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

[Lorgar Aurelian]

I wonder how this compares to those in the last 3 expansions.

They would all be more Male heavy if your going off major characters.

Just look at the horde and alliance cast and you know for BFA, its mostly male.

Shadowland only really has jIana and Sylvanas, so mostly male.

DF going to be the closest with Alex chromie Yesra Ver and Tydrna. compared to the 3 blacks Noz and Tyr.

Keep in mind though these are just some quick lsit.

[Worldshaper]

Theory:

The Tauren myth about the Earth Mother holds a lot of clues about current lore.

Like many myths and legends, it contains slivers of truth, because it came from a time when people experienced things they didn't understand, and interpreted it as divine. Then over generations, these things turned into fables.

It says the Earth Mother wandered Azeroth alone with only the elements to keep her company. Check, this is about the early stages of Life on Azeroth, after it had been struck by a Shard of Light from the cosmic battle between Light and Shadow.

It says the Old Gods were below the earth, corrupting anything they could get a hold of. That's also part of the early history of the Black Empire and the Titans.

It says the Earth Mother shaped the mountains and the seas. This is about when the Titan-forged and the Giants undertook the Shaping of Azeroth after winning against the Old Gods. Ancient Kalimdor's creation.

It says she slept to create seasons, which is probably just an attempt by early Tauren to explain the seasonal changes to the weather they were experiencing.

It says she created or spread Life as she slept, which fits with the Well of Eternity, where Elune is said to have rested during the way, and around which Life thrived and evolved.

It says, finally, that she created night and day by creating the moon and the sun from her own eyes, eventually leaving them to watch over Azerith as she died and became one with the world. They were An'she (the Sun) and Mu'sha (the White Lady, Elune). They also had a little sibling, created without the Earth Mother's knowledge, Lo'sho (the Blue child).

If all those other parts of the story were ways of describing real events, then why wouldn't this one be?

It certainly would explain why Elune was considered an upstart goddess by Xal'atath, and it would also explain why she was able to swim in the Well of Eternity, bone Malorne, have a sister in Ardenweald, and be fond of Eonar.

I'd love to see that story and what really happened back then.

Was she a Naaru sent to look after Azeroth's burgeoning Life, and did she and her Naaru pals sort of use the celestial spheres around Azeroth as conduits for their power?

Was she some kind of "Wild God Prime" from the untamed regions of the Emerald Dream, determined to protect this worldsoul in particular by seeding Life all over it using world trees etc.?

[hattahat]

It's a bit of a throwaway comment, but one of the things I've been thinking about since playing TWW is that perhaps the Earthen (and some other "titan-forged" races) weren't actually created by the Titans.

We've already been told that the Titan's view of “creation” is somewhat peculiar (as revealed in the Emerald Dream). Could it be that the Titans claimed to have “created” races like the Earthen, Giants, and Mechagnomes after mechanizing and ordering certain creatures that originally existed on Azeroth?

[Worldshaper]

It's a bit of a throwaway comment, but one of the things I've been thinking about since playing TWW is that perhaps the Earthen (and some other "titan-forged" races) weren't actually created by the Titans.

We've already been told that the Titan's view of “creation” is somewhat peculiar (as revealed in the Emerald Dream). Could it be that the Titans claimed to have “created” races like the Earthen, Giants, and Mechagnomes after mechanizing and ordering certain creatures that originally existed on Azeroth?

Interesting idea. People have had these types of theories for years and years.

I think that in the past, it would be easy to explain why you'd be wrong. But today, I'm not to sure. After all, Blizzard has been retconning Titan lore for a decade at this point, and we are going to uncover some "vast conspiracy" about the Titans in TLT.

For example, as you say, there might have been Dwarves, Humans, Gnomes etc already on Azeroth, evolving naturally from the presence of the worldsoul and Emerald Dream stuff.

But then, the Titans might've installed these machines, the "Manifold," to "control Life," turning it mechanical as a way to prevent corruption.

The Old Gods' "Gift" of Flesh, then, would have been to simply return them to their real forms.

The Earthen of Khaz Algar would perhaps then be, in fact, a "missing link" of sorts. When they discovered the fissure in Sector AR-938, it started slowly to give them their life energy back, allowing them to rediscover their cultures before at some point becoming mortal again, as shown with their emphasis on choosing their resting places for deactivation (yearning for a place in the natural cycle of Life and Death would likely affect people who lost their mortality and then started to regain it).

Whether it is the presence of the worldsoul, the roots of Elun'Ahir, or perhaps a hidden Old God causing this effect remains to be seen. Perhaps a bit of everything.

So "all eyes shall be opened," and all that stuff would be about this conspiracy. Having the people of Azeroth learning the truth about their own past, and of the Titans' intentions.

It also fits the theme in Dragonflight, where greater emphasis was placed on the fact that Titans controlled the evolution of innocent dragonflights, tampering with their eggs through their Aspects and robbing them of their original forms.

Blizzard seems very keen on telling these types of stories ever since the sexual harassment scandal back a few years ago, perhaps a sign of wanting to let other perspectives shine through as they emphasise narratives about personal freedom and choosing who you want to be.

The conspiracy is probably either this, or simply that the Titans have been imprisoning the worldsoul in a stasis chamber.

[hattahat]

Interesting idea. People have had these types of theories for years and years.

I think that in the past, it would be easy to explain why you'd be wrong. But today, I'm not to sure. After all, Blizzard has been retconning Titan lore for a decade at this point, and we are going to uncover some "vast conspiracy" about the Titans in TLT.

Yes. The Chronicles were written from the Titans' point of view, and the Titans' view of creation turned out to be bizarre, which is why this idea was possible. In addition, the commentary of Neltharion added in Dragonflight seems to support this suspicion to some extent.

[Worldshaper]

Yes. The Chronicles were written from the Titans' point of view, and the Titans' view of creation turned out to be bizarre, which is why this idea was possible. In addition, the commentary of Neltharion added in Dragonflight seems to support this suspicion to some extent.

True.

On another note, these Old God whispers are nearly two years old now.

"With many eyes, they will see again. They will drink, and be uplifted." <- Nerubians.

"Deeper, deeper its roots will reach. Welcoming our embrace." <- Elun'Ahir.

"Her dreams sing beneath the surface. Our dreams. Our song." <- Worldsoul.

There's also this, the last page from A Song of the Depths:

"When these things come to pass, the Harbinger will fulfill the final prophecy and complete the awakening.

Only then shall our Queen return to reign over sea and sky and earth. We must make ready.

Rise, rise! Soon all that was hidden will be revealed."

I wonder how the roots connect to the worldsoul in all of this. Does Xal'atath want the roots to slurp Old God juice so that she can use its power to awaken the 5th Old God, or perhaps Azeroth herself?

Interesting times ahead.

[Sondrelk]

Were there any hints about Undermine before?

Ignoring the weird Goblin short story in the lead up to the expansion that currently goes nowhere. And the removed area east of the Ringing Deeps that seemed to have Goblin assets.
The strongest hints at Undermine is the currently unresolved plot thread of why the Goblins are in Khaz Algar, and where the tunnel they arrived through is.
Undermine being underground, and TWW being billed as the underground expansion.
And all the data mined stuff about Goblin Raid. Including stuff like what looked like a Goblin themed staff that is currently unused in the game.

[Teriz]

I mean...

WoW's always had the sci-fi stuff regarding it. Idk why people were always doubting me on that. This Hearthstone expac basically just doubles down on this concept by having it be focused on the pre-Draenor Draenei.

Yeah, I'm just curious if aspects of this is some sort of clue about material that's going to appear in Midnight. The army of light is supposed to deal with the forces of the void, and the army of the light is heavily Draenei-based.

[Kyux]

Eh, we still use it as a source for lots of things regarding the formation of Azeroth.

Still, though, I keep coming back to Kalimdor's name. Why was Azeroth's "Pangea" known as the Land of Eternal Starlight?

Here's from a Wiki, which presumably quotes Chronicles:



So by the time the Titan-forged finished their work of shaping Azeroth and taking care of the Well of Eternity, day turned into night.

And for some reason, they described it as "eternal".

But every landmass anywhere, and on any planet, should have access to a night sky, so that's not unique to Kalimdor.

Why was this piece of land associated specifically with eternal starlight?

Why did Dark Trolls roam Azeroth at the time, and why did they turn into Night Elves when influenced by the Well of Eternity?

Was darkness, i.e. the night, Azeroth's natural state at the time? Is Midnight, the thing which presumably happens in the expansion with the same name (unless the name simply suggests a state of despair in general, when things are at their darkest), just a return to what it was like back then?

Did Elune sort of constantly watch over this continent?

Had the Old Gods covered it in darkness in a final and desperate act?

Did the Well cause arcane stars to show in the heavens?

I don't have an explanation for why it was named that but I suspect Dark Trolls and Night Elves were called that because they were nocturnal or crepuscular (first time legitimately using that word in a sentence). I always assumed that based on nothing but it made sense to me.

Maybe primordial Azeroth had much denser forest coverage so it was literally darker and seemed to be in night more often (i.e. seemingly longer nights due to tree coverage)?

Then I suspect Night Elves called it Kalimdor because they were out and about at night and saw the stars and used the Titan language. Idk.

[Eldryth]

Yes. The Chronicles were written from the Titans' point of view, and the Titans' view of creation turned out to be bizarre, which is why this idea was possible. In addition, the commentary of Neltharion added in Dragonflight seems to support this suspicion to some extent.

It's very plausible, I've wondered whether the great conspiracy we'll see in TLT might be something along those lines myself but I don't think I ever got around to posting about it. There's also this standing order from Odyn (which we found in Dragonflight Uldaman):

Second: Attribute all accomplishments and works of wonder to the titans alone.

Despite the relentless arguments made by some of you, this is not a fallacy. After all, can anything truly be said to exist until it has been ordered? Of course not.

Therefore, it is irrefutable that the titans are the source of all creation.

To the Titans, whether they actually created something or ordered something that already exists is a distinction without a difference. Even if they merely altered something that already exists, they would just claim the end result as entirely their creation and not acknowledge what came before, as they don't even recognize the existence of anything not shaped by them. As such, even if races like Dwarves, Gnomes, and Vyrkul(/Humans, if the Vyrkul physique itself was one of the Titans' changes) existed before their Titanforged counterparts, the Titans would still claim the Titanforged were created by them from scratch regardless. And they wouldn't even consider it to be a lie under the twisted logic shown in this Edict.

[AOL Instant Messenger]

WoW's always had the sci-fi stuff regarding it. Idk why people were always doubting me on that. This Hearthstone expac basically just doubles down on this concept by having it be focused on the pre-Draenor Draenei.

You're entirely right about that. Unfortunately, some executions are more palatable than others. In TBC, as bad as the story itself was, the worldbuilding was generally very palatable and didn't feel wholly anathema to what the setting used to be. Conversely, recent executions in science-fantasy concepts in WoW have not been as palatable as they were then.

[huth]

To the Titans, whether they actually created something or ordered something that already exists is a distinction without a difference. Even if they merely altered something that already exists, they would just claim the end result as entirely their creation and not acknowledge what came before, as they don't even recognize the existence of anything not shaped by them. As such, even if races like Dwarves, Gnomes, and Vyrkul(/Humans, if the Vyrkul physique itself was one of the Titans' changes) existed before their Titanforged counterparts, the Titans would still claim the Titanforged were created by them from scratch regardless. And they wouldn't even consider it to be a lie under the twisted logic shown in this Edict.

While we certainly can't rule it out, for now, this is just Odyn's stance on the matter, not the Titan's which we simply don't know. And it's certainly not a unanimous view amongst the Watchers.

[Worldshaper]

I don't have an explanation for why it was named that but I suspect Dark Trolls and Night Elves were called that because they were nocturnal or crepuscular (first time legitimately using that word in a sentence). I always assumed that based on nothing but it made sense to me.

Maybe primordial Azeroth had much denser forest coverage so it was literally darker and seemed to be in night more often (i.e. seemingly longer nights due to tree coverage)?

Then I suspect Night Elves called it Kalimdor because they were out and about at night and saw the stars and used the Titan language. Idk.

Cool theory. But it was named by the Titan-forged IIRC. Do you think they'd take the canopy into account when naming their finished work?

I would almost suggest that if there's a Land of Eternal Starlight, then maybe the other side had a Land of Eternal Sunlight. Avaloren belonging to An'she's domain while Kalimdor belonging to Elune's.

But it had a day and night cycle, so perhaps more figuratively?

[Mace]

They would all be more Male heavy if your going off major characters.

Just look at the horde and alliance cast and you know for BFA, its mostly male.

Shadowland only really has jIana and Sylvanas, so mostly male.

DF going to be the closest with Alex chromie Yesra Ver and Tydrna. compared to the 3 blacks Noz and Tyr.

Keep in mind though these are just some quick lsit.

Winter Queen? Archon? Tyrande? Users? Dralar? Vashj - for shadowlands. Although Sykvanas was the main focus for that expabsion

[Lahis]

Any ideas for 11.0.7 patch?

Since 11.0.5 has nothing to do with TWW story, 11.0.7 should set up either Rootlands or Undermine, whichever happens to be the 11.1 zone.

[Jaggler]

Winter Queen? Archon? Tyrande? Users? Dralar? Vashj - for shadowlands. Although Sykvanas was the main focus for that expabsion

I wouldn't really count Vashj as a major character, really. She was a side character in Maldraxxus.
Shadowlands was full of male characters:
Jailer, Bolvar, Primus, Renathal, Denathrius, Anduin, Thrall, Pelagos (turned into a main character later on).
If we step down to the level of Vashj as a character worth counting we got Herne, Korayn, Dreamweaver, Ara'lon, both Morgraines, Kel'thuzad, Marileth, Theotar, Uther etc. those are just the ones i can remember off the top of my head.

You really have to argue in bad faith if you want to say that SL was somehow female-heavy.

I think it's mostly being balanced rather well the last few expansions (of course 100% balance is almost impossible).

- - - Updated - - -

Any ideas for 11.0.7 patch?

11.0.7 :The Biggest Dig: After the Fall of Ansurek and with the Nerubians in disarray, the Goblins of Undermine have moved into Azj'kahet to siphon the Black Blood for yet unknown reasons. Push them back in a new World Event. Story quests leading into Undermine (Pandaren heritage finally?)
11.1: Dark Dealings: Xal'atath struck a deal with Gallywix. Promising riches beyond comprehension for his assistance in harvesting more Black Blood and fixing the Dark Heart, just like the Goblins once fixed Deathwings disintegrating form after he gave in to the whispers.

11.1.5: Assault on the Rootlands: With the Black Blood constantly being disturbed, the roots of Elun'ahir are threatened to be consumed by the Void. Despite their reservations, the Haranir reach out to adventureres to help them stem the tide of corruption. The roots are spreading above the undersea now and in the final fight one of the roots breaches Beledar, turning the crystal permanently dark.
11.1.7: Forces from Beyond: With Beledar falling into darkness, new strange visitors are seen throughout Khaz Algar. Ethereals set up camp on the Isle of Dorn and beneath and try to spread the Void. Vanquish them and find out where they come from.

11.2: Fading Light: With the Ethereals pushed back, the Earthen, Arathi and Nerubians found out, where the Ethereal invasion started: The now void corrupted Beledar. The forces of Khaz Algar unite with the Horde and Alliance to make a final push into the Dark Star to purge it of its corruption and restore it to it's former glory.

11.2.5: Azerothian Archive: Secrets of Khaz Algar. You Dig.
11.2.7: Nightfall: With her gambit with the Beledar failed, Xal'atath is looking for another powerful location to usher in the Void to Azeroth. Luckily for her, the memories of her High Elven host-body hold a possible solution for her next scheme.

[Auxis]

Do you even have to place to finish the WQs? Don't you just have to make it to the end of the race? Would be easy even with like 300 MS and 20 fps.

Yeh you only need to finish for the WQ completion.

But there are bronze/silver/gold completions in 3 difficulties which won't be easy unless you manage to travel to a dead layer or make a character on a dead realm.

[MauroDiogo]

Kind of interesting that we have mention of the Goblins and the Arathi showing interesting in building airships in the future and the new Hearthstone set has a lot of cards playing off a Starship keyword.
I'm wondering if we do help the Goblins and Arathi build Airships and over the course of the Saga, the technology is then evolved and used to craft Starships?

Chris Metzen did say in an interview that they are building up to something "ridiculous". Which seems to imply grandiose or cosmic in scale. Since he left us with Legion before he went away for a few years and we know where the Lore went throughout the expansion.

And yeah, we already have Naaru starships in the Lore, but they are very few that we know of and even less of them are in or have ties to Azeroth. So we might need more Starships to transport a lot more than we did in Legion if we do end up fighting something on a more cosmic scale.

[Alanar]

Azshara called Jaina a "novice mage". I would not put much thought into insults of a high on ego villain.

I mean... Azshara is obviously much stronger in the arcane.

I dont know why we would question that or take that with a grain. Jaina is a typical mage that is always as strong as the story wants her to be. But like other have said, she suppose to be strong in teleportation, but we know characters who do it better.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

Winter Queen? Archon? Tyrande? Users? Dralar? Vashj - for shadowlands. Although Sykvanas was the main focus for that expabsion

Every one but Tyrande I’d argue aren’t major characters as they do little to nothing but stand there or in the archons case get stabbed.

Like I don’t think any of them go to Zm or the maw all expan.