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

[Ersula]

Weirdly enough, TWW could itself be a false start, or rather Khaz Algar is. We end up in Khaz Algar by sheer coincidence, we find out the coreway is in danger...then we find out the bottom of the coreway could be anywhere because of the Sundering. So now there's no guarentee the rootlands or coreway will be delt with this expansion. These places could be relevant at any point in the saga.

If I had to guess Xalatath is running into the same problem. It's becoming more apparent the Sunwell is her backup plan.

[Joshuaj]

Weirdly enough, TWW could itself be a false start, or rather Khaz Algar is. We end up in Khaz Algar by sheer coincidence, we find out the coreway is in danger...then we find out the bottom of the coreway could be anywhere because of the Sundering. So now there's no guarentee the rootlands or coreway will be delt with this expansion. These places could be relevant at any point in the saga.

If I had to guess Xalatath is running into the same problem. It's becoming more apparent the Sunwell is her backup plan.

Wouldn't that just mean K'aresh could appear later then? Namely as a means of trying to connect the Sunwell with the devoured world?

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Azeroth: The Prime World!

Argus: The Twisted World!

Telogrus: The Shattered World!

K'aresh: The Devoured World!

[Cheezits]

So there's a nice development in Undermine where after the raid, the good Venture Co rep (Grimla?) DOESN'T become trade princess but confirms that their cartel doesn't operate that way, foreshadowing that Venture Co still has bad agencies and she wants to deal with. So they may be setting up a future plot with them the same way the Decay Gnolls are out there.

Honestly both of those groups sound like good fodder for a world revamp of leveling questing, along with the Botani and the House of Nobles.

[Joshuaj]

So there's a nice development in Undermine where after the raid, the good Venture Co rep (Grimla?) DOESN'T become trade princess but confirms that their cartel doesn't operate that way, foreshadowing that Venture Co still has bad agencies and she wants to deal with. So they may be setting up a future plot with them the same way the Decay Gnolls are out there.

Honestly both of those groups sound like good fodder for a world revamp of leveling questing, along with the Botani and the House of Nobles.

This actually fits with my Expedition and Nature Saga fan speculations lmaooo

Trading with Goblins on Kezan and other islands + Gadgetzan and Booty Bay, as well as the Decay stuff and how it could end up being a main antagonistic force on Azeroth.

[Golden Yak]

Or she'll simply decide to use it to cut her losses. The nerubians didn't work out, the goblins didn't. Unless she can rally the kobyss and undersea forces, she's largely out of forces in the region. It's possible without the Dark Heart she'll just decide this entire approach is a lost cause, unleash the blood as a final "fuck you", and then leave to go try and get the Heart back or otherwise swap over to the full Void planar invasion angle.

We know that she's still going to be around in Midnight, so 11.2 doesn't necessarily need her around a bunch. She might just leave a mess for us to clean up and then come back in 12.0 with a new, much more cosmic void approach.

Yeeeeah... maybe. I guess. That'd be kind've the least interesting possibility in my view, she just leaves. I didn't anticipate actually killing her this xpac, but I figured we'd get a final showdown with her as last boss, and then she'd show up down the line later, like with Garrosh.

I also got the impression that this whole endeavor was her job, something the Void wanted her to accomplish. She's fails and that could be it for her. Unless she makes some kind of progress towards their cause she's in big trouble. I figured that 11.2 would be the Worldcore raid and she breaks it with the Black Blood, leaving it exposed, and that'll be the setup for Midnight.

I don't know how K'aresh and the ethereals will figure into things now, though.

[Khaza-R]

Yeeeeah... maybe. I guess. That'd be kind've the least interesting possibility in my view, she just leaves. I didn't anticipate actually killing her this xpac, but I figured we'd get a final showdown with her as last boss, and then she'd show up down the line later, like with Garrosh.

I also got the impression that this whole endeavor was her job, something the Void wanted her to accomplish. She's fails and that could be it for her. Unless she makes some kind of progress towards their cause she's in big trouble. I figured that 11.2 would be the Worldcore raid and she breaks it with the Black Blood, leaving it exposed, and that'll be the setup for Midnight.

I don't know how K'aresh and the ethereals will figure into things now, though.

There's definitely a void division story happening that most people never accounted for. At the beginning of TWW I was fairly confident that Xal would corrupt or possess Alleria which would bring us the assault on the Sunwell. However, after the latest events maybe this still unfolds but its Locus Walker and the ethereals who do the deed.

[Darkarath]

There's definitely a void division story happening that most people never accounted for. At the beginning of TWW I was fairly confident that Xal would corrupt or possess Alleria which would bring us the assault on the Sunwell. However, after the latest events maybe this still unfolds but its Locus Walker and the ethereals who do the deed.

I believe that we will end up collaborating with Xal'athat, who is probably working for Dimensius, and she is failing him big time.

I think that her plan was to infuse the Dark Heart with enough power to summon Dimensius in Azeroth to consume our planet (did she summon him in K'aresh too?). She might have been doing exactly that through the Beledar when Alleria stopped her.

Now an unknown Ethereal group has the Dark Heart. We really don't know much about them. They might want to summon Dimensius in K'aresh to kill him or to worship him. Either way, Xal'athat fucked up and Dimensius will punish her.

Locus Walker will warn us about what is happening in K'aresh and we go there to stop a Void Lord from phisically manifest in our universe. Xal'athat is obviously also there trying to recover the Dark Heart, and she is the final boss of the raid.

We defeat Xal'athat and stop the summoning of Dimensius. But enough of Dimensius manifests to control Xal'athat / Alleria / Locus Walker, returning to Azeroth to use the Sunwell to start the Void invasion. I think that Alleria is the best choice here for obvious reasons. Locus Walker might be a betrayer, too.

Xal'athat eventually will be abandoned by Dimensius, either in TWW or in Midnight, and we will need her knowledge to what is to come. "Things might spiral out of control" in Midnight, as Metzen said.

WE FAIL. Dimensius is summoned in the Sunwell. Titans immediately come to our aid, but they are not match for a Void Lord in their current state. They do the only thing that they can do. Release Sargeras.

The Titans and Sargeras fight against Dimensius and an empowered Iridikron who was waiting for his revenge. The Titans win, but a weakened Sargeras takes his chance and corrupts the rest of his kin and goes after Azeroth. Iridikron manages to flee.

TLT starts.

Of course pure fan fic but I am bored at work

[Tiradon]

11.5 does look like it's coming in May, I believe shortly after we should get some sort of announcement related to the next season alongside Midnight.

Now the question is, what patch would the Midnight pre-order bonus would fit in?

[Dracullus]

11.5 does look like it's coming in May, I believe shortly after we should get some sort of announcement related to the next season alongside Midnight.

Now the question is, what patch would the Midnight pre-order bonus would fit in?

I don't know why we repeat this discussion every time. They never announce patches in advance without Blizzcon (last year Direct replaced Blizzcon). Time to announce next season will be simply when 11.2 PTR start, before that we have 11.1.7. And Midnight full reveal is even on Roadmap, after 11.2 release of course.

[Sondrelk]

11.2 - The "rootlands," featuring a story of death and decay, but also of life. We meet the Haranir seeking to protect the roots of Elun'ahir, with the involvement of the Deathwatcher Drust-faction.

The zone features an Old God corpse whose rotting carcass causes black blood to seep into the land and twist life into monstrosities over the Void.

We need to stop these monsters from corrupting the worldsoul via the tree's roots, and ensure the Old God's influence ends for good.

12.0 - Quel'thalas and surrounding areas are revamped, in this story of Light against Shadow. The Undead are attempting to corrupt the Eastwald again, while fanatical Scarlet Crusaders do little to distinguish between living and dead on their quest to purge the land.

The Amani, meanwhile, have allied with Xal'atath and assault Thalassian villages from the east.

In the north, the Void had launched its initial siege on Quel'danas, aiming for the Sunwell.

Silvermoon and the Undercity are revamped, while the Draenei gain a new city, and will have an important role as they come to the defense of the elves.

12.1 - K'aresh.

Don't see why K'aresh would be 12.1. Surely that would just make the final patch feel underwhelming.

The ideal setup for me, I think. Is 12.0, Amani raid. Go into the catacombs of Zul'aman and find what was buried there.
12.1. Silvermoon raid. Retake Silvermoon from the forces of the void and cleanse the Sunwell from void influence.
12.2. K'aresh. Chase Xal'atath to K'aresh, where she is attempting to summon Dimensius now that the Sunwell is no longer an option.

[Super Dickmann]

Don't see why K'aresh would be 12.1. Surely that would just make the final patch feel underwhelming.

The ideal setup for me, I think. Is 12.0, Amani raid. Go into the catacombs of Zul'aman and find what was buried there.
12.1. Silvermoon raid. Retake Silvermoon from the forces of the void and cleanse the Sunwell from void influence.
12.2. K'aresh. Chase Xal'atath to K'aresh, where she is attempting to summon Dimensius now that the Sunwell is no longer an option.

I agree in terms of preference re: K'aresh, both in placement and premise, but it's likelier that 12.1 would be the troll/Scourge raid, as a breather in between an opening void story and an ending void story.

[JDBlou]

All those Drust models look sweet!

11.1.7 and 11.2 darker take on the nature theme confirmed! Thorns, vines, roots, quills, autumnal colours, Haranir, Drust, etc.

The 5th Old God in Chronicles had skulls and vines and stuff, suggesting a connection to life and death perhaps.

Or rather, the less cutesy version of life. Instead of bucolic little cottages and mischievous fairies à la Emerald Dream, we'll get life in its rawest form. A struggle for survival. Primal. A close connection between all stages of the "cycle".

These items are called "Deathwarder," which seems to fit with that whole theme.

How do we not know the drust items aren't for the trading post? Like the corehound/dark iron weapons, which match the chimeras for the TP?

Would love to finally have content dealing with the speculated cut drust SL patch but how can we be sure the weapons are for a patch? Are there leaked icon names like Interface/ICONS/INV_Offhand_1H_GoblinRaid_D_01.blp?

[Sondrelk]

I agree in terms of preference re: K'aresh, both in placement and premise, but it's likelier that 12.1 would be the troll/Scourge raid, as a breather in between an opening void story and an ending void story.

A scourge raid is definitely a possibility instead for sure. Guess it just depends on whether the developers want a throwback troll raid in Midnight and a throwback Scourge raid in TLT or vice versa. Because we know both are very possible.

Though now that I am thinking of it. I suppose a Zul'drak raid in TLT is probably the more tantalizing prospect. If just so the developers can answer what was up with the giant snake in Gundrak once and for all. Not to mention it would allow them to reuse any of the iconic Scourge locations in EK like Stratholme or Scholomance for a raid.

[Mackud]

11.2 The Undead are attempting to corrupt the Eastwald a.

What Undead? We literally killed the very last pocket of resistance in Andorhal. Time moves on and Ion has even said the zones are being changed to reflect that, there's going to be 0 undead presence, you might find some in the Ghostlands. But as far as Scourge presence in the Northern Eastern Kingdoms, it's wiped out.
Stratholme is a deserted city now, although I've seen things to suggest it's going to be used for something else.

[Sondrelk]

What Undead? We literally killed the very last pocket of resistance in Andorhal. Time moves on and Ion has even said the zones are being changed to reflect that, there's going to be 0 undead presence, you might find some in the Ghostlands. But as far as Scourge presence in the Northern Eastern Kingdoms, it's wiped out.
Stratholme is a deserted city now, although I've seen things to suggest it's going to be used for something else.

The zones will probably be mostly cleansed. Just like the Western Plaguelands went back to a non scourge variant. But that doesnt mean you can't have pockets of Undead or Scourge lurking about in places like Stratholme or what have you being a nuisance.

[Mackud]

Though now that I am thinking of it. I suppose a Zul'drak raid in TLT is probably the more tantalizing prospect. If just so the developers can answer what was up with the giant snake in Gundrak once and for all. Not to mention it would allow them to reuse any of the iconic Scourge locations in EK like Stratholme or Scholomance for a raid.

It was cut content along with the Path of the Champions Ghostcrawler wanted so badly. It's going to be very hard to write back into with the Drakkari Trolls confirmed extinct as of Mists of Pandaria, it's just going to be another Crate of Azshara where it was planned and they started development on it, but it was permanently binned.

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The zones will probably be mostly cleansed. Just like the Western Plaguelands went back to a non scourge variant. But that doesnt mean you can't have pockets of Undead or Scourge lurking about in places like Stratholme or what have you being a nuisance.

Western Plaguelands had a Scourge presence even after the Cata revamps, do you even play the game?

It's fine forgetting minor the stuff, but forgetting Andorhal, the big farm with the Cauldron they still had up and running and the Cult of the Damned stuff, that's very cleansed.

[Wazooty]

We Know Illidan is returning at some point in 12, possibly as the new leader of the burning legion, possibly using them to fight against the void (which after all was their ultimate purpose), we know things get so bad the titans feel compelled to step in. Illidan is with the titans so....

I'm hoping in 12 we stop winning and start losing and it makes the return of the titans/illidan/legion feel warranted.

[Sondrelk]

It was cut content along with the Path of the Champions Ghostcrawler wanted so badly. It's going to be very hard to write back into with the Drakkari Trolls confirmed extinct as of Mists of Pandaria, it's just going to be another Crate of Azshara where it was planned and they started development on it, but it was permanently binned.

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Western Plaguelands had a Scourge presence, do you even play the game?

You could just say that some Troll remnants have taken up residence in Zul'drak to take whatever was left over. Or just have us go in to fight Troll ghosts or something. Point is it's there. And it's a heavy hit of nostalgia that I bet the developers want to do in some fashion.


Western Plaguelands looked like the Eastern Plaguelands look now before Cataclysm. I imagine they will do the same to the Eastern Plaguelands with maybe some pockets left.
I dunno. Just pick one or two of the small enclosed scourge strongholds in the zone and say that the Argent Crusade are still working on the last entrenched Scourge and make the rest of the zone about settlers moving back in and frictions between Forsaken and Humans who both want the same land for the same reasons. That would absolutely satisfy the requirements that the zones have changed, while still allowing them to make the story of the zone about the old Scourge issues.
Even easier. Just say that Stratholme is too big and too dangerous to be able to cleanse easily. That is basically how the plot of 22 Weeks later started with the zombies being entrenched in London.

[Cheezits]

My money is on a Stratholme/Deatholme themed raid or mega dungeon in the middle of Midnight.

[Cheezits]

Ahem, we just saw Kel'thuzad return to the game. You don't think Blizzard will build him up over Midnight for a finale in Northrend?

Darkhan makes way more sense as a Scourge villain for Midnight as does Denny and his Nathrezim IMO. I think they can get a lot of mileage with Darkhan if they go all in on his manga appearance and characterization.

If Kel comes back through the hologram I can see him teaching allied Necromancers as he isn't TOO far gone at that point.