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

[SilverCoin]

Something like that. I hope they keep the feature as an evergreen. I really love them. Could be used for some more lore'ish stuff aswell, also they are nice for people like me who wants to progress but dont have always the time to form a group. Even tho i prefer doing them with a group ofc.

[Khaza-R]

Off-topic from current conversation-- do you think "Delves" will be renamed sometime after TWW?

The name "Delve" describes digging/excavating into something, and in the case of this expansion being underground with various underground caves/chambers/tunnels/etc to be explored through "delving" it makes sense. Plus, Delves are to be evergreen content going forward.

But we won't always be underground. We'll be above ground as early as the next expansion and for more Delves to be added to the overworld of Azeroth... should the name remain to imply underground adventuring?

DISCLAIMER: I personally do not care if they change the name or not. I only bring it up because I had this conversation with my M+ team.

If they're still supposed to be part of the landscape. Like natural caves and ruins then I think they will still be called delves and it fits.

But I could also see them taking a thematic shift if there's some reality warping shenanigans going on in Midnight. Like them being portals to pocket dimensions or soemthing. Then I think "rifts" will be the more appropriate name.

I guess it depends what direction they decide to go in.

[huth]

Something like that. I hope they keep the feature as an evergreen. I really love them. Could be used for some more lore'ish stuff aswell, also they are nice for people like me who wants to progress but dont have always the time to form a group. Even tho i prefer doing them with a group ofc.

They're definitely intended as a permanent feature. Note how they got their own seperate achievement category next to PvP and Dungeons rather than being listed under expansion features. Not even Dragonriding got that, despite it obviously staying for good.

[MauroDiogo]

Another random theory out of the many I've been piecing together but in the book Traveller, the main character has a compass with a Naaru shard that's pointing him towards other Naaru artifacts/shards. In Kalimdor, while in Feralas, the compass is pointing towards East and South East.
The pieces are then used to create the Diamond Blade. An artifact of Light to protect Azeroth from the Darkstorm.

Beledar is exactly South East of Feralas too and I have the feeling that instead of being a Blade, it could be acting as a "Shield" pushing back against the corruption of Sargeras' sword AND Xal's influence. Xal probably wants to keep influencing it to permanently switch to the Void because this will basically leave Azeroth weaker, with less Light protecting it and creating a convenient "gateway" for the Void. So Xal can then initiate... A world-wide Dark Storm - Midnight.

I've been talking to people and creators and this might tie into my theory of a Void-shifted Dalaran raid. Which would be a perfect backdrop for the supposed Ethereal raid.

From the Wowpedia: "The Diamond Blade was bestowed by a naaru to Greydon Thorne several years before the Third War. He was the leader of the Order of the Seven Suns that were sworn to protect the naaru who lent its grace to shield Azeroth against the Darkstorm."

More info about the Darkstorm, which sounds an awful lot like what's contained inside the Dark Heart - A purple mass of shadows that consumes essences and can act as a portal and vortex:

"The Darkstorm was a terrible, magical force that could unmake and destroy Azeroth and every living soul on it. It feeds on life.
An unnamed naaru was foretold to stop the Darkstorm, and it lent its grace to shield the world. Prior to the Third War on Azeroth, the naaru was protected by the Order of the Seven Suns led by Greydon Thorne..."

"Some time after the Cataclysm on Azeroth, the Darkstorm was kept in an altar in the Hidden citadel in Hellfire Peninsula as a purple mass of liquid shadows, ever moving, ever whispering of unspeakable secrets."

"Now, the fel-corrupted Malus ordered his servants to bring his bodyguards, the Gordunni ogres as well as imps to fuel the Darkstorm, and then he would feed it Greydon, whose essence it needed. The ogres and imps were sucked and the slithering mass became a portal, the beginnings of the Darkstorm, and with whispers emanating from within, louder more sinister, and in language too frenzied to make out. Soon it expanded into a black vortex."

[Cheezits]

Has this been talked about?
https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comment...rk_of_beledar/

Concept art of beledar with stairway leading to it from the church. Not sure how to post image from reddit. Doesnt seem to work.

I think that if we go into Beledar it will now be through some kind of wormhole or portal. The crystal itself is in the skybox I believe, kind of like Torghast in the Maw zone, so stairs wouldn't work.

[CasualFilth]

Gazlowe will be the next Delves companion, screenshot this!!

[micwini]

Gazlowe will be the next Delves companion, screenshot this!!

Yep for sure. Another obvious link towards 11.1 undermine too!

[Lady Atia]

Gazlowe will be the next Delves companion, screenshot this!!

I don't know, I would rather have a female companion next instead of having two short guys in a row. But yeah, if next season is goblin themed it will prolly be a gobbo ...

[Skytotem]

I don't know, I would rather have a female companion next instead of having two short guys in a row. But yeah, if next season is goblin themed it will prolly be a gobbo ...

Sassy Hardwrench or Megs Dreadshredder would be welcome sights.

[Sondrelk]

I don't know, I would rather have a female companion next instead of having two short guys in a row. But yeah, if next season is goblin themed it will prolly be a gobbo ...

Faerin seems like the obvious choice when we inevitably get the Beledar themed patch.

[Merryck]

Gazlowe doesn't strike me as the delving type. Doesn't he have more important things to do?

[Hitei]

I think that if we go into Beledar it will now be through some kind of wormhole or portal. The crystal itself is in the skybox I believe, kind of like Torghast in the Maw zone, so stairs wouldn't work.

This is just one of a bunch of early concept thumbnails for the crystal, where it is directly over the land.



I think in early versions of the zone, they were just imagining something like Ringing Deeps or Azj-kahet. A much smaller, closed in cavern space where the crystal was in the actual playspace (like Deepholm and the upper pillar). But at some point they pivoted to making Hallowfall feel like a Journey to the Center of the Earth space, where the crystal is a massive object and very far away over the Undersea.

I do think it would be crazy for Beledar to not do something during the expansion, but I wouldn't focus too much on that particular image as a possibility.

[Worldshaper]

So we know the Light was probably the first cosmic force to interact with Azeroth, since one of those ancient Shards of Light landed there and gave rise to the Elementals. I'm not sure if Elementals go to heaven, so unclear if Death has arrived yet.

Unless Order is somehow involved in literally creating planets from the pre-existing matter, but I don't think we've seen any indication of that.

So Life (Elementals etc) was second to interact with Azeroth meaningfully. Arguably the first sentient beings on Azeroth.

Then came Shadow (Void), with the arrival of the Old Gods, and established the first civilization, you might say. Some new forms of life were introduced to Azeroth by them. They begin influencing the worldsoul and enslave the Elementals.

After that, Order arrived in full force with the Titans. The titan-forged are created, and the Void is pushed back. Great Titan installations are built around the planet, the Kalimdor supercontinent is shaped around Y'shaarj while Avaloren is left to the side.

Life and presumably Death blossom further on the planet, first when Elune, Eonar and Freyja plant Elun'Ahir, and then when Aman'Thul begins ripping stuff out of the planet (Y'shaarj and Elun'Ahir). Also as Freya plants various other trees and experiments in zones like Sholazar. But even from the Old Gods through the Curse of Flesh.

Then Disorder shows up as the Burning Legion become more active and (ironically) more organised. Throws a wrench in the Titans' perfect system as Kalimdor explodes and the Titans disappear.

Lastly, Death, which presumably has been present in some way ever since that first shard of Light infused Azeroth with Life, makes a few moves through the LK, Sylvanas, and the Jailer. Although it seems like this was more like a renegade within the Shadowlands using Death for his own benefit, and not Death itself, which seems rather benevolent.

Now, the Void is having a final go at it, while the "good" forces Light, Life, and Order are present to stop it.

I seriously wonder how the Beledar, Elune, Sargeras and a bunch of other things will fit into all of this. Hopefully we won't have to wait until TLT to find out.

Also, why was Kalimdor known as the Land of Eternal Starlight or whatever in the olden days. What inspired that? Was "Midnight" the natural state of things back then? Was it a dark place?

[Scyth]

When do people reckon the anniversary patch would release? Anniversary events usually start in November from memory but hopefully this one would go live this month, really want some new T2 transmog lol

[Highlord Hanibuhl]

I feel like I'm in the minority here, but the thought of having a patch filled with trash-talking goblins, a polluted city filled with garbage, doesn't really excite me that much...

[Lady Atia]

So, just went to the PTR and it seems like the rep tokens for the pvp factions aswell as the Ravasaur handlers are gone now, weirdly enough Zandalar Tribe is still available.

[Jaggler]

I feel like I'm in the minority here, but the thought of having a patch filled with trash-talking goblins, a polluted city filled with garbage, doesn't really excite me that much...

Different strokes for different folks. A Patch filled with boring Nelves crying for some random ass tree talking about how sad they are wasn't really something that excited me, especially after they have been in forcus already the previous expansion. Yet that's what we got in DF.

Goblins are probably some of the most underutilized races in WoW, so them having a patch is fine by me and certainly sound more fun than Night Elven sadness fest nr. 5

[BaumanKing]

I'm really excited to finally visit the Undermine after all these years. Hopefully Blizzard has learned their lesson and won't reinforce negative stereotypes in their handling of goblins like they did in Exploring Kalimdor book.

I wonder if we'll also revisit Kezan. Not just Crapopolis, but also what's left of Bilgewater Port.

[micwini]

I don't know, I would rather have a female companion next instead of having two short guys in a row. But yeah, if next season is goblin themed it will prolly be a gobbo ...

Females are already overrepresented this expansion. Pass.

[Joshuaj]

So we know the Light was probably the first cosmic force to interact with Azeroth, since one of those ancient Shards of Light landed there and gave rise to the Elementals. I'm not sure if Elementals go to heaven, so unclear if Death has arrived yet.

Unless Order is somehow involved in literally creating planets from the pre-existing matter, but I don't think we've seen any indication of that.

So Life (Elementals etc) was second to interact with Azeroth meaningfully. Arguably the first sentient beings on Azeroth.

Then came Shadow (Void), with the arrival of the Old Gods, and established the first civilization, you might say. Some new forms of life were introduced to Azeroth by them. They begin influencing the worldsoul and enslave the Elementals.

After that, Order arrived in full force with the Titans. The titan-forged are created, and the Void is pushed back. Great Titan installations are built around the planet, the Kalimdor supercontinent is shaped around Y'shaarj while Avaloren is left to the side.

Life and presumably Death blossom further on the planet, first when Elune, Eonar and Freyja plant Elun'Ahir, and then when Aman'Thul begins ripping stuff out of the planet (Y'shaarj and Elun'Ahir). Also as Freya plants various other trees and experiments in zones like Sholazar. But even from the Old Gods through the Curse of Flesh.

Then Disorder shows up as the Burning Legion become more active and (ironically) more organised. Throws a wrench in the Titans' perfect system as Kalimdor explodes and the Titans disappear.

Lastly, Death, which presumably has been present in some way ever since that first shard of Light infused Azeroth with Life, makes a few moves through the LK, Sylvanas, and the Jailer. Although it seems like this was more like a renegade within the Shadowlands using Death for his own benefit, and not Death itself, which seems rather benevolent.

Now, the Void is having a final go at it, while the "good" forces Light, Life, and Order are present to stop it.

I seriously wonder how the Beledar, Elune, Sargeras and a bunch of other things will fit into all of this. Hopefully we won't have to wait until TLT to find out.

Also, why was Kalimdor known as the Land of Eternal Starlight or whatever in the olden days. What inspired that? Was "Midnight" the natural state of things back then? Was it a dark place?

Is it confirmed that the Light gave rise to the elementals? Or?

Cause, based off recent lore, it seems like the elementals are their own thing.