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

[Alanar]

They are draconic tattoos, he explained that he got them from 'a special someone' in the Alleria short story.

Okey, I see. Maybe it will look better in game then.

I really can't tell from the art.

[Enrif]

And by the way. Blizzard always did twists that just happend without much hinting.

TBC - Kael'thas is back and brought Kil'jaeden to the Sunwell
Wrath - Putress actions at the Wrath Gate, The Argen Tournament
Cata - Benedictus was the leader of the twilight cult
MoP - Garrosh turning on the Horde
WoD - Killrogg aiding the Legion
Legion - Illidan forces the way open to Argus, Illidan killing Xe'ra, the pantheon is already dead
BfA - Sylvanas having a deal with Azhara
Shadowlands - The Soulforge below ICC being a engine to work with Zereth Mortis
DF - Iridikron givin the main ba guy role to Fyrakk for DF


And there is much more.

[Makorus]

A - Magni got super charged by a titan machine. We don't know what happend.

B - Xal wanting us there WAS her plan. She set us against the Nerubians, which just so happend to attack Dalarn once it reached Khaz Alger, convinent, huh? And the last cinematic with Alleria realizing we charged the black blood with our conflict. THATs why Xal would have wanted us there.

See, I think you are the on the right track, but you are looking at it from the completely wrong point of view.

We got sent to Khaz Algar by Azeroth, because Xalatath was there. That's the whole point of Azeroth sending us there, to stop whatever Xalatath is trying to do (corrupting/devouring the World Soul).

The Arathi have been fighting the Nerubians for almost 20 years at this point. There has been conflict without inviting the strongest heroes on Azeroth to your base of operations.

[Nightshade711]

So not only does DH get a void specc, Void Elves also get the DH class. I wonder if they plan to balance that with a Horde race getting the class too.

Classes being imbalanced with the factions isn’t anything new. It’ll be fine if only velves get DH tbh.

[Vakir]

B - Xal wanting us there WAS her plan. She set us against the Nerubians, which just so happend to attack Dalarn once it reached Khaz Alger, convinent, huh? And the last cinematic with Alleria realizing we charged the black blood with our conflict. THATs why Xal would have wanted us there.

Both of these were opportunistic pivots, not masterful plans. Her reaction to us taking Dalaran over there was sending the Nerubians.

It's not 2006 anymore, so virtually no expansion is going to be us walking through a portal or onto a boat into the next area without some bombastic, epic conflict and invasion to kick it off. (Except for the anemic-ass Dragonflight)

Same with the Blood. The harvest was continuing with or without us. The operation had to happen to repair the Dark Heart in the first place because Alleria damaged it. She wasn't counting on that. We actually delayed the plan. There's enough conflict in freaking Undermine without us being there and disrupting all her other plans.

The fact is, all that she's been doing have been speed chess adaptations to events. She'd still have more success if we didn't show up at all and the Earthen would all be fucking dead.

Come to think of it, if the plan was dragging us this far intentionally, it immediately calls into question why we keep having so many close calls if the intention is for us to win. We still wipe on content if we lose - she doesn't step in and try to stack the odds for us.

The Lich King had the excuse of Darwinism to find the most effective champions with not killing us, but Xal doesn't have that excuse here.

Same with K'aresh, by the way. She's not acting towards being pissed with Gallywix, the plan was not the Ethereals jacking it, but she's still likely taking the opportunity to nom nom up Dimensius.

[Makorus]

She wants Alleria close to her so that she can seduce her. No point showing her how good of a schemer she is if Alleria is half a planet away.

Just sent her a private DM then, geez.

I am sure Turalyon is ok to sit in the cuck chair.

[13last]

I mean, if they gave Void Elves access to Xal style eyes and tattoos, they'd be just fine.

Man I hope they give us more eye options like Xal, more customizations in general would be so nice, it's probably gonna happen at some point but I hope they work on the selection screen UI as well, it's do cluttered, picking allied races just feels off somehow.

[Makorus]

Both of these were opportunistic pivots, not masterful plans. Her reaction to us taking Dalaran over there was sending the Nerubians.

It's not 2006 anymore, so virtually no expansion is going to be us walking through a portal or onto a boat into the next area without some bombastic, epic conflict and invasion to kick it off. (Except for the anemic-ass Dragonflight)

Same with the Blood. The harvest was continuing with or without us. The operation had to happen to repair the Dark Heart in the first place because Alleria damaged it. There's enough conflict in freaking Undermine without us being there and disrupting all her other plans.

The fact is, all that she's been doing have been speed chess adaptations to events. She'd still have more success if we didn't show up at all and the Earthen would all be fucking dead.

Come to think of it, if the plan was dragging us this far intentionally, it immediately calls into question why we keep having so many close calls if the intention is for us to win. We still wipe on content if we lose - she doesn't step in and try to stack the odds for us.

The Lich King had the excuse of Darwinism to find the most effective champions with not killing us, but Xal doesn't have that excuse here.

Same with K'aresh, by the way. She's not acting towards being pissed with Gallywix, the plan was not the Ethereals jacking it, but she's still likely taking the opportunity to nom nom up Dimensius.

Her plan also entirely hinges on Alleria being completely irrational, and Anduin not getting his powers back until after she is taken care of.

It's a weird gambit.

[Enrif]

??? What about it?

Her original gambit was getting the Nerubians to rise up and attack the upper, less amenable forces (the Arathi, the Earthen) because they effectively stood in the way of her doing things like draining power from Beledar or easily accessing the Worldsoul. Then as she was starting this plan (getting Ansurek to usurp her mother and empowering the Nerubians with Black Blood, simultaneously making them more obedient to her will) it became clear that Azeroth was warning champions, so she slipped into Dalaran to undermine our efforts to show up and help, by disabling the city defenses so that as soon as we arrived the Nerubians could ambush the city.

i really wonder if people actually pay notice to the story

https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/A_Light_in_the_Dark

Xal'atath: I've watched you break worlds, overthrow gods. Even the realm of death couldn't hold you. Your hunger for violence is insatiable.

Alleria Windrunner: You lured us here, unleashed us upon the Nerubians.

Xal'atath: All to fuel the Black Blood's power. My power.

- - - Updated - - -

See, I think you are the on the right track, but you are looking at it from the completely wrong point of view.

We got sent to Khaz Algar by Azeroth, because Xalatath was there. That's the whole point of Azeroth sending us there, to stop whatever Xalatath is trying to do (corrupting/devouring the World Soul).

The Arathi have been fighting the Nerubians for almost 20 years at this point. There has been conflict without inviting the strongest heroes on Azeroth to your base of operations.

sighh.... must i repeat

Xal'atath: I've watched you break worlds, overthrow gods. Even the realm of death couldn't hold you. Your hunger for violence is insatiable.
Alleria Windrunner: You lured us here, unleashed us upon the Nerubians.
Xal'atath: All to fuel the Black Blood's power. My power.

[Makorus]

i really wonder if people actually pay notice to the story

https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/A_Light_in_the_Dark

Yeah and that line is never expanded on, and makes no sense.

How does it "fuel" the Black Bloods power? What does it mean? Nothing about the Black Blood being "empowered" by fighting is ever mentioned outside of this one cutscene. The Arathi have been fighting Nerubians for decades, and us being there for like a week is the crux of it?

It's a weird line that makes absolutely no sense.

I honestly think they made a mistake in the script and it was supposed to say "Dark Heart". Especially because it plays a cutscene of Dalaran being destroyed as that is brought up.

[Hitei]

i really wonder if people actually pay notice to the story

This is about her actions after arrival, not getting them there in the first place. Xal'atath wasn't conjuring massive echoes of Azeroth's memories across three continents and hitting people all over the entire planet with visions about danger. She wasn't sending identical visions to Anduin and Orweyna, who was being told directly to subvert the Black Blood.

We got warned by Azeroth, and called there by Azeroth. Xal hamstrung us while using our presence to her advantage.

[Khaza-R]

I think the whole black blood thing was perhaps the original plot point they abandoned along with the 5th Old God thing and the Unseeming.

I mean it could all come back in the future. Seems unlikely though as it was Xal's original plan but the Ethereals inadvertently set her on a different path now.

[Makorus]

I think the whole black blood thing was perhaps the original plot point they abandoned along with the 5th Old God thing and the Unseeming.

I mean it could all come back in the future. Seems unlikely though as it was Xal's original plan but the Ethereals inadvertently set her on a different path now.

It's weird, they made a big deal out of the Black Blood stuff at Blizzcon... but it's kind of irrelevant? It's used to fix the heart, and allegedly empowers the Heart, but no one tells us... why she is mining all this blood. No one even knew it could be weaponised until Undermine.

All it was really used for was to ascend the Nerubians.

[Vakir]

Yeah, are we also supposed to believe the entire pre-event was Xal sending Azerite-looking holograms of nostalgia bait bosses? That are specifically labeled planet memories?

How about the Radiant Echo encounters? Are those Xal'atath too?

None of the twists you listed were contradicted in the game like this.

[Raetary]

Okey, I see. Maybe it will look better in game then.

I really can't tell from the art.

It does look like ribbons though.

I also was confused until i remembered the short story.

[Enrif]

This is about her actions after arrival, not getting them there in the first place.

please. go back and look at all. HOW does Xal act all the time until Alleria finally gets a grip on herself? Like she toyed with Alleria in Dalaran, and then later in Ajz'Kahet? How Xal baits Alleria into firing at Ansurek? How Xal was obviosuly done with her plan with Ansurek after the raid?

Sure, let's pretentd Xal'atath is playing defensivly. Then she would have been the worst manipulator ever. But it is more likely, every was going to her plan until Alleria was able to damage the dark heart.

[Eldryth]

I think the whole black blood thing was perhaps the original plot point they abandoned along with the 5th Old God thing and the Unseeming.

I mean it could all come back in the future. Seems unlikely though as it was Xal's original plan but the Ethereals inadvertently set her on a different path now.

I could see her using it for a season in Midnight to give us more variety than just the Cosmic Void.

A season of Black Blood and Old God-like enemies, maybe a season of Void Undead led by Dar'khan, and full Cosmic Void for the final showdown with Xal'atath (assuming there's no Light antagonist tier twist).

[Enrif]

Yeah, are we also supposed to believe the entire pre-event was Xal sending Azerite-looking holograms of nostalgia bait bosses? That are specifically labeled planet memories?

How about the Radiant Echo encounters? Are those Xal'atath too?

None of the twists you listed were contradicted in the game like this.

Well, those could be Azeroth. I never claimed that EVERYTHING is from Xal. The Echoes could actually be the true power of Azeroth, same as Magni giving live to the earthen. It is not an either/or situation. Xal could use the radiant song to lure people, meanwhile Azeroth tries to actually connect to us through the echoes.

[Makorus]

That's a lot of stipulations for a theory to make sense.

[Vakir]

Sure, let's pretentd Xal'atath is playing defensivly. Then she would have been the worst manipulator ever. But it is more likely, every was going to her plan until Alleria was able to damage the dark heart.

How?

How does that make her look like a bad manipulator?

If she has no way to stop a sentient planet sending Her most powerful champions to stop her, the next best thing she can do is impersonate a dead guy to erode the defenses of the city they took to take it down with her army and go from there.

A character adapting to something doesn't make them a less effective manipulator, because a character that's completely omnipotent is boring and devalues other characters. Her responding to make it work for her is her entire M.O. Again, K'aresh wasn't the plan, but she's still probably thinking fast to get the better from it.

If you have a character that's never defensive, you get another Sylvanas, who was defined by being smart by making everyone around her a drooling buffoon and made her entire central arc very tiresome.

Sometimes David Xanatos or Johan Liebert need to change plans on the fly.