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

[Makorus]

"Bro these dragons look like they are fan made lmao"

"People thought this real leak was fake, so every leak has to be real and people can't have arguments for why it might be fake!"

This one person who apparently is everyone doesn't even have a point. It's just the same wishy-washy "Oh, it doesn't feel right!" non-sense you get here.

Meanwhile, the Avaloren leak has a lot of red flags. The guy who posted the images clearly also posted the text leak beforehand, seeing how it has the exact same zones. However, that text post mentions reworking existing specs, which will not happen.

The ogre looking dude in the Avaloren photo is also the same creature from the mobile leak, which has a lot of issues as well, namely with the dwarf.

[Viridiel]

You're probably thinking of the Stormbreaker leak (I believe it was posted on the same day as the website leak), which was confirmed to be fake.

Stormbreaker or Stormbreak? The Stormbreak one was admitted to almost immediately, and the one I think they're referring to is Living World which Ellie almost immediately clarified was a joke based on the "leak" she made last time around.

If the Stormbreaker one was debunked I'd love to see it because the logo was sick.

[Santandame]

"Second expansion in a row with demons after 460 days in Tanaan Jungle would be overkill. That's it."

People didn't wanna believe in Legion either, let's not forget that.

No one discussed the Legion leak though. Everyone was certain next expansion was Council of Glades or Eye of Azshara. Those were the big leaks and all leaks based around them.

The actual Legion leak was a small list of features that was drowned out in the speculation thread. It wasn’t being discussed, no one paid any attention it until after Legion reveal when people were like “hang on, did anyone see this post that got literally everything right?”. Prior to this, every expansion leak had either been in depth such as Cataclysm and WoD, or a trademark like with MoP. The Legion leak read like a wish list. It was paid no credence.

We can’t use that leak season as a comparison.

[micwini]

I just can't see any world in which these images are fake. Too many details are right and fit the blizzard art style and how these shots normally look in those feature trailers

[Myrrh]

Difference being that we were going back to Azeroth, getting Demon Hunters, and seeing Illidan again. It was the long awaited Burning Legion invasion.

This here looks like Dragon Isles all over again.

I don't agree that there's nearly enough context to make that connection - this mentality seems to be born of a constant desire to be disappointed, and I say that as someone fairly disappointed in Blizzard's lack of ambition in general. The drakthyr image posted on the previous page is a great case study in constext - it looks goddamn awful and rather naked there, making it appear to be a poor scaley bait fan creation. Now that we know the high amount of customisation available to drakthyr, it's just a really poor choice of screenshot that is quite pixelated.

Further, there are effectively three pathways to take for content in a new expansion:
1. New continent grounded in Azerothian reality - "Dragon Isles/Pandaria/etc all over again"
2. Intergalactic/cosmic realm - "oh dear god it's Shadowlands again run for the hills"/"I play WoW to experience Azeroth"
3. Revamp existing content - takes significant resources and high risk of screwing player attachment to the old world up, really only one go at doing it 'right'.

The last of these is obviously in quite some demand, but I recall the Cata experience all too well and it's a miracle that a second chance at this is even on the cards. If they need more time to cook, I'm glad they're taking it.

I just can't see any world in which these images are fake. Too many details are right and fit the blizzard art style and how these shots normally look in those feature trailers

It's entirely possible that they're the work of someone very dedicated - I'm less inclined to believe AI, but some quality modelling work could be at play. Key word 'could'; they are certainly very convincing and the balance of probablity is swinging in their favour in my eyes.

[Santandame]

I just can't see any world in which these images are fake. Too many details are right and fit the blizzard art style and how these shots normally look in those feature trailers

Like using the same Dwarf/Ogre model in one of the pictures as another leak which was ripped apart by literally everyone in this thread for all the red flags it had?

[Rathwell]

Welp I'm instantly sold. Doesn't look AI generated, looks very detailed and precisely the way Blizzard's reveal screens look, and I doubt anyone spent the time to craft all this shit just for a fake.

I'm a believer.

[Sondrelk]

Difference being that we were going back to Azeroth, getting Demon Hunters, and seeing Illidan again. It was the long awaited Burning Legion invasion.

This here looks like Dragon Isles all over again.

I think why this annoys me is that Dragonflight was very much an "insert expansion here" in appearance. And that was fine, since we needed a more standard expansion with few things to go wrong.

Avaloren being the same does raise some questions though. Primarily whether the devs actually have any standout ideas for zones beyond the overall theme.

As I said before, having it be an archipelago would make it different, even if the broad strokes are similar simply because of the unique ways it allows of traversing the zones.
Maybe Dragonriding will be more limited in 11.0, which would make it feel different, though I doubt that would happen to any degree more significant than getting the movement option at max level rather than in the first zone.

[Wangming]

I just can't see any world in which these images are fake. Too many details are right and fit the blizzard art style and how these shots normally look in those feature trailers

Okay, let us operate on the assumption that the pictures are legit. But only the pictures. Not the boring text leak or the website.
What else can there be? BfA came with two new continents, so this might not even be the full playable area.

What else? Race? Class? Stuff that gets abandoned next expansion? Evergreen content?

[Sondrelk]

Welp I'm instantly sold. Doesn't look AI generated, looks very detailed and precisely the way Blizzard's reveal screens look, and I doubt anyone spent the time to craft all this shit just for a fake.

I'm a believer.

Honestly, the more I look at it the more u am questioning he second and fourth picture. Specifically the models there that don't look like they are actually in the area, but rather pasted on with some shadow effects to hide it.

Maybe I'm just overthinking it though.

[Santandame]

Honestly, the more I look at it the more u am questioning he second and fourth picture. Specifically the models there that don't look like they are actually in the area, but rather pasted on with some shadow effects to hide it.

Maybe I'm just overthinking it though.

Surely the Dwarf/Ogre used in the background of the desert screenshot is enough to rule this as a fake? It’s the exact same as the one from another leak, which everyone was in unanimous agreement that it was a fake.

[Sondrelk]

Surely the Dwarf/Ogre used in the background of the desert screenshot is enough to rule this as a fake? It’s the exact same as the one from another leak, which everyone was in unanimous agreement that it was a fake.

It is? Been so long since I saw that leak. Only remember the weird Mok'nathal dwarves.

[Nebron]

It seems like Avaloren would be the very first location that's entirely made up in WoW lore, am I right?

[Rathwell]

Surely the Dwarf/Ogre used in the background of the desert screenshot is enough to rule this as a fake? It’s the exact same as the one from another leak, which everyone was in unanimous agreement that it was a fake.

I dont remember that. Can you toss us that image?

[Noirebene]

I'm definitely interested

One picture from each zone doesn't tell the whole plot and content of the expansion tho

[Santandame]

It is? Been so long since I saw that leak. Only remember the weird Mok'nathal dwarves.

Yeah, it’s the same model as those Aggorand or whatever they were.

[Sentynel]

I'm almost sure it's a fake now. Went back and checked out almost all previous announce and feature trailers, none of them had the new zone/continent name even in a different color from the "new zone/continent" header, let alone have the new continent name have some glow effect. They are remarkably consistent when it comes to visual uniformity of the on screen text in the promo material

Battle for Azeroth has glow effect as it pops up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsZ9...orldofWarcraft

Shadowlands trailer has different colors in header/name
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QInB...orldofWarcraft

[Viridiel]

Honestly, the more I look at it the more u am questioning he second and fourth picture. Specifically the models there that don't look like they are actually in the area, but rather pasted on with some shadow effects to hide it.

Maybe I'm just overthinking it though.

I think you are, the Shadowlands features overview video screenshot micwini posted is similar but even worse:

[Shadowferal]

Stuff that gets abandoned next expansion?

Do you have any reason to think differently? I said earlier, the expansion is the game now. The only lore and other stuff you need to know is complete in itself...irrespective of other expansions and stories/lore that came before.

[Santandame]

Dwarf looking ogres?

This one. Surely this is enough to discredit this leak.
@Rathwell @Sondrelk