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

[Cheezits]

But it could be worse, we could have debated the intricacies of Undermine for 40 pages.

Yeah... I genuinely wish they would knock it off with the "leaking every next patch through icons" thing because it just generates annoying, repetitive discussion.

[micwini]

I'm voicing my criticisms against the story, I'm not painting the entirety of the game with that brush. If I thought the whole thing was bad from top to bottom I wouldn't be posting here nor playing it.

But it could be worse, we could have debated the intricacies of Undermine for 40 pages.

Would be funny if Undermine was SoD phase 7 or something and we'd never see it in retail until 14.0

[AOL Instant Messenger]

(business decisions, target audience, dev misconceptions, western cultural climate)

Yes, and people do, in fact, discuss that here. Discussing the mistakes the writers have made and the reasons why they've made said mistakes are not mutually-exclusive.

That said, you may see less of it because the situation with these things is fairly self-evident. Blizzard thinks it's a good sell to up the stakes and overhype (it isn't); Blizzard wants to appeal to a more generic and "modern" audience, threatening their core audience in the process (this is also reflected in gameplay with the loss of socialization and its transformation into a lobby game); the writers up until recently have mainly gotten all feedback from Twitter; the cultural climate, the shortcomings of which we are already well-aware of, informs the prior two. All of this is so obvious it's effectively redundant to talk about at length. Even the most ardent Blizzard shills won't bother to deny most of this and will instead try to sell you on the idea at least one of these things is actually good.

[Golden Yak]

If i go by the current informations and datamine, the last boss will be either something with the rootlands (but i think that is unlikely) or, a void shifted light creature that is in the beledar. This void shifted light creature would perfectly fit into a etherealraid. It could be a mini-Dimensius, thus bringing information to players about what a true Dimensius could mean if Xal is sucessfull at the Sunwell.

Ah, but what if 'Rootlands' is the area immediately around the Worldsoul itself? The 'core' of Azeroth, overgrown with the roots of Elun'Ahir. That would make it the obvious place for the final raid to take place in.

I speculate on the Light/Void elements being related to a megadungeon, since if they're elements of the last raid and going to be the elements of the next xpac that's a lot of Light/Void content relatively close together. Might drown the theme with too much of one thing. In any case, Beledar-related content would be the ideal place to portray elements that will feature heavily in Midnight.

[jeezusisacasual]

Yes, and people do, in fact, discuss that here. Discussing the mistakes the writers have made and the reasons why they've made said mistakes are not mutually-exclusive.

That said, you may see less of it because the situation with these things is fairly self-evident. Blizzard thinks it's a good sell to up the stakes and overhype (it isn't); Blizzard wants to appeal to a more generic and "modern" audience, threatening their core audience in the process (this is also reflected in gameplay with the loss of socialization and its transformation into a lobby game); the writers up until recently have mainly gotten all feedback from Twitter; the cultural climate, the shortcomings of which we are already well-aware of, informs the prior two. All of this is so obvious it's effectively redundant to talk about at length. Even the most ardent Blizzard shills won't bother to deny most of this and will instead try to sell you on the idea at least one of these things is actually good.

WoW has always been a lobby game its the proliferation of M+ has helped kill raiding and guilds which is good since the modern online gaming landscape has pushed everyone into smaller scale pick up and play games which is fantastic for those of us who want varied gaming styles. I still clear every raid on mythic i just do it with a different guild every season because i flat out refuse to keep beating the game i already beat and telling a guild hey i am only going to kill this end boss once then unsub keep me around for 4 more months is not what they want to hear. Another thing with the socialization aspect of the game is that even selling challenge modes we never really talked amongst our selves nor did i talk to people during our heroic dungeons for valor etc. I do not consider myself a shill ( hell i on average play for 2 months or 3 tops per season ) nor do i think wow was ever a living world either.

[huth]

The World (which is Azeroth, which I guess you can interpret in the context of Tarot Cards) still has the four corner symbols indicating the cyclical nature of the world. The top left one is Nature, bottom right is Death, honestly can't tell what the other two mean.

Interestingly enough, the World Arcana comes at the end of a deck and represents the end of a journey, or completion/unification.

Either Order and Disorder or Light and Void. Note that you can also see the circles for the missing two on the left and right side.
My guess would be the former, Netherstorm fits Disorder more than Void.

[Enrif]

Ah, but what if 'Rootlands' is the area immediately around the Worldsoul itself? The 'core' of Azeroth, overgrown with the roots of Elun'Ahir. That would make it the obvious place for the final raid to take place in.

I speculate on the Light/Void elements being related to a megadungeon, since if they're elements of the last raid and going to be the elements of the next xpac that's a lot of Light/Void content relatively close together. Might drown the theme with too much of one thing. In any case, Beledar-related content would be the ideal place to portray elements that will feature heavily in Midnight.

See, Megadungeon doesn't make sense for the Beledar for 1 reason: Megadungeons don't tie into the very next expansion (for the most part). Karazhan didn't tie into BfA. Mechagon didn't tie into SL. Taz'avesh didn't tie into DF. Dawn of the Infinite is somewhat of a exception here. Technically, it does tie into TWW, but also doesn't as the main focus of that Dungeon, Iridikron, will probably not appear until TLT. So, whatever we will get as a Megadungeon, the focus of it will not directly tie into Midnight, but might have things that will tie into it. The Beledar would be a too direct connection. The rootlands on the other hand would have no direct connection to Midnight, as far as we know of, but could have a unknown plotpoint that could make sense to appear in Midnight. Say the rootlands megadungeon is mostly about the Harronir. This could tie into the Amani perhaps.

[Ersula]

See, Megadungeon doesn't make sense for the Beledar for 1 reason: Megadungeons don't tie into the very next expansion (for the most part). Karazhan didn't tie into BfA. Mechagon didn't tie into SL. Taz'avesh didn't tie into DF.

Except we know the whole saga is going to deal with the void, not just this expansion. Seems like that's a good reason to do a little foreshadowing.

[Golden Yak]

That might have been the rule for megadungeons for the most part, but the saga format will certainly lend to more inter-connected expansion elements since it's all part of one larger narrative. And re. Dawn of the Infinite, it's more of an exception than that, because not only does Iridikron set up both TWW and TLT (the harbinger will pry, I will be waiting, etc.) it also set up the Void Heart diddlybob that Xal'atath is using extensively in TWW. It's the power source that is evolving the nerubians, and if that's all it's doing I will be very surprised - I think we haven't even begun to see the full extent of its power. Those are major TWW elements and larger Worldsoul-saga elements set up in the megadungeon.

If the 'Rootlands' are in fact the region surrounding the Worldsoul itself, that will have a huge tie-in into Midnight, especially if it goes down like Iridikron said - the Harbinger will 'pry the world from the Titans grasp'. I'm convinced this means that Xal will 'undo' the Ordering of the Worldsoul, leaving it open and vulnerable, and that will lead directly to the Void starting their offensive to capture it in Midnight.

If Beledar is a Light/Void megadungeon, it can provide a lot of setup for Midnight but we'll still have a major patch inbetween it and Midnight so Light/Void doesn't get too overused.

[Cheezits]

I think Beledar may not be the megadungeon for the reason that visually it would look very annoying if it's just the crystal, and we already have two dungeons that are set in outdoor Hallowsfall.

There's definitely one patch that is more difficult to guess than Rootlands and Goblins.

[hattahat]

I think the truth is simpler and more intuitive. Season 2 is just a new Undermine zone, Goblin raid, and megadungeon is just rootlands.
Season 3 raid could be the titan facility somewhere in the core of Azeroth, and that new zone could be a place where the six cosmic forces manifest their influence in that zone, with the tip of Sargeras' sword on one ceiling, the roots of Elun'ahir on another, the titan facility and the pools of blood of the old god on the floor, with Light and Death having a similar influence somewhere.
I feel like most people were thinking similarly to me when things first got data-mined, but as the conversation got longer, it seems like people's imaginations got a little carried away.
If Blizzard is really going to add something more here, i think it could be the Ethereal raid in the form of mini-raid.

[Sondrelk]

See, Megadungeon doesn't make sense for the Beledar for 1 reason: Megadungeons don't tie into the very next expansion (for the most part). Karazhan didn't tie into BfA. Mechagon didn't tie into SL. Taz'avesh didn't tie into DF. Dawn of the Infinite is somewhat of a exception here. Technically, it does tie into TWW, but also doesn't as the main focus of that Dungeon, Iridikron, will probably not appear until TLT. So, whatever we will get as a Megadungeon, the focus of it will not directly tie into Midnight, but might have things that will tie into it. The Beledar would be a too direct connection. The rootlands on the other hand would have no direct connection to Midnight, as far as we know of, but could have a unknown plotpoint that could make sense to appear in Midnight. Say the rootlands megadungeon is mostly about the Harronir. This could tie into the Amani perhaps.

If we are on that level of justification then I would posit that they wouldn't so it because they might want to make a Scqrlet Monastery Megadungeon in Midnight, and having two inquisitor themed Megadungeons in a row might feel derivative.

Why not have a Beladar megadungeon? It's a highly relevant theme while still being in a location very specific to TWW.
DotI proved that the developers have no issue making Megadungeons equal to raids in terms of narrative payoff and lore significance, so why not? Based on what we have available to work with currently in terms of buildup it is either that or a Goblin theme, both of which have their own set of perfectly valid reasons why it somehow doesn't fit the Megadungeon label.

[Golden Yak]

I think Beledar may not be the megadungeon for the reason that visually it would look very annoying if it's just the crystal, and we already have two dungeons that are set in outdoor Hallowsfall.

There's definitely one patch that is more difficult to guess than Rootlands and Goblins.

I wouldn't worry about that, I'm sure it wouldn't just literally be the crystal. Maybe you start out on the airships again and fly up there, then you go into a weird dimension or something. Maybe the 'Light realm'.

And Thal'drazaus had two dungeons, a raid, the megadungeon, and the capital, so Blizzard isn't shy about having one zone stuffed with stuff.

[Cheezits]

I think the truth is simpler and more intuitive. Season 2 is just a new Undermine zone, Goblin raid, and megadungeon is just rootlands.
Season 3 raid could be the titan facility somewhere in the core of Azeroth, and that new zone could be a place where the six cosmic forces manifest their influence in that zone, with the tip of Sargeras' sword on one ceiling, the roots of Elun'ahir on another, the titan facility and the pools of blood of the old god on the floor, with Light and Death having a similar influence somewhere.
I feel like most people were thinking similarly to me when things first got data-mined, but as the conversation got longer, it seems like people's imaginations got a little carried away.
If Blizzard is really going to add something more here, i think it could be the Ethereal raid in the form of mini-raid.

I really like the idea of all six forces being in one zone, maybe the death influence could be Decay and that was what Decatriarch was talking about.

- - - Updated - - -

I wouldn't worry about that, I'm sure it wouldn't just literally be the crystal. Maybe you start out on the airships again and fly up there, then you go into a weird dimension or something. Maybe the 'Light realm'.

And Thal'drazaus had two dungeons, a raid, the megadungeon, and the capital, so Blizzard isn't shy about having one zone stuffed with stuff.

It was more about the outside aesthetics of Hallowsfall getting old so a mega dungeon that is half "outside Beledar" probably wouldn't look great. But I do think the Lightlands could work. Or it may be something to do with the Kobyss fish men.

[Jolly Roger]

Two weeks before launch.

11.1 coming in hot bois

[AOL Instant Messenger]

I think Beledar may not be the megadungeon for the reason that visually it would look very annoying if it's just the crystal, and we already have two dungeons that are set in outdoor Hallowsfall.

If it's set within the crystal, the interior might look very different from its exterior. Think of how the Genedar looks: externally, it's just a giant chunk of white crystal, but internally it looks more like a conventional naaru ship.

[Golden Yak]

It was more about the outside aesthetics of Hallowsfall getting old so a mega dungeon that is half "outside Beledar" probably wouldn't look great. But I do think the Lightlands could work. Or it may be something to do with the Kobyss fish men.

Ah, I see what you mean.

And actually, something about going down into the depths of that vast sea would be even more appealing. Or something horrible rising up out of it.

[Raetary]

I think Beledar may not be the megadungeon for the reason that visually it would look very annoying if it's just the crystal

I very much doubt that.

As the thing is more or less a Naaru ship, the interior would look the part.
And we haven't really revisited that aesthetic since BC, only briefly touched upon in Legion.

[Cheezits]

I very much doubt that.

As the thing is more or less a Naaru ship, the interior would look the part.
And we haven't really revisited that aesthetic since BC, only briefly touched upon in Legion.

Good point. It would be the first version of an HD Naaru ship dungeon.

[Kiivar86]

For anyone interested, it seems there's translatable text in Hallowfall.

Basically there's a legend that matches up to the english alphabet and at least one book object that you can read if you know how it works (not read as in your character can read the object but you the player). Furthermore, the book object got updated. Reads now as follows:

In the __2nd year of glorious dominion, his Holy Radian, Emperor Thoradin __, by sovereign edict, did ordain the assembly of the Hallowfall expedition to traverse the Storming Sea.

The blanks are because they can't figure out most the numbers.

Wonder what else could be found.