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

[Dismayxz]

I always feel that the nature of making wow into an esport limits the fun nature at time. While I don’t think things should be OP and it should be readable. The notion warlocks can’t have a certain pet is just silly from blizz part.

Let's not bring that debate over here, after what's up on Twitter. Nothing limits anything other than Blizzard, frankly. Everything you aren't doing doesn't immediately affect what you are doing, in most cases. And that's not how Teams at Blizzard work.

[Hitei]

More like SMC will be getting a revamp (where players need to go to align themselves, so it wouldn't just be for flavor) so there's a boat to go there somewhere in the existing continents as opposed to just a portal.

Currently a Belf boat can't physically take you to SMC so there's probably a reason they are bothering to remodel the Belf boat(s? I think there are two models)

...sorta just feels like you're trying to figure out a way to staple "revamp" onto a totally unrelated supposed leak. Also standard human and northrend boats were also updated so this doesn't really make any sense with the class thing.

[Ebonn]

So, a friend of mine at Blizzard shared a feature that I’m super excited about, and I figure it’s close enough to Blizzcon to share, especially since this thread is over 1000 pages long! LoL

The major new feature of the next expansion that they're excited about is “Class Alignments”. This gives your class the choice to “align” with different sources of power, doing two things: (1) changing the visuals of class spells and abilities, (2) granting a choice of usable world bonuses, none of which are available in raid or PvP (unlike Shadowlands' borrowed power systems).

It is similar to the oft requested “class skins”. The re-branding as “alignments” emphasizes that it’s an intentional choice and fleshes out class fantasy purposefully. It is intended to be a permanent feature that they will build upon as we meet new ways of wielding the cosmic forces.

The expansion will begin with quests to embrace an alignment given a handful of starter choices. It’s reminiscent of the Legion choice to pursue an artifact weapon. You can pursue multiple alignments, have a chosen alignment affixed to each of your specs, and switch alignments when you'd like.

Paladins, for example, can pursue alignment with Holy Light, Astral Light, or Sun’s Light. Aligning with the Holy Light maintains Paladin spell effects as they are now. Astral Light renames spells with “Holy” in them to “Astral” and grants spell effects a silvery blue glow reminiscent of Elune’s light. Sun’s Light adds orange embers and flame effects into existing holy effects... might rename it Solar or Sun's, I forget. After you've made a choice, you can change it at the Sunwell, a Moonwell, or with a Nuuru (for cool RP scenes) or with class trainers in capital cities and major hubs.

Some specs have been renamed to accomodate alignments. As priests can align with Holy, Astral, or Void, Shadow has been renamed “Inquisition” when Holy or Astral-aligned. Holy is renamed "Clericism" when Astral-aligned. Some of the spell effects aren't just recolored, but completely changed... for example Holy Fire becomes Starfall. You cannot align your Holy spec to the void. Some specs have limited choices as such.

The Shadowlands spells (for example, Faeline Stomp) have been recolored to match existing class spells (chi green), so most shadowlands tie-ins are gone from the core classes. Monks can start by aligning with the different Celestials, coloring all chi spells green, light blue, red or yellow. Their new “Chi-line Stomp” is colored after those alignments.

Demon Hunters have had their Shadowlands spells recolored as fel, but they have a choice to become zealots for the Light, for the Void, or for the Arcane. Void Elves and Nightborne, predictably, can now be Demonhunters. The quests to align your DH to Void and Arcane explain this new generation of DH's.

Warlocks can align with Maldraxxus to give them the green & black anima colored spells and undead instead of demons. Although Shadowlands spells are gone and Shadowlands alignments for most classes aren’t coming until MUCH later, classes with an affinity for the Shadowlands do have some starter options with them.

Hunters can align with the Unseen Path for regular spell effects, another power that gives Azerite effects (Mechagon maybe??), or the Loa to give them an array of spells that will supposedly foreshadow both Emerald Dream and Shadowlands involvement in the story. Moving forward, the Loa are intended to be shown as "polyvalent" entities with an emphasis on the idea of trinities being one, so yeah, cool tie-ins with ED and SL. As other classes get alignments with individual Loa entities (like, are we gonna get different kinds of Loa Paladin's, Blizz???), they'll continue to flesh out the SL/ED and Azeroth connection.

I think future planned alignments include the Dragonflights (arcane + elemental magic), the Shadowlands (anima magic), and possibly the Keepers or the Titans themselves. They also plan to introduce a concept for nature magic called “orenda”, produced much like anima but expended to keep the Emerald Dream functioning just like anima keeps the Shadowlands functioning. Not sure if its role will be clear right away, just like anima was kind of a mystery back in MoP. I imagine this has implications for the World Tree well on down the line, or possibly the loa or nature alignments, but we will see what 10.2 and 11.0 offer in terms of fleshing out those ideas.

Hard to believe, but… if you’re reading this Blizz employees, please do this!!! Would be very cool.

Honestly, it would really make sense to add a new order of Paladins who are aligned with Order instead of Light. Tyr’s Guard being the obvious culprits. Their power coming from Order would make sense both as followers of Tyr, their wider range of races who take on the role, and it would be cool to see some spell effects that would mesh with that fantasy and “Silver Hand” Paladins as well.

[Skildar]

I find it quite dangerous to expect a revamp of the original continents when the devs are adding quests and updating events happening there and they're even tweaking lighting settings, etc. for the newly added dragon riding races.

It's a nice wish that many players share but I'm not convinced it should go beyond this.

My expectations are set very much lower, progressing the Iridikron saga to a new forgotten/locked out place. And of course Avaloren is a perfect candidate as Iridikron lost all of his allies in the dragonflight campaign and we know that Avaloren harbours opposers of the Titans' watchers.

[Baraden]

I always feel that the nature of making wow into an esport limits the fun nature at time. While I don’t think things should be OP and it should be readable. The notion warlocks can’t have a certain pet is just silly from blizz part.

Blizzard has killed two games because of pushing esports into them, they wouldn't do it to their golden goose

[Ebonn]

also you :

Lol, wrong, because I also clearly stated PERSONAL EXPERIENCE and did not present it as fact Merely offering counter points to your generalization.

[CasualFilth]

The thing is, we know what ALL of the above are after.

We only know what Iridikron wants, just not the how-to-do-it (and possibly the why? - yet! New novel coming out end of this month that i doubt would address that) - Azshara and Xal are still 'mystery box' characters.

[Skildar]

So, a friend of mine at Blizzard
--snip--

Please don't. This is a speculation thread, if you want to go this way, start your own thread wherepeople will gleefully bash or encourage your ideas.

[Ersula]

We only know what Iridikron wants, just not the how-to-do-it (and possibly the why? - yet! New novel coming out end of this month that i doubt would address that) - Azshara and Xal are still 'mystery box' characters.

We know how and why. He hates what the Titans did to the planet. Neltharian used the Void Window in Aberrus to talk to Void Lords. They told him to make the Void Artifact, and fill it with the Essence of a Primordial being, then the Void Lords would send "The Harbinger" to take Azeroth away from the Titans & put it under the control of the Void. Neltharian never got to complete this plan & Azshara knew about it as well. But Iridikron beat them to it, once he was able to fill the artifact with Galakrond's essence. He plans to kill the Titans when they return to Azeroth to stop the Harbinger. He explains all this at the end of the Dawn of the Infinite Dungeon. His plan has basically succeeded and now all we can do is wait for the Harbinger to get here.

[Skildar]

We only know what Iridikron wants, just not the how-to-do-it (and possibly the why? - yet! New novel coming out end of this month that i doubt would address that) - Azshara and Xal are still 'mystery box' characters.

And before Shadowlands yoj had zero idea what Sylvanas wabted or was playing at. You had to read the eponymous book to have the full picture because Shadowlands couldn't burden itself explaining her character's decisions...

So I'm quite okay with how Iridikron is portrayed for now. I just hope they will not drop the ball next expansion on how his new allies are portrayed and that they don't betray him after X patches because they suddenly grow a messed up conscience...

[flan1337]

Blizzard has killed two games because of pushing esports into them, they wouldn't do it to their golden goose

The irony the only good esport game they had was SC2 and they killed rts.

[Myrrh]

snip

Real talk, I don't buy this. Very detailed description for something your friend told you about, and DHs being zealots/warlocks maintaining anima connections is eyebrow-raising. The other ideas are cool, but boy howdy that would be one hell of a vfx commitment.

Agree with others though; if this was framed as speculation it would be a neat post about ways they could implement some customisation to classes. Claiming to have insider knowledge and going full my-uncle-works-at-nintendo is cringe.

For what it's worth, 'orenda' is: invisible magic power believed by the Iroquois to pervade all natural objects as a spiritual energy. If this is BS, you've at least done your homework well.

[Teriz]

It's a fair point all in all, but I wouldn't take the Blizzcon Elemental into the equation. It's way too different, the Armor Pieces on it are more in-line with the themes behind internal Blizzard service rewards and the elemental itself is not a Storm Elemental at all, in fact - it uses the Head of the Snow Elementals in Azure Span, the one that looks very protoss-y.

That wasn't my argument. My argument is that the BlizzCon elemental is hint of what the WoW expansion's theme is going to be. The Algarian Stormrider also likely being an elemental backs that up.

I'm following you on the Stormrider Elemental line of thinking, as far as that goes. Though that Gryphon Texture still has relevance and there's plenty more going down the Stormrider = Dwarf path. But that Second one is 100% a Snow Elemental with a Blizzard theme, the usual on the nose Blizzard Bcon Pet/Mount thing, like the Polar Bear.

Yeah, I don't believe that that texture is from the heroic mount. It appeared in 10.1.7 and is likely for something else entirely. While entirely possible, I don't believe that Blizzard is doing a Dwarven expansion, and I don't believe a gryphon mount is in the cards. We'll see soon enough, but that would be a bit too race-centric for an expansion theme IMO. Elemental makes more sense as an overarching expansion theme, and is supported by other pieces of evidence we have.

[huth]

That wasn't my argument. My argument is that the BlizzCon elemental is hint of what the WoW expansion's theme is going to be. The Algarian Stormrider also likely being an elemental backs that up.

That doesn't work. You can't back up an assumption with another assumption.

[Teriz]

That doesn't work. You can't back up an assumption with another assumption.

Except it's not assumptions. What I'm saying is based on multiple pieces of evidence.

[Baraden]

The irony the only good esport game they had was SC2 and they killed rts.

That's because they just made a good game which built a fanbase

Overwatch wasn't even fully released before they started paving the way for the OWL - it was painfully forced

[Cheezits]

Real talk, I don't buy this. Very detailed description for something your friend told you about, and DHs being zealots/warlocks maintaining anima connections is eyebrow-raising. The other ideas are cool, but boy howdy that would be one hell of a vfx commitment.

The DH thing is very creative and I think it's the only way they would ever add more races to DH, rather than "hey we want to fight demons too and we happen to be elves lol"

They are still hunting demons with magic, they just aren't using the standard Illidari skills.

[Baraden]

That doesn't work. You can't back up an assumption with another assumption.

You can't speculate in a speculation thread?

[Nightshade711]

That wasn't my argument. My argument is that the BlizzCon elemental is hint of what the WoW expansion's theme is going to be. The Algarian Stormrider also likely being an elemental backs that up.

Well my baseless assumption is that the elemental is made from moon rock & the Storm in Stormrider is referring to the voidstorm which is why the effects on the gryphon looks like saronite vapor.

This is all backed up by all the void hints and leaks by credible leakers like scaleface

[huth]

You can't speculate in a speculation thread?

No, what Teriz is doing isn't speculation, it's just randomly asserting things.

Except it's not assumptions. What I'm saying is based on multiple pieces of evidence.

You're literally assuming on both relevant points. We don't know if the BlizzCon elemental even has any relevance at all, and we don't know if the Stormrider is an elemental or not. You merely assume these to be the case.