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

[hattahat]

I've long thought that the final season of the War Within would revolve around the core of Azeroth, and now with the name Worldcore being revealed, that idea felt even more plausible. That's why I didn’t think an Ethereal raid would really fit thematically. I always figured K’aresh and Dimensius would be part of the Worldsoul Saga, sure, but more likely during Midnight. My guess was that we’d go to K’aresh mid-expansion in Midnight, and Dimensius would be the final boss there.

But lately, with the way things are shaping up, the idea of an Ethereal raid in TWW Season 3 is starting to look a lot more likely. So I started thinking—what if Worldcore could also tie into the Ethereals' story in a way that makes sense?

Here’s the idea: the Ethereals, led by phase-thief Azir, are trying to extract Azeroth’s essence and contain it within the Dark Heart, with the ultimate goal of transferring it to K’aresh.

K’aresh did once have a world-soul, but it was consumed—likely by Dimensius the All-Devouring. So Dimensius didn’t just destroy K’aresh; he devoured its world-soul entirely.

Now, the Ethereals are desperately trying to revive their empty, hollow world. They’ve been searching for another world-soul to replace the one they lost—and they’ve learned about Azeroth and the Dark Heart, which can absorb and store everything.

So maybe the final raid is about the Ethereals heading into the Worldcore to steal Azeroth’s essence and seal it in the Dark Heart. Of course, there's still plenty of room for twists—like Xal’atath pulling strings again and becoming the final boss—but I could really see the Ethereals' plan being a major part of the narrative.

[Dracullus]

snip

Yeah, make sense. Ethereals going for Azeroth to fix their world, Xalatath ultimately winning TWW by one strike while we are busy fighting. Big question is why Xalatath would need Sunwell after that. Or maybe it will be just our last stand?

Perspective of going to space instead of core in underground expansion is really weird. Especially when Amani-Sunwell-Karesh trio would fit so well in Midnight, just like Rootlands/Worldcore for TWW.

[hattahat]

Or maybe it will be just our last stand?

That’s exactly how I see it too.

I once wrote up a plot idea for Midnight, where the end of The War Within has Azeroth engulfed in darkness, leading us to make a final stand at the Sunwell — a bastion of Light. The Void would strike there as well, attempting to extinguish the last light.

Then, by the end of Midnight, we somehow succeed in infusing Azeroth with Light, restoring the balance between Light and Void. But doing so breaks Azeroth away from its path toward titanization. That anomaly catches the attention of the Titan Pantheon, who finally arrive — and that's where The Last Titan begins, with the Pantheon turning hostile.

[Joshuaj]

I've long thought that the final season of the War Within would revolve around the core of Azeroth, and now with the name Worldcore being revealed, that idea felt even more plausible. That's why I didn’t think an Ethereal raid would really fit thematically. I always figured K’aresh and Dimensius would be part of the Worldsoul Saga, sure, but more likely during Midnight. My guess was that we’d go to K’aresh mid-expansion in Midnight, and Dimensius would be the final boss there.

But lately, with the way things are shaping up, the idea of an Ethereal raid in TWW Season 3 is starting to look a lot more likely. So I started thinking—what if Worldcore could also tie into the Ethereals' story in a way that makes sense?

Here’s the idea: the Ethereals, led by phase-thief Azir, are trying to extract Azeroth’s essence and contain it within the Dark Heart, with the ultimate goal of transferring it to K’aresh.

K’aresh did once have a world-soul, but it was consumed—likely by Dimensius the All-Devouring. So Dimensius didn’t just destroy K’aresh; he devoured its world-soul entirely.

Now, the Ethereals are desperately trying to revive their empty, hollow world. They’ve been searching for another world-soul to replace the one they lost—and they’ve learned about Azeroth and the Dark Heart, which can absorb and store everything.

So maybe the final raid is about the Ethereals heading into the Worldcore to steal Azeroth’s essence and seal it in the Dark Heart. Of course, there's still plenty of room for twists—like Xal’atath pulling strings again and becoming the final boss—but I could really see the Ethereals' plan being a major part of the narrative.

Ohhh wait, the idea of the Ethereals trying to transfer Azeroths soul to K'aresh is honestly really cool. Dunno why I didn't think of this before.

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Yeah, make sense. Ethereals going for Azeroth to fix their world, Xalatath ultimately winning TWW by one strike while we are busy fighting. Big question is why Xalatath would need Sunwell after that. Or maybe it will be just our last stand?

Perspective of going to space instead of core in underground expansion is really weird. Especially when Amani-Sunwell-Karesh trio would fit so well in Midnight, just like Rootlands/Worldcore for TWW.

My assumption is this:

Nerubian-Goblin-Elun'ahir (With the Black Blood corrupting the roots and the Ethereals attempting to use the Dark Heart to project Azeroths lifeforce to K'aresh)

Amani-Sunwell-K'aresh (With us aiding the Light at K'aresh, and facing Dimensius once and for all. Xe'ra also returns but in some type of true form, as I believe the Naaru are Light Lords within smaller host bodies. She and Dimensius clash and either killed eachother or something like that).

Helya-Titans-Iridikron (With us defeating Iridikron in the end, and the Titans eventually leaving Azeroth for good).

[Cheezits]

Karesh in TWW would make the end of Midnight WAY less predictable so I'm all for it.

TWW could still end with Rootlands but casuals are going be very confused after the Karesh tease.

[Joshuaj]

Karesh in TWW would make the end of Midnight WAY less predictable so I'm all for it.

TWW could still end with Rootlands but casuals are going be very confused after the Karesh tease.

I mean, K'aresh itself could always be saved for later. Maybe that's Dimensius' foothold for the Beyond or something? For the end of Midnight, it could always start at K'aresh, and finish off in the Void or in an area where the realms of Light and Shadow clash.

The Ethereals using the Dark Heart to transverse Azeroth's soul to K'aresh would make for a unique story, and it would keep with the whole "we're going to the core of Azeroth" stuff for TWW.

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Like, imagine the end of Midnight:

True Form Xe'ra Vs True Form Dimensius! Light Mother Vs All Devouring!

Yes, I'm pushing the whole "Naaru are small host forms of the Light Lords" agenda. The Naaru suck rn and they kinda need a win, cause let's face it, Light and Shadow have been hyped up a ton, and so far only the Void's been living up to it.

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"How would you explain the Void God state then?"

Simple. They used captured Void entities to create these vessels of Light. So, when a Naaru is drained of their power or so, the Light Lord loses control of the vessel, and the Void entity reawakens. Hence why M'uru becomes Entropius, etc.

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As for what Void Gods actually are? Probably the Void Lords' greatest champions or heralds.

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God, I really hope Xe'ra kinda hid the truth from a lot of people, and that the Naaru are simply host bodies of greater entities of Light.

[Khaza-R]

Karesh in TWW would make the end of Midnight WAY less predictable so I'm all for it.

TWW could still end with Rootlands but casuals are going be very confused after the Karesh tease.

Yes and people need to remember that K'aresh being the finale of Midnight is just a popular fan theory and nothing more. Blizzard has said nothing indicating Dimensius is even the big bad of MN.

[Cheezits]

The different cosmic ideas are good but they aren't going to work unless there's decent locales that offer a variety of aesthetics to play with in each zone(s). Khaz Algar worked well + Undermine and ESPECIALLY if they do Karesh, as Rootlands is so immediately derivative (even in lore) of Amirdrassil. Midnight is great as it has areas that seriously needed a revamp plus a variety of themes in North EK, even if they stretch it to Draenei and Naga, despite it being "Void Legion".

I think TLT/Northrend 2 is going to be a harder sell because of no Arthas regardless of the gravitas of the plot. It will take something interesting to mature Northrend fun for 2-3 patches and Class Halls would likely do it.

[Joshuaj]

Yes and people need to remember that K'aresh being the finale of Midnight is just a popular fan theory and nothing more. Blizzard has said nothing indicating Dimensius is even the big bad of MN.

While K'aresh being the last patch is debatable, why do y'all think Dimensius might not be the big bad of Midnight?

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The vision in Prophets Lesson, the whole point of Renilash, and the very beginning of TWW hint at us having a final conflict with Dimensius.

[Cheezits]

Dimensius and Azshara are the only ones who fit final boss territory for Void and Quelthalas unless they pull a switch on us and it is Darkhan. Maybe taking Xals place as a herald if she has "failed".

Azshara would be wasted this early.

[Joshuaj]

Dimensius and Azshara are the only ones who fit final boss territory for Void and Quelthalas unless they pull a switch on us and it is Darkhan.

Azshara would be wasted this early.

I think Azshara will be the mid expansion boss, similar to how she was in BFA. I really doubt she'll end up being the final boss of Midnight.

Dimensius is just perfect.

[Tiradon]

While K'aresh being the last patch is debatable, why do y'all think Dimensius might not be the big bad of Midnight?

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The vision in Prophets Lesson, the whole point of Renilash, and the very beginning of TWW hint at us having a final conflict with Dimensius.

I don't think we can draw any conclusions until we see the next patch and what happens there by the end... Nobody expected the post credits in Undermine patch either, but sure we knew we were going to fight something "purple" by the end of the expansion

[Cheezits]

I don't think we can draw any conclusions until we see the next patch and what happens there by the end... Nobody expected the post credits in Undermine patch either, but sure we knew we were going to fight something "purple" by the end of the expansion

Final boss has to be Xal, I don't think anything else would work. Maybe a Sylvanas-style struggle fight with her for the dark heart on Karesh.

[Khaza-R]

While K'aresh being the last patch is debatable, why do y'all think Dimensius might not be the big bad of Midnight?

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The vision in Prophets Lesson, the whole point of Renilash, and the very beginning of TWW hint at us having a final conflict with Dimensius.

I didn't say it wasn't going to be Dimensius.

But all they said is that the Void invades in 12.0 which is very ambigious. Dimensius might just be a plot device like Sargeras was in Legion and not actual a boss we face. Or maybe he's a red herring and some other Void Lord has been conspiring for Azeroth's worldsoul. Or maybe Azshara, LW or Xal used the Darkheart and take all his power.

There are several ways that can happen and further unfold.

[Tiradon]

Final boss has to be Xal, I don't think anything else would work. Maybe a Sylvanas-style struggle fight with her for the dark heart on Karesh.

Yeah I think this most likely will happen since we have't faced her yet.

But what if she is the boss until final phase or something along those lines, making her the "boss" and not ending up killing her after the Sylvanas riot, I doubt people wouldn't be banging on Blizzard door.

I do think we will fight her, but it will be with something in between in phases.. Or she is the boss before the final raid boss

[Joshuaj]

I didn't say it wasn't going to be Dimensius.

But all they said is that the Void invades in 12.0 which is very ambigious. Dimensius might just be a plot device like Sargeras was in Legion and not actual a boss we face. Or maybe he's a red herring and some other Void Lord has been conspiring for Azeroth's worldsoul. Or maybe Azshara, LW or Xal used the Darkheart and take all his power.

There are several ways that can happen and further unfold.

Sargeras was the big bad of Legion, we just didn't fight him ourselves.

Dimensius can be the big bad of Midnight, though whether or not we actually fight him is unknown.

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I don't think we can draw any conclusions until we see the next patch and what happens there by the end... Nobody expected the post credits in Undermine patch either, but sure we knew we were going to fight something "purple" by the end of the expansion

Tbf here, K'aresh appearing was shocking cause it's reveal wasn't built up, while Dimensius has been hinted at for the longest time now.

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Sargeras, Zovaal, and Dimensius. The Dark Trinity's been built up in some way.

By Dark Trinity, I don't mean "oh yeah, they're working together" lol. I mean that as in "these are the 3 Major Dark Lords of Warcraft".

[Darkarath]

Sargeras was the big bad of Legion, we just didn't fight him ourselves.

Dimensius can be the big bad of Midnight, though whether or not we actually fight him is unknown.

Dimensius is like Sargeras. Unless we fight an Avatar / Essence / Shard of Dimensius, he would crush us without noticing.

Tbf here, K'aresh appearing was shocking cause it's reveal wasn't built up, while Dimensius has been hinted at for the longest time now.

Not really. The Ethereals have been slowly but steadily built for years, definitively more than the Rootlands, which did not exist before TWW (actually, I don't even know if they have been mentioned in the game. Maybe they don't exist at all). But I agree that 11.1 end cinematic was not expected at all, at least not by me.

Sargeras, Zovaal, and Dimensius. The Dark Trinity's been built up in some way.

Zovaal built? I don't think so. There is a reason (or many) for being the most irrelevant and disliked villain of Warcraft.

[Cheezits]

Yeah I think this most likely will happen since we have't faced her yet.

But what if she is the boss until final phase or something along those lines, making her the "boss" and not ending up killing her after the Sylvanas riot, I doubt people wouldn't be banging on Blizzard door.

People were mad about Sylvanas for a lot of reasons. Not only have they spoiled that Xal will be in the whole saga, but I don't think people will mind Xal sticking around or winning a boss fight as she is a fun villain who faces setbacks and acts like a real person instead of megasmug Sylvy who always wins and never dies to the point people think there's a studio conspiracy going on.

Meanwhile Xal has constantly lost since the end of the launch campaign.

[Joshuaj]

Dimensius is like Sargeras. Unless we fight an Avatar / Essence / Shard of Dimensius, he would crush us without noticing.



Not really. The Ethereals have been slowly but steadily built for years, definitively more than the Rootlands, which did not exist before TWW (actually, I don't even know if they have been mentioned in the game. Maybe they don't exist at all). But I agree that 11.1 end cinematic was not expected at all, at least not by me.



Zovaal built? I don't think so. There is a reason (or many) for being the most irrelevant and disliked villain of Warcraft.

Battle for Azeroth hinted at him is what I mean. Ik the character himself wasn't planned in Wrath or anything like that.

Sargeras was a different case due to his size. But with current lore? You can easily make an excuse for us to fight him. Dimensius might not be nearly as big, and it's not like we haven't fought a Titan level being at full power before *Looks at Zovaal*

As for Dimensius being built up, he was in TBC, and tho they likely didn't fully realize it would be him, Blizzard did hint at us eventually fighting an all consuming darkness with the forces of the Light, either on Azeroth or elsewhere.

[Cheezits]

As for Dimensius being built up, he was in TBC, and tho they likely didn't fully realize it would be him, Blizzard did hint at us eventually fighting an all consuming darkness with the forces of the Light, either on Azeroth or elsewhere.

If next patch is Karesh it will be all about building him up as well as getting casuals up to speed on Ethereals.

Which is why it makes more sense for the patch to be Karesh instead of Rootlands with Dimensius being introduced in a midpatch cutscene or something.