Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[blaatschaap]

If that's not real, I'll eat a shoe.

It's mega fake. Several reasons: first and foremost, lorthemar doesn't have a mustache. Second, why would they mobile phone wallpapers for three random characters but not for Xal'atath, the central antagonist character of the expac

[Wangming]

Okay so, counterpoint. We've all focused on the Turalyon similarity, but I can't see discussion on the Xal render (forgive me if I've blatently missed it) and I am convinced that doesn't look legit. The facial rune carvings, specifically, are close to the real thing. So much so that at a glance (or to, say, AI) they look legit. But a few are just straight up different, and beyond what could be a trick of the light. The forehead one is the most egregious but there are a few others, too.

Speaking of the forehead, check her circlet. The etching on the hair-part side is again slightly off. Previous renders also don't show the circlet through her hair on the other side. Finally, that side behind her hair slopes unnaturally, and I can't reconcile that with it simply being a trick of the hair. The circlet engraving is symmetrical and couldn't possibly look like that, even with the hair partially covering it.

Also on the other pairing (orc DH screenshot and 'leak'), that write up mentions 11.2.7 while the supposed youtube video lists it as a Midnight feature. If anyone is using the shared point as a point in its favour, I don't think that tracks.

tl;dr I'm not sure either of the major contender pairings that lend credence to one another are real at this point.

You do realise the Xal render was taken from the teaser Blizzard posted, right?

- - - Updated - - -

Oh man, if classic and retail collections will indeed be connected (they actually had that as a point in an recent suvey) they better make fresh start realms aswell that go all the way to MoP, otherwise it would be a big fuck you to people who believed their "classic will never be connecter to retail for collections" bullshit.

I think that is the feature our favorite parrot knows to be true but won't mention because it isn't a big chance in terms of gameplay.

[Enrif]

... The Xal is captured from WoW's own "Doorstep" teaser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7ix-qCh050

and that's why people who say "that looks AI" can't be taken seriously. they can't identify the real thing, so how could they identify AI?

I looked at a lot of AI, really good AI, and the CGI renders leak isn't that. AI, even the best ones, lacks consistency, and eats up details. That's why Turalyons wristband stands out so much. It is a detail, that AI will eat up. i tried it myself with recreating Turalyon with AI, the wristband always gets removed.

[Nymrohd]

Tbh i was non believer. Now i am like 50/50.. Still i am not sure about that Azshara design. I just dont like those body tattoos and the fact, that she is a night elf.. It cheapens her permanent transformation, if she can willingly change forms...

I will never bet against a leak myself. First off, I have no illusions that I can tell a photoshop or AI image from a real one (unless it has to do with genitals!). Second, Blizzard has surprised me with their (generally bad) choices many times before. And yeah for me the worst part about Night Elf Azshara is the tattoos. Why? Why would she get tattoos?

[Enrif]

It's mega fake. Several reasons: first and foremost, lorthemar doesn't have a mustache. Second, why would they mobile phone wallpapers for three random characters but not for Xal'atath, the central antagonist character of the expac

Lor'Themar didn't had a Mustache in the past. He could have one now.

Xal'atath wasn't on the gamescom poster either, but the voidwalkers spawning out of the voidstorm.

[ro9ue]

It's mega fake. Several reasons: first and foremost, lorthemar doesn't have a mustache. Second, why would they mobile phone wallpapers for three random characters but not for Xal'atath, the central antagonist character of the expac

Well he has a mustache now. And there are multiple sections on their press page for every release. That's just one section. There will be more. If that is fake, I'm Santa Claus.

[Dnusha]

I demand a prettier-looking Azshara!

[Mace]

I hope they announce that the trials and tribulations of the Elves will be an expansion long story topic.

We know we are getting the unification of the elves, but I hope it's an expansion long struggle, STRUGGLE, to get them on the same page and agree. I want to be herding Elves like cats, both factions, and the neutral ones. Let it be an issue shown from all sides before resolving it, and not something we figure out during leveling and finish in the S1 raid. Make us work to get these assholes to agree, so that when they finally do we can be done with ALL elf content for a good long while and concentrate on the other races for once.

Let there be General Elf Fatigue™ after this expansion that forces Blizz to start working on shining a light on all the other races, including many of the Allied races who have not had a single update after they were added.

Agreed here. There is lots to flesh out and I hope they don’t skip out on it because of the main plot. They created the massive divisions, so they better wrap them up well.

I think they also need to give the elf fans what they have truly longed for also.

1. Night elves need a home city - share Suramar, revamp Eldre’thalas or build a city in, on top of, around or near Amordrassil or on Hyja
2. Void elves need a great home too as elves - Sharing Silvermoon, new city in a proper developed zone or region that looks great and fits them - no, huts in a forest or desecrated wasteland isn’t appropriate for home.
3. Each elf group need all their key identities fleshed out. Clarity on where high elves stand, void elf priests, locks, druids etc, blood elf blood mages, phoenix mages, light wielders, darstrider development, source of Belf Druids etc. Nightborne Druids and Priestess of Elune, Cathedrsl consolidation and their role. Night elf star culture centring and Elune /arcane origin esp relating and emphasizing that all elves get this magic affinity from this root and also the nature love that will lead to other elven Druids and why all elven zones have big forests too. Children of the stars, star Sigurd, Elune as celestial/cosmos entity rather than refeain as Aesina the nature goddess who is a separate thing. Follow up on where the Highborne are in relation to Nightborne and Thalassians and how they help, conclude the night elf Worgen from the emerald dream and Harronir connection. Elune is the moon goddess, despite her planting first world tree this shouldn’t eclipse the elven magical origin and aspectnin the night elves as it’s a core part of the elves alongside nature love which is why all elves are so magical.

Thalassian and Night elf harmony and clarity in faction affiliations and roles the elves have. Tbh, factions should be secondary to elves. They are all in crisis mode. Near extinction , their heritage and culture on death throes (especially night elves), powerful threats and events that should properly have effects reflected eg Illidan returning, magic not thebLegion’s end goal, magical addiction being solved/cured , Elune’s rescue of Tyrande and the new souls, Amirsrasil’s empowerment to night elves and access to the Shadowlands it is linked to - all this in addition to all then happens gs the Midnight void encroachment in the Sunwell will bring


For sure we will see
1. Silvermoon as it should be, nearly two decades after the destruction and on a Suramar/Dazsar’alor level of scale
2. How advanced and the various branches of magic the blood elves have since mastered
3. How the returning high elves have influenced blood elves
4. The changes to the Ghostlands since the scourge threat removal
5,”. The true sentiments regarding void doves and the kicking out of high elves and void elves and how this gets reconciled.
6. The role, power and influence of the Farstriders and how truly capable and loved of his people Haldiron has been
7. complexity on views towards trolls and orcs, how Tauren and believes get on etc
8. San’layn activity and darkfallen reactions, Sylvanas and their interplay
9. Reaction to Alleria being right and her efforts that prevented the total annihilation of Quel’thalas because she was hinting Xal’arath and how this has helped Quel’thalas.

10. Evolution of the wretched since the Sunwell’s healing especially those who went berserk as well as those in EP who were sabotaged.

11. Changes to the magisters terrace and the shattered offensive alliance - would be nice
To see Draenei in Silvermoon

12. The effects of the Nightborne friendship and the return of. The kaldorei magic secrets lost the exiled High elves and the advancements made from that.

13. I want varying views of Nightborne on high elves - they can’t be all good, some should be, others should feel superior and others embrace as being changed elves

14. Some Nightborne , Kaldorei interactions and gratitude for saving them a second time, hopefully working together again and finally seeing some returned familial reconnections between Darnassians from Suramar and their Nightborne friends and relatives long thought lost - something that wasn’t seen


How all the elven places will link. Amirdrassil, Suramar, Quel’Thalas and Telogrus Rift.

15. Let’s finally give all elves Demon Hunters, Druids and Shaman - as masters of magic, and the authors of both the Druid and demon hunter classes - as well as nature love inherent in them, these are an absolute must for them all. Shaman abilities can come from the arcane or from Primalist elves returning following the dragon flight events.

Resolve all that stuff and let elves should go to the background, playing support roles till the fatigue goes.

[Enrif]

I will never bet against a leak myself. First off, I have no illusions that I can tell a photoshop or AI image from a real one (unless it has to do with genitals!). Second, Blizzard has surprised me with their (generally bad) choices many times before. And yeah for me the worst part about Night Elf Azshara is the tattoos. Why? Why would she get tattoos?

ok, hear me out, i have two theories of "why tattoos"

1. these tattoos are her naga tentacles that got imprinted as she turned into that new form

2. Tattoos in night elf culture have deep meanings, so, having tattoos could mean something for their culture?

[Nymrohd]

Do you remember when high elves could barely grow facial hair?

[blaatschaap]

I really can't handle all these gullible Stache'themar believers. It's baffling

[Super Dickmann]

Blizzard making a great design for Azshara only to turn her into one of fifty different purple and oddly conservatively dressed elf girls is entirely in character. That said, it's likely AI, see the dude who analyzed Bob totally lacking any distinguishing elf armor.

[Wyrt]

God, I can't wait for the cinematic so people can shut up about the fake Azshara.

[Nymrohd]

Blizzard making a great design for Azshara only to turn her into one of fifty different purple and oddly conservatively dressed elf girls is entirely in character.

That is what scares me. They WOULD do something this stupid even though our Queen already looked awesome.

[Dvalin]

His armor doesn't match; It has no Phoenix motifs.

[Explicit Teemo Nudes]

Why are you people so OBSESSED with things "making sense" from a lore perspective, even if that lore is now super old?
"Illidan only trained elves as demon hunters."

Since then demon hunters have been working with the Alliance and the Horde, and Illidan is gone, having tea with the Pantheon.
The demon hunters working with the Alliance and the Horde have been training various races that felt a calling to become a demon hunter.
It doesn't have to be deeper than that.

You can train and practice to become a priest, warrior, hunter or warlock, etc, so why not demon hunter?
Yes, a select few will have an 'affinity' for a certain school they train in, so they will be more powerful than most(like our player characters). Others won't have that affinity so they will be a lowly warrior or hunter in Westfall or whatever.

[Wangming]

Okay, Imma start he jukebox for (Minutes to) Midnight.

New Alleria theme just dropped



And of course we have Xal'atath every time she comes across an Old God corpse



I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away...

[Dnusha]

His armor doesn't match; It has no Phoenix motifs.

As if it ever mattered when making an entirely new CGI model.

[Myrrh]

You do realise the Xal render was taken from the teaser Blizzard posted, right?

Well that sure would explain it, I hadn't seen the teaser so I'll eat humble pie there. It really does look off on those details to me, but maybe that's a factor of the quick snippit delivery.

[ChronoSul]

Blizzard making a great design for Azshara only to turn her into one of fifty different purple and oddly conservatively dressed elf girls is entirely in character. That said, it's likely AI, see the dude who analyzed Bob totally lacking any distinguishing elf armor.

Ok but... that is something they would to to make her easy to fit on the screen in cutscenes similar to what they did with the dragons... Do I like it no but it is very blizzard & wouldnt be to hard to explain just say she was enlightened by Azeroth who undid the naga curse somehow