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

[Dracullus]

Agreed, we need sustenance

Seriously? Scaleface leak last year was so detailed it spoiled whole fun of this thread. Now we have enough info to speculate, but still reveal can be surprise.

[huth]

Once more and more people have access to promo material (posters, signage, etc) I think we'll get our first obviously real leak about a week out from the event.

Once "normal" non-Blizzard people really get involved by necessity.

I hope it's somebody who has absolutely no idea about WoW again, for some technically correct but totally misconstrued leak.

[Enrif]

yeah, an that is the issue. storm is super generic. There isn't even anything storm related in the game right now that really can give a hint since razageths death.

the only thing coming to mind with storm that has any significance in WoW would be the Name Stormrage. But Malfy and Illidan are both locked away for now.

[Berkilak]

Man, this thread is really popping off! Anything legitimately intriguing prompting that?

[Lady Atia]

Seriously? Scaleface leak last year was so detailed it spoiled whole fun of this thread. Now we have enough info to speculate, but still reveal can be surprise.

Maybe you should just ignore the thread instead if it "spoils the whole fun" for you?

[Worldshaper]

I think this is the first leak season that we still have absolutely no clue about what the next expansion will be. Not even the datamined stuff is that much of a clue

Oh I don't think that's quite accurate. We have lots of clues. The only problem is figuring out how they all connect, and whether they're all about the same expansion or if some are just the seeds for content in the distant future.

Right now, the most immediate and tangible clues we have about the next expansion, 11.0, I would argue are:

• Thrall is a poster boy for BlizzCon. That means something.
• The datamined Storm Rider stuff for the Heroic Edition, and by association, Khaz Algar.
• The Harbinger and Queen Azshara returning, because Blizzard's storytelling method these days is to continue on with the story from the last expansion into the next, where it concludes in a major way. So there's no way they'll abandon that storyline now. Because of this, we also know that the "Children of the First Flesh" and the Naga will be relevant, and that there is going to be an awakening of some kind.

Everything else is still up in the air, from Avaloren to the Western Storms, world revamps, Nightsquall, roots of Eonar's World Tree, and so on.

[Dracullus]

Maybe you should just ignore the thread instead if it "spoils the whole fun" for you?

? I just said I like current situation. And it's not like I will be able to avoid being spoiled if expac will be leaked like Dragonflight.

[Raetary]

Agreed, we need sustenance

Your Children hunger! @Scaleface

[Houle]

? I just said I like current situation. And it's not like I will be able to avoid being spoiled if expac will be leaked like Dragonflight.

Every xpac since WoD has been leaked. If you dont like that, then theres one pretty simple way to avoid it: dont visit mmoc, wowhead and reddit until blizzcon is over.

[Myrrh]

I think this is the first leak season that we still have absolutely no clue about what the next expansion will be. Not even the datamined stuff is that much of a clue

First time in a long while where, assuming the general consensus is correct, they're using effectively brand new lore as a theme. I can really only think of WoD (no-one expects the time travel orcs), but even then Draenor as a concept had very strong lore foundations.

I'll be very interested to see the retrospective on this thread and where the genuine speculation has actually managed to get in the ballpark.

I do hope we get some more material to work with - nothing to give the game away, but a little drip-feed to fuel speculation of something we really have no concept of. Also to distract us from the gryphon argument.

[huth]

Oh I don't think that's quite accurate. We have lots of clues. The only problem is figuring out how they all connect, and whether they're all about the same expansion or if some are just the seeds for content in the distant future.

Right now, the most immediate and tangible clues we have about the next expansion, 11.0, I would argue are:

• Thrall is a poster boy for BlizzCon. That means something.
• The datamined Storm Rider stuff for the Heroic Edition, and by association, Khaz Algar.
• The Harbinger and Queen Azshara returning, because Blizzard's storytelling method these days is to continue on with the story from the last expansion into the next, where it concludes in a major way. So there's no way they'll abandon that storyline now. Because of this, we also know that the "Children of the First Flesh" and the Naga will be relevant, and that there is going to be an awakening of some kind.

Everything else is still up in the air, from Avaloren to the Western Storms, world revamps, Nightsquall, roots of Eonar's World Tree, and so on.

Out of those, only the second is an actual clue. Thrall being the poster boy may well just mean that Thrall is the poster boy, and Blizzard changed a lot of old behaviours with DF, so we can't rely on that.

[Jodmos]

Oh I don't think that's quite accurate. We have lots of clues. The only problem is figuring out how they all connect, and whether they're all about the same expansion or if some are just the seeds for content in the distant future.

Right now, the most immediate and tangible clues we have about the next expansion, 11.0, I would argue are:

• Thrall is a poster boy for BlizzCon. That means something.
• The datamined Storm Rider stuff for the Heroic Edition, and by association, Khaz Algar.
• The Harbinger and Queen Azshara returning, because Blizzard's storytelling method these days is to continue on with the story from the last expansion into the next, where it concludes in a major way. So there's no way they'll abandon that storyline now. Because of this, we also know that the "Children of the First Flesh" and the Naga will be relevant, and that there is going to be an awakening of some kind.

Everything else is still up in the air, from Avaloren to the Western Storms, world revamps, Nightsquall, roots of Eonar's World Tree, and so on.

Thrall was on the poster in 2008 (when WOTLK released) and 2011 (when MoP was announced) not really related to either so him being on the poster doesn't necessarily mean he's connected to the Expansion.

[Teriz]

I think this is the first leak season that we still have absolutely no clue about what the next expansion will be. Not even the datamined stuff is that much of a clue

Thrall is on the key art, so my guess (alongside the datamined "storm" stuff) would be elements/storms.

[Worldshaper]

Out of those, only the second is an actual clue. Thrall being the poster boy may well just mean that Thrall is the poster boy, and Blizzard changed a lot of old behaviours with DF, so we can't rely on that.

Thrall was on the poster in 2008 (when WOTLK released) and 2011 (when MoP was announced) not really related to either so him being on the poster doesn't necessarily mean he's connected to the Expansion.

The precedent Blizzard has set over the last decade is that the character featured on the poster for BlizzCon is deeply connected with the theme and story of the expansion they're about to reveal.

BlizzCon 2013 had Garrosh, who kickstarted Warlords of Draenor.

Gamescom 2015 had Gul'dan, who kickstarted Legion.

BlizzCon 2017 had Jaina, who was one of the characters who kickstarted Battle for Azeroth (showed up at the Battle for Lordaeron and took the Alliance to Kul Tiras).

BlizzCon 2019 had Sylvanas, who kickstarted Shadowlands.

The following years had no proper BlizzCons, and the Dragonflight reveal came as a standalone thing without any key art in the same sense.

To suggest that Thrall isn't there for a specific reason is simply incorrect.

[Triceron]

Thrall is on the key art, so my guess (alongside the datamined "storm" stuff) would be elements/storms.

Would be weird since he still doesn't have his Shaman powers back.

[Teriz]

Would be weird since he still doesn't have his Shaman powers back.

He got them back in Shadowlands.

[ro9ue]

Gryphons getting animations and textures + wildhammer dwarf cosmetics and stormhammers + Thrall key art + Storms mentioned in lore books + Earthen in lore books + currently dealing with primal elemental dragon villains....

I think we can safely say elements are going to be a key theme lol

[Worldshaper]

Gryphons getting animations and textures + wildhammer dwarf cosmetics and stormhammers + Thrall key art + Storms mentioned in lore books + Earthen in lore books + currently dealing with primal elemental dragon villains....

I think we can safely say elements are going to be a key theme lol

While I kinda agree with you, the Gryphon animations, Wildhammer hammers, Dwarf texture updates, storms mentioned in books, aren't for sure to be about 11.0. They probably are, but there's also a chance we're just connecting the dots to fit a pattern we like. There are also other things being updated in the client, such as ships and taverns, and in-game books have mentioned lots of different things, from dead world trees to an endless Emerald Dream of sorts.

Thrall, the current Dragonflight story, and the datamined Heroic Edition stuff (including Khaz Algar) is all we have that's more or less concrete at this point.

[Triceron]

He got them back in Shadowlands.

Hmm odd. Didn't remember seeing any lore about that, didn't know.

[Teriz]

While I kinda agree with you, the Gryphon animations, Wildhammer hammers, Dwarf texture updates, storms mentioned in books, aren't for sure to be about 11.0. They probably are, but there's also a chance we're just connecting the dots to fit a pattern we like. There are also other things being updated in the client, such as ships and taverns, and in-game books have mentioned lots of different things, from dead world trees to an endless Emerald Dream of sorts.

Thrall, the current Dragonflight story, and the datamined Heroic Edition stuff (including Khaz Algar) is all we have that's more or less concrete at this point.

I believe the heroic mount being called a Stormrider pretty much seals the deal. Whether it's a gryphon or an elemental, it falls within the elemental theme. There's also that story about the green dragon that ventured west of Kalimdor to a land surrounded by storms, and Blizzard moving Kalimdor further east to make space for something west of it on the DF map....