Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Makabreska]

Did they indicate that entire Northrend will be TLT place from the start? That would be pretty huge.

Or maybe they will add some zones in patches.

[Cheezits]

My predictions for TLT zones:

1. Sholozar Basin + a little bit of Borean Tundra
2. Howling Fjord/Grizzly Hills + Vordrassil island (has expansion capital: Utgarde Keep, expanded into large Vrykul kingdom)
3. ICC/Crystalsong
4. Dragonblight + Azj-Nerub (underground collapse leading to Harrowsdeep)
5. Endgame Zone: Storm Peaks and hostile Ulduar

If it's 4 zones again, they are blended up to leak into each other, but these would be the main themes IMO.

Coldarra and Zul'drak are either delves, dungeons or gone.

[SpaceMistakes]

I want a gladiator warrior that can use a spear/polearm with a shield.

[Xeladriel]

Would be fun, i wanna try predict too

1° Grizzly Fjords (Grizzle Hills+Howling Fjord)
2° Borean Basin (Borean Tundra+Sholazar Basin)
3° Stormcrown Peaks (Icecrown+Stormpeaks)
4° Crystalblight (Dragonblight+Cristalsong)

[Bozzoltank]

I truly think Ulduar is the capital.

I've said this a lot and I'ma bring it back up...

Were going to be working out the secrets of the Titans, I fully believe the Titans to be offed, other than maybe Aman'thul and sargeras, in the intro cinematic.

I'm honestly, all memeing aside, expecting path of the Titans to come in.

Each class has to work with a related Titan keeper in a sect of Ulduar (and more) to figure out what those secrets are, whilst trying to save the planet.

Just as a few:

Warriors - Archades or maybe even Odin if he's not to be an antagonist (he will be)
Paladins - Tyr
DK - Hodir
Druid - Freya
Evokers - stony tony
Shaman / hunter - Thorim
Tinker - Mimiron

Could even have more far flung keepers from other places arrive to help, say Ra for Priests or Ra-den for monks. Even a potential for Iridikron to begrudgingly give Evokers answers too.

And demon Hunters - Sargeras himself, begrudgingly giving info in exchange for freedom at the seat of the pantheon.

Were still yet to see Tyr this saga, I think the only one thing we can take from Shadowlands is that the machinery of ice crown was showed in action and never went anywhere.

It just makes sense to me. I can't wait to see how wrong I am.

I'd throw warlocks at Sargeras myself! It's a better fit, I'd argue, although they can certainly be a shared thing!

[JDBlou]

The obvious move, to me at least in TLT is new class artificer/tinker and new class order halls, Legion was a slam dunk and I have a gut feeling they will try to recapture Legion's class fantasy lightning in a bottle to really sell TLT as the culmination of 30 years of Warcraft.

New class halls where required by lore, or hopefully for every class, a couple ones that come to mind.: the Nexus for the mages, the Chamber of Aspects for Evokers, Mimiron's workshop for whatever name they give the artificer archetype, a much revamped and expanded Ravenholdt with underground harbour and uprezzed mansion, probably some lodge in the grizzly hills for Hunters because lord knows they're built to suffer.

[Cheezits]

The obvious move, to me at least in TLT is new class artificer/tinker and new class order halls. New class halls where required by lore, or hopefully for every class, a couple ones that come to mind.: the Nexus for the mages, the Chamber of Aspects for Evokers, Mimiron's workshop for whatever name they give the artificer archetype, a much revamped and expanded Ravenholdt with underground harbour and uprezzed mansion, probably some lodge in the grizzly hills for Hunters because lord knows they're built to suffer.

I just had a thought: what if they introduce expansion-agnostic class halls? Similar to the Arcantina. They wouldn't always get the same amount of quests but they could be used for future expansions instead of just one.

[milkmustache]

I just had a thought: what if they introduce expansion-agnostic class halls? Similar to the Arcantina. They wouldn't always get the same amount of quests but they could be used for future expansions instead of just one.

I always kind of assumed this was the idea with that one survey that popped around a while ago. I think it'd be incredibly useful to adding to the fantasy. My one big gripe with it would be further fragmentation of "hubs" for the playerbase. Faction hubs, expansion hub, player housing neighborhoods and then Arcantina (maybe?) and class halls has light hubs would be a lot. If it's for story progression and questing only, no more resources etc., then that'd be perfect.

[JDBlou]

I just had a thought: what if they introduce expansion-agnostic class halls? Similar to the Arcantina. They wouldn't always get the same amount of quests but they could be used for future expansions instead of just one.

I could see it and it'd certainly be an efficient use of asset development, and if Legion remix taught me one thing, I'm really missing the energy behind having a class campaign in an expansion. That's not to say I think they were all good, no Legion had some stinkers but the vibe and cohesiveness it brought to Legion was incomparable.

[Ersula]

I just had a thought: what if they introduce expansion-agnostic class halls? Similar to the Arcantina. They wouldn't always get the same amount of quests but they could be used for future expansions instead of just one.

Sigh. I really wanted the Shadowlands covenants to be this. Mechanically they were a D- but thematically they were an A+

[nysisyn]

- Gundrak as the Horde hub, the Horde try to help a tribe of Frost troll to recover
- Utgart Keep as the Alliance hub, as they befriend a Vrykul clan that follow Tyr and conquer the keep
- Taunka, Frost Troll as horde allied race
- Vrykul and Furlbog as alliance allied race
- Tinker
- No icecrown but Azjol Nerub
- Titan are invader and are the ennemy. Tyr, Keranos and some watcher try to resist
- Ulduar is a raid again

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Are they on good enough position? That 30% profit mandate is harsh.

Microsoft denied this claim, based on every other profit margin in the industry it seems to have been born out of the "Microsoft doom and gloom" rumour mill rather than anything real.

This doesn't mean that they won't increase monetization and again Classic+'s model is at this point seemingly going to have some sort of recurring monetization considering the structure of it being a permanent continual experience must mean a new form of monetization in the form of either paid expansion sets for it or an additional sub fee or who knows what. Not to speak of whatever else announced at Blizzcon and whether preorders are opened.

At this point, with them already talking about TLT when Midnight is not even out yet, it feels like they just want players to behave like pigs and eat as much slop as possible in order to rake in as much money as possible.

They don't care about making a quality game anymore

I mean, they're getting away with it. No one is going to rationalize this with that type of understanding because it isn't a normal perspective to think about this with the mindset of the business side. The fix is in and again, I don't think they're done with how fast they want this train to go nor is it likely they won't do another 3 expansion announcement once again considering the context we're now in and how it seems "short term pumping" was the point of the World Soul Saga.

This is always what happens when product cycles start to shrink, things get so fast and dizzying that when they've altered the Product Model everyone just has to accept this is how it is now and that their marketing may not be the best.

[milkmustache]

I think again the thing that will influence TLT the most is our relationship with the Titans directly at launch. Knowing whether or not we're fully on their side or not will inform everything about our purpose of being in Northrend.

Because otherwise, are we going to Northrend just case? A quick chat with the Titans? There's going to have to be some major inciting action to bring whatever major military force we're attached to there aside from them just returning. I'm extremely curious what that ends up being.

[Cheezits]

I will be absolutely floored if the main villain of launch Northrend isn't Odyn. The set up is there with him as Prime Designate defending the conspiracy (DF even teased this a little with him knowing about and covering up the you know whos) and also him being a dick in lore, people know and care about him, and he fits the Viking theme they will definitely lean on now that Arthas is gone (including Ragnarok as a concept, if they are setting up a plan to reoriginate Azeroth). Also Tyr is around to fit as his foil that sides with Azeroth/the Dragons over him and someone to "take" the Vrykul from him.

Iridikron exists but he's small potatoes compared to Odyn, I really hope they don't go "well players worked with Odyn so we dont want to make them sad : ((". Also the Primalists are really crap compared to most villain groups (they aren't even particularly villainous) even if they bring in Magatha. I can only see Iridikron being the main villain (or Xal, again...) if they are dead set on all the Keepers and Titans being good guys which would be incredibly boring.

Oh and I just realized Iridikron is an underground dragon just like Nidhogg (who slept in the roots of a WORLD TREE) from Norse folklore so that's fun. Maybe TLT (besides the two demon themed fellas) is generally going to be Norse themed to make up for the big Lich King absence?

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

I think again the thing that will influence TLT the most is our relationship with the Titans directly at launch. Knowing whether or not we're fully on their side or not will inform everything about our purpose of being in Northrend.

Because otherwise, are we going to Northrend just case? A quick chat with the Titans? There's going to have to be some major inciting action to bring whatever major military force we're attached to there aside from them just returning. I'm extremely curious what that ends up being.

Personally any assumption on the structure of The Last Titan can be thrown away based on the fact Voidstorm exists for Midnight, so I just don't see us at all figuring out the timeline of events beyond locations that may or may not have relevancy.

Its' like Ulduar, Harrowsdeep maybe? Who knows. I am unsure about the Ulduar stuff because they can do a lot or they can do minimal and or not at all with it being just a quick visit and then the Pantheon of Order is in trouble or we're in trouble from their actions.

[Cheezits]

Personally any assumption on the structure of The Last Titan can be thrown away based on the fact Voidstorm exists, so I just don't see us at all figuring out the timeline of events beyond locations that may or may not have relevancy.

Northrend is unironically too big to do two portal zones at launch IMO, even one would be a hard sell. Most of the island would have to be nuked which I can't see them doing, or not updated which I seriously doubt.

They only got away with Midnight because Quelthalas only had two themes (Blood Elf, Troll) that persisted post-SL (RIP SCOURGE), ergo if Lordaeron cannot be in the launch story they had to pull zones out their ass for their post-BFA (edit: tbh this is most non-BFA expansions) "every zone is a new culture" thing.

[Joshuaj]

I just wanna fight Sargeras in the expac!

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Northrend is unironically too big to do two portal zones at launch IMO, even one would be a hard sell. Most of the island would have to be nuked which I can't see them doing, or not updated which I seriously doubt.

They only got away with Midnight because Quelthalas only had two themes (Blood Elf, Troll) that persisted post-SL (RIP SCOURGE), ergo if Lordaeron cannot be in the launch story they had to pull zones out their ass.

To be fair, the events of TLT based on a quick summation of what they have when I think them through again.. There's a lot but again I thought they had a lot of marketable and cool moments in Midnight and Voidstorm skipped all of it. So I'm just not sure if Ulduar meeting will be like a big deal with them actually putting in an effort or if we're just getting a quick meeting or nothing at all and or they flip the expansion on its head and we need to get to Ulduar throughout the expansion or the entire concept of The Last Titan is finished in the Base of the expansion and then Harrowsdeep and or other Northrend content they want to explore happens with ultimately Xal'atath as the final boss of the expansion or something.

Off World content wouldn't surprise me but again I am deeply uncertain with their mindsets and how they think at this point because they love to just do something random that is completely disconnected and so I just don't feel confident in this being what the "fans want" out of such a epic concept because ultimately the concept of the expansion is why you buy it rather than what they actually serve to you.

Its' just hard to guage if they even care about the climax expansion to a degree where they would put in effort or if they're just going to coast because they know the potency of 14.0 and beyond.

[Xilurm]

- Gundrak as the Horde hub, the Horde try to help a tribe of Frost troll to recover
- Utgart Keep as the Alliance hub, as they befriend a Vrykul clan that follow Tyr and conquer the keep
- Taunka, Frost Troll as horde allied race
- Vrykul and Furlbog as alliance allied race
- Tinker
- No icecrown but Azjol Nerub
- Titan are invader and are the ennemy. Tyr, Keranos and some watcher try to resist
- Ulduar is a raid again

No Icecrown? The most iconic part of Northrend?

[Cheezits]

No Icecrown? The most iconic part of Northrend?

The Lich King is gone and there are no mentions of the Scourge since SL outside of a few zombies attacking LPH in Midnight. Unless they start building up Denathrius soon, I don't expect anything serious with ICC and can actually see it getting blown up or coopted by the Titans to access the Worldsoul like Zovaal did.