Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Khaza-R]

They are tied to those for sure. But the mention of the name in context of the next expansion is what is drawing speculation. If the description of the mount said "The elder gryphon riders and high shamans of the Aerie Peak Wildhammer,", we wouldn't be having this discussion. People are assuming it's some type of seeding because the Trading Post has been used in the past for seeding as recently as 11.1 with the Soot Stained Shalewing.

Sure. But the vast majority of trader's post items don't mean anything. I get the whole thing was more convincing when one of them was themed after the Amani before they changed it. But they very likely are just Wildhammer themed items for the dwarf themed month.

I also think the discussion is a bit silly seems people get wrapped up on the name rather than simply the concept of the zone.

[milkmustache]

Sure. But the vast majority of trader's post items don't mean anything. I get the whole thing was more convincing when one of them was themed after the Amani before they changed it. But they very likely are just Wildhammer themed items for the dwarf themed month.

I also think the discussion is a bit silly seems people get wrapped up on the name rather than simply the concept of the zone.

For sure. I agree, it has a high likelihood of being nothing. I agree that the concept of the zone is more important to the conversation, and the stressing of the name is maybe hindering that. But it was the name in the Trading Post item that sparked the discussion and created the new considered dynamic of Wildhammer and Amani sparring in a zone.

[The-Shan]

For sure. I agree, it has a high likelihood of being nothing. I agree that the concept of the zone is more important to the conversation, and the stressing of the name is maybe hindering that. But it was the name in the Trading Post item that sparked the discussion and created the new considered dynamic of Wildhammer and Amani sparring in a zone.

I think its a great opportunity to have wildhammer (and/or) humans (and/or) undead (and/or) trolls in that zone, there's a lot to work with potentially

[Cheezits]

From what I've seen the devs do not give a fuck about Chronicle or the Exploring books but are very interested in the RPG or subtle Vanilla shit.

[Hitei]

It wouldn't be the first time they retconned a name.

"retconning a name" isn't really the precedent we need here. You would need to find a thing that was never canon that then got changed to something else for years and then was retconned into the original never really canon version.

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From what I've seen the devs do not give a fuck about Chronicle or the Exploring books but are very interested in the RPG or subtle Vanilla shit.

...based on what? Literally half the shit on the map in question was completely ignored. They contradict RPG and pre-vanilla things all the time.

[Khaza-R]

From what I've seen the devs do not give a fuck about Chronicle or the Exploring books but are very interested in the RPG or subtle Vanilla shit.

I think this is true to some extent. Going back to the Dragon Isles, Undermine, these were all alpha WoW concepts we've explored. Zul'Aman will be the next iteration likely.

Like I said, I think people want an identity for the unnamed zone north of Stratholme. However its name doesn't really matter and if we are keeping with this line of thought, that zone was never called Northeron in any concepts directly related to WoW.

[lostsoup]

betting there'll be no new race, class or spec

[Joszef Kiprich]

We gotta get at least a lil Stratholme action.

What if we have to enter Quel'Danas going through Stratholme breaking through Deatholme.

[Hitei]

I think this is true to some extent. Going back to the Dragon Isles, Undermine, these were all alpha WoW concepts we've explored. Zul'Aman will be the next iteration likely.

Yeah, but note how they completely removed the single "old concept" bit of the Dragon Isles, the Old God temple because it had already been used. They use old ideas from early concept stuff but they don't generally retcon newer stuff to do it.

[Throren]

in regards to the Wildhammer/Northeron stuff, I've said this before but I'll reiterate my thoughts:

Considering the ruins of Northeron in the Twilight Highlands was mentioned and referred to being in the Highlands, as recent as Dragonflight; specifically the Dragonflight Codex mentions how the Bastion of Twilight loomed over the ruins of nearby Northeron

As far back as Warcraft 2 its stated that the “Feral Dwarves” of Northeron pledged their gryphon riders to help assault Blackrock in revenge for their ancestral lands being desecrated - which lines up with it being in the highlands as the Orcs had ravished Khaz Modan

And the Jade Hunters short story also talked about how Northeron was attacked by the nearby Dragonmaw

I really dont think they are going to retcon that into being up in Lordaeron, I could be wrong, sure, but I highly doubt it- I'm like the biggest dwarf fan on these forums and even I can't see Blizz shoehorning MORE dwarves into Midnight when we had so many in TWW and we will be getting EVEN MORE dwarves in The Last Titan. I also don't understand the community's obsession with wanting Northeron based off an old non-cannon unused peice of map concept art.

People are jumping to conclusions based solely off of trading post items, but trading post items have never hinted at or had relevance towards future content - we just had a forsaken themed trading post last month, that doesn't mean we are getting a forsaken patch, just like September's trading post being Dwarven themed doesn't mean Midnight will have a dwarven patch

[The-Shan]

in regards to the Wildhammer/Northeron stuff, I've said this before but I'll reiterate my thoughts:

Considering the ruins of Northeron in the Twilight Highlands was mentioned and referred to being in the Highlands, as recent as Dragonflight; specifically the Dragonflight Codex mentions how the Bastion of Twilight loomed over the ruins of nearby Northeron

As far back as Warcraft 2 its stated that the “Feral Dwarves” of Northeron pledged their gryphon riders to help assault Blackrock in revenge for their ancestral lands being desecrated - which lines up with it being in the highlands as the Orcs had ravished Khaz Modan

And the Jade Hunters short story also talked about how Northeron was attacked by the nearby Dragonmaw

I really dont think they are going to retcon that into being up in Lordaeron, I could be wrong, sure, but I highly doubt it- I'm like the biggest dwarf fan on these forums and even I can't see Blizz shoehorning MORE dwarves into Midnight when we had so many in TWW and we will be getting EVEN MORE dwarves in The Last Titan. I also don't understand the community's obsession with wanting Northeron based off an old non-cannon unused peice of map concept art.

People are jumping to conclusions based solely off of trading post items, but trading post items have never hinted at or had relevance towards future content - we just had a forsaken themed trading post last month, that doesn't mean we are getting a forsaken patch, just like September's trading post being Dwarven themed doesn't mean Midnight will have a dwarven patch

The name Northeron isn't worth getting stuck over, as previous users have said. More that the area on the map west of ghostlands and north-west of Eastern Plaguelands is worth considering as a featured zone, since most expansions get four (or five) zones and it'd round it out when you consider Zul'aman, Ghostlands, and Eversong Woods.

Might not be dwarves, it could be humans/undead, it could be trolls, it could be Kobolds, Troggs, hell... Maybe even High Elves or Void Elves. Who knows? They haven't discussed what is up there besides it being implied Stratholme is linked to it in some fashion, whether Stratholme is the entire 'zone' or it simply has a harbor/entrance linked to it is unknown and unconfirmed. All we know is, is that its there on the map and Blizzard could justify using it for whatever they please.

And... As my speculation, I'm thinking if you really wanted a Scarlet Crusader/Red Dawn faction story to tell, this would be where you might want to go, since its already been thoroughly foreshadowed and built up that Calia may have a son that the Scarlets have now... And this is a place they could plausibly show up, since they were mentioned in Exploring EK, and a bunch of ingame letters/propaganda pieces, but have no presently known location.

[Paula Deen]

We are back on this topic of it not being feasible again because in Cataclysm it was destroyed.

Zandalar was sinking into the sea two expansions before it was a continent.

[Hitei]

We are back on this topic of it not being feasible again because in Cataclysm it was destroyed.

Zandalar was sinking into the sea two expansions before it was a continent.

No one is arguing it isn't feasible because it was destroyed. It isn't feasible because it is already the name of a place and they keep doubling down on it being that place.

[The-Shan]

No one is arguing it isn't feasible because it was destroyed. It isn't feasible because it is already the name of a place and they keep doubling down on it being that place.

I think its more worth not discussing the name Northeron and what exciting things could possibly be in that spot, since its a great contender for our fourth zone.

[JDBlou]

"retconning a name" isn't really the precedent we need here. You would need to find a thing that was never canon that then got changed to something else for years and then was retconned into the original never really canon version.

Kul Tiras is the precedent. Originally shown in Warcraft II maps near Baradin Bay, it was never canon in WoW. For years, official lore in Cataclysm explained its absence by saying the island was shoved far out to sea, being placed below Gilneas right through Chronicle 1. Then Chronicle Vol. 3 retroactively erased that, stating it had always been in its Battle for Azeroth location. That’s not just a name reuse — that’s restoring an early, never-canon concept and overwriting years of established explanation. If Blizzard can do that to Kul Tiras, they can absolutely take the Northeron name from its minor Twilight Highlands use and restore it to its original Quel’thalas concept.

[Paula Deen]

Kul Tiras is the precedent. Originally shown in Warcraft II maps near Baradin Bay, it was never canon in WoW. For years, official lore in Cataclysm explained its absence by saying the island was shoved far out to sea, being placed below Gilneas right through Chronicle 1. Then Chronicle Vol. 3 retroactively erased that, stating it had always been in its Battle for Azeroth location. That’s not just a name reuse — that’s restoring an early, never-canon concept and overwriting years of established explanation. If Blizzard can do that to Kul Tiras, they can absolutely take the Northeron name from its minor Twilight Highlands use and restore it to its original Quel’thalas concept.

This.

The Emerald Nightmare was solved very thoroughly and Legion somehow asspulled the entire concept back into existence. No one complained.

[Therougetitan]

The Northeron cope is unreal.

[Paula Deen]

There could very well be two locations with the exact same name.

I think the more likely explanation, if they want to explain it, is that Northeron was one very large zone that went as far north as the Hinterlands and as far south as the Highlands before it was shattered when Deathwing arrived.

[JDBlou]

There could very well be two locations with the exact same name.

Ha, it's a Cambridge, Massachusetts/ Paris, Texas situation.

[Paula Deen]

The Northeron cope is unreal.

I mean it honestly doesn't matter either way to me. I just think the goofy take that ingame Gossip text, not even quest text, GOSSIP text dictating when and where a zone could be is...goofy.