezan, which is around the Maelstrom.
While Khaz Algar is to the southwest, between Pandaria and Kalimdor.

[Cheezits]

I would love a Rootlands megadungeon and minizone and Undermine raid and mini zone, the dual theming is great and you already see a tech vs life struggle in Ringing Deeps.

If any of the two themes are downplayed, I hope it's the Rootlands as we have had plenty of primal life lately. But as Goblins are sillier and not tied to the sexy new AR Harronir they want sell race changes with, they may get the short end of the stick.

The dream is both get lots of focus. Undermine deserves more than another Mechagon situation where the city itself is hidden away and rather small because it's an instance. But I'm hoping they put the Brawlers Guild in there.

[Khaza-R]

I'd curious if we do get a Undermine raid. Will Kezan/Undermine being a vertical zone where you can explore both the island and the urban center underneath.

[Cheezits]

I mean, we literally had an unfinished and scrapped raid of Abyssal Maw in game file for years, you can see it's entrance left of TotT. Same with Defense of the Alehouse BG. Things being partially implemented in the files and then scraped is nothing new.

Blizzard has been purposefully and ritually leaking one or two icons for patch content since... at least DF launch. I forget if they did this with SL.

I really doubt it's a coincidence as each patch they leak one single item and icon, Zaralek got a shout at launch (or blackdragonoutdoors) and then a single emerald dream weapon icon. Now we get two goblin items (only one of which is a raid, the other item could be a genuine leak, or maybe it was to show it won't just be a raid?)

Rootlands map file leaking is likely a genuine leak even if the roots and Harronir are obvious foreshadowing at launch.

[Polybius]

Blizzard has been purposefully and ritually leaking one or two icons for patch content since... at least DF launch. I forget if they did this with SL.

I really doubt it's a coincidence as each patch they leak one single item and icon, Zaralek got a shout at launch (or blackdragonoutdoors) and then a single emerald dream weapon icon. Now we get two goblin items (only one of which is a raid, the other item could be a genuine leak, or maybe it was to show it won't just be a raid?)

Rootlands map file leaking is likely a genuine leak even if the roots and Harronir are obvious foreshadowing at launch.

SL had the Ardenweald raid meant for the Drustvar storyline. Instead we got Korthia and the Ardenweald defense storyline.

[Jastall]

They are rather far apart.

Undermine is under Kezan, which is around the Maelstrom.
While Khaz Algar is to the southwest, between Pandaria and Kalimdor.

Nothing that either a small helping of retconium or some goblin technology shenanigans can't solve. Would be cool if we get to the zone via a big huge rocket or something like that.

[Polybius]

Nothing that either a small helping of retconium or some goblin technology shenanigans can't solve. Would be cool if we get to the zone via a big huge rocket or something like that.

Either way it doesn’t impede travel, as we’ve seen with the Zandalari visiting Pandaria. Gazlowe’s involvement seals the deal for me.

Gallywix was last seen in SL making a deal with a broker cartel who were interested in Black Empire artifacts. And Kajamite had some relation to Azerite in BFA. What better way to connect the threads than wrapping it up in TWW.

[Cheezits]

SL had the Ardenweald raid meant for the Drustvar storyline. Instead we got Korthia and the Ardenweald defense storyline.

There was never any data evidence of an Ardenweald raid, just a "this feels like it should've happened" with the Drust.

[Lady Atia]

While I doubt the goblin raid icon is a ruse/something that won't happen/scrapped, that's not exactly true. Has it become more true over the years that they tend to stick with what they're making? Yeah, but let's not go as far as saying "if something shows up in the files, we will get it".

I think more of the reason we don't see any of the things they stopped doing for whatever reason is because they've also gotten better at hiding things (no more filenames outside of interface files) and cleaning up as any test builds are much further in development art-wise than they were in previous expansions, and that's usually where the leaks come from/gain traction. There's plenty of minor references to things that never happened in SL/DF and maybe even TWW.

BfA was probably the last expansion where it was so clear/egregious, though. But again we only know that because of the stuff they left in after the fact, so similar things might have been the case for recent expansions too, but cleaned up.

Yeah but that's the thing - stuff like mounts, icons etc did end up being available in Dragonflight, even if we didn't see the stuff in the patch that datamined it (prolly because they are working on more than one patch at the same time). But people here are arguing that we shouldn't take the "goblin raid" stuff seriously, which is bullshit since it's literally the same thing that happened with Zaralek Caverns and the Emerald Dream.

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There was never any data evidence of an Ardenweald raid, just a "this feels like it should've happened" with the Drust.

This. The "ardenweald raid weapons" were just called that because it was for the ardenweald styled transmog from the first raid. And again, that stuff literally got used in Nathria.

The only thing that kinda screamed Ardenweald/Drust raid was the weird raid portal on that one flying rock in Ardenweald, though.

[Nymrohd]

There was never any data evidence of an Ardenweald raid, just a "this feels like it should've happened" with the Drust.

Wasn't there an item description that was ardenweald_raid or something similar?

[Cheezits]

Wasn't there an item description that was ardenweald_raid or something similar?

That would be the raid weapons that you get from Nathria tokens.

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The only thing that kinda screamed Ardenweald/Drust raid was the weird raid portal on that one flying rock in Ardenweald, though.

Is that a thing? Then yeah, that's a good hint.

[Raetary]

Wasn't there an item description that was ardenweald_raid or something similar?

Yes, but that was for the raid weapons from the raid weapon vendor at the sanctum in season 1.

[Cheezits]

The "Ardenweald Raid Portal" definitely isn't one, but could've been outfitted to be one or a portal to Thros.

https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comment..._dungeon_or_a/