Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Vakir]

Anduin, Alleria, Arator. Main characters whose names begin with "A" are cursed when it comes to visual updates.

Anduin's design is fine. It's like one of the only good things about him, if not the only.

[Ersula]

Anduin's design is fine. It's like one of the only good things about him, if not the only.

I think the "problem" was just his noodle hair. No matter what I stand that chasing graphic realism is a mistake, especially for the warcraft franchise.

[Vakir]

I think the "problem" was just his noodle hair. No matter what I stand that chasing graphic realism is a mistake, especially for the warcraft franchise.

Yeah, that is an unfortunate side effect of the, fittingly, spaghetti code-ass accumulation of limitations that is this 21 year old game.

But it's still better hair than Arator. What the actual fuck is that? There is no way to make him look good, "I just farted" mid-cinematic still or no.

It's not even "muh millennial" out of touch art designers at work, those stereotypes are usually stuff like man buns. I don't know what they're going for with him. The dark and light scalp tats too are a baffling decision.

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I'm still befuddled about people up in arms about Arator's age when it's extremely missable in-game, like his very character. Yes, Salandria would be better, but how many lines does Arator have in the game before Midnight to really characterize him?

Considering he has basically a cameo in Legion, and that is the "jump-on" point for a large swathe of the current playerbase, I'd argue a lot of people don't even know who he is.

I mean, I agree, there isn't a ton prior, but having been subjected multiple times now to his campaign questline, my take is "even if this makes sense for basically a new character, and even if I ignore he's in his 30s, I still hate him." I'm almost glad it isn't Salandria, she remains unruined for now.

It's not even repetition burnout, I've heard "TYRAAAANDE" about 17 times in Val'sharah and it doesn't bother me.

[Cheezits]

I mean, I agree, there isn't a ton prior, but having been subjected multiple times now to his campaign questline, my take is "even if this makes sense for basically a new character, and even if I ignore he's in his 30s, I still hate him." I'm almost glad it isn't Salandria, she remains unruined for now.

It's not even repetition burnout, I've heard "TYRAAAANDE" about 17 times in Val'sharah and it doesn't bother me.

Oh yeah if you don't like him you don't like him. I'm just wondering how many times do I need to see loreheads on X point out that he acts young for an adult, when the meta reason is he is like that to loredump for noobs playing WoW for the first time and/or those who don't care about TBC lore.

It was Arator or Toddy Whiskers. Blizzard will not stop doing these kind of characters.

[Vakir]

Toddy didn't piss me off as much. I think it helps we don't have a lot of stereotypical dwarven characters to ham it up. I don't mind Dagran being more cerebral or whatever, he beat the pre-TWW accusations he'd be mousy and weak-willed, he's just an adventurer that's also a nerd. But I like my Kurdran types without trotting out nostalgic boomer characters to potentially ruin them.

[Cheezits]

But I like my Kurdran types without trotting out nostalgic boomer characters to potentially ruin them.

Yeah but calling pre-Midnight Arator a character is stretching it. He really didn't have much to ruin. If anything he's more totemic to the fans because he's tied to WC2 (parents) and TBC.

Said WC2 totem gets people very antsy for some reason (see: Turalyon discourse).

[Vakir]

Yeah but calling pre-Midnight Arator a character is stretching it. He really didn't have much to ruin. If anything he's more totemic to the fans because he's tied to WC2 (parents) and TBC.

Oh, I meant Kurdran as far as "dwarves being dwarves." I meant boomer almost literally to his age. Arator is definitely not a nostalgia character.

Blizzard not beating the "whiffs on heroes" accusations.

[Joshuaj]

I'm still befuddled about people up in arms about Arator's age when it's extremely missable in-game, like his very character. Yes, Salandria would be better, but how many lines does Arator have in the game before Midnight to really characterize him?

Considering he has basically a cameo in Legion, and that is the "jump-on" point for a large swathe of the current playerbase, I'd argue a lot of people don't even know who he is.

At least Salandria is one of the people keeping the Sunwell up.

[Alanar]

I'm still befuddled about people up in arms about Arator's age when it's extremely missable in-game, like his very character. Yes, Salandria would be better, but how many lines does Arator have in the game before Midnight to really characterize him?

Considering he has basically a cameo in Legion, and that is the "jump-on" point for a large swathe of the current playerbase, I'd argue a lot of people don't even know who he is.

He is by all means essentially a new character. Doesnt matter if you knew or not he was an npc before.

Same as how Alleria was a new character in Legion. They both had nothing for them going on in wow. New charactizations need to be created. Despite them being known from way, way back. They were never explored in wow before.

[GeometryWizard]

Alleria has had a consistent personality even going back to the WC2 novels of being headstrong and self-centered they only pulled the void stuff out of nowhere for her in Legion. The problem is that in the books she's a side character because of her personality whereas now she's the main character and her personality isn't suited for a role like that. Look at how much people get tired of watching her repeat the same mistakes over and over and even in the book Arator points out how she just makes everything about herself but that criticism doesn't matter much when it's the 3rd time players see it happen and they get to see it happen yet again in the Voidspire raid. Characters should have flaws but watching them repeat their mistakes every time they are on screen gets annoying

Really all this focus on the family melodrama just doesn't work when we're playing a character that does everything in the gameplay but nothing in cutscenes. It's so awkward that they're making all the cutscenes in-game so they can have our character there to play stilted animations and not react to anything while the actual characters get custom models and attention to detail and can actually talk. Cutscenes like Arator trying to give Turalyon back his shield feel so awkward with our character just standing in a default idle pose in the background the entire time like we're some weirdo watching from afar. Trying to make us best friends with the main characters never works because of this the relationship never comes off as something genuine compared to us hanging out with the less important NPCs

IMO they totally lost a certain vibe when they mostly moved away from pre-rendered cutscenes everything just looks and feels cheaper and if it's to make sure we can have our mute character there it's a complete mistake

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Well, Character Drama in a Product Model that features 2 Major Patches/6 Unconnected Minor Patches in a Expansion structure where we frontload the entire Expansion concept into the Base product only to then do a Start Stop immediately for our audiences to stop caring about whats' going on because the only place they can put their "We want to do whatever we want to do that also generates KPI" in the X.1 patch and then restart the Main A Plot in the Last Major Patch while the minor patches are just weird catchup mechanic with very little if any connection to anything beyond current setting that is already fairly irrelevant due to the structuring of the Base expansion. Too little time, too much fucking stuff going on in a model that is Gameplay suited and not Story suited.

Honestly all I can hold out for is Animated Shorts and Marketing budget covering up until we get to Classic+/14.0 and whether they then double down on another Saga or they go back to singular expansion reveals.

Personally, they desperately need to hold a meeting with IP leadership, Warcraft Team leadership, Narrative Team and Quest Designers to get on the same page and actually project something better than this because this is abhorrently broken at this point. Putting bandaids on when called out that you don't care about doing proper work regarding Story by doing Lorewalking every update isn't enough to fix the mortal wound inflicted at this point.

[Xilurm]

Midnight would be redeemed if we end up going to one of the moons.

That would make it worse for me. Why would we go to the moons? It's all supposed to be metaphorical. If Elune is actually there (or if there's anything there other than dust) that'd be so stupid.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

I don't think the moon solves anything and honestly with how dumb our Patches are at this point them thinking going to the fucking moon is a KPI boost makes me disintegrate into static.

[BaumanKing]

The problem is that in the books she's a side character because of her personality whereas now she's the main character and her personality isn't suited for a role like that.

I think Alleria could be a main character, but only with someone who can truly call her out on her bullshit and with whom she has chemistry. You know, someone like her love interest. There are many wonderful examples in the novels of how they balance each other perfectly. But for some reason, Blizzard keeps trying to push him into the background and keep them apart. I don't know why.

In TWW, it was fine to keep them apart for a couple of patches so she could progress her arc and learn a lesson about family unity or whatever. But by Midnight, it starts to get really tiresome.

[Xilurm]

I think Alleria could be a main character, but only with someone who can truly call her out on her bullshit and with whom she has chemistry. You know, someone like her love interest. There are many wonderful examples in the novels of how they balance each other perfectly. But for some reason, Blizzard keeps trying to push him into the background and keep them apart. I don't know why.

In TWW, it was fine to keep them apart for a couple of patches so she could progress her arc and learn a lesson about family unity or whatever. But by Midnight, it starts to get really tiresome.

It's just artificial drama. One is void the other is light. It would've been way better if the wrote them as two powers that can work together.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Sort of makes me wonder if there will be a return to unity at the end through the lense of Arator but I have more negative view that the position they're taking is everythings' splintered for the sake of personal independence. I do think its' a weird story to tell when the context is the literal end of everything is happening at the same time which should've led the Narrative Team and everyone involved to be much more focused on that front and making it engaging and exciting to actually play through such a cataclysmic scenario rather than being forced into a character drama that doesn't really make any lick of sense in the context of what is happening beyond this 3 character bubble.

I have very little if any understanding of why they made this decision at this point, especially if they intend to do the same TWW strategy where they leave this character drama dead until 12.2.

[Cheezits]

Besides Lordaeron, I still don't see what would be a better Midnight patch than Super Mega Chungus Troll Patch. Now, if it's JUST Amani, that's a horrible idea, but if it's the Troll Patch to End All Troll Patches with all the playable allied tribes reuniting to beat some old Warcraft RPG troll villain then I think it's a very good idea for patch content.

And we're probably getting Worldcore as the second patch anyway (over Lordaeron ) so there's the story connection.

[Hearthfinder]

The problem with Anduin is the hair, chiefly. It looks cool in a pre-rendered cinematic but awful in-game. The beard looks like something 3D was supposed to render but didn't, and all that was left if some type of flat background asset.

His model in general also looks like different people in every expansion.

MoP - Legion was all right. Shadowlands was atrocious with the 90s boy band haircut and featureless face.

[Lady Atia]

The problem with Anduin is the hair, chiefly. It looks cool in a pre-rendered cinematic but awful in-game. The beard looks like something 3D was supposed to render but didn't, and all that was left if some type of flat background asset.

His model in general also looks like different people in every expansion.

MoP - Legion was all right. Shadowlands was atrocious with the 90s boy band haircut and featureless face.

Honestly, that's a problem most "unique" models besides Jaina have. Sylvanas was ok but imo not an improvement over the classic style which fit far better with WoW.

At the end of the day, there shouldn't be unique models for pc races at all, everything should be based on the pc models and gear, imo. And everything new should be added to the barbershop, like they did with the yrel horns back than.

[milkmustache]

Besides Lordaeron, I still don't see what would be a better Midnight patch than Super Mega Chungus Troll Patch. Now, if it's JUST Amani, that's a horrible idea, but if it's the Troll Patch to End All Troll Patches with all the playable allied tribes reuniting to beat some old Warcraft RPG troll villain then I think it's a very good idea for patch content.

And we're probably getting Worldcore as the second patch anyway (over Lordaeron ) so there's the story connection.

I'm still holding out regarding those Undercity/Lordaeron delve achievement strings. Usually the data doesn't fail or lie.

Then again, that doesn't mean it can't be misinterpreted to fit certain ideas. I still wear the Gleeful Glamour scars.