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

[Nymrohd]

Iridikron sounded cool. I was hoping for one of the other two to sound either camp or crazy. Let's hope they give more personality.

[Biomega]

Let's hope they give more personality.

Unlikely. They're throwaway villains, their personality is "we angry at Titans!" and that's about as deep as it goes. They'll be used a segue to introduce the Big Bad of the expansion, and little more than that.

[Khaza-R]

I saw someone on twitter complaining about the faction leaders being absent "because Blizzard thinks we have Faction Leader Fatigue", but I kind of think it's nice for them to be absent. Let them marinate until a revamp expansion: the only one that really makes sense to be here is Thrall, or Baine if Magatha/more than one Grimtotem appears.

If the faction storyline is taking a backseat, I don't see why they ever have to return to the forefront of the story. For me at least, all those characters overstayed their welcome after Shadowlands. I would prefer if they just go back to having a localized presence in the major cities.

[Ersula]

I kind of hope these newly freed Incarnates don't take up multiple raid tiers by themselves and are instead contained to one patch or even some non-raid content or whatever. Between Raszageth, the world bosses, these dragons etc it's going to get a bit old even if it's called Dragonflight. Galakrond is different enough though.

I hope so. I don't know why people are describing 4 elemental-themed raid tiers in a row like thats a good thing: Sounds like the most boring thing possible.

[AOL Instant Messenger]

If Blizzard think this they're completely correct. It's understated how much damage purely having the Bland Gang about in Shadowlands did to both the already limping main plot and a setting that needed all the help it could get.

It was a serious case of thematic incongruity in itself, I think—we don't need Jaina, Thrall, etc. in the afterlife when we have plenty of characters who are thematically-suitable that ended up taking a backseat to them, such as a good chunk of Forsaken characters with an active stake in the fate of Sylvanas and who could desperately use some development so that the Desolate Council could be slightly less of a snoozefest. It certainly didn't help that the characters we got just had plenty of time in the spotlight during BfA and ended up at their most bland and uninteresting by Shadowlands.

[MCMLXXXII]

I don't trust that Aeonormu guy. All of a sudden pops up, lost in time and instantly gets accepted by everyone? Something's fishy.

[Super Dickmann]

While a 10.1 underground zone was datamined I'm kind of dubious about it because Blizzard must have nightmares about aesthetic oversaturation. Legion and everything being green and black, Shadowlands and the middle section that was all Maw, etc. Vault of the Incarnates was already heavily earth-themed with an earth-themed set of armor too.

[Makabreska]

I don't trust that Aeonormu guy. All of a sudden pops up, lost in time and instantly gets accepted by everyone? Something's fishy.

Almost like Sabellian.

[Super Dickmann]

It was a serious case of thematic incongruity in itself, I think—we don't need Jaina, Thrall, etc. in the afterlife when we have plenty of characters who are thematically-suitable that ended up taking a backseat to them, such as a good chunk of Forsaken characters with an active stake in the fate of Sylvanas and who could desperately use some development so that the Desolate Council could be slightly less of a snoozefest. It certainly didn't help that the characters we got just had plenty of time in the spotlight during BfA and ended up at their most bland and uninteresting by Shadowlands.

They simply had nothing to do but kept appearing anyway. I've ragged on it time and again but nothing shot Zereth Mortis in the foot as much as the characters reaching one of the crucibles of creation itself, then taking on their combat anim and Shandris going "Gawrsh, I sure hope I can find Anduin :O" while the rest of the identical homunculi nod along, throbbing as they felt the proximity to the heart of their hivemind. In an expansion where adherence to surface reference handicapped their ideas before many of them could get going, Jaina, Thrall et al were the most blatant such reference, existing solely so that people can latch onto them by association and failing spectacularly as no one cared about them and no one discussed them.

[Throren]

So here's the new post raid cutscene


Looks like the hints and rumors of 10.1 being underground are become more and more likely.

When Kalec suggests we bring the fight to them, Alex mentions how Iridikron will use his power of earth to basically hide/harbour them away.

Ie: Underground.

And you know what underground means.........ROCK AND STONE

[MCMLXXXII]

Almost like Sabellian.

Well at least Sabellian is kind of known.

[Nymrohd]

Why not bring Merithra in these cutscenes? Also Alex's voice acting is just poor.

Dangerous bargains is the most interesting. Not just one. The Old Gods obviously. Maybe Decay and/or Death. Possibly even the Legion.

Also am I the only person who keeps looking at Kalec's nostrils?

[Lahis]

Why not bring Merithra in these cutscenes?

Because she doesn't matter.

[Nymrohd]

Because she doesn't matter.

Alex matters and is in all the promo material yet we still have no character from her. Far more from everyone else in the dragon cast.

[Ersula]

And you know what underground means.........ROCK AND STONE

90% of Vault is rocks & stone. This is all leading to Avaloren in some way but I these characters & the developers keep acting like "What a twist!" when its not a twist: its the most predictable thing imaginable. The Incarnates are definitely going to ally themselves with Murazond, not "who knows what kind of bargain he will make" instead the most obvious choice possible.

Did anyone get/see any post-raid dialogue? I know there was a quest to kill Raszageth.

"His violent desperation makes him dangerous" thanks for the tip /sarcasm. Alexstrasza has very 'first draft' dialog the further into the content we go. What "desperation"? They're winning.

I don't trust that Aeonormu guy. All of a sudden pops up, lost in time and instantly gets accepted by everyone? Something's fishy.

I mean it was explained pretty directly: He's from the darkest timeline.

Why not bring Merithra in these cutscenes? Also Alex's voice acting is just poor.

I think she's underwritten.

And Merithra seems like an obvious choice but while writing Shadowlands they realized they had nothing for Malfurion to do, ever, so he has to die.

[AOL Instant Messenger]

So here's the new post raid cutscene


Looks like the hints and rumors of 10.1 being underground are become more and more likely.

When Kalec suggests we bring the fight to them, Alex mentions how Iridikron will use his power of earth to basically hide/harbour them away.

"Struck terrible bargains to keep their cause alive." The Neltharion parallels keep piling on—if I had to guess, the Old Gods were playing both sides of the Aspect-Incarnate war and corrupted both Neltharion and Iridkron.

It's also starting to seem like Iridikron will be the baddie of 10.1 rather than the final boss of the expansion, as some were suggesting. Unless he really leans into the Old God influence, I feel like the buildup around him is more for the immediate future than the final boss.

[Nymrohd]

Btw all the cinematics seem to ignore the Renown campaign. Like "It's been centuries since we've walked Tyrhold" when they were there last week.

[Lahis]

Btw all the cinematics seem to ignore the Renown campaign. Like "It's been centuries since we've walked Tyrhold" when they were there last week.

Since the Renown campaign is not time gated and is instead locked behind a grind, the the assumption is that most people have not seen any of them before hitting the raid this week.

[Sondrelk]

Since the Renown campaign is not time gated and is instead locked behind a grind, the the assumption is that most people have not seen any of them before hitting the raid this week.

I dunno. The Garden of Dreams one for sure, but the Tyrhold one seems like it's easy enough to get at this point. Two weeks of casual playtime and doing all the world quests and events should get you pretty much there I think.

Though then again, maybe not. And i imagine the raid quest is available as soon as you complete all the main quests and reach max level.

[Cheezits]

Since the Renown campaign is not time gated and is instead locked behind a grind, the the assumption is that most people have not seen any of them before hitting the raid this week.

Also why Ysera isn't at the meeting.