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

[Makorus]

Quite sure that Shadowform is at the bottom of Shadow players concern list. This spec received two reworks in DF so far, and it keeps getting worse (state of 10.2 PTR is just kekw). Every other spec rework has been great, but for some reason Blizz is unable to land it with Shadow.

Honestly, they should just start over with Shadow Priest.

They keep reiterating, and add on more and more, and it just gets a nightmare to balance because they are probably the spec with the most actual buttons (other than Brewmaster, maybe).

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I'd rather you not advocate for the removal one one of the handful of flavorful personal buffs left in the game. It's bad enough they gutted the warlock, hunter, DK and paladin ones.

What flavour does it have?
10% extra damage?

It's not even a "personal buff". It's a stance that you have no reason to ever leave.

No one is saying to remove it but you might as well decouple it from the actual damage bonus bit and make it a purely cosmetic ability.

[Holdodlig]

Sounds more like 10.2.5 but i don't know what it can mean, boomkin are getting new stuff in 10.2 so maybe DK pets? Draenei got eredar customization

Red orcs? Dragonmaw customization? 10.2.5 would be also after blizzcon so maybe there will be some 2 new allied races with preorder. who knows.

Maybe we'll get fire elves ?

[Makorus]

Maybe we'll get fire elves ?

I feel like that is quite likely, because there is a Druid of the Flames sidequest that sympathizes with them.

[Hitei]

What flavour does it have?
10% extra damage?

...in the form of a unique toggleable permanent buff that triggers a substantial visual effect. Correct.

How do you not understand that those subtleties are what defines the entire game and gives an RPG depth and immersion? There's a reason that each mage spec has an individual barrier spell with very minor effect differences, and that rogues re-apply poisons.

[ImTheMizAwesome]

I think there's also a chance they will want to finally have every main race with heritage questlines and armor in DF.

So maybe Trolls(finally) and draenei will be getting some questlines.

[Dracullus]

Is there any chance 10.2.7 will already be the prepatch? That would certainly explain the absence.

You don't have to explain absence of 10.2.5 on roadmap, cause it was 2023 roadmap. We expect to see next one on Blizzcon.

[Makorus]

...in the form of a unique toggleable permanent buff that triggers a substantial visual effect. Correct.

How do you not understand that those subtleties are what defines the entire game and gives an RPG depth and immersion? There's a reason that each mage spec has an individual barrier spell with very minor effect differences, and that rogues re-apply poisons.

All of those have more behind it than: "I press the button once (unless some bug makes me drop this form)".

Rogues have different poisons for different purposes. There's downsides and upsides for using different ones.

Mage Barriers are defensive cooldowns. There's arguments to be made for when to use them.

Shadowform might as well be a cosmetic ability. There is literally no reason whatsoever not to use it. That's why I don't have a problem with the Boomkin form, even though it is literally the exact same thing, but with actual gameplay behind it.

[NikolaiShade]

...in the form of a unique toggleable permanent buff that triggers a substantial visual effect. Correct.

How do you not understand that those subtleties are what defines the entire game and gives an RPG depth and immersion? There's a reason that each mage spec has an individual barrier spell with very minor effect differences, and that rogues re-apply poisons.

I agree with you but one could say Shadowform could become a "cosmetic" toggle and the bonus damage could be baked in the spec.
About the different barriers of mages, I always thought it could be cool to get ways to customize them, frostfire briier for frost or an arcane (purple basically) fire barrier for arcane and fire

Edit: And whoever removed trent form should be publicly outed

[Makorus]

I agree with you but one could say Shadowform could become a "cosmetic" toggle and the bonus damage could be baked in the spec.
About the different barriers of mages, I always thought it could be cool to get ways to customize them, frostfire briier for frost or an arcane (purple basically) fire barrier for arcane and fire

Edit: And whoever removed trent form should be publicly outed

Treant Form is still a thing.

[NikolaiShade]

Treant Form is still a thing.

The CD or the tome? I meant they removed it as a mechanically functional ability, and now treant form could have recieved the same kind of customizations as moonkin

[Makorus]

The CD or the tome? I meant they removed it as a mechanically functional ability, and now treant form could have recieved the same kind of customizations as moonkin

The actual ability was removed because frankly, it was kinda shit considering, once again, there was no reason NOT to be in the form, but the form still exists and is usable in combat. There is no reason it can't receive customization.

[Hitei]

I agree with you but one could say Shadowform could become a "cosmetic" toggle and the bonus damage could be baked in the spec.
About the different barriers of mages, I always thought it could be cool to get ways to customize them, frostfire briier for frost or an arcane (purple basically) fire barrier for arcane and fire

Edit: And whoever removed trent form should be publicly outed

Splitting the actual function from the cosmetic effect defeats the purpose. There is value in pressing a button when you res to reapply a marginal damage increase. A button that simply applies a cosmetic effect does much less, bordering on feeling silly to hit because it's basically a party trick. See: PvE Hunter's Mark.

If you were replacing that damage buff with some sort of utility effect, that'd be one thing, but a button that just turns you shadowy for no reason is a very different sort of button from one that turns you shadowy and gives you 10% damage.

[ImTheMizAwesome]

I hope blizzard will someday remade avatar spell for warriors, it looks so f'n low res and you look like a pile of shit instead of actual avatar form like muradin from hots for example.

[ZyntosAran]

Splitting the actual function from the cosmetic effect defeats the purpose. There is value in pressing a button when you res to reapply a marginal damage increase. A button that simply applies a cosmetic effect does much less, bordering on feeling silly to hit because it's basically a party trick. See: PvE Hunter's Mark.

If you were replacing that damage buff with some sort of utility effect, that'd be one thing, but a button that just turns you shadowy for no reason is a very different sort of button from one that turns you shadowy and gives you 10% damage.

It doesnt make sense to have a button for a permanent 10% damage increase though, if there is no reason for deactivating it.

[Ersula]

It doesnt make sense to have a button for a permanent 10% damage increase though, if there is no reason for deactivating it.

This is part of the reason I dislike them changing Shadowmend back into Flash Heal. The reason was Shadow shouldn't have access to all its holy abilities, but also current shadow doesn't. They should give a bunch of those abilities back with the same stipulation that you can only use them out of shadowform. They had a similar ability on the Beta, but I think they should get rid of shadow covenant & just give Disc Shadowform since is does basically the same thing.

I like to imagine the First Ones gave a very special gift to Azeroth tbh, hence why the Cosmic Forces are so magnetized by it. I doubt the soul itself is a First One, tho it's also likely one of the Progenitors put their essence into it.

I imagine the creation of this universe is meant to be very similar to the creation of the real universe. Nobody made the planets, because they formed naturally. The reason Azeroth has a world soul is likely because "Azeroth itself consumed the elemental manifestation of Spirit" right there at the beginning of Chronicles 1

Is there any chance 10.2.7 will already be the prepatch? That would certainly explain the absence.

It says right on the top its the "2023 roadmap" not the roadmap of the entire Dragonflight expansion. 10.2 comes out in november so that's the last patch of the year. This is also why I'm assuming 2024's roadmap will be very similar.

[Leowyld]

It's hard to predict what the next roadmap will look like. But the last expansion that had a patch cadence this rapid was Legion and I believe the expansion gap between it and its followup (BfA) was one of the shortest we've had.

[Wangming]

It's hard to predict what the next roadmap will look like. But the last expansion that had a patch cadence this rapid was Legion and I believe the expansion gap between it and its followup (BfA) was one of the shortest we've had.

It's kinda 50-50, but yes 11 months is on the shorter end of the spectrum. It would fit the timeframe as well.

[Berkilak]

Hopefully in the next expac we find out what this big threat is that the Jailer warned us about.

I have never been less curious about a cliffhanger.

[Makorus]

While I think 10.2 is gonna have the last proper "raid tier", I do expect a small Trial of Valor/Ruby Sanctum-esque raid to set up the next expansion (as well as Fated, obviously). Maybe the Fated (obviously wouldn't really fit thematically) mechanic is gonna be related to the raid.

[Ersula]

It's hard to predict what the next roadmap will look like. But the last expansion that had a patch cadence this rapid was Legion and I believe the expansion gap between it and its followup (BfA) was one of the shortest we've had.

If you notice, 10.2 is lacking in minor features compared to major patches. Besides new druid form options its just a raid & zone. But that's by design & I think it's a good design: To move all the non-season additions to the game in minor patches to keep the content release schedule rapid.

WoD was actually a shorter expansion, but it had radically less content patches. While BFA also had a rapid release schedule, but it was considered a long expansion: The average of all expansions is 2 years. Some last longer & some last shorter.

So Dragonflight could go short (August 2024 release) or it could go long (January 2025) but I'd bet on the Average. (November 2024 release) In which case we should expect a 10.3 and I think the "roadmap" of Dragonflight is them finding a cadence of patch releases that keeps everyone happy. It's not actually more than Legion, it's just chopped up in a very manageable way.