Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Wangming]

[*]Gilneas and Silverpine Forest - these go hand in hand in my opinion and could maybe be a new Alliance capital. A city in the making in a beautiful highland coastal setting. The spooky forest would provide a welcome new Alliance backdrop that we usually don't get to see. Spooky witches and lots of mystery. Throw in a delve that lets us explore more lore around the worgen curse and how it (maybe?) connects, however losely, to Queen Craishae.

Yes, please. All of fucking this

As well as the very real connection the Worgen curse has to the Elves and the Scythe of Elune, the (Silver)Moon Goddess

[Raetary]

Yeah it also bothers me. I get that when the High Elves rebranded themselves duing heir emo phase, it was all red and gold, but a city called Silvermoon should be mostly silver.
Which is why I hope the current one gets obliterated in a Void attack, and the rebuilt one is truer to its name. As it stands Suramar looks more like Silvermoon than Silvermoon.

Blizzards recent depictions of early Silvermoon are with blue roofs though, so the name was aesthetically appropriate.

The real question is, who on earth had the time and magic available during their collapse to paint it all red, including all the ruins.

[Xilurm]

Wouldn't it be fun, though?

It could go either way but if, if, they chose to revamp everything north of the Thandol Span, we could have a pretty cool content line-up.

• Quel'Thalas and Zul'Aman - obviously the main setting for the story campaign and focal point of the Void invasion. Slightly expanded from today's size, especially in the east where the trolls dwell. Definitely needs a troll raid or mega-dungeon and a void raid, as well as couple of regular dungeons.
• Eastweald/The Plaguelands/The Northlands - this former scourge stronghold could provide the backdrop for a very cool quest-chain involving the resurgence of a new plague or something similar. Strange disappearances around the villages, people falling ill out of nowhere, and monsters appearing in the night. This would mainly be used to plant the future story seeds for The Last Titan, perhaps in one of the later patches. Also a great location for a dungeon involving the undead or the Red Dawn perhaps.
• The Hinterlands - a quest-chain or battleground could focus on "Old Hatreds" between Amani, High Elves, Wildhammer Dwarves, and perhaps even Ogres. All those four are present to some extent around the borders of The Hinterlands, aren't they? Great way to give purpose to that region. Obviously some type of Void influence to connect it to the main story. Or hey, could even just be a fun 22nd Anniversary event.
• Arathi Highlands and Hillsbrad Foothills - we've just been there but I could see an opportunity to expand on the Arathi lore further. Maybe Hallowfall Arathi arrive in greater numbers. Additionally, we could perhaps follow Faerin Lothar on a legendary quest to find the location of the ancient temple - and the Scion. This would then pay off near the end of the expansion. I could maybe see a dungeon here, based on exploring something related to this temple? Is the Red Dawn trying to sack it? Definitely do something cool with Alterac and Dalaran's crater. Perhaps we could finally get some really cool castle ruins up in the mountains, overlooking the valleys far below. Definitely a delve here, dungeons of old Dalaran or something.
• Gilneas and Silverpine Forest - these go hand in hand in my opinion and could maybe be a new Alliance capital. A city in the making in a beautiful highland coastal setting. The spooky forest would provide a welcome new Alliance backdrop that we usually don't get to see. Spooky witches and lots of mystery. Throw in a delve that lets us explore more lore around the worgen curse and how it (maybe?) connects, however losely, to Queen Craishae.
• New Lordaeron - no motivation needed really, but the Undercity with an overground portion should be re-built for the Forsaken, and this would then be a new capital city for them once more. Obvious location for a dungeon inside the Scarlet Monastery.

How about, all of these are explored in the 1-80 brand new levelling experience for Blood Elves, Forsaken and Worgen.

[Kiivar86]

It also was silver and blue before Arthas invaded and the survivors declared themselves Blood Elves.

Ah, it was? I couldn't remember, and a quick search didn't show much (though I was distracted by work too, admittedly).

In a way that's even funnier, the idea of them just going and painting (basically) the whole city, and then still keeping it Silvermoon.

[Raetary]

Ah, it was? I couldn't remember, and a quick search didn't show much (though I was distracted by work too, admittedly).

In a way that's even funnier, the idea of them just going and painting (basically) the whole city, and then still keeping it Silvermoon.

Silvermoons depiction was always all over the place, the RTS had it blue, the mangas had it red, it was then often described as red and was seemingly retconned to always have been red.

But they have depicted it blue ever since the Sylvanas Warbringer, and consistently so, so it being blue is back to being canon.

[Wangming]

Blizzards recent depictions of early Silvermoon are with blue roofs though, so the name was aesthetically appropriate.

The real question is, who on earth had the time and magic available during their collapse to paint it all red, including all the ruins.

Yeah. Imagine the conversation.

- Let's turn it all red.
- But it is Silvermoon.
- Yeah, but we are Blood Elves now, and blood is red.
- Aren't we blueblooded aristorcrats though?
- Blood is red.
- Okay, so Silvermoon will be red...
- Also let's make it all about the Sun becase of our King.
- The Sun? But...but SilverMOON city.
- He ain't Kael'thas fucking Moonstrider, is he?
- Yeah okay. But we are not playing Crawling on loudspeakers all across the city. We are all sad, but there is a line.
- Okay, deal.

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How about, all of these are explored in the 1-80 brand new levelling experience for Blood Elves, Forsaken and Worgen.

Could be. But I don't want to waste the rebuilt Gilneas on an instant. My waifu deserves a proper kingdom, dammit.

[Joshuaj]

I'm half convinced they named it Silvermoon prior to their evolution into High Elves. Regarding the post evolution stuff? Idk. Guess they just stuck with the name.

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Goldensun doesn't sound like a cool city name now, does it?

[Xilurm]

Could be. But I don't want to waste the rebuilt Gilneas on an instant. My waifu deserves a proper kingdom, dammit.

What do you mean? All the stuff that's supposed to be done during the levelling process is gonna be achieved at 80-90 while the high level stuff takes place. Like for example how the Cata 1-60 levelling takes place before the 80-85 (when it was current) questing experience.

[Hitei]

I'm half convinced they named it Silvermoon prior to their evolution into High Elves. Regarding the post evolution stuff? Idk. Guess they just stuck with the name.

Yes. It was founded by Dath'remar and his clan of exiled Highborne, who worshipped Elune for at least some time before they switched over to idolizing the sun.

[Wangming]

Yes. It was founded by Dath'remar and his clan of exiled Highborne, who worshipped Elune for at least some time before they switched over to idolizing the sun.

Elune when the Elves pray for her in Midnight to save them:
"You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me.

[Hitei]

Elune when the Elves pray for her in Midnight to save them:
"You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me.

I feel like the crazier part is that... Elune objectively exists and they turned away from her to begin with. She's very clearly a real deity who you can directly call upon and she herself had zero problem with arcane usage (her magic is celestial and she watched over the heavily arcane using Kaldorei Empire)--it's not even like they were forced to choose between their new mini Well of Eternity and Elune. So why the hell would you stop worshipping the very real goddess with very real gifts and blessings to instead switch to just vague reverence of sun imagery (because it's not like they were even proper sun worshipping Light wielders prior to the infusion of Light into the Sunwell during its reignition, they just celebrated the sun as a concept while living off the magical arcane well.

I mean, I get why; it's because they wanted to build more distinction into the two sorts of elves, and the Night Elves were Night so the High Elves became pseudo "Day Elves" but still. What an insane thing for Dath'Remar's clan to do.

[Nymrohd]

I feel like the crazier part is that... Elune objectively exists and they turned away from her to begin with. She's very clearly a real deity who you can directly call upon and she herself had zero problem with arcane usage (her magic is celestial and she watched over the heavily arcane using Kaldorei Empire)--it's not even like they were forced to choose between their new mini Well of Eternity and Elune. So why the hell would you stop worshipping the very real goddess with very real gifts and blessings to instead switch to just vague reverence of sun imagery (because it's not like they were even proper sun worshipping Light wielders prior to the infusion of Light into the Sunwell during its reignition, they just celebrated the sun as a concept while living off the magical arcane well.

I mean, I get why; it's because they wanted to build more distinction into the two sorts of elves, and the Night Elves were Night so the High Elves became pseudo "Day Elves" but still. What an insane thing for Dath'Remar's clan to do.

Maybe Elune turned away from them first?

[Joshuaj]

"They turned away from her

"She turned away from them"

Elune didn't aid the Night Elves at Teldrassil because her sister's realm was getting fucked over by the drought. Little did she know however, it was Zovaal's turn in the Dark Trinity's tirade on the cosmos.

And many of the Night Elves abandoned her cause why tf wouldn't they? For all they know, she did straight up leave them.

[Makorus]

"They turned away from her

"She turned away from them"

Elune didn't aid the Night Elves at Teldrassil because her sister's realm was getting fucked over by the drought. Little did she know however, it was Zovaal's turn in the Dark Trinity's tirade on the cosmos.

And many of the Night Elves abandoned her cause why tf wouldn't they? For all they know, she did straight up leave them.

They aren't talking about modern day Night Elves.

[Wangming]

Maybe Elune turned away from them first?

So where is the objectively real Sun God they worship instead?
WarCraft isn't a "belief makes it real" kinda setting. Turning your back on a very much real deity to worship one you made up, seems like a recipe for disaster. And it's not like the High Elves did that well without Elune.

[Raetary]

I never got the impression that the Highborne really ever gave a fuck about Elune beyond religious symbolism to justify their caste system.
Elune was always more present in their priesthood and druid circles.

Hell, Dath'Remar and co. got exiled because they threw a fuss over the new anti-magic laws that Malf and Tyrande were pushing, and started a firestorm in Ashenvale over it.

But even the few that would logically still pray to her during exile, the hatred they felt for the regular Kaldorei society for kicking them out and forcing them to endure major hardship, is i think enough justification to completely cut themselves off from their old culture.

We also never heard that Elune ever once helped them out, so if she couldn't be bothered to lessen their trouble, why would they still pray to her?

[Wangming]

They aren't talking about modern day Night Elves.

Or even past Night Elves, for that matter. I mean I guess Dath'remar was still sort of Night, but even he changed.

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I never got the impression that the Highborne really ever gave a fuck about Elune beyond religious symbolism to justify their caste system.
Elune was always more present in their priesthood and druid circles.

Hell, Dath'Remar and co. got exiled because they threw a fuss over the new anti-magic laws that Malf and Tyrande were pushing, and started a firestorm in Ashenvale over it.

But even the few that would logically still pray to her during exile, the hatred they felt for the regular Kaldorei society for kicking them out and forcing them to endure major hardship, is i think enough justification to completely cut themselves off from their old culture.

We also never heard that Elune ever once helped them out, so if she couldn't be bothered to lessen their trouble, why would they still pray to her?

True. But then why did they name their shiny new, distinct from icky night elves, capital Silvermoon City, if they didn't want anything to do with Elune or Night Elves?

[Khaza-R]

I always assumed Elune worship was looked down upon by the Highborne or that they treated it with indifference. Night Elves post-sundering returned to a highly religious society so Elune's status was elevated. Nightborne and High Elves never really having any reverence for her it basically faded out of their society over time.

I guess that doesn't answer why High Elves specifically came to worship something new in Elune's stead when Nightborne didn't. But perhaps we'll learn more about that with the Sunwell in Midnight. I mean the Sunwell is sentient so I guess there's perhaps a partial answer there is nothing else.

[Xilurm]

I always assumed Elune worship was looked down upon by the Highborne or that they treated it with indifference. Night Elves post-sundering returned to a highly religious society so Elune's status was elevated. Nightborne and High Elves never really having any reverence for her it basically faded out of their society over time.

I guess that doesn't answer why High Elves specifically came to worship something new in Elune's stead when Nightborne didn't. But perhaps we'll learn more about that with the Sunwell in Midnight. I mean the Sunwell is sentient so I guess there's perhaps a partial answer there is nothing else.

Don't think it was looked down upon. Azshara allowed Temples of Elune to exist, but she probably didn't care.

[Kiivar86]

Silvermoons depiction was always all over the place, the RTS had it blue, the mangas had it red, it was then often described as red and was seemingly retconned to always have been red.

But they have depicted it blue ever since the Sylvanas Warbringer, and consistently so, so it being blue is back to being canon.

Ahh, thanks! I had forgotten that.

Goldensun doesn't sound like a cool city name now, does it?

Banger of a video game though.