Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Wangming]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj3MGAlcfyo

This DF cinematic was more than decent.

Indeed, but this is technically the lanch trailer so it would be unfair to send it into battle against the other opening cinematics.

Altough it is kinda cool how we have full CGI launch trailers now. Like how we had CGI cutscenes in BfA.

[micwini]

I get you, i paint myself green irl and pretend im an orc at work, work.

At least we still have video games.

But on the serious side, best wow stories usually happens when there's great balance between crazy as fuck epic action moments and emotional moments, in my opinion wow in the past cinematics/cutscenes(not every single one ofc) made for storytelling, a lot of times had both at the same time and they were more believeable, especially on the banter side between characters

To me this feels like peak WoW cutscene/cinematic between two known characters and the intensity that they brought to the scene produced.

Man, I miss these cinematics that were specifically made for patch trailers. Now its just an ingame cinematic or a quickcut between multiple like movie trailers.

[Cheezits]

I think they'll lean into the "horror" aspect of the Void invasion a bit. The new Voidlords look like ghosts, and we've seen a few times that Xal can be scary when she wants to. It will be a nice contrast to the Legion invasion where it was all about sheer power and corruption.

Horror and dread versus the threat of an eternal army.

[13last]

The BfA cinematic was hands-down the best. I personally thought the WoD one was 'meh'. Legion was also very, very good. Shadowlands was decent.

The Dragonflight one with the dragonriders and Raszageth (launch trailer, I think?) wasn't bad, either.

BfA was really good as well, Sylvanas screaming for the Horde and Anduin mass healing gave me some goosebumps. I just really like WoD because Groms always been such a fun/badass character to me and I hope we see him again at some point (I think we will if we ever get Yrel). Also the rejection of Manaroths blood and that scene of Garrosh saving him from Manaroths flame was a 1/1 recreation of War3 and it was so good.

DF cinematic was cool but you could tell it's not the WoW we're used to (not a bad thing just an observation)

As for balance, I think we will get it.
As others said, having two slow burn cinematics may not have been the best, but if we look at the WSS as a trilogy (and there is no suprise fourth installment they keep hidden):
TWW was the start of the trilogy, with the setup. Naturally slow
Midnight will be the middle part and the darkest hour, both figuratively and literally
TLL will be the final triumphant battle

Whatever comes next won't be a grand war but a refamiliarization with the world, how it looks after the shakeup of the WSS. I expect 14.0 to have a slower cinematic again.

I agree with you on 14.0, it's gonna feel so different yet familiar but with a hint of a new Azeroth (so to speak). I'm expecting Blizzard to go all out for the TLT end cinematic as well.

[Dvalin]

Indeed, but this is technically the lanch trailer so it would be unfair to send it into battle against the other opening cinematics.

Altough it is kinda cool how we have full CGI launch trailers now. Like how we had CGI cutscenes in BfA.

Oh, I definitely agree. The first DF one wasn't that bad, either, though. The Watcher was beautifully brought to life, and his expressions very human-like/relatable.

[milkmustache]

Man, I miss these cinematics that were specifically made for patch trailers. Now its just an ingame cinematic or a quickcut between multiple like movie trailers.

The launch trailers have been fun, particularly the Undermined one IMO. It was really cool to see Xal make Gallywix shrivel up.

[Cheezits]

Oh, I definitely agree. The first DF one wasn't that bad, either, though. The Watcher was beautifully brought to life, and his expressions very human-like/relatable.

It was nice, but the reactions to the DF and TWW reveal cinematics shows there is definitely a demand for a more action-packed opener. Seeing the pivot in TWW I am guessing this will be answered, as they are even hyping up the cinematic themselves.

[Wangming]

I get you, i paint myself green irl and pretend im an orc at work, work.

At least we still have video games.

But on the serious side, best wow stories usually happens when there's great balance between crazy as fuck epic action moments and emotional moments, in my opinion wow in the past cinematics/cutscenes(not every single one ofc) made for storytelling, a lot of times had both at the same time and they were more believeable, especially on the banter side between characters

To me this feels like peak WoW cutscene/cinematic between two known characters and the intensity that they brought to the scene produced.

MoP was awesome. A lot of people were put off because "eww pandas" "eww china" or "eww they value peace in a game called WARcraft"

But it was really good. A lot of care and effort was put in to make Pandaria feel real. There was a real sense of large scale war and the effect it has on people and areas that are just caught in the crossfire. And there were some genuinely badass moments. Like this very one.
Not to mention it gave us a new class, a new race, our first taste of player housing, the best verion of cooking yet and the only casual side content with pet battles.

If I absolutely have to say something negative, it was the first expansion without a new profession. And I do feel like logging and carpentry would actually do wow some good. Especially now that housing is coming.

- - - Updated - - -

I agree with you on 14.0, it's gonna feel so different yet familiar but with a hint of a new Azeroth (so to speak). I'm expecting Blizzard to go all out for the TLT end cinematic as well.

TLT will be super all out. I expect giant armies clashing.

14.0 will probably be mostly evironmental. At least that is what I would do.

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, I definitely agree. The first DF one wasn't that bad, either, though. The Watcher was beautifully brought to life, and his expressions very human-like/relatable.

All of the cinematics are superb from a technical standpoint. That's never in doubt.

[Lady Atia]

Man, I miss these cinematics that were specifically made for patch trailers. Now its just an ingame cinematic or a quickcut between multiple like movie trailers.

Tbf, it a bit the other way round - they realized that formerly out of game cinematics should well .... belong to the game, so they added them. In the past we would have gotten one trailer cinematic, one raid cinematic. These days they just put everything in the game and than use it also for the trailers.

[Cheezits]

For TLT I think it will be Odyn sending the call for the keepers to gather, then revealing he's calling the Titans to reset the world. Tyr rebels, they fight, he has to flee (maybe with a friend or two) and then Odyn activates the communication device, while showing his massive army of constructs and Vrykul.

Wild card: They blow up ICC somehow.

[Magistrate]

With no help from the Pantheon we had already shut down the Legion's portal nexus, main command and weapon production, trolled them all over their main staging grounds and taken down Aggramar. We only faced Argus so we could shut down their infinite regeneration for good.
I mean Sargeras would have taken Azeroth in the meanwhile but that's on the faction leaders and dragonflights doing nothing while we were working overtime.

Demons can still infinitely regenerate it's just much slower and happens all throughout space randomly. The system in Argus does it up heavily and ensured it always happened in the same place (Argus).

[ImTheMizAwesome]

MoP was awesome. A lot of people were put off because "eww pandas" "eww china" or "eww they value peace in a game called WARcraft"

I was one of the idiots saying bad stuff about pandas then when i was younger 13 years ago, but for many years now i really appreciate MoP as a whole and how badass stuff was.

I wonder if Metzen will show up at Gamescom, i got a feeling he won't because it seems like he enjoys creating stuff now in peace and not being "out there" in the front too much, but it would be hype to see him.

[Makorus]

It didn't help that the MoP gameplay trailer is probably the worst one they've ever done.

Once again, BfA was the goat. Seeing Teldrassil burning was sooooo good.

[13last]

For TLT I think it will be Odyn sending the call for the keepers to gather, then revealing he's calling the Titans to reset the world. Tyr rebels, they fight, he has to flee (maybe with a friend or two) and then Odyn activates the communication device, while showing his massive army of constructs and Vrykul.

Wild card: They blow up ICC somehow.

This is so wild I love it.

Only 2 more hours for that secret, I hope it's something fun, but not gonna hype myself only to be disappointed.

[Makorus]

Surely that "secret" is just going to be the next transmission.

[Joshuaj]

I mean we basically did in Tomb of Sargeras. We had beaten the invasion. Argus was us taking the fight to the Legion and destroying it pretty handedly.

1. That was 7.2.

And 2. 7.3 was still about the Legion.

[Cheezits]

This is so wild I love it.

Only 2 more hours for that secret, I hope it's something fun, but not gonna hype myself only to be disappointed.

It's actually in less than an hour. I am hoping it has something to do with 11.2.5, but it could be Ratts Revenge pt. 2 (Incognitro) or another transmission.

[Joshuaj]

Surely that "secret" is just going to be the next transmission.

There's a secret? Ohhhhh wait, you mean the one happening today yeah?

Could be the next transmission. Totally forgot that was happening ngl

[Vakir]

It didn't help that the MoP gameplay trailer is probably the worst one they've ever done.

Once again, BfA was the goat. Seeing Teldrassil burning was sooooo good.

Literally untextured farm building, just wild.

I remember the poor reception immediately and then the more they went into the Deep Dive, people got on board.

[Joshuaj]

it didn't help that the mop gameplay trailer is probably the worst one they've ever done.

once again, bfa was the goat. seeing teldrassil burning was sooooo good.

Not the generic Azeroth skybox at Kun-Lai Summit LMAOOOOOOOO