Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Hitei]

I mean, when the Alliance of Lordaeron can break down after the second war, so can the current Alliance.

Those are not even remotely comparable groups when it comes to strength of bond. The Alliance of Lordaeron was a bunch of nations that did not care much about each other or even outright squabbled but were forced to work together to face a threat against all of them. The Alliance is a group that have watched each other's backs for decades, taken in each other as refugees, cured each other of curses, have leaders who are close personal friends with each other, etc.

[Nymrohd]

The midnight map also shows a problem that we already had in cataclysm and SL: The new zones are just scattered around the world and accessed via portals, making it feel small and unrelated. And we're coming from TWW where the main continent does not feel open and connected as they are very different underground biomes connected via tunnels, and then 2 external portal zones accessed via portals for the patch zones.

I'm getting tired of this.

I largely think they failed at giving an Underdark experience. Ringing depths feel Industrial instead of having the majesty of a dwarves kingdom, Halliwfall is pretty but does not feel like an underground zone. And all three zones are effectively wide open vaults instead of having smaller interconnected caverns. And imo it would have been better if there was a larger central vault that connected the zones making them feel like a single area with then sub zones linked by tunnels. Would also be more fun flying through.

[allegrian]

I largely think they failed at giving an Underdark experience. Ringing depths feel Industrial instead of having the majesty of a dwarves kingdom, Halliwfall is pretty but does not feel like an underground zone. And all three zones are effectively wide open vaults instead of having smaller interconnected caverns. And imo it would have been better if there was a larger central vault that connected the zones making them feel like a single area with then sub zones linked by tunnels. Would also be more fun flying through.

Ringing deeps felt more like sewers and the isle of dorne is super emtpy and boring outside Dornogal and its super small villages. It sticks out more now that we're replaying Legion with the awesome suramar zone, and each of the zones is better than anything in TWW besides Hallowfall aesthetically (the story there still sucks).

[Rosstafa]

Ringing deeps felt more like sewers and the isle of dorne is super emtpy and boring outside Dornogal and its super small villages. It sticks out more now that we're replaying Legion with the awesome suramar zone, and each of the zones is better than anything in TWW besides Hallowfall aesthetically (the story there still sucks).

I agree with you on the Isle of Dorn and the Ringing Deeps, but I think all the other zones added in TWW have been great. Hallowfall is top tier, Azj'kahet was pretty cool, Undermine was a long time coming and really nailed how I imagined it, and Karesh managed to make something interesting out of what is essentially a floating wasteland. That being said, all the zones in Midnight look way more appealing to me.

[Enrif]

Those are not even remotely comparable groups when it comes to strength of bond. The Alliance of Lordaeron was a bunch of nations that did not care much about each other or even outright squabbled but were forced to work together to face a threat against all of them. The Alliance is a group that have watched each other's backs for decades, taken in each other as refugees, cured each other of curses, have leaders who are close personal friends with each other, etc.

and still there was times when the alliance was more fragile. Varians action on Ironforge to overthrow Moira, Jaina going berserk after Theramore, Genn, Nightwarrior Tyrande. These should have had consequences down the line that should have shaken the connection between the members of the alliance.

And even though that is bad, it is worse on the horde side. Two warchief's that started wars, two rebellions. That anyone still has any trust in the horde as a military group is out of the question. Especially groups that had to commit crimes against people they might consider at least slightly friendly. Like the Highmountain and Nightborne against the Night Elves. You could even include the blood elves and tauren here.

[Kiivar86]

As an aside, did the recent round of layoffs at Microsoft hit Blizzard in any way?

From what my friend at Blizzard told me, yes. Not sure what, they told me a few they knew were laid off but I don't recall offhand where they were located.

I don't think we'll ever see a round of layoffs without at least some at Blizzard getting it too, at this point, sadly. It'd be more surprising if they didn't cut someone from Blizzard. MS has a lot of employees and number must go up.

[LarryWithTheWeatherReport]

I agree with you on the Isle of Dorn and the Ringing Deeps, but I think all the other zones added in TWW have been great. Hallowfall is top tier, Azj'kahet was pretty cool, Undermine was a long time coming and really nailed how I imagined it, and Karesh managed to make something interesting out of what is essentially a floating wasteland. That being said, all the zones in Midnight look way more appealing to me.

Midnights starting zones are already way better than everything in TWW. Only the Nerubian zone was interesting in TWW because of the Nerubuians and even then it wasn’t done as good as it should have. Karesh is kind of cool too but not that much.

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I consent to this only if he strikes this pose when he does

Sargeras and Azeroth teams up like She-Ra and He-Man!

[Timester]

There's a very good chance they lost interest in the sword plot and it's not going to show up again IMO. Or if it does appear it will be for a short questline with zero payoff. They lost interest in Anduin and Thrall after 1 patch and there's no way they'll remember the sword is supposed to mean something years after they obsessed over it and then moved on

Metzen answered about the sword one year ago, it will happen in TLT with the Return of Sargeras. Heck, he even answered with these exact words "you are not prepared".

[Rosstafa]

Metzen answered about the sword one year ago, it will happen in TLT with the Return of Sargeras. Heck, he even answered with these exact words "you are not prepared".

They've been trolling us with the 'what sword?' comments for years now. They obviously have a long term plan for it.

[Elronas16]

Ringing deeps felt more like sewers and the isle of dorne is super emtpy and boring outside Dornogal and its super small villages. It sticks out more now that we're replaying Legion with the awesome suramar zone, and each of the zones is better than anything in TWW besides Hallowfall aesthetically (the story there still sucks).

Do people find the Hallowfall zone itself really that good or is it just the woah! factor of seeing the crystal when you enter it?

'Cause for me the zone was pretty lame outside of that. Mereldar and the view of the crystal and citadel was a beautiful location indeed, but I did not find the rest of it particularly exciting to be in.

[LarryWithTheWeatherReport]

Metzen answered about the sword one year ago, it will happen in TLT with the Return of Sargeras. Heck, he even answered with these exact words "you are not prepared".

They need to put some heavy metal music when Sargeras comes and picks up his blade. Make it metal as fuck.

[Hitei]

and still there was times when the alliance was more fragile. Varians action on Ironforge to overthrow Moira, Jaina going berserk after Theramore, Genn, Nightwarrior Tyrande. These should have had consequences down the line that should have shaken the connection between the members of the alliance.

And even though that is bad, it is worse on the horde side. Two warchief's that started wars, two rebellions. That anyone still has any trust in the horde as a military group is out of the question. Especially groups that had to commit crimes against people they might consider at least slightly friendly. Like the Highmountain and Nightborne against the Night Elves. You could even include the blood elves and tauren here.

I agree. It makes no sense that the Tauren are still part of the Horde. I didn't say it wasn't reasonable for the Horde to splinter.

This doesn't really apply to the Alliance though. Jaina, Genn and Tyrande were all Alliance leaders out for Horde blood, not warchiefs starting civil wars, or demanding that other races act as fodder. Their peers wanted them to not be less vengeful, sure, but no one was ever going to leave the Alliance over a leader being angry and out for blood after their home city or nation was literally razed by Horde forces.

How should this have shaken anything?

"Hey, I know the Horde just burned your capital city down while it was full of non-combatants, but how dare you have gotten angry at them, hunted a bunch of Horde down and nearly gotten yourself killed!? I'm not standing for this, I'm leaving the Alliance!"

[Elronas16]

Midnights starting zones are already way better than everything in TWW. Only the Nerubian zone was interesting in TWW because of the Nerubuians and even then it wasn’t done as good as it should have. Karesh is kind of cool too but not that much.

Are they really though?

Not to defend TWW 'cause it's my least favorite expansion so far but what Midnight offers is a zone with 2007 standard of design but with HD textures, K'aresh with tall sea weeds and yet another oversized flora zone with Harandar. Zul'Aman does look incredible I'll admit, so on the basis of that I guess we can say it edges out TWW slightly, but we've really hit rock bottom with expansion launch zones.

[Hitei]

They need to put some heavy metal music when Sargeras comes and picks up his blade. Make it metal as fuck.

It'll end up being stuck in the maelstrom so the skyboxes for both continents can just have it looming in the distance out beyond the horizon.

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Are they really though?

Not to defend TWW 'cause it's my least favorite expansion so far but what Midnight offers is a zone with 2007 standard of design but with HD textures, K'aresh with tall sea weeds and yet another oversized flora zone with Harandar. Zul'Aman does look incredible I'll admit, so on the basis of that I guess we can say it edges out TWW slightly, but we've really hit rock bottom with expansion launch zones.

It's not BC or Cata so we're pretty far from rock bottom launch zones.

[Darkarath]

Do people find the Hallowfall zone itself really that good or is it just the woah! factor of seeing the crystal when you enter it?

'Cause for me the zone was pretty lame outside of that. Mereldar and the view of the crystal and citadel was a beautiful location indeed, but I did not find the rest of it particularly exciting to be in.

IMO it's the best zone ever created for the game, at least visually. It's gigantic and I really like the Arathi artstyle.

Other than that, it was somewhat dissapointing. The weakest main questline of TWW without a doubt, but nice secondary questlines, especially the fishy one.

Not to defend TWW 'cause it's my least favorite expansion so far but what Midnight offers is a zone with 2007 standard of design but with HD textures, K'aresh with tall sea weeds and yet another oversized flora zone with Harandar. Zul'Aman does look incredible I'll admit, so on the basis of that I guess we can say it edges out TWW slightly, but we've really hit rock bottom with expansion launch zones.

Man if you really believe that Midnight's Eversong Woods is just an HD skin I don't know what to tell you. I have seen a video of the zone (no questing, just a look of the zone), and it looks glorius. It has been re-created from zero but taking into account the old zone.

I don't think that we are giving Blizzard enough credit for this zone. I think that it is incredibly difficult to remake a beloved zone while keeping everything that was there but better.

Harandar and Zul'aman look absolutely gorgeous.

No opinion on the Voidstorm because I have seen very little of that zone.

[Elronas16]

It's not BC or Cata so we're pretty far from rock bottom launch zones.

BC had a couple stinkers but some of them were incredible for that time, especially if you include the Draenei and BE starting areas - which they're trying to recreate the magic of for Midnight but are mostly failing so far.

I agree about Cata though, it's in the same ballpark. Outside of Uldum, which I think was really well done, I don't care for any of the other ones. Though Vashj'ir was an interesting experiment.

[Jaggler]

BC had a couple stinkers but some of them were incredible for that time, especially if you include the Draenei and BE starting areas - which they're trying to recreate the magic of for Midnight but are mostly failing so far.

I agree about Cata though, it's in the same ballpark. Outside of Uldum, which I think was really well done, I don't care for any of the other ones. Though Vashj'ir was an interesting experiment.

I personally thought Uldum was a trainwreck. A zone with so much potential and half of it is wasted with memes. The memery is something, that shows up in a lot of Cata zones, but i felt in Uldum it was egregious.

[Darkarath]

I personally thought Uldum was a trainwreck. A zone with so much potential and half of it is wasted with memes. The memery is something, that shows up in a lot of Cata zones, but i felt in Uldum it was egregious.

Agreed.

Uldum remains the most dissapointing zone of the game by far in my book.

Back in Classic it was so mysterious... And then we got... Whatever that shit that Blizzard created in Cata was.

At least we got Vashj'ir, one of the best zones in WoW's history. Probably top 3 in all departments.

[Cheezits]

Turalyon stuff really did a number on the general tone of this thread.

[Xilurm]

Agreed.

Uldum remains the most dissapointing zone of the game by far in my book.

Back in Classic it was so mysterious... And then we got... Whatever that shit that Blizzard created in Cata was.

You mean you don't like a massive ass questline that's literally one giant pop culture reference?