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

[Leowyld]

Kinda weird they revealed HS expansion few weeks before Blizzcon. That was a usual thing of HS panels.

I remember them doing a Heroes of the Storm reveal before BlizzCon just before its downturn into maintenance mode.

[Nathanyel]

Wait, they'll take Tyrande away too???

Hold your horses, this specifically mentions the threat of Fyrakk, so it might just be for the lore duration of this patch, and of course the Tree itself would cross into Azeroth soon after, so she could be a protector of the Tree without remaining in the Dream.

I think it was intended to make Sylvanas cause morally gray: the afterlife not being a good place after all, and you just go to be a cog in the machine AGAIN (this time for all eternity).

If that was the case, then they removed any hint of that from the live game, it only struck me as Zovaal and Denathrius being "we're telling people we're doing this for the good of the many, instead of just our own benefit" - the Forsworn are clearly misled, a small sliver of Doubt turned into a big injustice (if not for the Anima Drought, aspirant Kyrians and others could abort their training and go back to Oribos to be assigned to another Covenant, or their fitting afterlife), the rebel Maldraxxi are just interested in power anyway, and Denathrius loyalists are mostly lied to (some we convert) or just bootlickers.

[Reive]

they're going to blueball us until blizzcon with wow lol

[Wangming]

I know, but Showdown in the Badlands expansion was just officially announced, so they'd have to announce something new at BlizzCon... maybe that's what the leak was talking about.

Okay, now this is weird.

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they're going to blueball us until blizzcon with wow lol

That would be a first.

[Worldshaper]

The full reveal/cinematic trailer for the expansion.

I mean this is a 6+ minute trailer full of information. I don't think the Hearthstone community think getting an additional trailer is BlizzCon material. They'll want something big for the opening ceremony, just like the rest of us. News and excitement.

I think there's a chance they reveal the next year at BlizzCon, so we get an idea of multiple expansions to come. Either that or a major shakeup in its design.

[Wangming]

It really did not cause anything, this has been planned for a while.

Where is the (lamb) Sauce?

[Ersula]

Kinda weird they revealed HS expansion few weeks before Blizzcon. That was a usual thing of HS panels.

Unless their opening ceremony is already packed. They got to keep it under 45 minutes somehow.

The fact that there's any doubt behind this is wild.

They 100% would not preview the Early 2024 expansion two weeks after announcing the Late 2023 expansion. Especially not when that expansion is rendering half the standard cards obsolete. They might show a 2024 roadmap, but they didn't do that for 2023. They're likely just going to show the animated trailer.

I hate that I want a cowboy expansion for wow now.

[Marlamin]

Where is the (lamb) Sauce?

Me, I guess. Also, have these posts that make bad puns about the new Thunderbringer card that was announced today. Not sure how I would've know that without knowing about the expansion announcement.

[ercarp]

New Halloween Bundle available.

Alright, now, how can we use these bundled items as clues about the next expansion...

We have the Iron Skyreaver, a chimaera mount ridden by the Iron Horde. Could this point to Garrosh returning?

Then we have several demon- or fel-themed additions, including Mischief, Reins of the Illidari Felstalker, and Nibbles. These are fairly obviously foreshadowing Illidan's return in 11.0.

And finally, the Warforged Nightmare, whose flavor text reads "a nightmarish steed of hardened steel and vengeful spirits, this companion will follow you to the depths of the Firelands and back without complaint." The mention of Firelands brings us to another obvious conclusion: Ragnaros.

So, based on all this, it looks like 11.0 will deal with Garrosh, Illidan, and Ragnaros. I don't know what kind of story that's going to be, but I'm here for it.

[Wangming]

Me, I guess. Also, have these posts that make bad puns about the new Thunderbringer card that was announced today. Not sure how I would've know that without knowing about the expansion announcement.

Fair enough.

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So, based on all this, it looks like 11.0 will deal with Garrosh, Illidan, and Ragnaros. I don't know what kind of story that's going to be, but I'm here for it.

If it has Garrosh and Illidan it is a competition of who is the manliest.

[ZyntosAran]

Alright, now, how can we use these bundled items as clues about the next expansion...

We have the Iron Skyreaver, a chimaera mount ridden by the Iron Horde. Could this point to Garrosh returning?

Then we have several demon- or fel-themed additions, including Mischief, Reins of the Illidari Felstalker, and Nibbles. These are fairly obviously foreshadowing Illidan's return in 11.0.

And finally, the Warforged Nightmare, whose flavor text reads "a nightmarish steed of hardened steel and vengeful spirits, this companion will follow you to the depths of the Firelands and back without complaint." The mention of Firelands brings us to another obvious conclusion: Ragnaros.

So, based on all this, it looks like 11.0 will deal with Garrosh, Illidan, and Ragnaros. I don't know what kind of story that's going to be, but I'm here for it.

Or they really just thought: These look nightmareish.

[ImTheMizAwesome]

Alright, now, how can we use these bundled items as clues about the next expansion...

We have the Iron Skyreaver, a chimaera mount ridden by the Iron Horde. Could this point to Garrosh returning?

If i would go by fanfiction then i would point to old grommash returning.

[milkmustache]

i read it. these people are so clueless and so proud of their bad work

That was my takeaway too. There seems to be no acknowledgement of parts of the community not enjoying aspects of their storytelling. Their response to the "too much humor" question is the best example of this; instead of speaking how the playerbase's criticism of the thematics can be addressed, they just talk about "well, we realized this expansion would be fun to make, and if someone had a crazy idea, we let them roll with it!". I love that people enjoyed making this expansion, but the lack of accountability to reel back and shift focus away from the constant lighthearted themes really worries me.

It brings to mind a comment Bellular has made a few times in his videos recently, that some of the staff is hesitant to accept Metzen's return and would instead hope to continue the narratives in their own ways. There may be some really disjointed plotlines/character traits in the next expansion (though that is the purest of pessimism speaking).

[Leowyld]

We did have that big dragon bundle in the store not too long before Dragonflight was announced. To be fair, though, almost everyone was expecting a dragon expansion by that point, anyway.

[ercarp]

If it has Garrosh and Illidan it is a competition of who is the manliest.

Maybe we'll finally get a Mak'gora where no one cheats.

Or they really just thought: These look nightmareish.

No... No, it can't be. It's clues. It's all clues! It's always been clues!

[Worldshaper]

Man this music is great:

https://twitter.com/Warcraft/status/1714325517552255250

But is it just me, or does it sound an awful lot like... Frostfire Ridge or something?

[milkmustache]

Alright, now, how can we use these bundled items as clues about the next expansion...

We have the Iron Skyreaver, a chimaera mount ridden by the Iron Horde. Could this point to Garrosh returning?

Then we have several demon- or fel-themed additions, including Mischief, Reins of the Illidari Felstalker, and Nibbles. These are fairly obviously foreshadowing Illidan's return in 11.0.

And finally, the Warforged Nightmare, whose flavor text reads "a nightmarish steed of hardened steel and vengeful spirits, this companion will follow you to the depths of the Firelands and back without complaint." The mention of Firelands brings us to another obvious conclusion: Ragnaros.

So, based on all this, it looks like 11.0 will deal with Garrosh, Illidan, and Ragnaros. I don't know what kind of story that's going to be, but I'm here for it.

Eh, as a former South Seas/Colonizing Avaloren expansion hopeful, I have to point out this is pretty reminiscent of the Pirate bundle that also pointed a lot of people in that direction. I think that they're just bundling store assets that match themes around the holidays to get sales. I'm not too sure we can see a relation to 11.0 here.

[Ersula]

We did have that big dragon bundle in the store not too long before Dragonflight was announced. To be fair, though, almost everyone was expecting a dragon expansion by that point, anyway.

11 months is "not too long"? It was 11 months.

So, based on all this, it looks like 11.0 will deal with Garrosh, Illidan, and Ragnaros. I don't know what kind of story that's going to be, but I'm here for it.

We've been over this. You can't use bundles to predict expansion concepts. The only reason people try is because there was a dragon bundle before Dragonflight was announced but that was 11 months beforehand. There was also fire, moon & dog themed bundles during Shadowlands. This is nothing.

[Reive]

That was my takeaway too. There seems to be no acknowledgement of parts of the community not enjoying aspects of their storytelling. Their response to the "too much humor" question is the best example of this; instead of speaking how the playerbase's criticism of the thematics can be addressed, they just talk about "well, we realized this expansion would be fun to make, and if someone had a crazy idea, we let them roll with it!". I love that people enjoyed making this expansion, but the lack of accountability to reel back and shift focus away from the constant lighthearted themes really worries me.

It brings to mind a comment Bellular has made a few times in his videos recently, that some of the staff is hesitant to accept Metzen's return and would instead hope to continue the narratives in their own ways. There may be some really disjointed plotlines/character traits in the next expansion (though that is the purest of pessimism speaking).

yeah that answer made me upset. it shows a fundamental lack of understanding of what's the warcraft vibe and how humor works in wow. it also tells us that they don't care about wow and its setting. they just do w/e they want as long as they like it

[ercarp]

We've been over this. You can't use bundles to predict expansion concepts. The only reason people try is because there was a dragon bundle before Dragonflight was announced but that was 11 months beforehand. There was also fire, moon & dog themed bundles during Shadowlands. This is nothing.

Eh, as a former South Seas/Colonizing Avaloren expansion hopeful, I have to point out this is pretty reminiscent of the Pirate bundle that also pointed a lot of people in that direction. I think that they're just bundling store assets that match themes around the holidays to get sales. I'm not too sure we can see a relation to 11.0 here.

I may not have been completely 100% serious about my extremely thorough analysis about Garrosh returning.

Man this music is great:

https://twitter.com/Warcraft/status/1714325517552255250

But is it just me, or does it sound an awful lot like... Frostfire Ridge or something?

Looks pretty neat. I didn't think I'd check back into DF after 10.1, but I'll definitely be at least doing the campaign for 10.2 just to see what Emerald Dream is like. Still low key wish that it had been a bit more emerald though.