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

[Shadowferal]

...great...more cosmic crap.

[KurtMash]

Man, I know this season is weird because AI leaks, but in a way this may be the last time ever we can actually even try to decide if they are real. In two years time we may have perfect fake logos, photos, screenshots, all generated with AI in 5 seconds. Let's have fun and go with a bang!

[Lady Atia]

Here is the ingame/inuniverse theory for his return. Seeing us from the future come back, he was able to know which of the many futures he could see would happen and prepare for it (prepare as fake his death when we come to kill him), so instead trying to stop us from killing him in Nyalotha and changing time, he could've played around it and shaped it to his liking while it happens in the same way and leads us going back there with Chromie.
I wouldnt be surprised to see more of him soon (especially if there are more old gods or similar on the other side)

Speaking about old god voices ..... Neltharion hears 4 different voices in the new book. With Y'shaarj already dead, he would hear N'Zoth, C'thun and Yogg-Saron - but who is the fourth voice? Xal would already be in the dagger, so maybe Ghuun if he was already created back than?

[Myrrh]

It is pretty much already a Neltharion 2.0. Earth Dragon turns against the order and bargains with the void for more power.

At the same time, he's quite different in that he's being built up as a hella strategist that, while we've heard Neltharion was, we've not quite seen displayed. The lines from the new book that Redshirtguy was posting earlier really do this justice:

"One thing you must learn about me, Fyrakk ... is that I prefer my enemies unseeing, unaware of my full strength, until it is much too late."

In the modern context of his desire to lure the Titans to Azeroth, that line should be quite terrifying.

If anything, Iridikron parallels Neltharion while Fyrakk now parallels Deathwing. I think that's a neat distinction, and makes me really keen to see what he's got cooking for 11.0 and possibly beyond.

[Varodoc]

Yrel is very popular; absolutely more so than Xal'atath

Also, Lightforged should be an expansion where the Void is the enemy

Dragonflights are the bad guys of the current expansion

WoD/Good Guy Yrel is popular.

Most people never played/remember the Mag'har questline, since it's a niche questline for a niche allied race.

It is WoD/Good Guy Yrel who is popular, not BfA/Villain Yrel, who most people probably doesn't even know is a thing.

Go to Reddit and make a thread about Yrel and the Lightbound, you are bound to get at least a few people asking "Wait, since when Yrel turned into villain? I missed something?"

Xal'atath is one of the most popular WoW villains introduced in the 2010s. Everyone knows Knaifu, everyone loves her, go to any popular forum and you will see that people are either aware of Knaifu's existence or love her as a villain and a presence.

Needless to say, If the Void are the enemies of an expansion, then the expansion will be Void-themed. Not Light-themed.

[Izalla]

This might be the hype talking, but it really feels like something is afoot, moreso than a generic expansion announcement BlizzCon. Maybe we're in for a surprise, my gut says 1.15 is the wildcard there but we'll have to see.

I am filling with dread that all the excitement and extra hype and "lots of Warcraft news this year!" is all just about classic and nothing particularly big or exciting for actual current WoW =/

[Gloriandus]

"Lightforged" is very easy to re-create using the letters from "Dragonflight" from the official logo. In fact, "Light" looks exactly like the lettering in "Flight", which usually Blizzard manipulates a little in terms of descenders, etc. But a good logo nonetheless!

[blaatschaap]

Looks very good.

But the Lightforged are not important enough to carry an expansion.

How many people know/remember the Mag'har questline?

11.0 will be Cosmic expansion revolving around the Void, which has the actual marketable and iconic villains (Azshara, Knaifu/Xal'atath, Old Gods).

Yrel is not iconic or popular enough to carry expansion.

The vast majority of people would look at that logo and think "Wait, Yrel is a villain? Since when? When did that happen?"

I think you are confusing the faction "The Lightbound" with the general concept of being Lightforged, which isn't to say the Lightbound wouldn't feature in such an expansion, but they needn't be central to the story.

[KurtMash]

Something tells me this isn't it. it just feels off somehow.

They dropped the title backsplash in Dragonflight, fair to assume they wouldn't go back to it one expansion later. As impressive as it is, I'd go with "AI + Photoshop"

[Myrrh]

Speaking about old god voices ..... Neltharion hears 4 different voices in the new book. With Y'shaarj already dead, he would hear N'Zoth, C'thun and Yogg-Saron - but who is the fourth voice? Xal would already be in the dagger, so maybe Ghuun if he was already created back than?

Y'shaarj's heart was still whispering away even while the rest of it was... otherwise occupied. They probably forgot the sequencing honestly, but the heart would track for me. It spoke to Garrosh at least.

[keelr]

Least AI logo I've seen so far; I'd be very happy

DALLE 3 generated logo's usually have smth around them, just like this logo's vertical. Also new logos use different font and they stopped doing the attached xpac name on the bottom. Fake.

[ImTheMizAwesome]

They dropped the title backsplash in Dragonflight, fair to assume they wouldn't go back to it one expansion later. As impressive as it is, I'd go with "AI + Photoshop"

i wish they would go back, i think old title logos looked more unique than DF one.

[bruxx]

Speaking about old god voices ..... Neltharion hears 4 different voices in the new book. With Y'shaarj already dead, he would hear N'Zoth, C'thun and Yogg-Saron - but who is the fourth voice? Xal would already be in the dagger, so maybe Ghuun if he was already created back than?

We heard Y'shaarj past his death throghout pandaria, so it's not impossible that Neltharion would as well.
That is the boring take however, probably 5th/6th old god under Khaz Algar

[Wangming]

Man, I know this season is weird because AI leaks, but in a way this may be the last time ever we can actually even try to decide if they are real. In two years time we may have perfect fake logos, photos, screenshots, all generated with AI in 5 seconds. Let's have fun and go with a bang!

True enough. But most likely we will have competing leaks and we could have a nice faction war.

[Baraden]

WoD/Good Guy Yrel is popular.

Most people never played/remember the Mag'har questline, since it's a niche questline for a niche allied race.

It is WoD/Good Guy Yrel who is popular, not BfA/Villain Yrel, who most people probably doesn't even know is a thing.

Go to Reddit and make a thread about Yrel and the Lightbound, you are bound to get at least a few people asking "Wait, since when Yrel turned into villain? I missed something?"

Xal'atath is one of the most popular WoW villains introduced in the 2010s. Everyone knows Knaifu, everyone loves her, go to any popular forum and you will see that people are either aware of Knaifu's existence or love her as a villain and a presence.

Needless to say, If the Void are the enemies of an expansion, then the expansion will be Void-themed. Not Light-themed.

"Xal'atath is one of the most popular WoW villains introduced in the 2010s. Everyone knows Knaifu, everyone loves her, go to any popular forum and you will see that people are either aware of Knaifu's existence or love her as a villain and a presence."

This might be the biggest copium I've read in this thread

Maybe if you mained a shadow priest, other than that she's just another generic 4d chess villain

[crusadernero]

I am filling with dread that all the excitement and extra hype and "lots of Warcraft news this year!" is all just about classic and nothing particularly big or exciting for actual current WoW =/

They will of course announce new wow xpac for retail. Probably cata classic too. I suspect they will do something cool for either retail or classic (classic+), but im skeptical. I think they will go the safe route with:
- Retail xpac
- Cata classic
- SoM classic


The wildcard here is Metzen. Has he been working on classic+ stuff or retail?

[Worldshaper]

I'm gonna go over the top and make a stupid analysis of the track list featured on the latest YouTube synthwave video (Chromie and Nozdormu).

- Legends of Azeroth (the original login screen music in Vanilla)
- Lament of the Highborne (this book/music is found in Windrunner Spire, Quel'thalas, in TBC)
- Totems of the Grizzlemaw (Grizzlemaw is located within the stump of Vordrassil in the Grizzly Hills)
- Dragonflight main theme

Four smaller portals and a larger one.

The four small ones are for Classic, Classic: Burning Crusade, Classic: Wrath of the Lich King, and Classic: Cataclysm.
The large one is for Warcraft: Legends of Azeroth, a new game.

[keelr]

They will of course announce new wow xpac for retail. Probably cata classic too. I suspect they will do something cool for either retail or classic (classic+), but im skeptical. I think they will go the safe route with:
- Retail xpac
- Cata classic
- SoM classic


The wildcard here is Metzen. Has he been working on classic+ stuff or retail?

He is on the retail team.

[Lazarel]

Least AI logo I've seen so far; I'd be very happy

this one's border is an overdetailed mess. Is it that hard to take some inspiration from the DF logo a bit?

[Harbour]

Least AI logo I've seen so far; I'd be very happy

It looks very nice but can be easily AI generated.
God, i hate this new AI crap.