Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Joshuaj]

Gazlowe being voice acted but Renzik not was so annoying to me, in a way I didn't even realize I'd be annoyed by. Why would they make such decisions.

Ya mean Renzik? Haha.

[Al Gorefiend]

What is a Reznik?^^

Ya mean Renzik? Haha.

Yeah? His name is Renzik the Shiv

[Lady Atia]

Yeah? His name is Renzik the Shiv

Yeah and I don't even know who he is, so why should they voice him?^^

[Al Gorefiend]

Yeah and I don't even know who he is, so why should they voice him?^^

Significantly less important characters like Grimla Fizzlecrank, Meerah and Aethas Sunreaver have been voiced so far.

[Cheezits]

Strike voice actor.

[Nymrohd]

Gazlowe being voice acted but Renzik not was so annoying to me, in a way I didn't even realize I'd be annoyed by. Why would they make such decisions.

It wasn't a decision. Renzik's voice actor was on strike. Their options were a)replace him which would be inadvisable, b)replace Renzik in the plot, c)just not voice him.
But yeah, it also annoyed me a ton.

[Al Gorefiend]

It wasn't a decision. Renzik's voice actor was on strike. Their options were a)replace him which would be inadvisable, b)replace Renzik in the plot, c)just not voice him.
But yeah, it also annoyed me a ton.

He isn't voiced in WoWs other language localizations either.

[Khaza-R]

Yeah and I don't even know who he is, so why should they voice him?^^

Have you done the Undermine campaign? Its jarring as hell to have characters talking and then there's just silence when Reznik is supposed to have his lines.

[Xilurm]

I guess they're trying to prove a point by not recasting him.

[Joshuaj]

Yeah? His name is Renzik the Shiv

Oh, for some reason I thought they said Reznik and Atia was joking around with the name being mistyped. No, you typed the name correctly. Shucks my fault.

[SunspotAnims]

I guess they're trying to prove a point by not recasting him.

They're choosing not to cross a figurative picket line. Recasting him likely would've hurt their reputation with SAG-AFTRA, which would make it harder to hire other VAs in the future.

[Limayria]

They're choosing not to cross a figurative picket line. Recasting him likely would've hurt their reputation with SAG-AFTRA, which would make it harder to hire other VAs in the future.

blizzard is also working hard to try and build back some of their reputation after the whole lawsuit thing and hiring scabs is not a super popular move as you can see by the drama in the genshin fandom rn

[Foolicious]

I guess they're trying to prove a point by not recasting him.

Hard to tell how much they are trying to prove a point when they killed his character.

[Enrif]

But if the radiant song comes from crystals like Beledar, those are just chunks of a worldsoul. So again, how would K'aresh have a radiant song without a worldsoul?

Do we know that they are chunks of the world soul? The titans claim it. But we don't know if this claim is true or not.

[milkmustache]

Hard to tell how much they are trying to prove a point when they killed his character.

Eh I don’t know if I personally agree with this take.

It kind of feels like the ole classic Blizz can’t do anything right take. I get what you’re saying, maybe there’s more value in retaining the character for later usage when the voice actors strike is over, but I fear the reality may be that this was the shot to have that character voiced, and regardless or not if the inclusion of a voice actor would have prolonged Renzik’s life, there’s not a ton of space for the character post 11.1.

Voice actor strike aside, Renzik’s death felt totally deserved in a narrative sense. I was really affected by it as well as completely surprised. I don’t see this as a cheap death related to circumstances outside of the narrative (if that’s what you meant, apologies if I’m implying something by mistake).

- - - Updated - - -

Do we know that they are chunks of the world soul? The titans claim it. But we don't know if this claim is true or not.

I really thought 11.1.5 would have been the spot we find the answer to this, but I’m not really sure.

I truly believe Beledar is a shard of something Naaru ship adjacent, flung from the cosmos, and the Titans are hiding the truth from us and the titanforged. I just don’t know where this comes into play anymore.

My only real possible guess is that Beledar as a vessel of the Light will be a part of the inciting action for Midnight, as we still will need to see the stake of the Light in this expansion that was pitched as the battle between the “Armies of the Light and the Shadow”.

Otherwise, I’m just wrong.

[Enrif]

I really thought 11.1.5 would have been the spot we find the answer to this, but I’m not really sure.

I truly believe Beledar is a shard of something Naaru ship adjacent, flung from the cosmos, and the Titans are hiding the truth from us and the titanforged. I just don’t know where this comes into play anymore.

My only real possible guess is that Beledar as a vessel of the Light will be a part of the inciting action for Midnight, as we still will need to see the stake of the Light in this expansion that was pitched as the battle between the “Armies of the Light and the Shadow”.

Otherwise, I’m just wrong.

in a ramble before, i proposed a idea that may get these things into accordance.

What if Beledar is a Light/Naaru object. But it got the same treatment as the Thraegar? Influenced by the World Soul, but since Light/Naaru is already Crystal based, we don't see anything different, while the Titans might measure the world soul influence on the Beledar as being "calcified world soul essence". Making their claim not necessarily wrong, but missing nuance.

[Viridiel]

in a ramble before, i proposed a idea that may get these things into accordance.

What if Beledar is a Light/Naaru object. But it got the same treatment as the Thraegar? Influenced by the World Soul, but since Light/Naaru is already Crystal based, we don't see anything different, while the Titans might measure the world soul influence on the Beledar as being "calcified world soul essence". Making their claim not necessarily wrong, but missing nuance.

I think that's exactly correct. I understand the viewpoint that perhaps Archaedas was lying, but it was clearly presented to us as him sharing his innermost thoughts in a place where he would normally keep things to himself that might get him in trouble. The implication seemed to be that the titans don't want anybody talking about the crystals at all, let alone sharing that they seem to be tied to the world soul, but Archaedas was being affected by the crystal similarly to the thraegar and was developing free will (or being controlled by Azeroth... that's definitely up to interpretation).

The other interpretation, which doesn't seem to be the one we're meant to make (but is perhaps the truthful one), is that Archaedas was actually being compelled by his programming to say that it's calcified world soul essence, and it's therefore likely a lie implanted by the titans. I don't see this being the case, because I don't think it was just the section about the calcified world soul essence that Archaedas was confused about feeling compelled to enter into the log. The titan-approved messaging around the thraegar is what the earthen were told, whereas Archaedas' account is contrary to that. Why would the titans want Archaedas to enter the truth about the thraegar but a lie about Beledar, especially in a log that could be accessed by the earthen? We know the part about thraegar can't be a lie because the entire motivation of seeking the archive entry was that the memory wiping did indeed happen, and it wouldn't make a lot of sense if their memories were wiped only to be replaced with a truth and then having a lie entered into the archive. Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems totally nonsensical to me.

I'm certain the crystals are the result of world soul essence calcifying around a foreign body, something that's either been converted to the Light (e.g., an Old God seed), or something that was Light-based to begin with (e.g., a naaru core, an actual sun, a "shard of pure light", etc.).

[Hitei]

My only real possible guess is that Beledar as a vessel of the Light will be a part of the inciting action for Midnight, as we still will need to see the stake of the Light in this expansion that was pitched as the battle between the “Armies of the Light and the Shadow”.

Otherwise, I’m just wrong.

The two are in perpetual conflict and have been since the dawn of the physical universe, I'm not sure there's really any need for a specific incitement. The simple fact that the Void is actively attempting an incursion would probably be enough to convince the Light to also jump in.

There's also a minor nuance issue here in that what was said was that we'd be making our stand with the "forces of Light". People have taken this to mean we should expect to see Naaru and stuff shooting pew pew lasers at void beings, but it could just as easily mean that the Draenei (+Lightforged) and Blood Elves (centered around Liadrin and light users) form a new Shattered Sun that is the main Horde/Alliance faction for Midnight like Dragonscale Expedition was for DF. Or it could be the Hallowfall expedition follows us out of Khaz Algar to fight against the voidpocalypse, and that is the force in question.

It doesn't necessarily entail that cosmic Light will be out in similar force as cosmic Void.

[Enrif]

i think it relates more the the army of the light from velens prophecy of one old short story from 2012.

https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com...er-story/velen

Instead of the prince, an armored warrior stood before him, his plate helm and breastplate shining with the essence of the Light itself. The warrior wielded a sword forged from the same material as the armor, held it aloft as he perched on an outcropping... Whether it was on another world or Azeroth, Velen couldn't quite tell. And suddenly the dark sky above erupted with the combined chivalry of Azeroth's races. The blood elves, orcs, trolls, tauren, and even the accursed undead and scheming goblins rode flying mounts of every sort and description. They were armored and armed in magical weaponry glowing with so much power it hurt Velen's eyes to look at them. Beside the legions of the Horde, the ancient night elves charged with humans, dwarves, and gnomes, whose ancestors formed the original Alliance, and the shape-changing worgen were united with them. Velen's own draenei bolstered the army, their ranks adorned in otherworldly metals and bearing crystalline maces and swords.

The Alliance and Horde were not alone.

Dragons swooped and soared in formations that made the sky resemble a giant multicolored, reptilian wing. They blanketed the horizon with their physical size and numbers, and when they roared a challenge, it shook not just the earth Velen stood on, but the universe as well.

And yet, for all this, the greatest shock to Velen's senses came as he saw those that flew just beyond the army of dragons. The naaru had taken the field, so many that Velen didn't understand how creation could contain them. The power of these beings of Light filled Velen's heart with hope, swept away the lonely centuries, and left him in wonder that he could ever despair, that the dark, no matter how terrible, could ever truly reign.

And then a shadow fell.

It was vast and empty and swallowed all light that entered it. Velen knew it would be all consuming until, at last, it would turn and devour itself, endlessly gnawing on nothing in the Great Dark Beyond, removing all meaning from the universe, from the most heart-breaking sonata to the most arresting sunset. It was too terrible to see, to comprehend, and yet the army headed straight for it. And the light began to fade...

[Nightmare Queen]

"But what about Dark Elves?"

There are 2 main types of Dark Elves in WoW: Dark Rangers and Void Elves.

Void Elves are your typical Dark Elf example, however.

Night Elves ARE WoW's Dark Elves.
Look at Metzen's original WoW map from 1999. There's literally places in Kalimdor labelled 'Dark Elf city' and the like.