Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Revamp Man]

No. That'd just be a giant ass-pull with absolutely no rhyme or reason to it.

You mean like BfA and SL?

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Yrel comes to our draenor
Finds it destroyed
Wants revenge
Comes to Azeroth
Blames us for all the bad stuff because we just left
Starts a war

Turalyon and other paladin groups are seen as untrustworthy and BAM Manduin pops up now with the powers of light and shadow much like the fabled child of light and the void. He reveals he has come to understand all forces good and bad are necessary for the balance and as such he aims to maintain it taking a stand against Yrel.

Turalyon doesn't like this but sees his wife and goes with it until the scarlet brotherhood appears and assassinated her framing anduin so Turalyon sees him as a traitor and takes defectors with him.

[Chickat]

could be - they did use the faction war, Nazjatar and N'zoth in a single expansion. however, that approach doesn't leave a lot of space to develop the themes, which is lamentable. up to you to decide whether Nazjatar and its surroundings deserved a whole expansion of its own.



arakkoa, ogres and Yrel are from AU Draenor, which was being converted during our visit there back in BfA, in the mag'har recruitment scenario. these people are kinda cool, no wonder people expect them to come to Azeroth if we're getting a Light invasion from Draenor.
also, i don't think scarlet propaganda ever made it to live servers, but i could be mistaken.
there's no fixed pattern, as in hints in a prior expansion point directly to the next one or the one after the next. imo, it depends purely on what's happening in the cdev dojo. it's just that we've been getting a reminder about the Light's danger for three expansions in a row, eventually it has to result in something. although it is possible that the idea was partially abandoned.

I def think Azshara deserved her own expansion. Maybe Nazjatar would only be 1 or 2 zones with other islands and a seafaring expansion. There was just 1 too many cooks in that kitchen. Eithe the faction war or Nzoth needed to go. Ideally there would have been a much smaller focus on faction. The main antagonist would have been Azshara with her releasing Nzoth in the final patch raid. Perhaps Nazjatar would have been a mini continent with only 1 or 2 zones being accessible at launch but a huge patch zone with per palace being unlocked in the final patch.

But enough about the past. I dont want to derail the thread.

I do think theres room for 2 themes in an expansion but any more than that starts to become a mess like BFA was.

Tbh I would want 11.0 to be world revamp(kalimdor and EK) and light bad plot.

Revamp with basic enemies in 11.0 but slowly the light comes into focus leading to our showdown of Taralyon and Alleria VS the army of light aka Yrel.

11.0 main boss could be a cool Scarlet crusade raid.

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Nice logo.

I hope someone makes an HD version of the Awakenings logo, just to add more fuel to the fire:

For half a second I thought it was a leak and then i remembered. I do think I would enjoy that expansion if it were real though.

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Feels like to me that a Light based expansion would be Blizzard’s “break glass in case of emergency” expansion similar to Legion.

Illidan’s return(as his destiny is said to involve the Light greatly if X’era is to be believed), Scarlets, Yrel, Denathrius/Dreadlords, Turalyon possibly going bad with an antagonistic Alliance for a change.

To me that seems like the next big epic expansion to be brought out when things are looking dire, like with Legion.

I just can’t see us returning so soon to anything grand and cosmic in scale after how poorly Shadowlands was received, with Blizz acknowledging that.

Throw in a world revamp and you have be hooked.

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In BFA with the Mag'har Orc quest line where Yrel first appears as an antagonist.
During Shadowlands, Yrel's BNET avatar popped up among other BNET avatars which were all Shadowlands related except for hers.



Yeah, there's nothing we know of in DF yet, but then again it could be right under our nose and we just don't realize it. The most blatant hints for DF were two mechanical dragons, and only one of those dragons appeared in Shadowlands and it was a pet. The other popped up at the very end of BFA.

Also there's nothing to say that Yrel's light invasion wouldn't incorporate Avaloren or the world revamp.

There's also the small fact that 2024 (11.0's release year) would be the 10th year anniversary of WoD.

I imagine any datamined hint will be in 10.2 datamining.

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As much as Avaloren sounds enticing for the setting a new expansion on Azeroth, it also sounds very appropriate as the final setting for a traditional fantasy expansion about dragons. I don't think it gets more traditional or grounded in fantasy than something based off Avalon.

Tbh, it makes more sense to save it for a back to Azeroth breather expansion imo.

11.0 world revamp.
12.0 Journey to Karesh and the void.
13.0 Back to Azeroth and other side of Azeroth aka Avaloren
14.0 Everything changed When the Void lord nation attacked.

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Yeah, I could also see a Titan expansion down the line where we explore a titan land mass of some type. In such an expansion, I could see the major lore characters being Brann Bronzebeard and the League of Explorers vs. Rafaam with us caught in the middle in an Indiana Jones type of adventure. New Class: Explorer.

Beyond that, the idea of a full Titan expansion sounds incredibly boring.

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This too. Very likely that Avaloren is a setting for 10.3, kind of like Argus, Mechagon/Nazjatar, or Zerith Mortis in previous expansions.

What about a realm hopping expansion with teleports similar to Cata and Shadowlands. 5 or 6 seperate zones. Each zone is the dead body of a titan panetheon member.

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This is not an invitation to turn this into a classic discussion or talk about classic at all, but because we like looking at official Blizzard logos in regards to comparing it to fake future leaks, here's a bit of a special edition logo.

Click-y for link to the press site with the 6600 x 5400 version.

Thats a nice looking logo ngl. Looks a bit like Classic WoW meets diablo 2.

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God. I think the only way you could possibly make a light-based expansion less appealing to me is to throw Illidan back in as a main character on the player's side.

I mean Illidan and Sargeras will 100% be back to help us with the Void lords.

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It would fit in with Xe’ra’s obsession with Illidan, as Huth said. It bears remembering that MU Xe’ra’s entire story arc in Legion revolved around her obsession with Legion. Her motivation felt more about converting Illidan to her side as her primary goal, over defeating the Legion.

I don’t think it’s a certainty that Illidan would play a major role in a Light based expansion. But it’s important to remember during the Legion story, a big part of Illidan’s development was his alleged connection to the Light, his apparent destiny involving the Light, and ultimately him rejecting the Light. And given what we know now about the Light, or rather suspect, those who represent it won’t be all too pleased to see who is perceived to be their potential greatest champion, completely turn his back on it. To top things off, the literal Lightmother of the Naaru has an unhealthy, hostile obsession with him.

That particular story thread is still there to be explored if Blizz choose to, and I don’t think we should quite dismiss it yet.

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Well, the Lightbound invasion could happen for both reasons. Yrel wants to forcibly convert the denizens of Azeroth. Xe’ra wants to convert the denizens of Azeroth, but it could be a two bird one stone situation as she continues to pursue her obsession with Illidan. I think it could make for an interesting story, and one more slightly different than what we are expecting. Rather than just having Xe’ra completely focused on converting all folk to the Light, it would make for a refreshing change to have her just be completely unhinged and obsessed with Illidan, wanting to convert him by any means necessary and using the Lightbound as a means to that end. It could also create an interesting schism at some point between Yrel and Xe’ra.

Do I think that’s what Blizz will go with? Probably not. I expect and wouldn’t mind a Light based expansion following the below pattern or something similar:

11.0 - Light invades, wins Stormwind to their cause. Invades Lordaeron and Quel’thalas. Raid is either a revamped Sunwell or repurposed Deatholme in the Ghostlands. Lightholme?

11.1 - Lightbound lead an assault on Azuremyst and Bloodmyst. Raid is Defence of The Exodar.

11.2 - We push the Light back to Stormwind. Elwynn, Westfall, Duskwood and Redridge become daily hubs. Raid is Siege of Stormwind

Mega Dungeon - I have no idea someone jump in here. Possibly Scarlet Monastery. Alternatively could be Temple of Karabor if we head to Draenor sooner.

11.3 - We push the Light back to AU Draenor. We land in Farahlon which homes the last remaining bastion of Orcs from AU Draenor. A war campaign leading us from Farahlon to Talador ensues. Raid is Shattrath City.

But I could also see a heavy Illidan story taking place considering what we know. I think both possible story paths have merit.

That actually sounds kinda cool ngl.

It would also reuse a lot of assets in Draenor and if 11.0 was also a revamp the patches would use the same art from the 11.0 world revamp patch. Massive art cot upront but very low art cost for patch content. Could give them the them they need to revamp kalimdor in time for 12.0.

[AOL Instant Messenger]

"11.0 world revamp.
12.0 Journey to Karesh and the void.
13.0 Back to Azeroth and other side of Azeroth aka Avaloren
14.0 Everything changed When the Void lord nation attacked."

Y'all are gonna likely be disappointed by the future expac results, ngl...

This particular list checks out fine for me, though I'd also like to see an Azjol-Nerub expansion, perhaps merging the 12.0 and 14.0 of this list into one so that 12.0 could be Azjol-Nerub.

[ImTheMizAwesome]

Hell, I could see us fighting Sargeras before we deal with the Void Lords in any major way.

I don't think Sargeras if he comes back will be the enemy or friend but just a temporary ally, titans and ilidan probably set him straight so maybe his original plans, thinking changed a little.

[ImTheMizAwesome]

Imma keep it real with you, there is no way we won't fight Sargeras in some form. It would feel like a waste ngl.

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Doesn't mean we'll kill him or anything. I just want to knock him down finally.

Well someone sooner or later will have to remove that sword from Silithus, i don't see other candidates than Sargeras.

Maybe the sword will become a raid.

[Luck4]

For half a second I thought it was a leak and then i remembered. I do think I would enjoy that expansion if it were real though.

Same! Awakenings is an ongoing FAKE leak since 8.0, if I'm not mistaken, and every time I get excited, even when they're 100% fake. LMAO.

I hope we get plenty of FAKE Revamps leaks just for the flavor. Dreaming doesn't hurt.

11.0 world revamp.
12.0 Journey to Karesh and the void.
13.0 Back to Azeroth and other side of Azeroth aka Avaloren
14.0 Everything changed When the Void lord nation attacked."

Y'all are gonna likely be disappointed by the future expac results, ngl...

K'aresh is probably the only cosmic place I would like to visit because I like Ethereals and this fan concept:



--

In regards to World Revamp, Bellular released one last video that explains all the possibilities for it to happen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMoIuDiGpZI

I'm not posting the thumbnail to avoid people complaining about promotion, but it's a good video for those interested.

The most important part for me is when he asks if we really need WoW 2, only to see Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor again; my feelings exactly.

[huth]

You mean like BfA and SL?

No, considerably worse. BfA and SL were done poorly, but they didn't come out of nowhere. Your ideas are poor and out of nowhere.

[Skildar]

I'm not posting the thumbnail to avoid people complaining about promotion, but it's a good video for those interested.

The most important part for me is when he asks if we really need WoW 2, only to see Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor again; my feelings exactly.

When I complain about people posting videos that are ads in disguise or promotions, it's only when it's posted with no message or one that only says something along those lines : "hey look, youtuber X posted this, it's interesting"

on topic:
calling wow 2 a come back to Kalimdor or Eastern Kingdom makes little to no sense to me, on that account it would even be wow 3. Then If we come back to either continent, it wouldn't be just for the sake of it but to grow the world. Take the story of humans, elves, taurens, orcs, etc. and let the world evolve. The small bits that we've had up until now are not enough for the world to feel alive and going back to the original continents would help the game feel more modern at the same time of having more interesting and relevant stories to tell.

[Nymrohd]

This particular list checks out fine for me, though I'd also like to see an Azjol-Nerub expansion, perhaps merging the 12.0 and 14.0 of this list into one so that 12.0 could be Azjol-Nerub.

Instead of Azjol-Nerub which is a very limited theme, you could have a Hollow World concept. We see with Argus that the planet is just a shell with the World Soul in the center. What if the same is true with Azeroth; instead of the magnetic iron core of earth-like planets it has the world soul. Imagine multiple zones like
An Azerite Sea beneath the Maelstrom were Azshara has founded new Zin'Azshari
Obviously Ahn'Khanet/Azjol-Nerub
Lava Tunnels below Blackrock Mountain in what was the original seat of power for Ragnaros during Primordial Times. Ragnaros has actually Respawned here!; who knew all they needed to do to escape the Elemental Planes was die. Salamanders armies are building, preparing to conquer the surface.
The ruins of a lost dwarven civilization, empty halls and dwarven skeletons littering the Halls as mechanical armies (Blingtrons?) fight each other
All the zones at their lowest point break to the Hollow core of the planet were you see the World Soul and a massive Titan facility floating around it while the rotting corpses of the Old Gods can be seen breaking through the crust in multiple areas striving to reach Azeroth.

[Teriz]

This particular list checks out fine for me, though I'd also like to see an Azjol-Nerub expansion, perhaps merging the 12.0 and 14.0 of this list into one so that 12.0 could be Azjol-Nerub.

I think we’re going to see Undermine instead of Azjol-Nerub. WoW devs already stated that they wanted Goblin players to experience it, and it was a planned continent in vanilla WoW. Azjol-Nerub is more likely to be a dungeon or raid; Possibly during an Undermine expansion.

That would also line up well with the introduction of everyone’s favorite class; The Tinker. The concept of Azerite should also be heavily revisited, since Kezan and subsequently Undermine supposedly has a high level of Azerite deposits.

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Well, the Lightbound invasion could happen for both reasons. Yrel wants to forcibly convert the denizens of Azeroth. Xe’ra wants to convert the denizens of Azeroth, but it could be a two bird one stone situation as she continues to pursue her obsession with Illidan. I think it could make for an interesting story, and one more slightly different than what we are expecting. Rather than just having Xe’ra completely focused on converting all folk to the Light, it would make for a refreshing change to have her just be completely unhinged and obsessed with Illidan, wanting to convert him by any means necessary and using the Lightbound as a means to that end. It could also create an interesting schism at some point between Yrel and Xe’ra.

Do I think that’s what Blizz will go with? Probably not. I expect and wouldn’t mind a Light based expansion following the below pattern or something similar:

11.0 - Light invades, wins Stormwind to their cause. Invades Lordaeron and Quel’thalas. Raid is either a revamped Sunwell or repurposed Deatholme in the Ghostlands. Lightholme?

11.1 - Lightbound lead an assault on Azuremyst and Bloodmyst. Raid is Defence of The Exodar.

11.2 - We push the Light back to Stormwind. Elwynn, Westfall, Duskwood and Redridge become daily hubs. Raid is Siege of Stormwind

Mega Dungeon - I have no idea someone jump in here. Possibly Scarlet Monastery. Alternatively could be Temple of Karabor if we head to Draenor sooner.

11.3 - We push the Light back to AU Draenor. We land in Farahlon which homes the last remaining bastion of Orcs from AU Draenor. A war campaign leading us from Farahlon to Talador ensues. Raid is Shattrath City.

But I could also see a heavy Illidan story taking place considering what we know. I think both possible story paths have merit.

Are we even sure that the Naaru empowering the Lightbound army is Xera? Also even if it is, this is an AU version of Xera, she might not give two f*cks about Illidan.

With that said, your patch concepts are very interesting. Good work.

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What about a realm hopping expansion with teleports similar to Cata and Shadowlands. 5 or 6 seperate zones. Each zone is the dead body of a titan panetheon member.

That’s fine and all, but why are we doing it? Also how are we doing it?

I like the idea of lost Titan facilities scattered throughout the world. Those are always fun to explore, and the lore can be very interesting. I also like how they align with ancient civilizations in the real world. However, running and down the body of a Titan seems kind of weird.

[Makabreska]

K'aresh is probably the only cosmic place I would like to visit because I like Ethereals and this fan concept

They got me at this name:

[Alanar]

Slightly OT: What about the Nathrezim planet.
Was it also completely deatroyed or unknown?

We had few people mention the place, but it all seema really outdated. Very fell and legion influenced. We know they can adapt very well to one cosmic force, but as their homeworld it seems a little odd that their focus is on fel, atleast according to wowpedia.

Could this be the place were the dreadlord went with denathrius?

[Lorgar Aurelian]

Slightly OT: What about the Nathrezim planet.
Was it also completely deatroyed or unknown?

We had few people mention the place, but it all seema really outdated. Very fell and legion influenced. We know they can adapt very well to one cosmic force, but as their homeworld it seems a little their focus is on fel.

Could this be the place were the dreadlord went with denathrius?

Illidan blew it up like out land, could still be some sizeable chunks though.

[Alanar]

Illidan blew it up like out land, could still be some sizeable chunks though.

I guess it doesnt mean much in the end, since ka eresh also says its destroyed. As long as the story lends itself the place will be created or retconned. Same story as Zandalar.

Good to know.

[Luck4]

I'm sure we'll see K'aresh or so, whether it be in the near future or farther future, but I do think we'll see the other Cosmic Domains. Ik others don't want to go there, but if said expacs follow the DF roadmap plan, then maybe the other Cosmic Realms and Zereths will be better received?

I think Cosmic Planes would work if they follow Legion story flow, where we start in Azeroth and then we go to a Cosmic Plane afterward, it also can be done using two expacs, one for lore and threat build-up and one for arc conclusion.

For some weird reason, Blizzard thought that an unknown story and villains would work in Shadowlands, but in Legion, we knew we were going to face Gul'dan, Kil'jaeden, and possibly Sargeras at the moment the expansion was announced, same thing with Wrath of the Lich King, so it doesn't matter if we know who we're going to kill next if it makes sense lore-wise. Meanwhile, in Shadowlands, they tried to keep everything a secret as long as possible and the conclusion failed to fulfill the expectations created after so many cliffhangers, not to mention the retcons.

[ImTheMizAwesome]

Green jesus on Blizzcon 2023 art, we will see more of thrall in coming patches besides the orc heritage armor? or maybe in new expansion.

[Dracullus]

Green jesus on Blizzcon 2023 art, we will see more of thrall in coming patches besides the orc heritage armor? or maybe in new expansion.

I still hope Metzen will be one to annonce next expac on main stage.

[ImTheMizAwesome]

I still hope Metzen will be one to annonce next expac on main stage.

Metzen or actually someone that brings some charisma and energy to the stage..

Nothing against the man, but i hope john hight won't be even close to doing any announcements..

[Santandame]

If Thrall is the key Warcraft character for this years Blizzcon then I can’t be too crazy for assuming that would mean a world revamp seems most likely?

Probably looking way too much into it but I guess you could glean “healing the world” vibes from it as well as a new beginning.

[Teriz]

Thrall?

Longshot, but I could imagine that being a sign for Lightbound invasion, since WoD also revolved around Orcs, and I could imagine an AU Grom and Garrosh Hellscream making an appearance. Also Thrall will probably be the main one opposing Yrel, due to the Mag'har and Grom.

We'll see.

Great to see Starseeker and a Gnome there too.