Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[JDBlou]

I think we're seeing Goblin patch, micwini made all the points.

I don't imagine Rootlands and Goblins mixing. There's nothing to point to that and seems to be speculation plugging in the two things that we know will be future content.

I did a little big (read:very little) digging into this, so far we have the speculation that we'll have an ethereal themed raid and a goblin themed raid because of the icons datamined and shown in this article: https://www.wowhead.com/news/new-ico...ins-and-343546

The venture co ring icon features on loot from cinderbrew: https://www.wowhead.com/item=221198/85-year-tenure-ring, but more interestingly features a very gallywix top-hat.

The etherealraid icon features in two places: https://www.wowhead.com/item=219299/...brewterializer
https://www.wowhead.com/item=221023/...us-transmitter

Leaving only the unresolved: inv_offhand_1h_goblinraid_d_01.

This in conjunction with the rest of @micwini's points does seem to lead us to assume we're going to the undermine in 11.1 and while wholly inconclusive and subject to the absence of evidence fallacy, does suggest we head to the harronir lands over ka'aresh in 11.2

[CasualFilth]

Does Brann get extra exp from alts? Or just once per day for the 4 bountiful delves?

[Nymrohd]

Does Brann get extra exp from alts? Or just once per day for the 4 bountiful delves?

I mean it is week 1, it's not over and my Brann is lvl 27 and should have been 28 if not for a bug costing me half the first day. Do we need to speed it up more?

[Jolly Roger]

I'm glad you've noticed the Arathi don't feel comfortable intergrating themselves into normal society. There's 100% a turn from a major character there, whether it's General Steelstrike or Faerin, or both, there's a one happening.

I wouldn't see the Korbyss as the enemy however, their radiant memory in Hallowfall(?) shows them fighting a naga tribe called the Zan'jir last seen in Queen Azshara's palace or the Nazjatar zone in general. That definitely wasn't put there by accident or coincidence

If I had to take a educated guess where the main base is at, if you enter the Broken Shore for the first time as a Shadow Priest with the weapon equipped she makes note of a big war which happened, a city named K'Tanth'. I imagine it got obliterated and its now underwater.

Coincidentally there's a rare spawn in Thaldrazus which is an Aqir with the title Maw of K'Tanth so it's not a piece of side-lore which has been shelved by the devs. Haven't got a clue which patch they'll do it but they'll definitely visit the Korbyss' beef with the Naga

k'tanth was her city
the korbyss were her people
and Xalatath is her name

[Sondrelk]

Orwenya was literally in the TWW trailer for the most amount of time accumulated, she's getting a major storyline whether you like it or not.

I know. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Maybe I am being too harsh though. The hypothetical Rootlands patch could absolutely blow me away and remove all doubt from my mind it was a good idea compared to whatever else was an option.

[Barator]

Does anyone know why the date for Hallows End was changed? Its starting on october 25th know instead of the 18th

[Sondrelk]

Love your passion about Silithus zone, but I don't think it will happen.
I think they will carve the path forward in the next 2 small patches and by 11.0.7, we should have a clear idea on where we're going.
Im thinking Undermine still:
- Reason for it would be to repair the artifact. Paralelling the goblins making the demon soul
- Lots of goblin related side quests, one of them namedropping it at the end
- Gazlowe appearance + short story
- Marin Noggenfogger is present as well. You save him on the beach after Dalaran's fall
- EZ-mine nodes
- Some new goblin assets (as far as I know. They could also be from BFA)
- Goblinraid.jpg
- Cinderbrew meadery is not in the M+ rotation and would fit a goblin patch seeing as it is kind of a Venture Co. dungeon

There is just a lot of things pointing at it being a major location in the near future.
-

Undermine seems inevitable in some form. Only question is whether it will be a full dedicated patch. If it will share space with something else. Or if it will be the Megadungeon.

Personally I think making Undermine the raid, and the zone it comes with being the Rootlands would work best. Though maybe I am too fixated on the idea of giant shredders the size of cathedrals cutting down trees.

[Khaza-R]

I know. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Maybe I am being too harsh though. The hypothetical Rootlands patch could absolutely blow me away and remove all doubt from my mind it was a good idea compared to whatever else was an option.

Personally I wasn't sold on it either until I did the quest line and saw the Unseeming stuff.

I think "Rootlands" will be more spooky nature themed vs just Amirdrassil 2.0. Its also likely going to elaborate on how the Old Gods are directly connected to the Void as a larger entity. So should be interesting.

[Sondrelk]

Does anyone know why the date for Hallows End was changed? Its starting on october 25th know instead of the 18th

If I were to guess it would be because there is content attached to it coming in the Anniversary patch, and the developers don't want to miss out on it by a single week.

- - - Updated - - -

Personally I wasn't sold on it either until I did the quest line and saw the Unseeming stuff.

I think "Rootlands" will be more spooky nature themed vs just Amirdrassil 2.0.

I love the Unseemung and all that. I just don't like the Harrinir.
You could take the Unseeming plotline and have the friendly faction be almost anybody and I don't think much changes.

Maybe I am being unfair on the Harrinir though. When I heard then talk my mind almost immediately went to the Na'vi from Avatar, and I had a visceral reaction remembering those movies.

[OCoyne]

k'tanth was her city
the korbyss were her people
and Xalatath is her name

Unsure about that one mind. Korbyss are descendants of Murlocs, so you're implying Xalatath was once a Murloc pre-change.

I genuinely can't switch off from the idea that she's a human avatar of N'Zoth. That theory still hasn't gone yet, the cinematic only raised suspicions with the final line of "Only the strongest survive" N'Zoth fought the other 3 before they joined forces and was the weakest out the 4.

[Sondrelk]

Unsure about that one mind. Korbyss are descendants of Murlocs, so you're implying Xalatath was once a Murloc pre-change.

I genuinely can't switch off from the idea that she's a human avatar of N'Zoth. That theory still hasn't gone yet, the cinematic only raised suspicions with the final line of "Only the strongest survive" N'Zoth fought the other 3 before they joined forces and was the weakest out the 4.

Kobyss are more immediately descended from Ankoan.
A pedantic point given Ankoan are Jinyu, who are ascended murlocs who evolved with the power of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, but still.

Also Xal'atath can't really be N'zoth given we have seen them have a dialogue after we released Xal'atath from her dagger and gave her the elf body she currently inhabits.

[Kiivar86]

Looking at some stuff from the testing of the anniversary event:

-There's a kyrian present.
-Taelia's there, so she's not forgotten, I suppose.
-Reshad (Arakkoa from AU-Draenor) and Soulbinder Tuulani are there too. Hard to say if they're somehow the AU ones we've met or actually the main universe's versions.

[Houle]

I genuinely can't switch off from the idea that she's a human avatar of N'Zoth. That theory still hasn't gone yet, the cinematic only raised suspicions with the final line of "Only the strongest survive" N'Zoth fought the other 3 before they joined forces and was the weakest out the 4.

They literally met, had a conversation and made a deal in BfA. Xal gave the player character to him, and in exchange for that he released her fully from the dagger and allowed her to leave. How would any of that make sense if they are the same being.

[milkmustache]

Orwenya was literally in the TWW trailer for the most amount of time accumulated, she's getting a major storyline whether you like it or not.

This whole thing about Goblins is becoming a meme at this stage, all they've had is literally 1 piece of dialogue from the Earthern to something being underneath Dornogal, it's not something which is major in comparisons with Elune'Ahir, The Arathi or the Korbyss.
Every .2 patch seems to feature a mega dungeon alongside with the raid, it might get that but everything else is just approaching meme status

If you're looking at it in a "who was featured most in marketing" sense, then don't ignore Gazlowe having a short story in the pre-expansion marketing.

Rootlands will certainly be a patch. There's a lot more to it then just a few haranir in Azj-Kahet and Orwenya in the marketing video. But there is also significant concrete evidence of a goblin patch with the datamined raid icons, number of Goblin settlements in 3/4 zones, hints woven in side quests, etc. etc. I think you're blatantly ignoring it because there are some other things that demand attention.

The Arathi won't be a patch, the Empire is almost certainly being saved for a post Worldsoul Saga expansion. I think we'll see them in Midnight and The Last Titan, but that's it. Beledar must come up at some point, but I think that will either be the megadungeon or a story thread in a patch.

The Kobyss are cool, but they hardly have enough focus for a patch. As you said before, we'll see them return with the Naga's story to be told upon Azshara's return.

Elun'ahir and the Rootlands will be visited. I think it'll be another patch, maybe 11.2. But there won't be a combination of that and Goblins. There's no sense in believing the two will be put together, each will get their own patch.

[hattahat]

The most likely scenario is that the Rootlands will be the Forbidden Reach of this expansion, with Season 2 covering the Goblin Raid and the megadungeon of Forbidden Reach or Hallowfall.

[Zardas]

The most likely scenario is that the Rootlands will be the Forbidden Reach of this expansion, with Season 2 covering the Goblin Raid and the megadungeon of Forbidden Reach or Hallowfall.

What would be 11.2 then ?

[Xilurm]

The most likely scenario is that the Rootlands will be the Forbidden Reach of this expansion, with Season 2 covering the Goblin Raid and the megadungeon of Forbidden Reach or Hallowfall.

10.1 wasn't Forbidden Reach, it was Zaralek Caverns. Forbidden Reach came back in 10.0.7 but that's only because it was already an existing zone.

They ain't introducing a massive new zone in a minor patch.

[hattahat]

What would be 11.2 then ?

11.2 will be the core of Azeroth, leading from the coreway, where we'll enter the facility that titanizes Azeroth and fight not only the titan minions, but also Xal'athath, who is trying to infuse Azeroth with the Void.

10.1 wasn't Forbidden Reach, it was Zaralek Caverns. Forbidden Reach came back in 10.0.7 but that's only because it was already an existing zone.

They ain't introducing a massive new zone in a minor patch.

I know, but you have to remember that we only got to experience four zones in 11.0. And I expect a fifth zone to come in a minor patch in this expansion, whether it's 11.0.5 or 11.0.7. And of course, Season 2 will introduce new zones, whether it's Undermine or something related to it.

[Nightshade711]

The most likely scenario is that the Rootlands will be the Forbidden Reach of this expansion, with Season 2 covering the Goblin Raid and the megadungeon of Forbidden Reach or Hallowfall.

Could make sense if the map for the rootlands wasn’t the size of some of the other zones in TWW. But it is the size of the Ringing Deeps. I don’t see them wasting a full sized zone for a .x.7 patch.

[Golden Yak]

I'd predict Undermine for season 2, Rootlands for season 3.

I don't know what the megadungeon would be. I can't think of some obvious big fancy door anywhere that could have a megadungeon behind it like the Bronze Conflux. Maybe something in the Earthen areas, a big Earthen facility connected with the Chamber of Memory. Earthen halls leading into Titan facilities, with a breach from Xal'atath's forces, and we learn all about the true plans of the Titans and the nature of the Worldsouls, stuff that will lead into Midnight and Last Titan just like how Dawn of the Infinite had elements that led into TWW.