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

[Chickat]

https://www.mmo-champion.com/threads...yond-the-Storm

This leak is pretty cool for a non-revamp one. Doubt they would say the final boss this early though.

Thats awful imo. very much a lame xpac like the last few.

[Myrrh]

There's no need for that filler because any given location already has its own stuff. That's what the not-dwarves are and whatever other natural enemies live there, and the green dragon brood that Erinethria raised there (probably also transformed), and despite what Ybarra said, probably some of Nightsquall's pirates. That's the entire problem with your elemental theory, is that it DOESN'T act as filler to break up monotony, because we're just getting out of two years of seeing elementals and element-themed stuff everywhere, it's just adding to the monotony. So just like Orcs vanished off the map for Legion, and were even largely kept out of the Horde stuff for BfA (putting aside Saurfang as a single individual), elements/elementals are going to likely go away for several expansions now that they've been a primary focus for an entire one.

Bit of a tangent but this got me thinking. The Erinethria book suggests that this ~spooky unknown land~ is where the wind is born.

Assuming this isn't purely metaphorical, is there a way to approach this that departs from the standard WoW approach to the elements (and maybe even from elementals themselves)? i.e. something something Skywall

I'm also a bit apprehensive about this just pointing to 'swirly whirlwind mob #463', but I'm so used to WoW's elementals that I'm having trouble thinking of anything a bit more outside the box.

[Ferlion]

You mean that originaly Elun'ahir was in Un'Goro, and that is CRATER of it that remains?

Hmm.

With the possible love story of Elune and Eonar. And the tree being named after Eonars love...

"Her heart Is a crater, and we have filled it". Metaphorical

[Chickat]

Not saying they would do it but should they ever add a 4th spec to rogues, a ranged one could be cool

Ninja throwing star spec.

[Nymrohd]

You mean that originaly Elun'ahir was in Un'Goro, and that is CRATER of it that remains?

I mean it could work! You have the tree originally be there, growing underground yet when the Nightmare happens, it gets corrupted and either becomes Ilgynoth or is infested by it (in case Ilgynoth is some form of Void entity). Why there was a corrupt world tree in Un'goro was never explained.

[Pyrophax]

Ninja throwing star spec.

More like shooter that time I think. With guns and bows but without nature theme on it. Yes, we have MM for that, but I think more mechanical. Shadow magic maybe? Or Sniper one?

[Ferlion]

Bit of a tangent but this got me thinking. The Erinethria book suggests that this ~spooky unknown land~ is where the wind is born.

Assuming this isn't purely metaphorical, is there a way to approach this that departs from the standard WoW approach to the elements (and maybe even from elementals themselves)? i.e. something something Skywall

I'm also a bit apprehensive about this just pointing to 'swirly whirlwind mob #463', but I'm so used to WoW's elementals that I'm having trouble thinking of anything a bit more outside the box.

Where the wind Is born

A giant cave that creates the air currents of the planer. Turns out its Azeroths head, and she's breathing.

[Makorus]

I mean it could work! You have the tree originally be there, growing underground yet when the Nightmare happens, it gets corrupted and either becomes Ilgynoth or is infested by it (in case Ilgynoth is some form of Void entity). Why there was a corrupt world tree in Un'goro was never explained.

Part of me thinks that there is no way that Blizzard thought that far ahead, but then again, it does kinda work out, weirdly enough.

Even makes sense with Ungoro being "the Titans petri dish".

[Nymrohd]

Would they really be that short sighted though? The CON has never made them money. Its a pretty cheap way to market. Its a break even or slight loss but cheap way to market. If they are truly dumb enough to hype a lame duck expansion they way they have been, I will have lost all faith remaining in blizzard. It would be truly baffling.

Honestly if they don't deliver a decent Blizzcon I'd lose faith regardless of their attempts to hype things up or not. They need to deliver a decent expansion that has at least one good marquee feature and they need to do a lot more beside that; D4 expansion needs to exceed expectations after the lackluster S1 and there needs to be at least one unexpected announcement that makes people happy; e.g. Warcraft 3 getting all the content we were originally promised, a Starcraft revival with a new game or at least returning support for HoTs (I don't think there is any scenario of them delivering the PvE component they had promised for OW, it clearly was not something they could do and they were just assholes for not telling us ahead of time).

[ImTheMizAwesome]

I mean at this point they need to hype people up in order to sell out the con and make some money out of it.

But I agree the only two versions I can see that deserve hype is either world revamp or a proper expac with a really significant feature like housing (or imo, class skins; they'd also get the hype levels to overdrive).

Im not big on housing in other mmos, but i know its popular so it would generate big hype.

When it comes to what i would like and still have some chance of happening - like you already mentioned some kind of class skins or new specs like gladiator for warrior, bard rogue etc.

Also much more character customization options, especially for allied races..


From smaller things not shown during announcement, more when alpha will be up with new stuff - fixes to several animations races use(like when you're playing arms with 2h weapon but some animations use still dual wielding animation) or for orcs it would be nice to not have shoulders and your weapons inside your head when in fighting stance, maybe separated upright orcs and hunched posture animations also in combat.

[Zers Editor]

The vassal of life (Eonar) disguises treachery (Elun'Ahir's roots; Aman'Thul perceived the creation of the tree as treachery against Order)".

"Deeper, deeper its roots will reach. Welcoming our embrace".

Yeah.

[Makorus]

Honestly if they don't deliver a decent Blizzcon I'd lose faith regardless of their attempts to hype things up or not. They need to deliver a decent expansion that has at least one good marquee feature and they need to do a lot more beside that; D4 expansion needs to exceed expectations after the lackluster S1 and there needs to be at least one unexpected announcement that makes people happy; e.g. Warcraft 3 getting all the content we were originally promised, a Starcraft revival with a new game or at least returning support for HoTs (I don't think there is any scenario of them delivering the PvE component they had promised for OW, it clearly was not something they could do and they were just assholes for not telling us ahead of time).

I mean, Overwatch is still getting PvE content.

Blizzard handled the whole Overwatch 2 thing very poorly, because they made it sound like there wouldn't be any PvE content at all, when realistically, all that happened is that they cut the talent tree.

[Myrrh]

Where the wind Is born

A giant cave that creates the air currents of the planer. Turns out its Azeroths head, and she's breathing.

oh no. undo undo undo

[Nymrohd]

Part of me thinks that there is no way that Blizzard thought that far ahead, but then again, it does kinda work out, weirdly enough.

Even makes sense with Ungoro being "the Titans petri dish".

They don't have to think that far ahead though. They could have made it up as they went along. Nothing wrong with that if it works with the rest of the lore. DOn't get me wrong, I do not like what they are doing with Aman'thul; I am sorry but that page reads like a homophobic father keeping his lesbian daughter apart from her father, especially with the "This is not Order!" thing. Just cause the dude is called Highfather does not make him her father and shouldn't be a reason to project the patriarchy on him but hey, it's 2023 and discount feminism is the best we can hope for. But they will do what they will and I have no control of that (and sadly I am not even angry about it anymore).
But if you are doing world building in a work that spans decades, you don't think everything ahead. What you can do is seed plot hooks across the timeline (in the past via fables, in the future via prophecies) and when you have an idea for content that could fit one of those plot hooks, just hook it up and immediately you give it legitimacy within the setting. Do it right and it works just fine. Almost every good setting I know has done this liberally, you are effectively future proofing your plot for further additions.

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Im not big on housing in other mmos, but i know its popular so it would generate big hype.

When it comes to what i would like and still have some chance of happening - like you already mentioned some kind of class skins or new specs like gladiator for warrior, bard rogue etc.

Also much more character customization options, especially for allied races..


From smaller things not shown during announcement, more when alpha will be up with new stuff - fixes to several animations races use(like when you're playing arms with 2h weapon but some animations use still dual wielding animation) or for orcs it would be nice to not have shoulders and your weapons inside your head when in fighting stance, maybe separated upright orcs and hunched posture animations also in combat.

Any form of customization would work great but it would not be a marquee feature unless it is something major like class skins. Adding 5+ new specs to existing classes would also be a solid feature (and imo better than yet another class) since it gives half your playerbase new gameplay options.

[Ferlion]

oh no. undo undo undo

Somethings can't be undone. You have to live with that image now

[Nymrohd]

The vassal of life (Eonar) disguises treachery (Elun'Ahir's roots; Aman'Thul perceived the creation of the tree as treachery against Order)".

"Deeper, deeper its roots will reach. Welcoming our embrace".

Yeah.

It really can fit great. And it would work great for a Hollow Earth expansion.

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Where the wind Is born

A giant cave that creates the air currents of the planer. Turns out its Azeroths head, and she's breathing.

Or its her ass. The literally backside of Azeroth.

[Sondrelk]

So what's all this about Un'goro then?

[Hitei]

At work, so just a quick response.

The Hour of Twilight isn't clearly defined, because one version states that it is when the Old Gods break free, but another says it is when a Void Lord slurps up reality etc. (Pale Orcs on Draenor.) Even Nozdormu wasn't sure we had truly stopped it in Cataclysm, and it is likely Deathwing was just one of their attempts at ushering in the end of days. He was called the Harbinger at the time. Now there's another Harbinger.

They're the same thing.

The Orcs are on AU Draenor, in that universe, pre-orcish invasion C'thun, Yogg and N'zoth are all still alive. The Void Lords can't just casually enter reality, that is the entire reason why they had to do the Old God strategy, and the place where the Old Gods can potentially succeed is Azeroth, via the Hour of Twilight, when one of the three of those Old Gods gets free enough to continue its corruption and Azeroth is turned into a Void Titan and then the Void consumes reality.

The races on Draenor have no context for Azeroth or the details of it being taken over by the Old Gods, so from their perspective the Void just consumes everything one day. It's still the same triggering event.

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So what's all this about Un'goro then?

The lore book about Elune and Eonar's love affair mentions a crater and people are assuming it might be Un'goro given Ilgynoth's tree in the Nightmare.

[Myrrh]

The vassal of life (Eonar) disguises treachery (Elun'Ahir's roots; Aman'Thul perceived the creation of the tree as treachery against Order)".

"Deeper, deeper its roots will reach. Welcoming our embrace".

Yeah.

The roots line (and actually most of the new N'Zoth quotes) can absolutely work, definitely my current headcanon.

Somethings can't be undone. You have to live with that image now

Some stones are better left unturned. Ah well, see you all in patch 11.1 - the sinuses of azeroth

[Sondrelk]

The lore book about Elune and Eonar's love affair mentions a crater and people are assuming it might be Un'goro given Ilgynoth's tree in the Nightmare.

Their what now? I suppose it isn't completely out of the blue, what with Eonar hiding on Elunaria, but still. That is one random pairing.

Going to need more context on the crater thing though.