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

[Makorus]

Didn't they say right off the bat there wouldn't be a s4? Perhaps I'm misremembering.

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What is this? This is the first I've heard of this.

I don't think they explicitly said it, the last thing we heard about Fated Raids was

Michael Bybee:
Maybe if you continue to like them, we'll continue to do them. Those are the kinds of things that we really like, that absolutely comes from player feedback. If it's the kind of thing that if everybody hates, and they really just do not want to do that in season 4, you probably won't see it again. But we got a lot of positive feedback from the Shadowlands version and so we're really excited about the Awakened Raids in season 4 and the way the rotation is going to work. I think if players continue to find that to be interesting, we'll continue to do that sort of thing.

which was before DF S4 even happened, and the way they were received, I genuinely don't see it happening. Plus, it's not on the Roadmap.

They teased another gamemode at PAX.

We don't know what it is. (50:27)

[Enrif]

When people are speculating in the speculation thread:

There was the fact that the timeline before release just didn't make any sense, we've had Millions of conflicting years, like the expeditions leaving 15 years ago, but also the Arathi fighting in Hallowfall for centuries.

The Arathi are not fighting in Hallowfall for centuries. They are there since Faerin was a child. About 15 years ago.

[Capivara]

hey, do you think we already seeing Yrel and the army of light in the next exp or it will take longer, like in another exp before the world soul saga?

[Makorus]

The Arathi are not fighting in Hallowfall for centuries. They are there since Faerin was a child. About 15 years ago.

Except it used to say that before release.

Lit by a massive crystal at its center, this bright underground zone is home to the Arathi, a human tribe who have battled against nerubians for centuries.

We had 15 years during the Beta, but also another quest saying 10 years during the Beta, and the website stating they were fighting Nerubians for centuries. Granted, the centuries thing was fixed relatively quickly, however the fact that that was there, and there was such a huge discrepancy between timelines obviously meant there was some humming and hawing during the conceptual period.

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hey, do you think we already seeing Yrel and the army of light in the next exp or it will take longer, like in another exp before the world soul saga?

Yrel feels filler enough that we could see her in an 12.1, if they go the "light bad" angle.

[Kiivar86]

The Arathi are not fighting in Hallowfall for centuries. They are there since Faerin was a child. About 15 years ago.

To be fair, there was a change in the lore at some point pre-release.

The site for TWW originally said this for Hallowfall: "Lit by a massive crystal at its center, this bright underground zone is home to the Arathi, a human tribe who have battled against nerubians for centuries." It was changed on November 17, 2023 to "Lit by a massive crystal at its center, this bright underground zone is home to the Arathi who are engaged in a continuing battle against the nerubians".

It is probably a safe bet that originally Hallowfall was not where the Hallowfall Arathi ended up but rather where they originated.

[Dracullus]

What is this? This is the first I've heard of this.

https://www.wowhead.com/news/mysteri...e-patch-376809

[Dvalin]

Except it used to say that before release.



We had 15 years during the Beta, but also another quest saying 10 years during the Beta, and the website stating they were fighting Nerubians for centuries. Granted, the centuries thing was fixed relatively quickly, however the fact that that was there, and there was such a huge discrepancy between timelines obviously meant there was some humming and hawing during the conceptual period.

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Yrel feels filler enough that we could see her in an 12.1, if they go the "light bad" angle.

The bit on the website was changed. It's no longer relevant, probably a leftover from early development.

[Joshuaj]

Don't you think Avaloren would be wasted on patch content?

Yeah, it would...

I namely argue it cause the Worldsoul Saga's expacs are all being developed simultaneously, so it makes me wonder if the patch content for Midnight's gonna be much more intense compared to past content.

At the very least, I do like the idea of us having an Arathi/Light themed raid for 12.1.

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Would also kinda mirror Season of Discovery's Scarlet Crusade raid.

[Capivara]

Yrel feels filler enough that we could see her in an 12.1, if they go the "light bad" angle.

maybe we start tu suffer huge losses against the void, yrel and the light army appears to help us but in the end start torturing people to force the light and we turn agains them? later we have to reconquer the belf magic foutain not from void but from light?

[Darkarath]

I do wonder why Blizzard chose to say that the Arathi have been in Hallowfall just for 15 years. It's not a lot of time, but the amount of stuff and the scale of what they have built there is insane.

It's the first time that I read about this theory of the Arathi being moved through time to Hallowfall. Maybe after the WSS we would go with them to their lands just to find nothing of their Empire, and we help them build it through various expansions.

Honestly, while an interesting theory, I hope that this is not the case. I profoundly dislike dealing with Death, Time or Parallel Universes in any saga. Unless the author has amazing talent, such themes are bound to create many problems within the lore.

WoD was a disaster lore-wise. Shadowlands killed any interest in the lore and only now is starting to look somewhat better. Blizzard is not capable to deal with such themes, so I hope that they stay away from them. Moreover, I just think that it would be way more interesting to visit an Empire of Light as the Arathi in all its splendor.

[Makorus]

The bit on the website was changed. It's no longer relevant, probably a leftover from early development.

That's literally what I said.

[Joshuaj]

The bit on the website was changed. It's no longer relevant, probably a leftover from early development.

I just think it was poorly worded lol

[Makorus]

I do wonder why Blizzard chose to say that the Arathi have been in Hallowfall just for 15 years. It's not a lot of time, but the amount of stuff and the scale of what they have built there is insane.

It's the first time that I read about this theory of the Arathi being moved through time to Hallowfall. Maybe after the WSS we would go with them to their lands just to find nothing of their Empire, and we help them build it through various expansions.

Honestly, while an interesting theory, I hope that this is not the case. I profoundly dislike dealing with Death, Time or Parallel Universes in any saga. Unless the author has amazing talent, such themes are bound to create many problems within the lore.

WoD was a disaster lore-wise. Shadowlands killed any interest in the lore and only now is starting to look somewhat better. Blizzard is not capable to deal with such themes, so I hope that they stay away from them. Moreover, I just think that it would be way more interesting to visit an Empire of Light as the Arathi in all its splendor.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I think they definitely had a time-travel thing in mind for Hallowfall, but it's most definitely dropped, and I think the Hallowfall Arathi inviting us over to meet the empire in it's full splendor would hit harder than yet another crumbling empire overtaken by a bad faction.

It's also a cool dynamic to have an actual, incredibly strong powerhouse of an Empire against us rather than remnants of a former kingdom.

They have been dropping hints at how the Empire probably won't really like us, and the Hallowfall Arathi only tolerate us because... they have to?

[milkmustache]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I think they definitely had a time-travel thing in mind for Hallowfall, but it's most definitely dropped, and I think the Hallowfall Arathi inviting us over to meet the empire in it's full splendor would hit harder than yet another crumbling empire overtaken by a bad faction.

It's also a cool dynamic to have an actual, incredibly strong powerhouse of an Empire against us rather than remnants of a former kingdom.

They have been dropping hints at how the Empire probably won't really like us, and the Hallowfall Arathi only tolerate us because... they have to?

Totally agree. It's a great, great change of pace for us to find not only a vast thriving empire, but finding it on the other side of Azeroth. Not to mention the implications against the Titans that it brings to the players. Actually, I wouldn't be too surprised if we go there immediately after TLT ends, assuming we end it with a world unaffected by Titan installations and purview.

The Arathi remind me of how I wished there were a lot more of the Gorian Empire in WoD. It was really cool to see the ogres not just as mound dwelling clans, but a Roman-esque magic society with some pure brutality behind them.

It'll be a great ego check to the players to show up somewhere and not lauded as heros. Now, I fully expect us to resolve that somehow, whether it's aiding a rebellion or waging war lol, but the initial meeting has great potential.

[Nymrohd]

They have been dropping hints at how the Empire probably won't really like us, and the Hallowfall Arathi only tolerate us because... they have to?

They've been fairly direct about it. The Empire is clearly an antagonist. I fully expect we arrive at Avaloren to find they are fascist xenophobic colonialists that have enslaved many of the locals and are at war with the rest of them. We will align with a rebel faction plus three more local factions consisting of three local races with distinct cultures and thematic assets that have been resisting the Empire, resolving internal disputes (four launch Renowns & launch raid and dungeons), then form a resistance (x.1 Renown) to take the fight to the Empire (S2 raid) only to find out some greater enemy that will reveal itself and get defeated later (S3 raid)
Because yes, it is THAT formulaic.

[Cheezits]

Because yes, it is THAT formulaic.

Hence why Metzen likely scrapped it or totally reworked it for the future, per Kotick's comments. It was generic and not good enough for the current state WoW is in.

[Nymrohd]

Hence why Metzen likely scrapped it or totally reworked it for the future, per Kotick's comments. It was generic and not good enough for the current state WoW is in.

He may have improved the story and better linked it to existing lore. It will still be formulaic because the way the gameplay is, it demands 4-5 renown factions, it demands a raid and dungeons that are woven into the storyline.

[Nibelheimy]

I'm looking forward to seeing the Arathi Empire but I Hope it's a saga on its own.

The empire could be big enough to span multiple continents on its own, and would give Blizzard a chance to make some really interesting new cultures. If we have the empire as the overarching antagonist for a few expansions they can make us side with or against varied new species depending on their allegiances.

[Cheezits]

He may have improved the story and better linked it to existing lore. It will still be formulaic because the way the gameplay is, it demands 4-5 renown factions, it demands a raid and dungeons that are woven into the storyline.

Eh, say what you will about TWWs disjointed storyline but it showed to me that things are less likely to be generic. Even Floodgate and Aldani are interesting as they don't hit the usual tropes (Floodgate doesn't matter to the story, Aldani takes place after the raid).

Also, LoU... really isn't tied to the story that much. Moreso the zone.

[Capivara]

I'm looking forward to seeing the Arathi Empire but I Hope it's a saga on its own.

The empire could be big enough to span multiple continents on its own, and would give Blizzard a chance to make some really interesting new cultures. If we have the empire as the overarching antagonist for a few expansions they can make us side with or against varied new species depending on their allegiances.

it would be really nice if they showed a giant map the size of the EK or KALINDOR but just 2-3 maps was available and they start releasing more and more with coming exp.