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

[micwini]

If there is news its thursday. Tomorrow is launch for EU. Would be Pepega if there is 11.2 reveal before we even have the chance to launch the game after work

[Lady Atia]

If there is news its thursday. Tomorrow is launch for EU. Would be Pepega if there is 11.2 reveal before we even have the chance to launch the game after work

I mean, it's not like the patch has any relevance to season 3 lol.

[Reive]

If there is news its thursday. Tomorrow is launch for EU. Would be Pepega if there is 11.2 reveal before we even have the chance to launch the game after work

thursday is holiday in us. it's either tomorrow/friday or next week

[Kiivar86]

I wish theyd bring them back in and record the dialogue for posterity.
Im sure the actors wouldnt mind getting the missed paycheck(s) either.

Would definitely be nice.

I know that there's one conversation about Blizzard not recasting voice actors who are on strike, which I think is a great thing, but...

Is Eitrigg voiced using AI...? There's this very strange cadence to the way he speaks along with the same odd effect a lot of the Goblin NPC's from Undermine had. This doesn't extend to Danath or Faerin.

I would hope not, but I suppose its possible. But from what I've heard generally Blizzard's been pretty good overall with voice actors so I can't see them doing AI. I sure as hell hope not, that'd definitely cause issues.

[KyleEverett]

10.2 was announced the Wednesday after 10.1.7 launched in NA.

It simply comes down to when they want 11.2 to go live knowing they want 7 week PTRs. So 8/5 is this week, 8/12 is next week.

[Cheezits]

We will be getting a new mount bundle within a couple of days. I wonder what it could be!

I'm thinking the dragon crocodile, and it will tied to 11.2.

[Zardas]

I would hope not, but I suppose its possible. But from what I've heard generally Blizzard's been pretty good overall with voice actors so I can't see them doing AI. I sure as hell hope not, that'd definitely cause issues.

This only causes issues if they don't pay the voice actors.

[Kiivar86]

I'm thinking the dragon crocodile, and it will tied to 11.2.

What dragon crocodile is this? Or is this just something that was named in files somewhere? Got me curious!

This only causes issues if they don't pay the voice actors.

Eh, a fair amount of them have come out against the usage of AI for voicework in general so even if they get paid still I can imagine a fair amount having issues.

[Zardas]

Eh, a fair amount of them have come out against the usage of AI for voicework in general so even if they get paid still I can imagine a fair amount having issues.

Have they given their reason ? I don't see why they would have issues with getting their salary without even having to work. I can understand that they may want to do the job because it's sort of fun and it's not really something that you can do on your own, like painting or other forms of art, but it's for the cases where they can't do it anyway.

[Marlamin]

What dragon crocodile is this? Or is this just something that was named in files somewhere? Got me curious!

It is the mount version of the "CrocSunPet" model that got mistakenly shipped a while back.

[milkmustache]

What dragon crocodile is this? Or is this just something that was named in files somewhere? Got me curious!

This is what they were referring to. I'm personally still incredibly hesitant to call this a hint at 11.2 being as it was datamined on the Wrath servers in China. It's entirely possible it's something that fell through the cracks, but I personally feel it is more likely to be something for the Chinese playerbase than connected with 11.2. Happy to be wrong, just my hunch!

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It is the mount version of the "CrocSunPet" model that got mistakenly shipped a while back.

Forgot about the mount version... I'll still stick to the Chinese promo gut feeling.

[Sondrelk]

I am going to assume that the Croc is more likely something related to the Amani in Midnight, rather than 11.2.

Alternatively. Hearthstone, or other promotion not directly related to WoW. Could be a promotion for a Sun themed energy drink for all we know.

[Cheezits]

The reason I think it is the next mount bundle is because the pet was on a classic server. Recent mount bundles have had a mount in retail and pet in classic.

Also it seems to have netherwings, and the irony of K'aresh having a sun theme.

[COBRAstriker]

Thoughts on the new Arathi questline

1. The Red dawn start off promising, but before I could find myself in front of a moral dilemma regarding their motives, they're immediately turned into a parody. Bubble hearthing.. really?

2. Horde and Alliance are again completely toothless here. No tension or friction

3. This could have been the perfect moment to give Faerin some much needed character development , with Danath in a mentor role, where he could teach her about these factions, the dynamics and complexities of old world politics, a world which is new to her
But instead it's Danath who's changing into another mopey old man?

4. Danath having dialogue like "the Sons of Lothar promote tolerance and mercy"..feels so random and unnatural because nobody speaks like that in a regular conversation. Is he part of a charity org now that he's promoting it or..?

5. Faerin barely does anything. Just platitudes or nonsense at every step while we handle the busywork. Completely fails again at being an interesting character

It's.. nothing to write home about really. There's potential beneth the surface but it still feels like the writers are scared to commit to what they really want because they don't want to make players feel "uncomfy", so it ends up being pretty toothless

Would be interested to read others' thoughts

[Catastrophy349]

Wow, this new Arathi questline is complete bootycheeks

1. The Red dawn start off promising, but before I could find myself in front of a moral dilemma regarding their motives, they're immediately turned into a parody. Bubble hearthing.. really?

2. Horde and Alliance are again completely toothless here. No tension or friction

3. This could have been the perfect moment to give Faerin some much needed character development with Danath in a mentor role, where he could teach her about these factions, the dynamics and complexities of old world politics, a world which is new to her
But instead, the opposite is happening? It's Danath who's changing. Another mopey old man added to the list. Can we please get something else? My goodness

4. Why is Danath even here? He barely does anything except shower Faerin in praise and that "the Sons of Lothar promote tolerance and mercy"..his dialogue is so random and feels very unnatural too because nobody speaks like that in a regular conversation. Is he part of a charity org now and he's promoting it or..?

5. Faerin barely does anything either. Just platitudes or nonsense at every step. Completely fails again at being an interesting character

What a letdown. Though I will say that this questline did one thing well, which is to completely shatter my suspension of disbelief multiple times.
It's just so jarring to see a seasoned warrior like Danath shower in praise this new and inexperienced character all the time. What did she do exactly in this expansion..? Compare to what Danath did to earn his stripes and praise and.. what is going on with Blizzard? How is a new character that did practically nothing important deserving of so much praise?
Did they copy paste the same blunder they did with Calia?
Just wow is all I can say. And this is with Metzen at the helm? If this passes for good storytelling at Blizzard, we're done for.
This has made me a lot more weary of 11.2 and Midnight now.

11.1.7 HYPE and 11.2 HYPE!

[milkmustache]

Although I am a K'aresh truther, I still find myself wondering if the Red Dawn questline was more intentional than we expected.

I genuinely enjoyed it, and I feel that Blizzard's questing experience is getting progressively better. I know a lot are not a fan of Faerin, but I think she's a good lens for the players into the Arathi Empire which is obviously a huge part of WoW's future.

The Red Dawn seemed pretty insistent on rebuilding their idea of Arathor, so I can't help but wonder... is this a thread for Midnight that they're teasing, or are they going to subvert expectations and deliver a larger look at the forces of the Arathi Empire far earlier than expected? It'd be incredibly surprising (in a cool way) if we were to end up seeing the Arathi land in the Highlands and we get our first revamped zone as a patch.

HIGHLY unlikely as it detracts so much from The War Within, but I'm curious of the purpose and timing of the Legacy of Arathor questline.

[COBRAstriker]

11.1.7 HYPE and 11.2 HYPE!

Reworded it because I felt like I was too harsh. It's.. alright, I guess. Still bummed that it wasn't more to it. Then again it's a minor patch
Hopefully 11.2 is more.. bombastic

[Cheezits]

HIGHLY unlikely as it detracts so much from The War Within, but I'm curious of the purpose and timing of the Legacy of Arathor questline.

It reads like a very good plotline for a "Lordaeron" zone in Midnight or later.

[Joshuaj]

Although I am a K'aresh truther, I still find myself wondering if the Red Dawn questline was more intentional than we expected.

I genuinely enjoyed it, and I feel that Blizzard's questing experience is getting progressively better. I know a lot are not a fan of Faerin, but I think she's a good lens for the players into the Arathi Empire which is obviously a huge part of WoW's future.

The Red Dawn seemed pretty insistent on rebuilding their idea of Arathor, so I can't help but wonder... is this a thread for Midnight that they're teasing, or are they going to subvert expectations and deliver a larger look at the forces of the Arathi Empire far earlier than expected? It'd be incredibly surprising (in a cool way) if we were to end up seeing the Arathi land in the Highlands and we get our first revamped zone as a patch.

HIGHLY unlikely as it detracts so much from The War Within, but I'm curious of the purpose and timing of the Legacy of Arathor questline.

Starting to think a lot of things being displayed in this saga are meant to build up the next saga.

The Red Dawn and a potential ordeal in Eastern Kingdoms and possibly Kalimdor, the Arathi Empire and Avaloren, and the recent plots surrounding the Demons (Especially in the Midnight prequel book)

Makes me think the next saga might exist to kick off the next 20-30 years of Warcraft. The New Age Saga!

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It reads like a very good plotline for a "Lordaeron" zone in Midnight or later.

Still hoping we get at least a Plaguelands update in Midnight. I wanna see it be named "the Holylands" or summ

[Viridiel]

Btw does anyone think we will see Archaedas again? I think the Chronicle had specific wording that he was deactivated, not killed. Tyr was brought back from far worse. It would be interesting to have him back for TLT and I would wonder whose side he would be on. He is the only Keeper connected to Khaz'goroth.

Yeah, everything related to the earthen seemed to suggest that the finale of the expansion would be Archaedas returning and us exploring/defending the world core, but that seems really unlikely at this point. It would make a lot of sense for him to return in the Last Titan instead.

My hope is that, at the very least, we get a short questline somewhere near the end of the expansion where we travel to Uldaman to reactivate Archaedas for questioning by the Council.