Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Joshuaj]

So far we have 4 of the 6 forces potentially doing some shady stuff to reach Azeroth's core. Maybe 5 depending if we see more with Sargeras's sword this expansion.

Seems like TWW finale is shaping up to be a free-for-all at the planet's core afterall.

Wouldn't Sargeras also be Order, but a twisted version of it?

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Also, Life COULD be trying to reach Azeroth in its own way. I mean, the Emerald Dream is connected to Azeroth, and Elune conduits her power through Azeroths Moon for some reason, whether it be natural influence or something else making it so.

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TWW's ending will most likely not be a free for all. It'll likely just end with us stopping the Void from claiming Azeroth's soul directly, which would lead to Midnight's build up.

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Speaking of, I like that the Highfather of Order is an old guy with long hair, a lengthy beard, and a wizard robe! It just works.

[Nibelheimy]

What we know is that Thraegar damaged the worldcore. We also know there are no more Thraegar around, but nobody remembers why. If the Titans/keepers, removed/eliminated the Thraegar, we could assume they may have repaired the worldcore.

The only reason we are at Khaz Algar, is because Magni received a vision from Azeroth herself, and the only change Khaz Algar has had in very recent history is Xal'atath making moves with Old God blood and the Nerubians. So she calls for him.

The worldcore is either damaged and the worldsoul is going to be corrupted by the dark heart, or repaired and about to be broken by the dark heart leaving the worldsoul vulnerable.
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What I'm trying to say here, is that regardless if other cosmic forces have tried over time to influence the world soul, this expansion is about Void gaining that foothold.

Life may have world tree's with roots reaching towards the worldsoul. (Would be interesting if the roots were to reach it, it could potentialy drain it of its power/lifeforce, showings Life's danger if it is left to grow in excess) Light may or not be sending shards of light/Naaru ships across the universe mirroring the Voidlords flinging old gods across the cosmos to infest planets. Order may contain a worldsoul in machines in order to isolate it from the other forces, and craft and bend the surface of the planet to create monitoring and influencing stations, imprison old gods and create whole elemental planes to imprison elementals. (The elemental planes were created by lowly keepers, I wonder what other realms beings on a level such as Aman'thul could create in order to influence/control the other forces)

Xal'atath is here right now, and all we really know is she has the Dark Heart, Old Gold blood and a mural depicting an old god reaching towards a crystal.

The War Within is going to end with the corruption of the world soul. The song of Renilash I believe tells us this:

The Song of Renilash
Chapter 11

15. The Arathi, guardians of the Sacred Flame, formed the Aegis shield, a constellation of courage against the encroaching darkness. Their resolve, a beacon in the night, as stars began to fade into shadow.
16. The Harbinger's forces, nightmares of legs and claws, spun from the loom of oblivion, skittered across the battlefield. Their movements, a grotesque dance, echoed the discordant rhythm of a world teetering on the brink.
17. The wall, built with the living rock of titans, bore the weight of the conflict. Each stone, a silent witness to the struggle, whispering tales of valor to the wind, stirring the spirits of warriors long gone.
18. The remains of gods, scattered across the battlefield, pulsed with an unseen light. Their echoes, a clarion call, stirred the Arathi, compelling them to fight, to kill for the world's dawn.
19. Amidst the chaos, the forgotten one cried, "When the last star fades, the emperor's crown will weigh heavy with the sins of a thousand years." The stalwart soldiers threw down their spears and wept tears of blood and burning anger.

The stars are the crystals. (I wonder if the crystal will go dark at the end of Siren Isle) The wall built of living stone is the Earthern. The remains of gods could be many things but also Earthern again. The Spirits of Warriors long gone could even be the Thraegar. The last star is either the Worldsoul, the sunwell, or the crystals like the Beledar depending on if this song is the setting of the War Within or Midnight.

If TWW, the Beledar will be the final crystal to fully turn dark. Signalling the corruption of the Worldsoul to Void and the end of the expansion. The final patch will be us, the Arathi, the Earthern and possibly the Harronir forming a human wall around the entrance to the worldcore in attempts to repel Xal'Atath an her forces reaching the worldsoul. It could also be the Sunwell in midnight, where we are hinted to fail pushing back the void, leading us to Ulduar to summon the titans back to Azeroth.

The Sword of Sargeras hitting the planet is when Beledar first turned dark, he has possibly damaged the Worldcore leaving the worldsoul vulnerable. Which in honesty was probably his intention, moreso to take control away from Aman'thul in spite.

BFA starts and N'zoth gains power, releasing Xal'atath from her prison. But the black blood of the old gods has been in the earth for ages, especially if the corpse of a 5th old god has been leaking closer to Khaz Algar, possibly down the roots of Elun'ahir, it could explain a gradual corruption since the end of Legion now that the Worldcore is damaged.

Xal has instructed the Nerubians to collect the blood, and ever since the dark phase of Beledar has been coming more and more frequently and lasting longer in the lore.

Lastly, right underneath the platform the world boss of Azj'kahet is standing on, there is a massive, green haze root area that goes straight down. It would make sense if the Nerubians are flinging blood onto the roots in order for it to drip down as far as possible.

Looks like Aman'thul was right to be pissed at Eonar.

[Dracullus]

So far we have 4 of the 6 forces potentially doing some shady stuff to reach Azeroth's core. Maybe 5 depending if we see more with Sargeras's sword this expansion.

Seems like TWW finale is shaping up to be a free-for-all at the planet's core afterall.

Maybe all of them?

Light - Crystal
Void - Old Gods
Order - Coreway
Life - Roots of Elun'Ahir
Death - Icecrown conduit (failed)
Fel - Sargeras coming in person (failed)

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New PTR build, they postponed profession respec. But.. I kinda feel tired with this whole knowledge system. It's so unnecessary grindy, especially compared to rest game post SL. And whole system is complcated enough even without knowledge on top.

Maybe better way would be just limited pool of knowledge points you can assign and reset once a week or/and for huge gold cost? Of course it shouldn't affect recipes you learn, just level of skill when you craft stuff, people who put more knowledge in boots would make better boots etc.

[Nibelheimy]

Maybe all of them?

Light - Crystal
Void - Old Gods
Order - Coreway
Life - Roots of Elun'Ahir
Death - Icecrown conduit (failed)
Fel - Sargeras coming in person (failed)

I don't think we've seen anything of fel trying to influence the worldsoul as a force. Sargeras is to Fel what Eonar is to Life. The Burning Legion is an order creation, albeit, not on the same path as the rest of the Pantheon, but the intent was to destroy or damage in my eyes, not influence it. At least from what we've seen or been told so far.

[milkmustache]

I think a huge missing piece here comes from Metzen's description of Midnight at Blizzcon.

"...you will make your stand with the forces of the Light, and banish the shadow forever."

Aside from the Arathi, we've yet to see anything overtly influenced by the Light this expansion. We're currently in a collective back and forth on whether or not Beledar is crystalized essence of the Worldsoul (which is currently being implied), or something similar to the Exodar, Xenedar or Genedar (especially because of that naming scheme).

If our two patches are concerned with some combination of Undermine, Rootlands, and the Worldcore, something here has to be related to the Light to bring us forward into Midnight.

I'm wondering if there is going to be some sort of reveal involving either the Worldsoul, Beledar, or both. I suppose we don't need a big story beat with the Light in TWW to guide us into Midnight, but it seems to be a fairly large focus in Midnight. Aside from the involvement of the Sunwell, it would be expected to be the Elven forces that we help, not the forces of the Light.

Is Belader revealed to be a Nauru ship? Is Azeroth revealed to have a closer connection with the Light than the Titans (thus imprisonment)? Is Elune involved at all?

[huth]

Isn’t Kezan pretty close to Khaz Algar?

Khaz Algar is west of Pandaria. Kezan is near the Maelstrom.

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That is my guess for what it is. A giant hunk of Azerite that has calcified around a source of Light magic. Making the entire thing resonate with Light magic and its nature to change to Void as it dies.

So basically a pearl?

[Joshuaj]

Maybe all of them?

Light - Crystal
Void - Old Gods
Order - Coreway
Life - Roots of Elun'Ahir
Death - Icecrown conduit (failed)
Fel - Sargeras coming in person (failed)

--

New PTR build, they postponed profession respec. But.. I kinda feel tired with this whole knowledge system. It's so unnecessary grindy, especially compared to rest game post SL. And whole system is complcated enough even without knowledge on top.

Maybe better way would be just limited pool of knowledge points you can assign and reset once a week or/and for huge gold cost? Of course it shouldn't affect recipes you learn, just level of skill when you craft stuff, people who put more knowledge in boots would make better boots etc.

Old Gods failed too

[Golden Yak]

If TWW, the Beledar will be the final crystal to fully turn dark. Signalling the corruption of the Worldsoul to Void and the end of the expansion. The final patch will be us, the Arathi, the Earthern and possibly the Harronir forming a human wall around the entrance to the worldcore in attempts to repel Xal'Atath an her forces reaching the worldsoul. It could also be the Sunwell in midnight, where we are hinted to fail pushing back the void, leading us to Ulduar to summon the titans back to Azeroth.

My views are really close to what you've written.

I think that the climax of TWW will be Xal'atath essentially reversing the Ordering that the Titans have done so far - stripping away the Order magic they've poured into the Worldsoul. Resetting it to standard, really. This is the 'pry the world from the Titans grasp' that Iridikron mentioned.

I think she'll also try and seize the Worldsoul with the Black Blood, and the final battle of TWW will be us stopping her. We spoil the Void's first try here, and then in Midnight they invade a force, trying to take the world directly now that the Worldsoul is 'up for grabs'.

They might succeed, and Midnight is our Empire Strikes Back moment. But either way, the Titans will show up to Re-Originate everything in Last Titan.

[Joshuaj]

Is it now?
Because Dragonflight made it pretty clear there is a distinction between the Arcane and Order magic.

And the latter has been exclusively golden colored.

A lot of Order magics have the gold color. They also have a lot of blue coloring. Also, reminder that not all Arcane Magic is Order Magic (or at least, it doesn't apply to Order's influence a lot of the time), as a lot of times it can be very volatile, and I'm not sure mortals, especially mages of the Kirin'Tor are familiar or connected with the influence of Order (by "not sure", I mean they aren't). However, Order Magic can and has most definitely included the Arcane.

Arcane is a unique Magic to argue, cause it can be considered Order magic a ton, but it's also considered not to be Order magic, or at least it lacks any of Order's traits in a lot of cases. I imagine it primarily depends on who's using it, since in the hands of the Dragonflights and the Titans, it's used a ton and it's used as an Order Magic, while for places like the Netherstorm, or in many situations where mortals try to use it, the magic is anything but ordered.

[hattahat]

My views are really close to what you've written.

I think that the climax of TWW will be Xal'atath essentially reversing the Ordering that the Titans have done so far - stripping away the Order magic they've poured into the Worldsoul. Resetting it to standard, really. This is the 'pry the world from the Titans grasp' that Iridikron mentioned.

I think she'll also try and seize the Worldsoul with the Black Blood, and the final battle of TWW will be us stopping her. We spoil the Void's first try here, and then in Midnight they invade a force, trying to take the world directly now that the Worldsoul is 'up for grabs'.

They might succeed, and Midnight is our Empire Strikes Back moment. But either way, the Titans will show up to Re-Originate everything in Last Titan.

Yeah, this is it. I've been saying this since the Worldsoul Saga was revealed. That Xal'atath will reach into the core of Azeroth and inject the Void into Azeroth which is being titanized, and that the Sunwell will be the only bastion of light in a darkened Azeroth.

And I think Alleria's role will play a big part in this. Xal'atath will in some way immerse Azeroth in the Void and the world will fall into Midnight, but in the process, Alleria may embrace some of the Void and prevent it from completely engulfing Azeroth. Perhaps in Midnight expansion, when the corrupted Alleria marches on the Sunwell, we'll meet her as a boss and “save” her.

This would also explain why the expansion animation emphasized her tough choices.

But it could also just end with her interrupting Xal'atath. Like the plan to inject the Void into Azeroth succeeding, but Xal'atath herself suffering great damage.

Whether Xal'atath is intact and alive in Midnight, or whether she's damaged in some way and sealed away once again. And whether Alleria is temporarily corrupted by the power of the Void, or whether she thwarts Xal'atath's plans and continues to be on our side in Midnight, it's all possible.

And “When the arrow finds its mark, the last fetter will fall away.” I believe this prophecy will play a role in the story of Alleria and Xal'atath in some way.

[Joshuaj]

My views are really close to what you've written.

I think that the climax of TWW will be Xal'atath essentially reversing the Ordering that the Titans have done so far - stripping away the Order magic they've poured into the Worldsoul. Resetting it to standard, really. This is the 'pry the world from the Titans grasp' that Iridikron mentioned.

I think she'll also try and seize the Worldsoul with the Black Blood, and the final battle of TWW will be us stopping her. We spoil the Void's first try here, and then in Midnight they invade a force, trying to take the world directly now that the Worldsoul is 'up for grabs'.

They might succeed, and Midnight is our Empire Strikes Back moment. But either way, the Titans will show up to Re-Originate everything in Last Titan.

"Re-originate" "Shape and Order what's there as it's deemed "chaotic" and whatnot" "Imprison or repurpose"

The Titans barely have an original thought in their minds oml

[Polybius]

Maybe all of them?

Light - Crystal
Void - Old Gods
Order - Coreway
Life - Roots of Elun'Ahir
Death - Icecrown conduit (failed)
Fel - Sargeras coming in person (failed)

--

New PTR build, they postponed profession respec. But.. I kinda feel tired with this whole knowledge system. It's so unnecessary grindy, especially compared to rest game post SL. And whole system is complcated enough even without knowledge on top.

Maybe better way would be just limited pool of knowledge points you can assign and reset once a week or/and for huge gold cost? Of course it shouldn't affect recipes you learn, just level of skill when you craft stuff, people who put more knowledge in boots would make better boots etc.

The vassal of life disguises treachery. Beware the eyes of green.

[Kiivar86]

Hey, this is the fun part about theorizing. We don't know what's up lol

True that!

If nothing else, this expansion has been a lot better for that for me, I feel.

[Cheezits]

Huge spoiler but in the Kirin Tor questline it's revealed there is a mirror image of Pre-Lich Kel'Thuzad lingering in an enchanted amulet, and after we talk with him for a bit he escapes in a portal. So this may be an indication of how he can come back after the disappointment of him in SL, and possibly with a character reset as well.

Also the Council of Six is mostly missing and doesn't appear, so this is very likely a multi expansion story

[Kiivar86]

Huge spoiler but in the Kirin Tor questline it's revealed there is a mirror image of Pre-Lich Kel'Thuzad lingering in an enchanted amulet, and after we talk with him for a bit he escapes in a portal. So this may be an indication of how he can come back after the disappointment of him in SL, and possibly with a character reset as well.

Also the Council of Six is mostly missing and doesn't appear, so this is very likely a multi expansion story

On the one hand, I don't like cheapening death, even more so. On the other hand, I love Kel'thuzad (the old one, not the Shadowlands version he became) so a second go-around would be pretty sweet. Also if Dalaran's a multi-expansion story, I wonder if that may be a way to incorporate Aluneth too. I'd love to see him return ala Xal'atath.

[Sondrelk]

Huge spoiler but in the Kirin Tor questline it's revealed there is a mirror image of Pre-Lich Kel'Thuzad lingering in an enchanted amulet, and after we talk with him for a bit he escapes in a portal. So this may be an indication of how he can come back after the disappointment of him in SL, and possibly with a character reset as well.

Also the Council of Six is mostly missing and doesn't appear, so this is very likely a multi expansion story

Interesting. I wonder if this is how we will get more relevance to the Scourged areas in EK in time for Midnight.
I always figured going to the Plaguelands and Stratholme/Scholomance was a definite for that expansion if othing else due to proximity. But I can see this actually giving us a proper primary antagonist for that plotline.

[Therougetitan]

I can think of no one better to introduce a necromancer style class later on.

[Kiivar86]

Y'know, thinking about it, that's basically a phylactery too, isn't it? A proto-phylactery. Given Kel'thuzad, that'd make a lot of sense to make.

[Cheezits]

I can think of no one better to introduce a necromancer style class later on.

Necromancer as the Midnight class instead of Void Knight or something similar would be a huge serve, but it makes sense due to the return to the Plaguelands/Scourge area and this new development. Maybe it's both classes?

[Enrif]

I would have thought that it is a seed for TLT instead of Midnight. Though, the sunwell resurrected him once from the dead... so why not a second time? Or, like Xal in BfA and DF, Kel will be a sidestory and be set up for what happens after the World Soul saga?

Kel'thuzard regains a Body in Midnight to mimic Xal'atath getting a body in BfA, then Kel'Thuzard gains something powerful in TLT to mimic Xal'atath gaining the Dark Heart. Like say, the body of a powerful dead dragon to be resurrected into undeath? Iridikron becoming the next Sapphiron, or worse Galakrond, after all that time.