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

[Santandame]

Legion screenshots:

So, Stormwind, Karazhan, the dark portal. Well known landmarks we know exist. Your point is?

[NikolaiShade]

I'm not thinking Avaloren is in any way inspired by Celtic mythology. It doesn't exactly fit in with their current Norse inspiration for Keepers, nor do Dwarves feel very Celtic.

I'd be a cool parallel for the name, but I think the writers just picked it because Avalon is sometimes called an Island in the mists and is mysterious.

I never meant celtic, just arthurian, as in a king in a castle with a round table and knights, we could say a more hollywood take on the matter. Anyway remember Ra had anubisaths at his command, so they took inspiration from egyptian mytholgy too

[Fahrad Wagner]

So, Stormwind, Karazhan, the dark portal. Well known landmarks we know exist. Your point is?

I think his point his we can't deduce anything from 4 screenshots + screenshots can be very underwhelming but still be real.
Although if I may- these are screenshots from the trailer, correct? The SoA alleged leak screenshots are more like press material/website-related, so we're comparing apples and oranges here

[Oatmeel]

Entertaining the idea that it is real, any thoughts on what the Agg’ora are?

I could see them being half-ogres like the Mok’nathal, but descended from remnants of Gul’dan’s Stormreaver clan (some group of them that were lost at sea during the Second War) that somehow found their way to Avaloren. Maybe their ancestors, cut off from fel magic and seeking a return to the old ways, pled with the elements and were cleansed of the fel but became partially infused with stone instead. They became bound to the land and charged with protecting it. Another instance, like Thrall’s Horde, of Draenic immigrants reconnecting with the elements via Azeroth, but predating the Horde’s return to shamanism by a couple decades or whatever.

Their visuals and name sound so orc/ogre inspired, I can’t really think of what else they might be.

Also, maybe the Wild God Agamaggan (boar) hangs out here?

[Joszef Kiprich]

So, Stormwind, Karazhan, the dark portal. Well known landmarks we know exist. Your point is?

That 4 screenshots will never tell how a expansion is going to be.
I'm still leaning towards those 4 leaked are fake but they do not tell anything about what is going to be revealed. We don't even know, if they are real, if they come from the announcement trailer. We only know that they are four random screenshots and people are connecting it to an obviously fake website leak.

[Santandame]

I'm not thinking Avaloren is in any way inspired by Celtic mythology. It doesn't exactly fit in with their current Norse inspiration for Keepers, nor do Dwarves feel very Celtic.

I'd be a cool parallel for the name, but I think the writers just picked it because Avalon is sometimes called an Island in the mists and is mysterious.

Titan Keepers and Titanforged races take inspiration from several different cultures.

- We have Norse with Odyn, Thorim, Hodir etc.
- Ra’den and the Titanforged in Uldum/Halls of Origination are Egyptian themed.
- Khoranos is Ancient Greece.
- Mogu are Mongolian.

[shade3891]

I'm not thinking Avaloren is in any way inspired by Celtic mythology. It doesn't exactly fit in with their current Norse inspiration for Keepers, nor do Dwarves feel very Celtic.

I'd be a cool parallel for the name, but I think the writers just picked it because Avalon is sometimes called an Island in the mists and is mysterious.

I'm guessing we get a Japanese style, the hidden dragon mount silhouette gives me that vibe.

[KyleEverett]

Entertaining the idea that it is real, any thoughts on what the Agg’ora are?

I could see them being half-ogres like the Mok’nathal, but descended from remnants of Gul’dan’s Stormreaver clan (some group of them that were lost at sea during the Second War) that somehow found their way to Avaloren. Maybe their ancestors, cut off from fel magic and seeking a return to the old ways, pled with the elements and were cleansed of the fel but became partially infused with stone instead. They became bound to the land and charged with protecting it. Another instance, like Thrall’s Horde, of Draenic immigrants reconnecting with the elements via Azeroth, but predating the Horde’s return to shamanism by a couple decades or whatever.

Their visuals and name sound so orc/ogre inspired, I can’t really think of what else they might be.

Also, maybe the Wild God Agamaggan hangs out here, with the zone being named after him?

Or they were directly or indirectly created by Aggramar like the Ogres and Orcs were. On Draenor Aggramar made a giant rock creature who broke into smaller rock creatures who somehow turned into the cyclops like Gronns that then became Ogres and Orcs. It is possible that it's just part of his innate way of working so Ogre-Dwarves aren't a stretch for him to create somehow.

I'm guessing we get a Japanese style, the hidden dragon mount silhouette gives me that vibe.

It's just a wooden dragon to go with the next Chinese New Year just like how the last two were Water Rabbit and Water Tiger.

[Nyel]

I could show you four shitty frames from the Legion reveal trailer, or any reveal trailer for that matter.

You absolutely can, I am sure you can do so with every expansion. The thing is, why would you deliberately pick four terrible stills for your preview that should hype up players and not whelm them? That’s the point. Picking one or two bad shots is one thing, but all of them being terrible is just very unlikely - unless there’s nothing better to show or you’re bad at your job. And usually Blizzard‘s marketing department is quite good in what they do.

[Makorus]

You absolutely can, I am sure you can do so with every expansion. The thing is, why would you deliberately pick four terrible stills for your preview that should hype up players and not whelm them? That’s the point. Picking one or two bad shots is one thing, but all of them being terrible is just very unlikely - unless there’s nothing better to show or you’re bad at your job. And usually Blizzard‘s marketing department is quite good in what they do.

We have four frames of one, probably 3 minute long, reveal trailer.

We know that the images were taken from the reveal trailer because the "New Continent" text is mid-animation.

[Oatmeel]

Or they were directly or indirectly created by Aggramar like the Ogres and Orcs were.

That’s a cool idea. Totally forgot that was Aggramar, on second thought the naming convention would definitely come from him and not Agamaggan lol.

[Santandame]

I think his point his we can't deduce anything from 4 screenshots + screenshots can be very underwhelming but still be real.
Although if I may- these are screenshots from the trailer, correct? The SoA alleged leak screenshots are more like press material/website-related, so we're comparing apples and oranges here

Yeah, definitely not comparable.

At this point I’m getting Avaloren fatigue just from leak season. Give us Tel’Abim please and let us have a magical adventure in the sands with djinn.

[Colonel Sandor]

Have we ever had confirmed fake photo leaks as believable as the 4 leaked photos? I don't recall any for previous expansions.

[Marlamin]

It's just a wooden dragon to go with the next Chinese New Year just like how the last two were Water Rabbit and Water Tiger.

Minor spoilers ahead, but interesting tidbit about this, there is an encrypted "Auspicious Arborwyrm" mount and a "Cypress" battle pet, on Classic, all very wood themed names. Mildly interesting as e.g. the Rabbit mount only got a pet version in Classic, and they already got their 12mo sub mount in the form of the Nightmarish Emerald Drake.

I wouldn't be surprised if the retail mount we see in the silhouette ends up being an "Arborwyrm" as well and maybe the also-wood-terminology "Fyrn" pet that we already know about is going to be related to that as well. Speculation, of course, but interesting nonetheless.

[Santandame]

We have four frames of one, probably 3 minute long, reveal trailer.

We know that the images were taken from the reveal trailer because the "New Continent" text is mid-animation.

But that’s the point. They had time to take four screenshots from the reveal trailer. So they clearly weren’t in a rush. Why did they purposefully choose the most bland, least revealing screenshots to take?

- - - Updated - - -

Interesting tidbit about this, there is an encrypted "Auspicious Arborwyrm" mount and a "Cypress" battle pet, on Classic, all very wood themed names. Mildly interesting as e.g. the Rabbit mount only got a pet version in Classic, and they already got their 12mo sub mount in the form of the Nightmarish Emerald Drake.

I wouldn't be surprised if the retail mount we see in the silhouette ends up being an "Arborwyrm" as well and maybe the also-wood-terminology "Fyrn" pet that we already know about is going to be related to that as well. Speculation, of course, but interesting nonetheless.

Cypress suggests Mediterranean. Hmmmmmm, interesting. Edit - Just caught the bolded classic part.

[Raetary]

I could show you four shitty frames from the Legion reveal trailer, or any reveal trailer for that matter.

These are the 4 most boring shots i could take from the feature overviews from legion, BfA, SL and DF:

Spoiler: 

Legion has new models all over.
For BfA i literally had to pick 1 shot of Drustvar and the rest from Tiragarde as everything else was so blatantly brand new. (and even then, Tiragarde is covered in new architecture)
The only SL shot that i could get that barely showed anything noteworthy was that of the carriage.

DF was a challenge, as that trailer was in non-stop motion.

[Makorus]

But that’s the point. They had time to take four screenshots from the reveal trailer. So they clearly weren’t in a rush. Why did they purposefully choose the most bland, least revealing screenshots to take?

- - - Updated - - -



Cypress suggests Mediterranean. Hmmmmmm, interesting.

Oh, exactly, that first point is my entire reason it is fake.

Even if there is no feature (which is not gonna happen), surely the Dungeons/Raids are gonna more interesting than some random zone images.

But that's a bit harder to create than zone images with no new models.

I am not arguing that it's real, I am arguing that you shouldn't judge an expansion based on four images.

[Nyel]

These are the 4 most boring shots i could take from the feature overviews from legion, BfA, SL and DF:

Spoiler: 

Legion has new models all over.
For BfA i literally had to pick 1 shot of Drustvar and the rest from Tiragarde as everything else was so blatantly brand new. (and even then, Tiragarde is covered in new architecture)
The only SL shot that i could get that barely showed anything noteworthy was that of the carriage.

DF was a challenge, as that trailer was in non-stop motion.

And all of these pictures still look livelier, more fresh and just not-seen-before than anything from Avaloren. I mean as others have said, those Avaloren screenshots look exactly like the stuff thats‘s going on in Dragonflight. I‘m sure if you put four pics from DF and these four leaked together players that haven’t seen Avaloren as a leak would say it’s from Dragonflight.

The only way Avaloren and these zones are part of the next expansion is when there’s another significant reworked or revamped landmass on Azeroth. Because Avaloren as a new continent would reek like Dragon Isles copy pasta.

[NikolaiShade]

Minor spoilers ahead, but interesting tidbit about this, there is an encrypted "Auspicious Arborwyrm" mount and a "Cypress" battle pet, on Classic, all very wood themed names. Mildly interesting as e.g. the Rabbit mount only got a pet version in Classic, and they already got their 12mo sub mount in the form of the Nightmarish Emerald Drake.

I wouldn't be surprised if the retail mount we see in the silhouette ends up being an "Arborwyrm" as well and maybe the also-wood-terminology "Fyrn" pet that we already know about is going to be related to that as well. Speculation, of course, but interesting nonetheless.

*cough* Erinethria's brood *cough*

[KyleEverett]

And all of these pictures still look livelier, more fresh and just not-seen-before than anything from Avaloren. I mean as others have said, those Avaloren screenshots look exactly like the stuff thats‘s going on in Dragonflight. I‘m sure if you put four pics from DF and these four leaked together players that haven’t seen Avaloren as a leak would say it’s from Dragonflight.

The only way Avaloren and these zones are part of the next expansion is when there’s another significant reworked or revamped landmass on Azeroth. Because Avaloren as a new continent would reek as Dragon Isles copy pasta.

Or an accelerated expansion development of 18-20 months vs 2 years requires cutting corners to keep the release pace, just a wild theory that I hope isn't that true.