Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Foolicious]

The potential of labyrinths really excites me, you can use so many areas and the flexibility delving provides allows for many creative additions in it compared to standard dungeons while remaining accessible to more people. My only concern is the replayability it will have and wether the rewards will be worth longterm.

I hope they are a bit more lore heavy. Delves initially had this premise of telling a mini story, but they basically serve no purpose in the story.

[tufy123]

Maybe I just wasn't expecting Blizzard to show as much as other people did- I didn't think they'd spoil the story by showing off 12.1's content before we even see the end of the launch tier- but I for one am very happy with the reveals. I loved Delves, so Labyrinths sound amazing, and it'll be great to get smaller raids later in a tier again.

Me too. Labyrinths sound amazong and smaller raids mean us with jobs and families may join again.

[Cheezits]

Labyrinths should've been in at launch. Great feature idea, and a lot of Midnight delves are reused spaces.

[milkmustache]

Labyrinths should've been in at launch. Great feature idea, and a lot of Midnight delves are reused spaces.

I wonder if the Undercity labyrinth theory rings true that it was purposefully delayed to sync with story.

Meaning they had the idea of labyrinths, lightbulb over head said "Undercity labyrinth!", only works in 12.1.5.

[infinitemeridian]

This prepatch event is so fucking low effort. This + 11.2 makes me very worried the team is stretched extremely thin with resources.

[Xilurm]

At least there's no awful lag this time around.

[Nize]

Me too. Labyrinths sound amazong and smaller raids mean us with jobs and families may join again.

I definitely think that first tier is going to be a test for Blizzard and may influence raid design in the future. If they see that more people are willing to raid if the foresight from the player only becomes 2-4 bosses rather than 8-9, they might design raids in a similar structure even for the same raid. LFR does this, to an extent, by breaking it up into wings, but the way normal/heroic/mythic are designed create this expectation that a player joining would have to stay for the whole thing, which might dissuade a player from joining to begin with.

[Xilurm]

A lot of the new gear sets are really good, some of the best when it comes to design wise for the last few expansions.



But then you turn the character slightly and...



2D Boobs!

Hope it's a bug though, because if this is a design choice due to them having to model too many races, they might as well just not show anything lol.

[milkmustache]

While we're doing a bit of Undercity/Lordaeron speculation with the Labyrinth idea, I'd like to add that much like our Undermine speculation, we have a little bit of mount flavor text to fuel it in the Ghastropod, which was recently added into the Midnight beta at a currently unknown delivery (assumed to be promotion).

[Cheezits]

While we're doing a bit of Undercity/Lordaeron speculation with the Labyrinth idea, I'd like to add that much like our Undermine speculation, we have a little bit of mount flavor text to fuel it in the Ghastropod, which was recently added into the Midnight beta at a currently unknown delivery (assumed to be promotion).

What's crazy is that the first time I saw that I swore it said UnderMINE so I disregarded it, especially as it came with two other goblin mounts. Very interesting callout to Undercity.

I was thinking that Forsaken would fit as a patch theme after a Troll patch to continue the kind of underlying theme that they are addressing a bunch of Horde races during Midnight. They have also said Tauren will happen in TLT.

[whoisqnx]

Since Metzen said that we will banish the shadow forever in Midnight and we start with the Sunwell at the very start of the expansion and first season, how do you guys think it will actually happen?
12.1 seems very likely to be troll/loa patch, could a 12.2 draenei patch somehow lead to banishing the shadow/void forever?
And if so, how would all this lead to TLT? I have so many theories myself but i'd really love to see what people think right now.

Also a side question, is there any mention of Renilash in Midnight as of now?

[Cheezits]

Since Metzen said that we will banish the shadow forever in Midnight and we start with the Sunwell at the very start of the expansion and first season, how do you guys think it will actually happen?

He followed that up with "...but things may not go exactly as planned" or something along those lines. With that, plus the fact that Xal wins at launch, in both raids, I think that she will effectively end up corrupting the Worldsoul, or damaging it to the point the Titans need to come back.

I do think we will kill her as our obligatory victory.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

"We also have this little thing called BlizzCon coming up in just under 8 months and while I can't say too much today what I can say is that this is going to be one for the ages we really hope to see you there and to show you some of how we're thinking about the next 20 years of everything Warcraft you're not going to want to miss this one"

[Time Is A Flat Circle]

Since Metzen said that we will banish the shadow forever in Midnight and we start with the Sunwell at the very start of the expansion and first season, how do you guys think it will actually happen?
12.1 seems very likely to be troll/loa patch, could a 12.2 draenei patch somehow lead to banishing the shadow/void forever?
And if so, how would all this lead to TLT? I have so many theories myself but i'd really love to see what people think right now.

Also a side question, is there any mention of Renilash in Midnight as of now?

12.2, I assume would be the point of this happening. If Retail News is low grade then I assume they would try and lock in maybe have some sort of IGC/Cinematic prior to 12.2 to hype up the events at the World Soul.

At least that seems to be likely unless again Ion or someone else says the banishment of Shadow happened in the Quel'danas raid and it failed and Light lost which while it seems they're going for the "catastrophical loss" angle seems likely they will instead have a final clash between Light and Shadow at the Worldcore.

Xal'atath probably either gets angry and does something stupid damaging the integrity of the Worldcore or she absorbs the Worldcore and we're in a weird position like with Zovaal again.

[Cheezits]

[Time Is A Flat Circle]

In all honesty, announcing that Classic+ and Retail will begin concurrent development (and maybe a return to four patch models/longer expansions) is worthy of what he said there. It's as big or bigger than the Saga idea.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

In all honesty, announcing that Classic+ and Retail will begin concurrent development (and maybe a return to four patch models/longer expansions) is worthy of what he said there. It's as big or bigger than the Saga idea.

Uncertain, I think its more likely its the opposite with the next Saga being announced as unhinged as that sounds. I guess themed around EK and Kalimdor Revamp to match Classic+? Who knows, I hope its not that though and its actually just a lead-in to 12.2 with a Cinematic and maybe some cool new feature/Class/Race or something. But again, we'll see.

But yeah, I just want things to be back to normal rather than this Saga this/Saga that thing. Sure maybe, 12.2 - 13.2 period changes my mind and Saga is actually good but eh I am just a bit miffed if they are doing a Blizzcon 2023 again.

[Hearthfinder]

[Time Is A Flat Circle]



12.2, I assume would be the point of this happening. If Retail News is low grade then I assume they would try and lock in maybe have some sort of IGC/Cinematic prior to 12.2 to hype up the events at the World Soul.

At least that seems to be likely unless again Ion or someone else says the banishment of Shadow happened in the Quel'danas raid and it failed and Light lost which while it seems they're going for the "catastrophical loss" angle seems likely they will instead have a final clash between Light and Shadow at the Worldcore.

Xal'atath probably either gets angry and does something stupid damaging the integrity of the Worldcore or she absorbs the Worldcore and we're in a weird position like with Zovaal again.

I feel like everything they've announced since 9.2 has been described as "the next 20 years of WoW" somehow.

[milkmustache]

I guess themed around EK and Kalimdor Revamp to match Classic+? Who knows, I hope its not that though and its actually just a lead-in to 12.2 with a Cinematic and maybe some cool new feature/Class/Race or something. But again, we'll see.

Having EK and Kalimdor enter a full revamp as Classic+ launches would truthfully incentivize me to play both. That'd be a great move.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Having EK and Kalimdor enter a full revamp as Classic+ launches would truthfully incentivize me to play both. That'd be a great move.

I do think that if there is like a multi expansion cycle announcement, I do think this is the best themeing to accompany Classic+ announcement if we are doing super grand scope "next 20 years of Warcraft" style stuff. Although it could also be something big like a System maybe its' UGC efforts or something else I just sort of wonder what Systemically they could be referring to that could be as big as Housing.

[Khaza-R]

Having EK and Kalimdor enter a full revamp as Classic+ launches would truthfully incentivize me to play both. That'd be a great move.

Idk. An HD revamp of Kalimdor and EK. At one point is that Classic and not just alt retail?

I do think Classic+ could focus on EK and Kalimdor. Give them living, evergreen content. Evading the whole issue of new expansions becoming isolated islands of content.

[Joshuaj]

Having EK and Kalimdor enter a full revamp as Classic+ launches would truthfully incentivize me to play both. That'd be a great move.

Why not just use that effort for retail?