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

[Wangming]

For me it's either gonna be one of these:
1. Avaloren / Other Side of Azeroth
2. Full Old World revamp (Kalimdor + Eastern Kingdoms)
3. Partial Old World Revamp (Northern Eastern Kingdoms + missing zones through patches)
4. South Seas (for real this time!)
5. K'aresh

Avaloren has a nice setup already and could be used together with a south seas expansion. K'aresh is very unlikely because we just got a grounded finally. If partial Revamp I nominate Quel Thalas, Lordaeron, Gilneas.

[Dracullus]

My underground expansion or we throw tomatoes at Blizz HQ.

Dude, some people can't even stomach one patch zone and you want full continent.

As for 10.3, I think it depends when 11.0 will launch. If summer, some 10.2.5 and bonus season will be enough. If November, it would be pretty pointless to release 6 patches in 2023 and leave only 1-2 small ones for 2024.

And there is issue with Blizzcon and 11.0 reveal likely even before 10.2 raid.

[Fahrad Wagner]

Dude, some people can't even stomach one patch zone and you want full continent.

Yeah an underground expansion following an underground major patch is unlikely haha

[Cheezits]

After reading the reddit posts about it, I am starting to actually believe the 3rd Evoker spec is happening and simply wasn't ready by launch/delayed with a cool story tie-in. The quest text is one thing, but actual new spells... and a secret animation that seems to have been pulled from someone's artstation (maybe by accident? the background of the gif looks like how art designers post effects on artstation)

https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comment...ning_findings/

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Dude, some people can't even stomach one patch zone and you want full continent.

As for 10.3, I think it depends when 11.0 will launch. If summer, some 10.2.5 and bonus season will be enough. If November, it would be pretty pointless to release 6 patches in 2023 and leave only 1-2 small ones for 2024.

And there is issue with Blizzcon and 11.0 reveal likely even before 10.2 raid.

I was saying it before that patch even existed. Late 2024 or 2025 for 11.0.

[Sondrelk]

For me it's either gonna be one of these:
1. Avaloren / Other Side of Azeroth
2. Full Old World revamp (Kalimdor + Eastern Kingdoms)
3. Partial Old World Revamp (Northern Eastern Kingdoms + missing zones through patches)
4. South Seas (for real this time!)
5. K'aresh

As much as I want it, I really have to question a possible South Seas expansion. All the good areas like Kul Tiras and Zandalar are already taken. We don't really have much left unless we either go underwater, or create new larger islands.
At a stretch I suppose you could reuse the Island Expedition maps, and have seamless exporation between them, but even with that it's a stretch.

K'aresh I still don't get. It's briefly mentioned in one quest line, and even then as a ruined wasteland, if even that, which has seemingly been abandoned. It sounds like a patch area at most to me.

I suppose Avaloren could work, presuming it's on the other side of Azeroth. Feels a bit like it's been pulled out of thin air, but at least the backside of Azeroth has been speculated about for a long time.

For me though I would argue the most likely is a revamp in any form. Whether that is a full old world revamp, one continent, or half of one. Northern EK is probably the best bet in that case.

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Yeah an underground expansion following an underground major patch is unlikely haha

I suppose you could be generous here and argue that the underground zone is a testbed to see how feasible furhter underground zones are. I doubt we would get something fully underground, but two or three zones underground and the rest above seems like it could work. Though it would definitely have to be more visually impressive than Zaralek caverns is, that's for sure.

[Hellspawn]

For me it's either gonna be one of these:
1. Avaloren / Other Side of Azeroth
2. Full Old World revamp (Kalimdor + Eastern Kingdoms)
3. Partial Old World Revamp (Northern Eastern Kingdoms + missing zones through patches)
4. South Seas (for real this time!)
5. K'aresh

I could also see them doing a Kalimdor only Revamp for the Expansion with something nature related as the main expansion plot. (Elune, Garden of Life, An'she, Botani, Saberon, New World Tree, hidden secrets in Eldre'thalas, Giant Sword...)

[Cheezits]

I could also see them doing a Kalimdor only Revamp for the Expansion with something nature related as the main expansion plot. (Elune, Garden of Life, An'she, Botani, Saberon, New World Tree, hidden secrets in Eldre'thalas, Giant Sword...)

I think that Life will definitely be the main theme of any kind of Kalimdor revamp with a splash of Void, similar to how the Light will clearly be the main force to deal with in Eastern Kingdoms (Scarlets, Sunwell, Yrel?) with a splash of Death. Those two (Light and Life) just have the most potential for antagonists and themes to be spread throughout the zones .

[Woobels]

Avaloren expansion actually seems really obvious when you think about it lol.

[ImTheMizAwesome]

There's so much more speculation and talks about next expansion already compared to shadowlands start, that it feels like many people already bored out of their mind in this first part of DF.

i will be honest, the more people talk about some world revamp and seeing some classic sets getting HD versions, i wouldn't be that sad if DF ended in .2 patch, and at least partially world revamp would end up happening.

[Zulggun]

K'aresh I still don't get. It's briefly mentioned in one quest line, and even then as a ruined wasteland, if even that, which has seemingly been abandoned. It sounds like a patch area at most to me.

They made and entire continent out of joke character in MoP so I don't think Karesh is that weird.

[RahEndymion]

If they go the Avalor(e)n route, I hope they add multiple cities. They don't have to be hub cities, quest areas are absolutely fine. Just to give the impression that whatever culture or society is there, is actually a culture or society.

The thing that made vanilla feel alive was that there were towns and cities everywhere. In DF and SL I find the 'bunch of npc's next to a mailbox and flight master' hubs to be lackluster at best.

This also applies to world revamp and any form of content that could facilitate a more exploratory theme.

Plus, there's probably a fair amount of room within Athurian lore that they can swindle a light tie-in out of the Avaloren theme too.

But, realistically, Avaloren is a combination of Avalorn and Athel Loren. Athel Loren being the home of the wood elves, the Everwood, within Warhammer fantasy. It also borders the Brettonian Kingdoms, which are WHFB equivalent to the Arthurian knights. This is where the elves went after the sundering happened on the back of the war of the ancients. Yes, WoW lore is that stolen.

With all that in mind, I wouldn't be surprised if we had an Avaloren expansion, focused on life magic and the everwoods, tying in with Malfurions return from the dream.

Given that Tyrande and Malfurion are quite literally Orion and Ariel, I'm interested to see where Blizz takes the concept.

[Kiivar86]

They will have Microsoft budget and access to do marketing for the 20th anniversary. If they don't go full out with commercials, I don't know what they are doing.

That's assuming the deal goes through.

Anyway I'm all for Avaloren but given my record of expansion hopes ending up as patch content (Argus, Nazjatar, Ny'alotha), I'm not optimistic.

[micwini]

Inb4 Avaloren is that unclickable zone above Stratholme PepeLaugh

[Fahrad Wagner]

As much as I want it, I really have to question a possible South Seas expansion. All the good areas like Kul Tiras and Zandalar are already taken. We don't really have much left unless we either go underwater, or create new larger islands.
At a stretch I suppose you could reuse the Island Expedition maps, and have seamless exporation between them, but even with that it's a stretch.

K'aresh I still don't get. It's briefly mentioned in one quest line, and even then as a ruined wasteland, if even that, which has seemingly been abandoned. It sounds like a patch area at most to me.

I suppose Avaloren could work, presuming it's on the other side of Azeroth. Feels a bit like it's been pulled out of thin air, but at least the backside of Azeroth has been speculated about for a long time.

For me though I would argue the most likely is a revamp in any form. Whether that is a full old world revamp, one continent, or half of one. Northern EK is probably the best bet in that case.

- - - Updated - - -

I suppose you could be generous here and argue that the underground zone is a testbed to see how feasible furhter underground zones are. I doubt we would get something fully underground, but two or three zones underground and the rest above seems like it could work. Though it would definitely have to be more visually impressive than Zaralek caverns is, that's for sure.

I used to think the same regarding the South Seas islands... but Blizzard has a capacity (successfully or not, that's not for me to judge) to milk smaller zones and make them support a whole expansion (Legion and SL are both good and bad examples of that). There are plenty of islands we have not explored properly or even at all in the South Seas: Plunder Isles, Hiji, Tel'abim, Kezan & the Undermine, Darkspear Islands... throw in some naga action and you've got yourself a whole expansion! I don't think it's going to happen, but it very much could.

K'aresh has been mentioned more than once, from NPCs to ethereal lore, it is a place of mystery and a whole broken planet. Similar to how Shadowlands was nothing but a vague plane of existence, it could very much support an expansion on its own, especially a Void-focused one considering what happened with Alleria on Argus.

All that being said- I still would rather have a world revamp over any of these! I'm not saying I'm losing faith in it... as it would be perfect for 11.0... but I don't want to get my hopes high and jinx it!

As for the underground zone, you've got a point, they could indeed be testing the waters.

[Alanar]

She's good as a fun side character, but does not work as a main character.

The problem is.. she isn't fun.

[Fahrad Wagner]

The problem is.. she isn't fun.

To some! I quite like Chromie

[Cheezits]

Inb4 Avaloren is that unclickable zone above Stratholme PepeLaugh

Between the namesake (Avalon), the fact that it is full of "heretics" (worshippers) and Tyr taking his sweet ass time to reboot, it's definitely going to have something to do with the Light. I have theorized that it is in fact the entire upper half of EK.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Between the namesake (Avalon), the fact that it is full of "heretics" (worshippers) and Tyr taking his sweet ass time to reboot, it's definitely going to have something to do with the Light. I have theorized that it is in fact the entire upper half of EK.

Heretics when it comes to Titans. So that doesn't necessarily mean Light wielders. I realize Heretic is usually in terms of religion but I don't entirely know if its set in stone its based in the Light.

[Cheezits]

Heretics when it comes to Titans. So that doesn't necessarily mean Light wielders. I realize Heretic is usually in terms of religion but I don't entirely know if its set in stone its based in the Light.

That's why I mentioned it, anything but Order would be seen as heretics. Tyr is the only really Light-oriented Titan/Keeper and he's seen as a troublemaker by Odyn. So I think he will be big in relation to Avaloren if he's only coming back at the end of Dragonflight.