Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Jastall]

I still think the Rootlands raid, and the Goblin raid are one and the same. We go to the Rootlands only to learn it's being attacked by the Goblins, meaning we have to go to the Undermine to stop it.
I know people really want Undermine in all its glory, but I somehow doubt we are going to have a full modern zone there. A raid certainly, but I think it's going to be a repeat of Mechagon where the actual meat and potatoes of that aesthetic is limited to an instanced area (and maybe a new hub for Goblins)

Possible. I'd prefer the Rootlands to be its own thing, and Undermine to be a zone + either raid or megadungeon. I strongly doubt it'll feature as a fully functional city tho, they've never added one of those in a patch. Maybe have an instanced district as a hangout place for goblins as you said.

[Sondrelk]

Possible. I'd prefer the Rootlands to be its own thing, and Undermine to be a zone + either raid or megadungeon. I strongly doubt it'll feature as a fully functional city tho, they've never added one of those in a patch. Maybe have an instanced district as a hangout place for goblins as you said.

It definitely smacks of BfA trying to juggle too many balls at once, but unless we are looking at the Coreway being left for TLT then I can't really see both Rootlands and Undermine being given a full zone. And given the Rootlands is already being teased as a zone compared to Undermine as just a location, I see this being the most likely.

Rootlands is neat, but honestly extremely derivative of the Emerald Dream and Ardenweald. I think it's highly likely they are going to attempt to make it unique by shoving in as many goblin assets as possible to really drive home the differences. Giant excavators, trees the size of a cathedral being made into toothpicks, giant oilspills.
The downside to doing this of course is that is makes an Undermine zone derivative of the Rootlands, which is why I see it being a raid rather than it's own zone.

[Cheezits]

We are also assuming there is more to TLT than the Undermine and Rootlands and it is also possible there isn't anything beyond that. Beledar's interior could be the megadungeon between them and that's the whole expansion.

[Jastall]

I don't mind them doing it. It is an issue, it makes a sense to talk about people who have disabilities continuing on with a normal life (and it should be much more common in a world with as much war as Warcraft). And I think they communicate it clearly. Just saying that it absolutely was a trait added to Faerin so they could talk about an issue.

I was being cheeky, but yeah so long as it makes some sense in-universe to have the discussion they can do that as they please I think. If all of a sudden she started advocating for the rights of black Humans then yeah I'd raise my eyebrows as much as anyone else, but if it's just a floating text on how someone lacking an arm can continue to function in a world such as this one then it's hardly an extreme and immersion breaking inclusion as far as I'm concerned, as you said yourself.

Then again, I'm of the school that writers have a right to include that sort of commentary/part of themselves if they want to, whereas others go on about politics the moment they see something they don't like. All that matters is if you pull it off well by weaving it into the narrative rather than screech it to a halt so you can have a 80's cartoon Very Special Episode. It's not what you do, it's how you do it.

[Sondrelk]

If it's just Mechagon City 2.0 then it's a real sad waste that a lore zone teased for a decade is once again made into a raid, so they can prioritize pretty OC aesthetics. Just chasing what sells.

My one argument against this happening is Venture Co is a joke threat and would get demolished by the Harronir. Why wouldn't it be Xal going for the roots of an old world tree?

People are forgetting that there is probably a megadungeon and it is supposedly not Goblins, so what would it be? It can absolutely be Rootlands. There isn't anything else set up at launch for the megadungeon besides maybe the angler fish and they don't really get any plot. If they copy DF where the megadungeon was more important than the first new raid (because more people do dungeons than raids), then it would be Rootlands dungeon, Goblin zone and raid.

Sure. But we already know the Goblin aesthetic. They are not going to suddenly make Undermine a massive departure from the existing look of Goblin architecture, which only leaves the major difference of it being underground, which is also true of the Rootlands.

Rootlands being a jungle zone with a Goblin shantytown at the end leading to Undermine seems likely. Similar to how the Emerald Dream zone was the Emerald Dream with large pockets of the Firelands.

[Khaza-R]

The downside to doing this of course is that is makes an Undermine zone derivative of the Rootlands, which is why I see it being a raid rather than it's own zone.

The only issue with that is TWW already has less zones than previous expansion. It sort of needs to include patch zones to make up for it. Granted, the patch zone could be something unrelated to Undermine but that seems unlikely to me.

[Cheezits]

Rootlands being a jungle zone with a Goblin shantytown at the end leading to Undermine seems likely. Similar to how the Emerald Dream zone was the Emerald Dream with large pockets of the Firelands.

...I didn't consider the jungle theme harking back to the Lost Isles and tropical themes associated with Goblins already. Shit. It would also completely avoid the Emerald Dream comparisons.

I kind of hate it but yeah. I'm already mourning the loss of a real Undermine zone.

[Sondrelk]

We are also assuming there is more to TLT than the Undermine and Rootlands and it is also possible there isn't anything beyond that. Beledar's interior could be the megadungeon between them and that's the whole expansion.

A Beledar instance is a good suggestion as well. Would probably give us a bit of fanatic Arathi flavour. Though for those I somehow imagine they are saving it for Midnight when they can really splurge on the Scarlet Crusade having more or less an identical theme.

[Jastall]

It definitely smacks of BfA trying to juggle too many balls at once, but unless we are looking at the Coreway being left for TLT then I can't really see both Rootlands and Undermine being given a full zone. And given the Rootlands is already being teased as a zone compared to Undermine as just a location, I see this being the most likely.

Rootlands is neat, but honestly extremely derivative of the Emerald Dream and Ardenweald. I think it's highly likely they are going to attempt to make it unique by shoving in as many goblin assets as possible to really drive home the differences. Giant excavators, trees the size of a cathedral being made into toothpicks, giant oilspills.
The downside to doing this of course is that is makes an Undermine zone derivative of the Rootlands, which is why I see it being a raid rather than it's own zone.

Yeah, I could see them doing that. If 2 big patches is all we get, it's very possible that the first is Rootlands + Undermine, and second is the Core of Azeroth or whatever other location is suitably dramatic enough for the final showdown. On the other hand if the Rootlands aren't very big, they could pull a Forbidden Reach and add it in a minor patch. Sure it's not the same thing because the Reach was already made by Dragonflight's launch but given that Blizzard seem dead-set on having a steady stream of content it's also not impossible that they parse it that way. Rootlands small zone + megadungeon, Undermine zone + raid.

Personally I'd prefer that at least. Rootlands would as you said be kind of yet another forest which we've had in every expansion since forever. Undermine could be a far more unique setting, and an interesting one to traverse with Skyriding in mind.

[Sondrelk]

...I didn't consider the jungle theme harking back to the Lost Isles and tropical themes associated with Goblins already. Shit. It would also completely avoid the Emerald Dream comparisons.

I kind of hate it but yeah. I'm already mourning the loss of a real Undermine zone.

It's not impossible. I just see Undermine being in the unfavorable position of being squeezed between far more fitting options in the grand scheme. Stuff like Rootlands alreayd being all but confirmed. Or Coreway and Silithus being far closer and more integral to the plot both in TWW and the Worldsoul Saga as a whole.

[Nymrohd]

There are areas in Azj'Kahet that definitely give Nyalotha

[Cheezits]

Is the Coreway not just the path to the Ringing Deeps? AFAIK on alpha/beta there was never confirmed transit from Khaz Algar to the Worldsoul.

[Xilurm]

There are areas in Azj'Kahet that definitely give Nyalotha

I really hope that at least 99% of places in Azj'Kahet can be traversed without needing to fly.

[Nymrohd]

A Beledar instance is a good suggestion as well. Would probably give us a bit of fanatic Arathi flavour. Though for those I somehow imagine they are saving it for Midnight when they can really splurge on the Scarlet Crusade having more or less an identical theme.

That is fully covered with the Priory, I don't think we will get more of that before we interact with the Empire proper, be it in Midnight or after the trilogy in Avaloren.

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Is the Coreway not just the path to the Ringing Deeps? AFAIK on alpha/beta there was never confirmed transit from Khaz Algar to the Worldsoul.

Nope, nothing like that is confirmed. Heck the Earthen never talk about the World Soul nor does it seem like they have a clear idea of what they are supposed to be doing there.

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I really hope that at least 99% of places in Azj'Kahet can be traversed without needing to fly.

lol no. Especially not Azj'kahet

[Jastall]

There are areas in Azj'Kahet that definitely give Nyalotha

I'm still salty we didn't get a Ny'alotha zone. All the grand, ominous temples and tall spires filled with tentacled monsters and cultists baying for heretical blood is my fucking jam. BfA really went through far too many cool concepts in a single expansion.

Still, a properly made Nerubian zones with heavy Void undertones is something I can work with too.

[Khaza-R]

I am hoping we still get a zone that's a pocket of the Black Empire left untouched for millennia

Maybe even a friendly k'thir allied race

[Xilurm]

lol no. Especially not Azj'kahet

Are you sure? There's no elevators or ropes or stuff like that? You can walk on spiderwebs at least?

[Nymrohd]

Are you sure? There's no elevators or ropes or stuff like that? You can walk on spiderwebs at least?

I mean sure and there are some elevator things. But good luck traversing that zone without flight, it is extremely vertical and with multiple levels stacked on top of each other.

[Xilurm]

I mean sure and there are some elevator things. But good luck traversing that zone without flight, it is extremely vertical and with multiple levels stacked on top of each other.

As long as that's possible I don't mind. I want to be immersed into the zone for my first time, not above it.

[Nymrohd]

As long as that's possible I don't mind. I want to be immersed into the zone for my first time, not above it.

I don't think your immersion will suffer in that zone if you fly. So many creatures in that zone are flying to begin with.