Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Cheezits]

Yeah Sethrak aren't ever happening. Even though I'd love to play a Sethrak Priest or Paladin. I'm not hyping myself up again because you can count on Blizzard being lazy as fuck when it comes to player expression.

If we don't get Amani but get Vrykul, I'm sure we are never getting anything that isn't an elf or a human ever again. If we get both, I think there's a chance for more interesting future things, as even though they are an AR the Amani definitely don't fit into conventional fantasy slop.

If we get neither, I'll stop expecting a future playable race at all. Which is sad as WoW is one of the only good MMOs in regards to races, but they may not be feasible to make with the new development structure.

[Hitei]

Yeah Sethrak aren't ever happening. Even though I'd love to play a Sethrak Priest or Paladin. I'm not hyping myself up again because you can count on Blizzard being lazy as fuck when it comes to player expression.

Sethrak aren't really any more work than any other recent allied race.

[Khaza-R]

I think if we got a big troll patch that finally had updated forest troll models and the allied race they gave was Sethrak, there'd be a big group of people running around bonking their head with a giant rubber mallet while birds flew circles around the ever-enlarging bald bump on the crown of their head. I'd be one of those people.

They just aren't that interesting. I'm sorry. And I am a troll lover.

Some orc looked mf'ers would be a let down.

[Cheezits]

They just aren't that interesting. I'm sorry. And I am a troll lover.

Some orc looked mf'ers would be a let down.

They are the last unique old lore troll (so not counting the new take on dark trolls, Haranir). That alone deserves them a spot as playable IMO.

Not to mention they already Horde, but the zone in Midnight males it very clear the Horde ones AREN'T the same ones residing in Zul'Aman- making me think they will tie that into the future story some how, be it 12.1 or the next time we go to the Hinterlands.

[milkmustache]

They just aren't that interesting. I'm sorry. And I am a troll lover.

Some orc looked mf'ers would be a let down.

I have my critiques of the new models, but I still like the Amani in general. I think it'd be nice to play personally.

Sethrak aren't really any more work than any other recent allied race.

I don't think that's true at all. Sethrak aren't any more work than Earthen or Haranir?

[Lahis]

The Nu-Vrykul leader will be:
-Girlboss
-have a funny haircut
-unite the Fleshcursed, Valajar AND Helajar
-redeem Helya back into being a Valkyr and help kill Odyn

Quote this post next year, if I'm wrong I will post feet.

This cannot even be called a prediction because it is so obviously true.

[Hitei]

I don't think that's true at all. Sethrak aren't any more work than Earthen or Haranir?

More than Earthen, probably less than Haranir. I feel like people get confused by odd body shapes, like how people think Naga having four arms somehow matters at all to armor when all that happens is that the single gloves or sleeves get applied to four arms instead of two, or don't get that leg and boot textures get applied perfectly fine to their tails.

Sethrak require about the same investment as any other moderately modified base model (i.e. Zandalari, Vulpera, Mechangomes, Haranir, etc.) The same continuous new armor model scaling, new animations, new customization options, etc. The only thing particular about them is their oddly shaped head making it so that their either disable that one single transmog slot or let it look goofy like they do with Tauren and Worgen.

[Kiivar86]

or don't get that leg and boot textures get applied perfectly fine to their tails.

Yeah people saying "how will they handle leg/boots?" has always been odd to me. Blizzard figured that stuff out in TBC for pete's sake.

And as we've now had races that don't have visible armor in places, that opens the door to other options. So Sethrak wouldn't be much an issue there.

[Joszef Kiprich]

Sethrak would just look like small dracthyr.

[Auxis]

Yeah people saying "how will they handle leg/boots?" has always been odd to me. Blizzard figured that stuff out in TBC for pete's sake.

And as we've now had races that don't have visible armor in places, that opens the door to other options. So Sethrak wouldn't be much an issue there.

And just how controversial are mechagnomes and dracthyr when people discuss armour appearances?

If they take the easy route and just make some armour slots invisible, it's gonna cause an uproar.

[Cheezits]

Ethereals are humans with fewer features, and Ion lumped them together with Sethrak in races that are difficult to do. I think it has more to do with conventional appeal to warrant development versus technical difficulty to implement. The failure of Dracthyr also probably put a huge dent in confidence for developing new beast races.

I still believe my conspiracy theory that they did some tests with Ethereals but the lack of face was a killer in the end.

[Ersula]

Nah, it's the same thing. It just gets progressively more overt through the three expansions- lets pretend SL was planned with Bad Titans.

SL: Titans installed super cynical, clinical robot airport for souls stewarded by robot gods and robot soldiers, generating infinite soul energy for unknown reaosns, and hid behind a secretive mythology that conveniently has the gods of the realm not question or look into anything lest they go crazy/evil (reveal level: borderline unknowable)
-obfuscated with First One mythology, nobody talking about Titans, and new aesthetics for First One crap

DF: Titans created magic aqueduct not only infusing Azeroth with forcefed holy order water but turning the regional wildlife into docile, obedient slaves with their own hierarchy of slaves (reveal level: more overt)
-obfuscated by no one ingame really talking about the Titan fascism/magic evil water except Danuser and an art book, though the Primalists and the Tyr quests hint at the concept. Plus the Drakonid slave questline lmao. Oh yeah, also the tree robot in the Dream!

TWW: Titans not only stole the worldsoul (Harandar/Rootlands) and imprisoned it (Worldcore lore) but created a robot slave army to guard the path to it. Also installed countermeasures to kill the slaves if they act up. (reveal level: GLARINGLY OBVIOUS)
-not at all obfuscated unless you don't read quest text

TL;DR the past two-possibly three expansions have built up the Titans being evil in progressively obvious ways and TLT was going to be the master stroke that reveals the "conspiracy".

You're 100% correct, but I don't think this is them making the Titans evil; They're making the Titans morally grey; because whatever messed up stuff the Titans did they still protected us from the Old Gods. And frankly, making everything morally grey is a better writing philosophy than just unilaterally resolving all conflict cleanly until there's no conflict left like usually do.

My criticism of their narrative in general is that they would only write a competent full story around once every three expansions....and they didn't fix that; they just embraced it & turned it into "Sagas."

[milkmustache]

My criticism of their narrative in general is that they would only write a competent full story around once every three expansions....and they didn't fix that; they just embraced it & turned it into "Sagas."

I think the Saga idea also gives them the ability to push thing to a later expansion if they don't have the development time a la Harandar. Which could be good but also bad.

[Hitei]

I still believe my conspiracy theory that they did some tests with Ethereals but the lack of face was a killer in the end.

The lack of face means literally nothing. If anything it just makes things simpler because you don't need to animate talking and facial movement.

[Khaza-R]

They are the last unique old lore troll (so not counting the new take on dark trolls, Haranir). That alone deserves them a spot as playable IMO.

Not to mention they already Horde, but the zone in Midnight males it very clear the Horde ones AREN'T the same ones residing in Zul'Aman- making me think they will tie that into the future story some how, be it 12.1 or the next time we go to the Hinterlands.

Eh, I don't agree.

They already added dark trolls and sand trolls to Darkspear. Just give them a bulky body type as an option and forest/ice troll skin tones and that's all they need. It definitely does not need to be a new race.

[milkmustache]

Eh, I don't agree.

They already added dark trolls and sand trolls to Darkspear. Just give them a bulky body type as an option and forest/ice troll skin tones and that's all they need. It definitely does not need to be a new race.

I mean, this should be up and down the board for every race and their slightly different off shoot allied races.

[Khaza-R]

I mean, this should be up and down the board for every race and their slightly different off shoot allied races.

Yes. My point is we shouldn't add on to the broken infrastructure that's already there. Or else it becomes impossible to remove with each new addition.

[Mecheon]

Ethereals are humans with fewer features, and Ion lumped them together with Sethrak in races that are difficult to do. I think it has more to do with conventional appeal to warrant development versus technical difficulty to implement. The failure of Dracthyr also probably put a huge dent in confidence for developing new beast races.

I still believe my conspiracy theory that they did some tests with Ethereals but the lack of face was a killer in the end.

While ethereal aren't difficult to do, I think its moreso they were just never planned at all to be playable. The original intention before the expansion got split up was clearly supposed to be haranir and earthen back when Rootlands was a zone, so ethereal showing up at all probably wasn't in the plans originally, at least until they got worked on far lower down the line

There's no sign at all of them they were even considered to be playable, and they would be much simpler than getting Sethrak done due to Sethrak's actual big problem in their heads

[whoisqnx]

just saw this unboxing of the collector's edition for Midnight, the guy doing his best (not really) to hide Atal'Utek starting at 13:40 lol.

[Hitei]

It's a bit silly when the island is just sitting there and has been the whole time.