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

[milkmustache]

I don't love the idea of mixing a potential Goblin and Rootlands patch (unless we were to get both Rootlands and Undermine as zones), but the questline at Opportunity Point lays some ground work for the intermingling of the themes.

It's quite literally Goblins taking over an Earthen depot, using the hot springs as a "resort", having you disperse an uprooted mole community, then kill a deepstrider who's ghost haunts them, forcing you to rid of it's skull, where it revives after entangling you with roots. I mean, the questline ends with the main goblin at the resort saying "Huh, I guess that makes me appreciate the beauty in nature!".

[Golden Yak]

I don't love the idea of mixing a potential Goblin and Rootlands patch (unless we were to get both Rootlands and Undermine as zones), but the questline at Opportunity Point lays some ground work for the intermingling of the themes.

I'm not sure what would swing the plot over to Undermine, it's kind've out of the way. I would love it, I've long wanted an Undermine zone.

Maybe Xal'atath is looking for a way to repair the Dark Heart and decides the means are in Undermine somewhere. Maybe we'll delve deep down and find out the true source of kaja'mite is Old God related? A specific strain of the Black Blood that is just the thing needed to weld the Dark Heart back together?

Still an out of the way place. Maybe it could be like the Emerald Dream zone in DF, accessible by a portal somewhere.

[Darkarath]

I'm not sure what would swing the plot over to Undermine, it's kind've out of the way. I would love it, I've long wanted an Undermine zone.

Maybe Xal'atath is looking for a way to repair the Dark Heart and decides the means are in Undermine somewhere. Maybe we'll delve deep down and find out the true source of kaja'mite is Old God related? A specific strain of the Black Blood that is just the thing needed to weld the Dark Heart back together?

Still an out of the way place. Maybe it could be like the Emerald Dream zone in DF, accessible by a portal somewhere.

I can easily see Xal'athat doing business with Gallywix, and the consistent presence of Goblins in TWW seems indicative of them getting a zone.

[Makabreska]

I'm not sure what would swing the plot over to Undermine, it's kind've out of the way. I would love it, I've long wanted an Undermine zone.

Maybe Xal'atath is looking for a way to repair the Dark Heart and decides the means are in Undermine somewhere. Maybe we'll delve deep down and find out the true source of kaja'mite is Old God related? A specific strain of the Black Blood that is just the thing needed to weld the Dark Heart back together?

Still an out of the way place. Maybe it could be like the Emerald Dream zone in DF, accessible by a portal somewhere.

Or simply a repetition of Opportunity Point scenario. Goblins did a goblin thing and stole for profit some important artifact that was stabilising Rootlands and took it to Undermine.

[Golden Yak]

Or simply a repetition of Opportunity Point scenario. Goblins did a goblin thing and stole for profit some important artifact that was stabilising Rootlands and took it to Undermine.

Yeah, that's a good angle. Goblins mentioned tunneling into the region, I can see some kind of high-speed goblin railway being opened up in Azj'Kahet, acting as the travel point from Khaz Algar to the Undermine. Xal might've enticed the goblins into stealing the relic and carting it off to Undermine, with her tagging along, trying to keep it out of the hands of the heroes, then using the relic to repair the Dark Heart.

We try and stop her but fail, and she attempts to bring all of Undermine down on our heads as part of the goblin raid and we have to save the place (and ourselves) but Xal gets away.

Now Xal can use the Heart to go deeper towards the Worldsoul, with the Rootlands acting as the zone around it and the Worldsoul structure itself being the scene of the final raid.

[Nymrohd]

I know it sounds silly but maybe Xal goes to Undermine because she needs a drill Perhaps she was counting on the Dark Heart to bore through the Coreway and into Rootlands and without it she now needs Azerite-powered drills and explosives.

Ofc Iridikron could probably get her there faster . . .

Alternatively, maybe the goblins of Kezan have dug too deep and she can get where she wants by following them beneath Undermine.

[Darkarath]

I know it sounds silly but maybe Xal goes to Undermine because she needs a drill Perhaps she was counting on the Dark Heart to bore through the Coreway and into Rootlands and without it she now needs Azerite-powered drills and explosives.

Ofc Iridikron could probably get her there faster . . .

Alternatively, maybe the goblins of Kezan have dug too deep and she can get where she wants by following them beneath Undermine.

It is certainly a possibility.

I like that we do not really know what happens next. After finishing every quest in TWW, I think that we can all agree that the Life theme is the strongest lead that we have, followed by the Goblin presence. But then we have the Beledar, of which we do not know nothing about, and the ocean of Hallowfall, which is very suspicious, and we all have done the fish questline by now, right?

We will have two big patches and two big zones in TWW, but I cannot see, let us say, The Rootlands and The Undermine and then move to Midnight.

[Worldshaper]

I'm not sure what would swing the plot over to Undermine, it's kind've out of the way. I would love it, I've long wanted an Undermine zone.

Maybe Xal'atath is looking for a way to repair the Dark Heart and decides the means are in Undermine somewhere. Maybe we'll delve deep down and find out the true source of kaja'mite is Old God related? A specific strain of the Black Blood that is just the thing needed to weld the Dark Heart back together?

Still an out of the way place. Maybe it could be like the Emerald Dream zone in DF, accessible by a portal somewhere.

There's a lot of potential in Kaja'mite, as well as the idea of "we dug too deep". What's underneath Undermine etc.

[Super Dickmann]

I know it sounds silly but maybe Xal goes to Undermine because she needs a drill Perhaps she was counting on the Dark Heart to bore through the Coreway and into Rootlands and without it she now needs Azerite-powered drills and explosives.

I would unironically support the 11.1 hype pre-release cinematic consisting of Xal floating into Gallywix's office to offer him a barony in space in exchange for his services in getting to the core, whereupon he reveals he's way ahead of her and pulls the curtain on a comically large, phallic drill, which will be the scene of the Rootlands raid.

[Worldshaper]

I would unironically support the 11.1 hype pre-release cinematic consisting of Xal floating into Gallywix's office to offer him a barony in space in exchange for his services in getting to the core, whereupon he reveals he's way ahead of her and pulls the curtain on a comically large, phallic drill, which will be the scene of the Rootlands raid.

One of my personal favourite "underground" expansion ideas for several years now has been that goblins and gnomes essentially race towards the planet's core with great machines. Each side digging their tunnels, ever deeper. Sort of a quirky Goblins vs Gnomes vibe from Hearthstone.

I'd love it if 11.1 brought us to Undermine, where we find out "bad" goblins have sided with Xal'atath, purely out of greed (maybe a supply of Kaja'mite as well). They've already started digging a while back, her plan B essentially.

So now Gazlowe's goblins and Mekkatorque's gnomes join together to chase after them.

The patch could also involve Elun'Ahir, which sort of stands in the way for the evil goblins' machines. Nature vs machines.

New class: Tinker.

We'll also investigate that Blingtron war that has been talked about in books.

[Nymrohd]

I would unironically support the 11.1 hype pre-release cinematic consisting of Xal floating into Gallywix's office to offer him a barony in space in exchange for his services in getting to the core, whereupon he reveals he's way ahead of her and pulls the curtain on a comically large, phallic drill, which will be the scene of the Rootlands raid.

I just want an Achievement titled "Drill Baby, Drill". It would spice up all the anal spam.

Also, a mechanically augmented Kraken with drills in its tentacles that is named "The Fracken"

[Raetary]

https://x.com/Portergauge/status/1831887089652404354

Looks like Windrunner #3 will show up soon.

[Jolly Roger]

the black blood might react if mixed with Azerite and of course as we know azerite was not first encountered in BfA as it is supposed to be what led to goblin evolution. Xal could use gallywix to mine the deeper deposits of azerite and use them as a mixer with the black blood especially if azeroth is not naturally a titan.

[Raetary]

Reminder that Xal admitted that she lured us into a war with the Nerubians because that conflict empowered the Black Blood.
And we know that the blood is creeping onto the roots.

Everyone's speculating about drills and repairs, but the plot could be just straight forwardly Xal enabling an escalating conflict between the Goblin Cartels and the Haranir.

[Al Gorefiend]

I don't love the idea of mixing a potential Goblin and Rootlands patch (unless we were to get both Rootlands and Undermine as zones), but the questline at Opportunity Point lays some ground work for the intermingling of the themes.

It's quite literally Goblins taking over an Earthen depot, using the hot springs as a "resort", having you disperse an uprooted mole community, then kill a deepstrider who's ghost haunts them, forcing you to rid of it's skull, where it revives after entangling you with roots. I mean, the questline ends with the main goblin at the resort saying "Huh, I guess that makes me appreciate the beauty in nature!".

I detest the idea of villain batting Goblins every time so I'd really, really like to deal with their bullshit in a way that isn't mass Goblicide.

Or even better, let us decide who to do quests for. Goblins or Undertrolls.

[Makabreska]

I detest the idea of villain batting Goblins every time so I'd really, really like to deal with their bullshit in a way that isn't mass Goblicide.

Or even better, let us decide who to do quests for. Goblins or Undertrolls.

Unfortunately, it's just too easy to make Goblins do morally dubious stuff. All you need to do is dangle a coin in front of their faces.

[Nymrohd]

I detest the idea of villain batting Goblins every time so I'd really, really like to deal with their bullshit in a way that isn't mass Goblicide.

Or even better, let us decide who to do quests for. Goblins or Undertrolls.

You will have Gazlowe on the heroic goblin side. The Venture Co. are not being villain batted, they have always been villains.

[Scyth]

https://x.com/Portergauge/status/1831887089652404354

Looks like Windrunner #3 will show up soon.

Hopefully it's so we can get rid of her for good

[Sondrelk]

I would unironically support the 11.1 hype pre-release cinematic consisting of Xal floating into Gallywix's office to offer him a barony in space in exchange for his services in getting to the core, whereupon he reveals he's way ahead of her and pulls the curtain on a comically large, phallic drill, which will be the scene of the Rootlands raid.

It's not really the kind of cinematic Blizzard makes for sure. But I think it could work. Just make it Gallywix recounting how the meeting went in his mind, followed by showing the absolutely deplorable conditions the Goblins are actually in.
Would fit both the zany Goblin aesthetic, without having to downplay how sinister Xal'atath and her dealings actually are.

[milkmustache]

It's not really the kind of cinematic Blizzard makes for sure. But I think it could work. Just make it Gallywix recounting how the meeting went in his mind, followed by showing the absolutely deplorable conditions the Goblins are actually in.
Would fit both the zany Goblin aesthetic, without having to downplay how sinister Xal'atath and her dealings actually are.

This is actually a good call. Very reminiscent of Denathrius' speech for Revandreth in the Shadowlands cinematic, but you're right, Blizzard's angle would be a narration from the PoV of a character like Gallywix.

I still think that the best segue into Undermine for Xal'atath is using the Venture Co/Gallywix/Darkfuse whatever in reforging the Dark Heart just as they did the Dragon Soul. Open that up however you want, but that's going to be the bridge in some way I believe.

Another thing to point out-- have we discussed the "Woldclaimed Freysworn" NPCs/objects around the Isle of Dorn? There's very little to understand about them other than the fact they're a very devout group that seems to follow the edicts with an additional clause the Oathsworn do not abide by. There's one that's alive that begins to tell us about it, but cuts themselves short, implying they've learned about this additional edict from others. It seeeeeems like they may have had some interaction with the Haranir and Freya both, which brought forth this new edict? Aside from the non-interactable NPCs and a book or two, there's not much else about them, which leads me to believe a Rootlands patch would cover them as well (and Earthen druids?).