Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Ersula]

Are peeps now starting to say that X expansion is less of an expansion, because of the story? Like, suddenly gameplay became secondary?

More like how the biggest gameplay feature of Midnight is a massive skill prune & the devs proudly telling us they decided to take a bunch of TWW content & push it into Midnight.

[Cheezits]

Midnight feels unnecessary so far and honestly if the original plan was to go to Avaloren after TWW, I think that would be been immensely better. So kudos to Danuser over Metzen on that one.

I think the game may actually have died if it was Avaloren instead of any old world stuff. It would just be Shadowlands 2 with even fewer Azeroth things to care about despite the main faction having hot air balloons, deus vulters and cathedrals.

We have it on record (Bobby Kotick's but still) that whatever was planned for after TWW was so bad that Midnight and TLT happened.

I will be more partial to Avaloren the second anything on it is set up besides "heretics", Funny Templars and Dragons.

[Makabreska]

After gamescom I said this whole saga thing feels like 2 expansions with the pricetag of 3 expansions & everybody told me I was insane. Glad to see that's now the general consensus.

Peeps told you you were insane because of the takes like "they didn't show us TLT gameplay during WSS reveal, therefore TLT wont happen".

[Joshuaj]

I mean, story wise it feels a bit filler (even though Dimensius should be a big thing but they totally fucked up the build-up again ..... just like with the Sylvanas novel and Shadowlands TWW would have needed the Karesh audiobook for the PREPATCH. Tell us Dimensius is coming and tease and build him up over three patches. The "surprise boss" thing NEVER worked for WoW ...). Buuut it's the first part of a trilogy, so it's ok if it feels like a prologue. Gameplay wise the expansion was just as good as Dragonflight, even though I disliked the Undermine patch it was still ten times better than shitty BfA, on all fronts. And Midnight already feels like Legion 2.0.

...Filler???

It's part 1 of the biggest narrative saga in WoW.

[Makabreska]

More like how the biggest gameplay feature of Midnight is a massive skill prune & the devs proudly telling us they decided to take a bunch of TWW content & push it into Midnight.

Yeee, I learned some time ago to not treat you seriously. You live in your own world.

[Joshuaj]

Dalaran blowing up, or us learning of the Worldcore and Manifold plan is not "filler" by any means. None of the WoW expacs are filler.

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Midnight feels unnecessary so far and honestly if the original plan was to go to Avaloren after TWW, I think that would be been immensely better. So kudos to Danuser over Metzen on that one.

This could of course change around but it feels like mediocre slop they just thought the nostalgia of TBC would carry. But even that they didn't handle all that well.

The original plan???

THERE IS NO ORIGINAL PLAN!!! WTF??!?!?!

[Cheezits]

Dalaran blowing up, or us learning of the Worldcore and Manifold plan is not "filler" by any means. None of the WoW expacs are filler.

What a lot of people forget to include, or don't feel the need to include in their MMOC posts, are words "I feel as if" or "I think".

[Joshuaj]

Maybe there was a potential IDEA of us going to Avaloren after the whole underground stuff, but that was a very VERY early ordeal, and that's obviously not going to occur til post TLT now (Or at least, that's what I'm expecting).

Even then, whatever early idea existed for TWW was immediately expanded upon and separated into multiple parts not long into development. Like, I'm talking so early in development, seeds for the Worldsoul Saga were being planted during Dragonflight.

[Darkarath]

Are peeps now starting to say that X expansion is less of an expansion, because of the story? Like, suddenly gameplay became secondary?

Seems so.

I wish that all upcoming expansions would be at the same level as TWW.

Where do I have to sign?

I do understand the criticism towards the story, but TWW was the first part of the WSS. It's not looking good but it's not looking that bad neither.

Let us wait a little bit before judging the WSS as a whole when we are still in the first expansion of a trilogy.

[Joshuaj]

What a lot of people forget to include, or don't feel the need to include in their MMOC posts, are words "I feel as if" or "I think".

You're not talking about me, yeah?

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Seems so.

I wish that all upcoming expansions would be at the same level as TWW.

Where do I have to sign?

I do understand the criticism towards the story, but TWW was the first part of the WSS. It's not looking good but it's not looking that bad neither.

Let us wait a little bit before judging the WSS as a whole when we are still in the first expansion of a trilogy.

TLT has the chance to be the best WoW expac by far. They only need to do 1 thing to seal the deal...

Blizzard, ya know what to do. I waited over 20 years for this moment! LET ME BATTLE THE DARK TITAN!!!!!

[Cheezits]

Are peeps now starting to say that X expansion is less of an expansion, because of the story? Like, suddenly gameplay became secondary?

Both the Midnight story and the features being "not enough" (valid critique as Prey is just World Quests +, Devourer is a single spec and Housing is not gameplay oriented).

I like Housing but I understand that if you don't, and you don't like the expac setting, there's not much new for you.

[Khaza-R]

I think the game may actually have died if it was Avaloren instead of any old world stuff. It would just be Shadowlands 2 with even fewer Azeroth things to care about despite the main faction having hot air balloons, deus vulters and cathedrals.

We have it on record (Bobby Kotick's but still) that whatever was planned for after TWW was so bad that Midnight and TLT happened.

I will be more partial to Avaloren the second anything on it is set up besides "heretics", Funny Templars and Dragons.

Bobby Kotick is neither a WoW fan or a gamer though. An important distinction. It would be different if Ybarra said that. I would actually take it with some credibility.

That said, what did we get in trade? Quel'thalas and Zul'aman look great (world design-wise). But that's really it. That's really the full extent of nice things I can say about this expansion.

[Joshuaj]

Shit, have his cosmic mode bring about a Dimensius-like phase or "boss fight" for all I care, idk! I just wanna see an Avatar phase/fight, a cosmic phase/fight, and a weakened phase/fight!

Make this mf WORTH IT!

[Sondrelk]

I think the game may actually have died if it was Avaloren instead of any old world stuff. It would just be Shadowlands 2 with even fewer Azeroth things to care about despite the main faction having hot air balloons, deus vulters and cathedrals.

We have it on record (Bobby Kotick's but still) that whatever was planned for after TWW was so bad that Midnight and TLT happened.

If there is any solace in the WSS, then it's definitely that Avaloren is getting time to breathe as a concept before we actually go there.
It's easily the most interesting concept we have had in WoW for years. Not just for it being a cool idea to have an antagonistic crusader country. But because the Arathi Empire can solve so many issues currently existing with the game. Chiefly the lack of a constant antagonistic force whose presence isn't immediately going to lead to the apocalypse. Effectively being what the factions used to be to each other.

With Midnight and TLT, we have Avaloren to look forward to. And also know that world revamp expansions are possible, even more so once Midnight is over and the developers have hopefully learned some lessons from it.

[Joshuaj]

Defeating Sargeras has been a dream of mine for the longest time! It is quite literally my life goal in gaming!!! Please, I beg!!!

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I am ready! We are ready! We can face him! We have the technology to make this fight work!!!

[Cheezits]

That said, what did we get in trade? Quel'thalas and Zul'aman look great (world design-wise). But that's really it. That's really the full extent of nice things I can say about this expansion.

I will take two good zones over a mystery OCslop expansion by the creative team that brought you two of my least favorite landmasses ever (DI and Shadowlands) and made the Haranir.

[Ersula]

...Filler???

It's part 1 of the biggest narrative saga in WoW.

Well, what would you call it when you take the planned end of one expansion & move it two expansions later? What do you call settling a sibling dispute in Zul'aman in a Trilogy about the worldsoul?

You know internally at Blizzard "troll patch" & "filler" mean the same thing, right?

[Joshuaj]

Well, what would you call it when you take the planned end of one expansion & move it two expansions later? What do you call settling a sibling dispute in Zul'aman in a Trilogy about the worldsoul?

You know internally at Blizzard "troll patch" & "filler" mean the same thing, right?

The first one is called padding (Though, idk if that's the right word to use, since the additions are pretty darn necessary), and the second is called a side story (that connects itself to the main story, mind you). Not filler. Try again.

[Darkarath]

Defeating Sargeras has been a dream of mine for the longest time! It is quite literally my life goal in gaming!!! Please, I beg!!!

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I am ready! We are ready! We can face him! We have the technology to make this fight work!!!

Calm down.

Right now I would say that it's very likely that Sargeras will be the last boss of the WSS. It won't happen until almost 2030, though.

So... Relax and have fun ! Enjoy Xal'athat !

[Sondrelk]

Bobby Kotick is neither a WoW fan or a gamer though. An important distinction. It would be different if Ybarra said that. I would actually take it with some credibility.

That said, what did we get in trade? Quel'thalas and Zul'aman look great. But that's really it. That's really the full extent of nice things I can say about this expansion.

Housing is something you can't just ignore, so that is a definite something.
Addon-apocalypse is a long overdue change that will hopefully lead to bosses that are easier to understand, making it easier for new players to get into them.
Class changes isn't going to be everybody's cup of tea. But it's there, and make the developers give another Legion style once-over on all classes.
Prey isn't exactly the same as Heroic World Tier from Lemix. But it is a step in that direction. Which could make the open world more interesting. And, at least to me, give a chance of no-flying returning to the game, which is also needed to make the world more lively.

Nothing in Midnight seems to be offensively bad. Or at least, nothing that isn't just the continuation of the status quo, like boring protagonists.
Many of the changes are divisive. But for cases like the zones, they are more boring than bad. Harandar doesn't look to be an awful zone, just weird in the context of it seeming like it's transplanted from another expansion. And Voidstorm, while very boring as a launch zone, doesn't look to be awful as much as ill fitting. The issues with the zones seem to more be about wanting something else, rather than the zones being terrible.