Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Marlamin]

So the possibility of a hidden legendary is still there you think ?

Not a clue, haven't looked. That said, anything is possible, Blizzard has more than enough tech to hide something like that from players and even the good dataminers these days if they really wanted to. If they really wanted to they could hotfix in an entire legendary as well as any files relating to it, they've just never done that.

The last 'secret' legendary wasn't -that- well hidden, but slightly more effort and it would have been hidden enough for at least the public to not get a hint of it. I truly hope they manage to do something like that at some point.

[Joshuaj]

I mean, let's be honest, WoW Datamining isn't some inaccessible thing.

You can generally just comb through the uncategorized spells on WoWhead, and that's where most of the interesting titbits will be.
That's where I found that Xalatath will eat the world soul, for example. Other than that, accessing broadcast strings and internal markers isn't hard either.

It's a very low barrier of entry, it's just slightly time-consuming and frankly, boring.

Btw, the idea of Xal becoming the next All-Devouring, all while being infused with a Worldsoul's essence is pretty damn spooky. I wonder what Sargeras has to say about the Champions not only slaying the first All-Devouring, but possibly defying and banishing the second All-Devouring as well?

- - - Updated - - -

Sargeras to the Champions (They literally just showed up 20 years ago, and they already have the cosmology in a chokehold)

[Cheezits]

The All-Devouring being the inheritable title of power for the Void is a nice touch but it does point to Void Lords never really appearing again. Which is fine but I was hoping would get a variety of Void creatures in 11.2 and Midnight.

Now it seems more likely that Xal will attack with the Shadowguard, Amani and possibly Scourge rather than a unique void army like the Legion. Which is cool in that it lets us explore those themes some more in current WoW and helps keep it from truly being Legion 2.

[Enexa von der Exodar]

My theory is that something similar to the Sundering (but maybe smaller scale) will happen at the end of Midnight that will reveal a part of the giant prison

Kind-of I guess? Slow down the first few seconds of the TWW logo cinematic from last blizzcon, then look at the new blizzcon teaser. They both have one thing in common. The cracks. Big chicken wanna break outta egg and we'll have to deal with it.

[Eldryth]

My theory is that something similar to the Sundering (but maybe smaller scale) will happen at the end of Midnight that will reveal a part of the giant prison Azeroth is locked into, basically making it "public" knowledge to everyone on the planet by a part of it being visible without going underground. This might cause the Titans to return to quickly try to hide it, fix it.

Or the Manifold itself is damaged, freeing Azeroth from the Titans' influence, so they return to restore it. It's not the loss that most people are expecting from Metzen's announcement, but I get the feeling that that's what all the Titan conspiracy stuff is building up to. The Titans will come not to save us, but to restore their control over us.

It's also a plausible, if less obvious, way to interpret Metzen's words that most understood to mean our loss. "Things may not go to plan. Things may just spiral wildly out of control". Out of our control, or the Titans? They're the ones with a plan- a "Grand Design", as their weapons from that Cosmic Cache called it- for Azeroth, who try to control everything, and who even constructed their perfect "true timeline" where everything follows their agenda. That plan getting derailed is what their current story seems to be leading to, and what Iridikron was aiming for when he gave Xal'atath the Dark Heart.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Well, returning to the Metzens' words is fun so who knows. Might be worthy of keeping track of it as we go ahead in Midnight and beyond.

[Dvalin]

By the way, it's always fun to see when Blizzard doesn't forget certain NPCs:
https://www.wowhead.com/ptr-2/npc=24...-general-ameer
Quite a promotion since he was a commander.

[Jolly Roger]

No, Iri is not killing the titans. I can some of the Ulduar keepers biting it though.

I think Titans won't be summoned at the start but Odyn will begin the summoning process and begin assembling a titanforged army on Northrend.

i mean in terms of power if we assume xal gets some ethereal back up with her other forces and some black blood power ups...iridikron is a threat

currently we need some stupid ass pull power up to go toe to toe with him much less the army assembled

[Makorus]

i mean in terms of power if we assume xal gets some ethereal back up with her other forces and some black blood power ups...iridikron is a threat

currently we need some stupid ass pull power up to go toe to toe with him much less the army assembled

Iridikron is not gonna ally with the Void. That's would not really align with his goals in the slightest, which is a "free" Azeroth.

[Viridiel]

Mount farming has reminded me how much I adore the Elemental Plane's aesthetics. They did a really good job of taking some inspiration from real world architecture but really pumping up the fantasy. It's a perfect example of designing with fictional functions in mind, but still maintaining enough function for us to feel like we can get around in the space. It's exactly what I was hoping to see from the Dragon Isles -- Valdrakken should've been like Skywall with giant platforms and open domes scattered through the air. I get that the dragonkin need to be able to get around too, but there could've been teleporters around that serve to both satisfy that lore and allow for players to navigate around if they don't/can't fly. All of the functional spaces would've still been on a main, central platform so players don't need to mess around just to get from the bank to the auction house. Ugh. Anyway, rant over.

I really hope the Plane returns in some way. I think it could possibly have enough content to carry an entire expansion, but there just doesn't seem to be anywhere that would be a good time for that. I would settle for an Argus-style zone with each of the elemental sub-planes as a subzone, which could work in TLT.

[huth]

I mean he is Satan. People expect Satan to be the final boss.

Eh, i don't really see the connection. Zovaal would be a better fit as lord of an evil afterworld as well as the deception stuff, while Sargeras is more of a generic evil god of destruction similar to the void lords.

I wouldn't expect a Satan as a final boss, either.

Warcraft isn't a monopolar world with just one evil to defeat. The final boss will just be whoever happens to be on the line when it finally stops being profitable.

[Jolly Roger]

Iridikron is not gonna ally with the Void. That's would not really align with his goals in the slightest, which is a "free" Azeroth.

he already has allied with Xal
who as we see in 11.2 isnt exactly a friend of the "void" forces

[Ersula]

Iridikron is not gonna ally with the Void. That's would not really align with his goals in the slightest, which is a "free" Azeroth.

That wasn't his goal. He just wants revenge. Ergo he was fine with Fyrakk's plan which would have killed all life on the planet besides fire elementals.

Eh, i don't really see the connection. Zovaal would be a better fit as lord of an evil afterworld as well as the deception stuff, while Sargeras is more of a generic evil god of destruction similar to the void lords.

Dimensius, Sargeras, Zovaal, they're all just analogs for satan. The problem is they're trying to introduce a big bad that the audience actually resonates with like Sargeras. Zovaal probably would have survived in some way if people actually thought he was cool.

[Eldryth]

he already has allied with Xal
who as we see in 11.2 isnt exactly a friend of the "void" forces

He gave her the Dark Heart, but that appears to be the extent of their alliance. As he told Vyranoth, he doesn't trust the Void, only its hunger- and he will not return until the Titans "face their reckoning". It'll be a massive twist if we see him again before TLT.


Speaking of Iridikron, though, I think most people to expect his plan to fail... but what if Azeroth also wants the Titans dead and supports him? She did try to break free from their influence, after all.

Either way, I suspect that his plan might end up as a partial success. I can't see him destroying the Pantheon completely (they're too powerful, and it'd be a huge anticlimax to have someone else end their conspiracy), but it also doesn't make sense to build his plan up for three expansions and have it fail completely. Either that, or (less likely imo given how he's been portrayed so far) we ally with him to fight the Titans and he becomes an antihero rather than a boss.

[Joshuaj]

I mean he is Satan. People expect Satan to be the final boss.

The Jailer is the satanic archetype. Sargeras has the look and Demonic vibe, but he's more like Unicron.

- - - Updated - - -

That wasn't his goal. He just wants revenge. Ergo he was fine with Fyrakk's plan which would have killed all life on the planet besides fire elementals.
Dimensius, Sargeras, Zovaal, they're all just analogs for satan. The problem is they're trying to introduce a big bad that the audience actually resonates with like Sargeras. Zovaal probably would have survived in some way if people actually thought he was cool.

Dimensius is basically if you fused an Outer God with Galactus. He's a force of nature that rules non existence (Granted, Sargeras and Zovaal are also forces of nature, but for other forces. But unlike Dimensius, they have unique, arguably selfish motives). He's the heat death of the universe itself. He's not a Satanic archetype.

[Golden Yak]

Iridikron's plan was to have the Void 'pry the world from the Titans' grasp', and I feel like we may still see that happen in TWW, post 11.2.
That or it'll take place during Midnight, as the Void makes its big push to take over.

I think the end result will be that the Void will 'undo' the Ordering of the Worldsoul, stripping away all the arcane/Order magic the Titans have been feeding into it in an effort to transform it into a Titan-aligned entity. We'll stop the Void from claiming it for themselves, but not from the Titans changes being undone.

The Worldsoul will be reset to its fundamental original state, before the Old Gods, before the Titans - the original primal state that Iridikron wants to return things to.

Then when the Titans come back to start up their project again, he'll make his move.

[Ersula]

Dimensius is basically if you fused an Outer God with Galactus. He's a force of nature that rules non existence (Granted, Sargeras and Zovaal are also forces of nature, but for other forces. But unlike Dimensius, they have unique, arguably selfish motives). He's the heat death of the universe itself. He's not a Satanic archetype.

So you're saying he's Melkor, a character definitely not based on the biblical satan /s - you all know archetypes don't need to be perfect allegories, right? Point is, they're all a rogues gallery of big bad guys Blizzard has been desperately trying to line up for when they get rid of the current big bad guy.

[Jolly Roger]

He gave her the Dark Heart, but that appears to be the extent of their alliance. As he told Vyranoth, he doesn't trust the Void, only its hunger- and he will not return until the Titans "face their reckoning". It'll be a massive twist if we see him again before TLT.


Speaking of Iridikron, though, I think most people to expect his plan to fail... but what if Azeroth also wants the Titans dead and supports him? She did try to break free from their influence, after all.

Either way, I suspect that his plan might end up as a partial success. I can't see him destroying the Pantheon completely (they're too powerful, and it'd be a huge anticlimax to have someone else end their conspiracy), but it also doesn't make sense to build his plan up for three expansions and have it fail completely. Either that, or (less likely imo given how he's been portrayed so far) we ally with him to fight the Titans and he becomes an antihero rather than a boss.

at the very least he is going to kill odyn
iridikron is the dragon incarnate of the earth
midgard serpent
ragnarok is coming

- - - Updated - - -

Iridikron's plan was to have the Void 'pry the world from the Titans' grasp', and I feel like we may still see that happen in TWW, post 11.2.
That or it'll take place during Midnight, as the Void makes its big push to take over.

I think the end result will be that the Void will 'undo' the Ordering of the Worldsoul, stripping away all the arcane/Order magic the Titans have been feeding into it in an effort to transform it into a Titan-aligned entity. We'll stop the Void from claiming it for themselves, but not from the Titans changes being undone.

The Worldsoul will be reset to its fundamental original state, before the Old Gods, before the Titans - the original primal state that Iridikron wants to return things to.

Then when the Titans come back to start up their project again, he'll make his move.

have the big bad forces fight it out and come in to devour the victor
iridikron is literally the only antagonist to not underestimate his enemies
he let fyrakk do his thing and knew that he would likely fail and even if he succeeded he had the dark heart
vyranoth betrayed him? ok no love lost because they were only ever bound by purpose and she wasnt with them on that
he has made deals in the past to attain his goals and the deal with Xal is no different
she offers power and assistance
worst case the void comes to take azeroth and the titans show up to stop it

[Golden Yak]

have the big bad forces fight it out and come in to devour the victor
iridikron is literally the only antagonist to not underestimate his enemies
he let fyrakk do his thing and knew that he would likely fail and even if he succeeded he had the dark heart
vyranoth betrayed him? ok no love lost because they were only ever bound by purpose and she wasnt with them on that
he has made deals in the past to attain his goals and the deal with Xal is no different
she offers power and assistance
worst case the void comes to take azeroth and the titans show up to stop it

And it gets better.
When the Titans do show up, I think it's going to become pretty clear that they won't have the best interests of Azeroth's inhabitants in-mind. It's gonna be Re-Origination time for sure.

Which means we're going to have to help Iridikron stop them.

[13last]

And it gets better.
When the Titans do show up, I think it's going to become pretty clear that they won't have the best interests of Azeroth's inhabitants in-mind. It's gonna be Re-Origination time for sure.

Which means we're going to have to help Iridikron stop them.

Honestly my take is that we lose in Midnight and Azeroth gets corrupted with void, forcing Titans to purge and we probably get help from Illidan and Sargeras who sacrifice themselves, and Titans leave us to care for Azeroth. I'm sure it'll be a lot more going on but that's my take for an end anyway.

I'm more curious what everyone thinks for next saga? I'm debating whether we'll have a Holy War saga with Arathi-Yrel invading Azeroth or if we end up going to the other side of Azeroth first.