Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Eeram]

I would bet real money that the Arathi from the Empire, not just Hallowfall, show up to fight the Void.

The Hallowfall group were supposed to set up a base camp and use their mages to create portals back to the empire to bring their army through to fight in Renilash. But all of their mages died, except for one lone apprentice who had never been taught to create portals.

Either we will find a way to bring them over, they will find a way over themselves, or the Light will bring them over probably via the Sunwell.

They will have a serious issue with having to align with void users to fight against the void and that will create conflict with our allies.

For the longest time i thought it was the Arathi from the empire that came out of the sunwell in the cinematic because of the look of them an what not.
If you look back i was defending it hard af LMAO just to find out it was the army of light made of up 80% Draeni but none of em showed in the trailer... lol

[Tourmaline]

According to Maria Hamilton the players will start the expansion stepping through the Sunwell in that battle, and we know other allies are coming through it as well.

That prayer at the Sunwell might have snatched up everyone on Azeroth who might be willing to fight the Void, including the forces of the Arathi Empire. We know their Emperor has visions of some kind, I wouldn't be surprised if his forces are prepared and waiting for just such an eventuality.

[Melorandor]

Sorry but, the World Soul Saga Arathi are lame af.

[Hearthfinder]

It would be fun if we went for a walk with Faerin Lothar in Kalimdor, and she's like "oh my gosh, these hills and rivers are so familiar to me," suggesting all the Arathi did was sail to Kalimdor but in some weird alternate timeline or something, before being pulled into ours by Beledar.

Buuut that's probably not going to happen.

Another fun scenario would be that the Arathi Empire still has many of the original High Elves from Quel'Thalas, including perhaps some of Dath'Remar's family?

Probably not happening either, but it could be one cool way of introcudomg more elves.

[SaintBigfoot]

(former) Amani. They're forest trolls but they specifically *leave* the Amani empire to join the Horde....because the Witherbark keep eating them. That's typically how empires work. Individual parts of an empire don't get to start independent political alliance.

This would be a good scenario for the Revantusk to join the horde but those aren't the ones getting focus in Midnight.

I mean… Amani is also the name of the ethnicity of Troll.

[Nymrohd]

I mean… Amani is also the name of the ethnicity of Troll.

Yeah that is how I see it. People want to be able to play Forest Trolls with a distinct Forest Troll silhouette. For me it makes much more sense for that to be through the Revantusk who control a major city (Jintha'alor is probably as large as Stromgarde and likely vastly more ancient) who have been friendly from the start and then a part of the Horde since Cataclysm. If someone escorts Talan'ji into Zul'Aman it shouldn't be Rokhan and definitely not a blood elf, it should be Elder and/or Primal Torntusk. The Revantusk could have easily been made playable in the lore easily as far back as vanilla.

[Nymrohd]

Perhaps I should elaborate, then. Your best bet is to either grin and bear it or just not engage. There's a lot of stuff in the game that makes me roll my eyes and sigh because it doesn't fit what my chosen race, class or faction would realistically do. Especially as a role-player.

It's an unfortunate consequence of the game being changed over time to be accessible to everybody, with little time spent on keeping things that make sense unique to either faction. I do miss distinctions like the Alliance and Horde having access to different reputation tracks but retail seems to insist on moving away from that.

I mean let's be clear it is not making the game accessible to everybody. It is a design decision to stop making faction exclusive content and alternatives because it is a lot more labour. Can it work? Absolutely, we had it in BfA with the entire leveling being in exclusive zones.

[Bozzoltank]

I hope we learn more about the Beta (somewhat) soon!

Quite excited to see how they work Eversong Forest and Zul'Aman into the world map, where the Voidstorm and Harandar will be located (secretely hoping Harandar will be placed on the Khaz Algar continent, I miss zones that spanned all of Azeroth, it made the world feel more alive, and they have plenty of room in the south-western area of the map).

AND STRATHOLME! Since Stratholme is worked into the mountain range that separates the Eastern Plaguelands and Ghostlands, they'll undoubtedly do something with it. I don't expect them to create a fully-fledged city, but something would be wonderful.

Desperately want to know about some of the dungeons as well; particularly Maisari Caverns. It seems like, as they're deep underground, we MIGHT get a Kith'ix cameo (or even a final boss Kith'ix, resurrecting him with the souls of Witherbark trolls? He was woken up by Xal'atath before, after all). Voidscar Arena seems fun as well, excited to see what sort of bosses they have in store for us, given that it's described as an interdimensional gathering of all sorts of creatures.

[Hearthfinder]

I hope we learn more about the Beta (somewhat) soon!

Quite excited to see how they work Eversong Forest and Zul'Aman into the world map, where the Voidstorm and Harandar will be located (secretely hoping Harandar will be placed on the Khaz Algar continent, I miss zones that spanned all of Azeroth, it made the world feel more alive, and they have plenty of room in the south-western area of the map).

AND STRATHOLME! Since Stratholme is worked into the mountain range that separates the Eastern Plaguelands and Ghostlands, they'll undoubtedly do something with it. I don't expect them to create a fully-fledged city, but something would be wonderful.

Desperately want to know about some of the dungeons as well; particularly Maisari Caverns. It seems like, as they're deep underground, we MIGHT get a Kith'ix cameo (or even a final boss Kith'ix, resurrecting him with the souls of Witherbark trolls? He was woken up by Xal'atath before, after all). Voidscar Arena seems fun as well, excited to see what sort of bosses they have in store for us, given that it's described as an interdimensional gathering of all sorts of creatures.

The first datamining is likely <2 weeks away. Can't freaking wait. Something tells me we'll learn if WAY more exciting things about the expansion that way.

[Nymrohd]

The first datamining is likely <2 weeks away. Can't freaking wait. Something tells me we'll learn if WAY more exciting things about the expansion that way.

For the last few expansions they have been vastly better at encrypting things. It used to be the first day of Alpha we would have all NPC quotes because they were easily datamined strings that kept giving us the wrong picture (sometimes the painfully wrong picture).

My main question right now is what the state of EPL is.

[Hearthfinder]

For the last few expansions they have been vastly better at encrypting things. It used to be the first day of Alpha we would have all NPC quotes because they were easily datamined strings that kept giving us the wrong picture (sometimes the painfully wrong picture).

My main question right now is what the state of EPL is.

True but it feels so exciting piecing the puzzle together by looking at icons, models, items, etc.

Blizzard generally don't spend a lot of time highlighting things like transmog sets, toys, mounts and so on, so that's also nice to have a glimpse of.

What really feels missing the most right now though are specifics on class changes and customisation. I hope we spot a few talents and hair colours and stuff.

[Bozzoltank]

For the last few expansions they have been vastly better at encrypting things. It used to be the first day of Alpha we would have all NPC quotes because they were easily datamined strings that kept giving us the wrong picture (sometimes the painfully wrong picture).

My main question right now is what the state of EPL is.

It’s probably restored, but I doubt they’ll rework the entire zone. I could see Blizzard using Western Plaguelands assets to re-do the entire zone, but not as in-depth as the Quel’Thalas remake.

The only thing I can see happening is a change to Stratholme, but only due to the logistics.

I'd imagine, if they change Stratholme, it's one of three things:
• Rework the entrance of the dungeon, replace whatever lays behind the dungeon entrance with mountains and call it a day.
• Copy and paste one of the two Stratholme wings into the mountains and make it explorable (they could also take the Culling of Stratholme if they wish to make it less burnt).
• They remake the city.

Option one seems the most likely, followed by option two and finally, option three.

Blizzard should’ve introduced The Plaguelands as an Alliance-only zone, so that they can make Zul’Aman Horde-exclusive. I miss faction-specific zones, and the rebuilding of the Plaguelands (and Lordaeron as a whole) is quite Alliance-coded – and them assisting the Amani Tribe is just a bit nonsensical.

I still hope that there is a Plaguelands-dedicated content patch. Rework EPL, give us a Stratholme Alliance capital to balance out Silvermoon (give the Forsaken a district), maybe introduce some fun Delves like the Terrorweb Tunnel or a fallen Scourge construct. There could be a Stratholme mega-dungeon that ends in the Reclamation of the city from Void forces, giving the Horde a reason to go to the city at all.

[Bozzoltank]

I could see Stratholme being upgraded, visually, simply due to how close it is to Quel'Thalas. If the latter region is being added to the Eastern Kingdoms' map then it makes sense to give the surrounding region a bit more polish, even if it's only partial.

It's actually possible to enter and explore the current version of Stratholme that exists out of bounds, so it'd be cool if they at least make that legitimate.

I feel like they would've shown Stratholme in some capacity if it was, as they've shown almost all the other large landmarks of North EK (Atal'Aman, Sunwell, SMC, Tranquillien), but I hope I'm proven wrong. I really want to be proven wrong, because Stratholme could be such a phenomenal addition to quite a Horde-oriented expansion (Amani, Blood Elves).

Edit: In fairness, they haven't shown Deatholme or Sunstrider Isle, so it isn't out of the question they'd hide Stratholme.

[Jaggler]

They mentioned it as a location that Arator is supposedly going to visit as part of the main campaign, so I'd like to think it'll get something to make it look less dated. If nothing else, if it is not changed in the slightest then I could see it being potential build up to patch content restoring it.

On the other hand, I'm rather torn since I think it's cool to have such locales in the game to explore so it'd be neat if we get something similar elsewhere.

Yeah, no way they are gonna send us to classic Stratholm etc right after experiencing the new Quel'thalas.

[Enrif]

Blizzard should’ve introduced The Plaguelands as an Alliance-only zone, so that they can make Zul’Aman Horde-exclusive. I miss faction-specific zones, and the rebuilding of the Plaguelands (and Lordaeron as a whole) is quite Alliance-coded – and them assisting the Amani Tribe is just a bit nonsensical.

I still hope that there is a Plaguelands-dedicated content patch. Rework EPL, give us a Stratholme Alliance capital to balance out Silvermoon (give the Forsaken a district), maybe introduce some fun Delves like the Terrorweb Tunnel or a fallen Scourge construct. There could be a Stratholme mega-dungeon that ends in the Reclamation of the city from Void forces, giving the Horde a reason to go to the city at all.

Plaguelands don't make sense to be either faction, but if, the horde is clearly more close to it. The biggest force there is the Argent Crusade, and it borders Quel'thalas and the Forsaken controled Lordaeron. The Alliance only has access through the hinterlands, which is shared between Wildhammer and Revantusk.

Unless, a concession for the Fourth War armistice was that the plagueland holdings that are disputed, like Andorhal, Caer Darrow, Darrowshire and Stratholme are in the jurisdiction of the alliance and are rebuild with the Argent Crusade as observes. Then there is Tyr's Hand and the scarlet enclave, which could be occupied by the reformed Tyr's Guard and Tyr residing there, and with the proximity to Light's Hope Chapel, and Arators paladin pilgrimage, becomes the Paladins training grounds for all races. Perhaps also some Army of the Light presence here for good measure?

Also, putting Tyr there, could make the flow into TLT easier?

considering the location of Tirisfal (Tyr's Fall) and Tyr's Hand so close to Quel'thalas, and the light thematic, it would be a missed opportunity to not include him in MID.

[Auxis]

I still think there's a slim chance to see High elves ending up as a playable race in Midnight.

To me, Amani trolls are likely to become a Horde allied race and I'm expecting Northeron to be a patch zone later in Midnight so High elves becoming AR makes sens.

We also might see some interactions between High elves and Wildhammer dwarves.

Otherwise, why would this mount make mention of them AND Northeron ?

https://warcraftmounts.com/mounts/ad...rongryphon.php

All is not lost, but I do agree with some ppl : if High elves aren't playable in Midnight, they never will

Isn't Northeron the northern region of Twilight Highlands?

https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Northeron

[Bozzoltank]

Northeron was, in the early stages of (World of) Warcraft, a name of a location in Quel'Thalas. This has since never been mentioned, nor has a location in Quel'Thalas been referred to Northeron ever since. They repurposed the name for the region in Twilight Highlands in Cataclysm.

The only mention is on an old map. I cannot posts link, but if you go to the Northern Lordaeron wikipedia page and scroll down to references, there is a direct link to the map there (reference 4).

[Auxis]

Northeron was, in the early stages of (World of) Warcraft, a name of a location in Quel'Thalas. This has since never been mentioned, nor has a location in Quel'Thalas been referred to Northeron ever since. They repurposed the name for the region in Twilight Highlands in Cataclysm.

The only mention is on an old map. I cannot posts link, but if you go to the Northern Lordaeron wikipedia page and scroll down to references, there is a direct link to the map there (reference 4).

Yeah that's what I thought. It was that weird little bit of territory above the northern mountains of what is now the plaguelands, and the name matches the naming convention of Lordaeron (-eron, North-eron).

In order to repurpose it back up to where it used to be, they'd need to re-retcon what is currently Northeron in the Highlands and any mention ingame - which now includes that Gryphon mount, Wildhammer and Northeron are pretty synonymous seeing as Northeron is/was currently a Wildhammer settlement.

[Enrif]

Northeron was, in the early stages of (World of) Warcraft, a name of a location in Quel'Thalas. This has since never been mentioned, nor has a location in Quel'Thalas been referred to Northeron ever since. They repurposed the name for the region in Twilight Highlands in Cataclysm.

The only mention is on an old map. I cannot posts link, but if you go to the Northern Lordaeron wikipedia page and scroll down to references, there is a direct link to the map there (reference 4).

please don't bring up the northeron discussion again. Northeron is SOUTH of the Hinterlands

War of the Three Hammers
After the War of the Three Hammers and the loss of Grim Batol, some of the Wildhammer clan settled in the Northeron region, though Khardros Wildhammer led the majority of the clan to settle in the Hinterlands farther north.

This is from chronicles. Northeron is likely the true name of the Twilight Highlands. The old maps hold no significance, or else Ulduar would be an island south of Kalimdor, and Kalimdor half its current size.

[Bozzoltank]

please don't bring up the northeron discussion again. Northeron is SOUTH of the Hinterlands



This is from chronicles. Northeron is likely the true name of the Twilight Highlands. The old maps hold no significance, or else Ulduar would be an island south of Kalimdor, and Kalimdor half its current size.

Don't get me wrong, I completely agree! It's wild to me that people would assume that Blizzard would use a name for a significant zone twice, rather than just renaming it to something else entirely. If there was a Wildhammer zone in the North, they'll undoubtedly rename it to [insert anything but Northeron].

The Trading Post argument also doesn't REALLY hold up. If the gryphons this month hint at an upcoming zone or patch, the Firelands chimera's introduced in June's Trading Post confirm Firelands or Ragnaros content, or Juli's Trading Post confirms Forsaken content; this goes on, and on.

Midnight is still 6-8 months away, why would they randomly tease content that comes out mid-next year?