The War Within 11.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Raetary]

Yeah Squally could be a baby gryphon, but it could also be (and more likely is) a baby elemental.

What the fuck is a "baby elemental"?

How the fuck is the pet to be more likely an infatilized version of a sentient energy creature that doesn't actually age, than it being a baby gryphon?

[Teriz]

That's a real niggle you are arguing here. We didn't see the DF green dragon model used anywhere either, does that mean it isn't a green dragon at all?

I never said it wasn't a green dragon. Again, the point is that heroic mounts used for expansions are rarely directly tied to the lore events of the expansion, they're almost always tied to the THEME of the expansion. So no we don't see Tangled Dreamweavers or Enscrolled Everwyrms all over their expansions or directly tied to any story beats or events, but they follow the theme of the expansion itself. Dragons for the Dreamweaver, and Afterlife for the Everwyrm.

In this case, if the theme of the next expansion is elements, then the heroic mount is almost certainly going to be an elemental. It being an elemental also broadens the theme quite a bit, since a gryphon would (in my view) tie it too closely to Dwarves, and I highly doubt 11.0 is going to be a Dwarf focused expansion.

[Teriz]

technically in wow they've only been called "gryphon riders" and "stormtalons" up until this point they were only called "stormriders" in hots. They were also demonstrably shaman if you need it to be elemental themed.

And there's the other reference to the term, the weapon transmog, that claims "stormriders" are known throughout all of azeroth. Combined these points to the iconic gryphon rider rts mount. How else would "known throughout azeroth' fit something supposedly a culture that had no contact with the rest of azeroth

No, there have been Dwarven riders called Stormriders in WoW before;

https://www.wowhead.com/npc=139930/stormrider-telmin
https://www.wowhead.com/npc=30166/frostborn-stormrider

Also the Vyrkul in Northrend also have Stormriders, which furthers the theory that the term originated on the Storm Peaks;

https://www.wowhead.com/npc=106731/raging-stormrider

Also, way to ignore the Frostborn Stormrider NPC which also meets your rather flimsy criteria. Probably easier to mount than one of those revenant models...

The Frostborn Stormrider is a dwarf, not a Gryphon. Unless you think the mount is a dwarf that NPC isn't proving your case.

[Myrrh]

maybe its a baby orc.

We've had it wrong all along. The Algarian earthen didn't evolve into dwarves, but orcs. Khaz'Algar was Draenor this whole time. Outland was the underground expansion. The Dark Portal is an elevator.
pepesilvia.jpg

[Holdodlig]

I've listed the evidence several times. I'm not going to make yet another list for you to pick through and pull a bunch of whataboutisms like you're doing here with Squally.

Yeah Squally could be a baby gryphon, but it could also be (and more likely is) a baby elemental.

Why? Because this guy is on the Key art;

I think we might just see a big melting pot of elemental / titans. I mean, it's the power of Khaz'goroth and Golganneth in the original lore to create oceans and mountain (even if I now think that they simply order and arrange things to follow the great design). Also, Golganneth is shown to have control over water and air and it is pretty obvious that Khaz'goroth can use fire and earth.

As for Khaz'Algar, we'll likely see stone/iron dwarves and Bronzebeard will likely have a role to play in what's to come.

[Sondrelk]

I never said it wasn't a green dragon. Again, the point is that heroic mounts used for expansions are rarely directly tied to the lore events of the expansion, they're almost always tied to the THEME of the expansion. So no we don't see Tangled Dreamweavers or Enscrolled Everwyrms all over their expansions or directly tied to any story beats or events, but they follow the theme of the expansion itself. Dragons for the Dreamweaver, and Afterlife for the Everwyrm.

In this case, if the theme of the next expansion is elements, then the heroic mount is almost certainly going to be an elemental. It being an elemental also broadens the theme quite a bit, since a gryphon would (in my view) tie it too closely to Dwarves, and I highly doubt 11.0 is going to be a Dwarf focused expansion.

Except of course when it isn't. Like for instance MoP giving a Jade Quilin rather than something Old God or Faction war themed. Or BfA giving the mounts themed after Kul Tiras and Zandalar. Or WoD giving the Dread Raven, rather than something Orc themed.

A gryphon used by dwarves is perfectly in line with expansion mounts so long as Dwarven gryphonriders are a thing in the beginning of the expansion.

[ImTheMizAwesome]

We've had it wrong all along. The Algarian earthen didn't evolve into dwarves, but orcs. Khaz'Algar was Draenor this whole time. Outland was the underground expansion. The Dark Portal is an elevator.
pepesilvia.jpg

dwarf sized orcs? sign me in.

[Marlamin]

Storm Rider: Bronze - ID 18928
Storm Rider: Silver - ID 18929
Storm Rider: Gold - ID 18931
Heroic Edition: Algarian Stormrider - ID 19027
Squally - ID 19030

Some further context on the above achievements, all these are encrypted under the same key and as such are connected and have to release simultaneously (based on previous expansions, when 11.0 goes up for pre-order).

The other achievements (all of them pets; SAFE Pilot, Survey Bot, Ysergle, Fyrn and Lil' Maggz) are separate and could release simultaneously but aren't directly connected to the 11.0 pre-order key. The fact they were found through the same method does not group them together to be for 'the same thing'. The only thing I can speculate that connects these is BlizzCon and them all maybe releasing around that time.

[Teriz]

What the fuck is a "baby elemental"?

How the fuck is the pet to be more likely an infatilized version of a sentient energy creature that doesn't actually age, than it being a baby gryphon?

You mean like Kindlet?



Or the Primal Stormling?

[Ersula]

Just saying....

we saying 11.0 is going to be all elementals all the time?

I do think, if the Iridikron plot continues into 11.0, a big deal will involve the elemental lords helping the player characters in a big way, bigger than in legion, since Fyrakk kills Smolderon.

But if the stormrider isn't the ol' gryphon riding dwarf, Blizzard is just trolling us, especially when he haven't got any dwarf story focus in a long time.

[Myrrh]

Storm Rider: Bronze - ID 18928
Storm Rider: Silver - ID 18929
Storm Rider: Gold - ID 18931
Heroic Edition: Algarian Stormrider - ID 19027
Squally - ID 19030

Some further context on the above achievements, all these are encrypted under the same key and as such are connected and have to release simultaneously (based on previous expansions, when 11.0 goes up for pre-order).

The other achievements (all of them pets; SAFE Pilot, Survey Bot, Ysergle, Fyrn and Lil' Maggz) are separate and could release simultaneously but aren't directly connected to the 11.0 pre-order key. The fact they were found through the same method does not group them together to be for 'the same thing'. The only thing I can speculate that connects these is BlizzCon and them all maybe releasing around that time.

I get the vibe this will be like that quest from the SL anima worm; using the stormrider mount will give you access to a storm riding race that gives the hammer tmog set at like silver or gold.

My guess is that you get the mount, and once you summon it you can somehow interract with it to open a dragonriding race somewhere. One of these other achievements also gives a reward, similar to how you interracted with the SL mount to get the associated quest for the Transmog

SNAP

[Sondrelk]

Storm Rider: Bronze - ID 18928
Storm Rider: Silver - ID 18929
Storm Rider: Gold - ID 18931
Heroic Edition: Algarian Stormrider - ID 19027
Squally - ID 19030

Some further context on the above achievements, all these are encrypted under the same key and as such are connected and have to release simultaneously (based on previous expansions, when 11.0 goes up for pre-order).

The other achievements (all of them pets; SAFE Pilot, Survey Bot, Ysergle, Fyrn and Lil' Maggz) are separate and could release simultaneously but aren't directly connected to the 11.0 pre-order key. The fact they were found through the same method does not group them together to be for 'the same thing'. The only thing I can speculate that connects these is BlizzCon and them all maybe releasing around that time.

My guess is that you get the mount, and once you summon it you can somehow interract with it to open a dragonriding race somewhere. One of these other achievements also gives a reward, similar to how you interracted with the SL mount to get the associated quest for the Transmog

[AOL Instant Messenger]

Also, way to ignore the Frostborn Stormrider NPC which also meets your rather flimsy criteria. Probably easier to mount than one of those revenant models...

I did not recall those existed.

Mind you, it's a title that appears elsewhere, so I'm not sure this lends any particular credibility to the prior suggestion that's been tossed around of the Algarian dwarves being the Frostborn, or somehow related to them, but it's still got me thinking a bit now.

[Teriz]

Except of course when it isn't. Like for instance MoP giving a Jade Quilin rather than something Old God or Faction war themed. Or BfA giving the mounts themed after Kul Tiras and Zandalar. Or WoD giving the Dread Raven, rather than something Orc themed.

Jade Quiin is tied to Pandaria because Moguls are tied to Pandaria. And of course Jade is a gemstone associated with China and Pandaria has green thematics all over the place. BFA's mounts represented the faction war. Dread Raven represented AU Draenor.

A gryphon used by dwarves is perfectly in line with expansion mounts so long as Dwarven gryphonriders are a thing in the beginning of the expansion.

Only if the expansion is heavily Dwarven themed, which doesn't appear to be the case.

[Myrrh]

I did not recall those existed.

Mind you, it's a title that appears elsewhere, so I'm not sure this lends any particular credibility to the prior suggestion that's been tossed around of the Algarian dwarves being the Frostborn, or somehow related to them, but it's still got me thinking a bit now.

This wasn't a serious suggestion, just pointing out that having 'stormrider' in the name and being near Ulduar is not a slam dunk that it's the mount :P It would be a very easy rabbit hole to go full Teriz on though...

[Marlamin]

I get the vibe this will be like that quest from the SL anima worm; using the stormrider mount will give you access to a storm riding race that gives the hammer tmog set at like silver or gold.

My guess is that you get the mount, and once you summon it you can somehow interract with it to open a dragonriding race somewhere. One of these other achievements also gives a reward, similar to how you interracted with the SL mount to get the associated quest for the Transmog

The Regal/Thundering Stormhammer 1H maces are encrypted separately but could very well be connected based on the transmog set being called Stormriders Stormhammers, yeah.

[Nebron]

I give up.

Peace y'all, see you guys during Blizzcon (or when Teriz is getting banned again).

Hahahaha

You've been debating with a guy, that started with a 100% confidence that the next expansion is Light vs. Void bending the entire reality to fit this argumentation line.
Then, whenever the "Towellie teasing" happend, the void has been forgotten in an instant, and he switched to Underground which sparked a massive discussion with derailements to Classic+ every second page of this thread.
And now, when Algarian Stormrider achievement has been datamined, it's an elemental expansion binding all his previous points together.

You can show the evidence to Teriz that is clear as day, and he will still deny it coming up with something pulled out from another dimension.

What I'm curious though is what is the source of this. Has it been confirmed somehow?

@Teriz

The Gryphon textures don't belong to the heroic mount. That's a different mount entirely.

And this one is just pure gold:

The new animations for Gryphons might have absolutely nothing to do with the heroic mount. Gryphons are clearly going to be new mounts for dragon riding.

Well, yeah - obviously. But with the evidence mounting up suggesting dwarves or earthrens or whatever they are called, "stormriders" being involved, gryphon mount datamined, all the dwarvish transmogs randomly coming up to the Trader's Post in the month preceding Blizzcon, it kind of holds up together.

[Teriz]

we saying 11.0 is going to be all elementals all the time?

I do think, if the Iridikron plot continues into 11.0, a big deal will involve the elemental lords helping the player characters in a big way, bigger than in legion, since Fyrakk kills Smolderon.

But if the stormrider isn't the ol' gryphon riding dwarf, Blizzard is just trolling us, especially when he haven't got any dwarf story focus in a long time.

You're going to get Dwarven content of some kind because Khaz Algar is in play. My point is that people are looking at that datamined gryphon texture and the title "Stormrider" on that mount and falling over themselves thinking that it's entirely dwarven in nature. If you take a step back and consider the other clues in play the results become a bit murkier and you start to see other very possible options, like an elemental heroic mount with a far more broad thematic.

[AOL Instant Messenger]

Overall, I'm still skeptical of the idea that the Algarian dwarves were wholly afflicted by the Curse of Flesh. Scaleface's friend talking about crystal dwarves aside, I think there's a specific element of conservation of detail at play: the only symptoms of the Curse of Flesh that were explicitly discussed in the report were the societal symptoms (which are inexplicably universal, which I find very odd), while there was no mention at all of the physiological alterations. While I have no reason to strictly believe they weren't physiologically-affected, I'm defaulting on the specific lack of any information on physiological changes to considering it likely that they were not physiologically-affected, or at least that they were physiologically-affected in some radically different way from the dwarves we know.

This wasn't a serious suggestion, just pointing out that having 'stormrider' in the name and being near Ulduar is not a slam dunk that it's the mount :P

That's quite fair. Admittedly, I've still been partial to the idea that we're doing something at least partially in Northrend, but I'm unable to reconcile that idea with the Thrall keyart. I don't see what he'd be doing there.

[Nightshade711]

Jade Quiin is tied to Pandaria because Moguls are tied to Pandaria. And of course Jade is a gemstone associated with China and Pandaria has green thematics all over the place. BFA's mounts represented the faction war. Dread Raven represented AU Draenor.



Only if the expansion is heavily Dwarven themed, which doesn't appear to be the case.

You contradict yourself so much.
The Dread Raven represents AU Draenor as much as (if not LESS than) a Khaz Algar gryphon would represent next expansion. (If Khaz Algar is a confirmed zone after all)

And besides as was pointed out, the gryphon&pet aren’t connected to any of the other pets & achievements that were datamined.

It’s likely that Squally and the Stormrider are both gryphons representing Khaz Algar. Which could very well be the central hub of next expansion.
(Just like how the SL rewards represented Oribos, the central hub of the expansion)

The race achievements being tied to them too, AND the gryphon dragonriding animations all but confirm it.