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

[Santandame]

Send your complaints to Taliesin, Evitel, Bellular, mrMG and Azmongold because they all made the same comparisons when DF was revealed. You're getting so bent out of shape just because I said "DF gives Northrend vibes.

No. You literally said that Waking Shores is pretty much exactly the same as Borean Tundra. You also said the same for Thaldraszuz and Dragonblight, and Ohnara Plains and Sholazar. The only one you were remotely close with was Azure Span and Grizzly Hills.

[Chickat]

I think that it is not fair to compare DF's plot and impact to other expansions. Hell, we are not in 10.2 yet. What happened in other expansions until their first patch? Sure some of them had more meat than DF, but we should wait and see.

I am pretty sure that DF will have a WTF moment. Our Buddy Fyrakk is, IMO, at the moment, the most powerful Dragon in history (apart from Galakrond), even more powerful that the Aspects in their prime.

The Incarnates are a type of VERY welcomed villains. We can empathize with a villain from the first time in how long?

Finally, I feel that DF's plot is important, if not amazing, and clearly narratively very poorly put together. But by the end of 10.3 (yes, now I firmly believe that we will have one), we will no longer see the Titans and its Keepers as allies. Which will be interesting because that position would affect our relation with Iridikron.

I just cannot see us being buddies with the Titans after DF.

I doubt hes more powerful than old god juiced demon soul aspect empowered Deathwing.

[Lolites]

There's no way they'll release a big raid so close to Fated Season and delay 11.0.

... you do realise there is nothing that would confirm we will have fated season in DF?

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Chris Metzen // CEO of Blizz — ANYONE ! If you read this, please think of having a proper 10.3 with a new raid (at the least) & some new dailies or some form of daily/weekly content… INSTEAD OF A FATED SEASON.

Fated is so boring and is going to kill the game long-term x_X — please add more content to each expac vs just two major updates :// it hurts the story continuity SO much… — <3 Loregirl126*

did you (and other guys ofc) COMPLETELY miss the point of fated season? we didnt get it instead of new tier we got it instead of CONTENT DROUGHT...

[Sondrelk]

Honestly they could do 11.0 in March/April 2025 and have a full incredible patch cycle all the way to 10.3.9 with the .9 being the fated patch 3-4 months before 11.0.

Idc either way as long as 11.0 is good and we dont have to wait more than 7 or 8 months with 0 content.

Or we could have the usual post expansion drought with 10.3 releasing somewhere decently early in 2024.
10.2 November. 10.2.5 early January. 10.2.7 Late February/early March. 10.3 sometime in May. 10.3.5 later than other patches late summer, maybe August just to bring Fated raids. 11.0 late November/early December.

We don't have to go back to late summer releases. It's not like that timeslot was the key to good expansions somehow.

[Shadowferal]

November wouldn't surprise me. All those routinely canceled subscriptions coming back for the holidays...and a nice boost in revenue for Blizz.

[Chickat]

Or we could have the usual post expansion drought with 10.3 releasing somewhere decently early in 2024.
10.2 November. 10.2.5 early January. 10.2.7 Late February/early March. 10.3 sometime in May. 10.3.5 later than other patches late summer, maybe August just to bring Fated raids. 11.0 late November/early December.

We don't have to go back to late summer releases. It's not like that timeslot was the key to good expansions somehow.

The earliest they could really do 10.3 is April, and May is more realistic imo unless they cut 10.2.5 or 10.2.7. That leaves no room really for 10.3.5 or 7 and a short drought before 11.0 and also no realistic room for a fated season. Its messy either way. There really seems to be no perfect solution.

I wonder if they will go back to 3 month patches instead of 2 in 11.0.

[Sondrelk]

The earliest they could really do 10.3 is April, and May is more realistic imo unless they cut 10.2.5 or 10.2.7. That leaves no room really for 10.3.5 or 7 and a short drought before 11.0 and also no realistic room for a fated season. Its messy either way. There really seems to be no perfect solution.

I wonder if they will go back to 3 month patches instead of 2 in 11.0.

10.3.7 is almost certainly going to be cut I imagine. 10.3.5 will probably be there just to have some post raid fixes and QoL changes, as well as Fated raid which should function both as a soft raid nerf, and some easy extra content.

There is also the possibility of less content in future .5 and .7 patches, meaning a possibility of a more expedient, or at least more consistent path cadence between the major patches.

[Varodoc]

I'm betting all the bronze time shenanigans will pull yrel to our timeline.

I'm also betting that her lightbound and the remnants of the scarlet crusade will join forces, given the two are fanatical light zealots.

11.0 will take place in Karesh

Karesh is a blasted wasteland that was devoured by a manifested Void Lord, Dimensius. It is basically Outland but even more ruined and hopeless.

Outland was not very well-received by players. Players praised Nagrand and the originality of Zangarmarsh, but they also criticised how ruined and blasted and just depressing every other zone looked.

Since then, Blizzard has toned down the depressing zones and has been making continents teeming with life and light. Argus, an even worse wasteland than Outland, was relegated to a patch; and even then, one of the three zones was teeming with alien flora (Eredath). Even the Shadowlands which, for all intents and purposes, should be depressing and dark (as the literal afterlife), were mostly teeming with life and flora, with only Maldraxxus and the Maw being depressing and ugly places.

Karesh only makes sense as Outland-but-worse, as Argus 2.0, because it was literally consumed by a Void Lord, the greatest threat that the Physical universe has ever known. There will not be surviving civilizations or flora left in the wake of a Void Lord. So, Karesh cannot carry entire expansion on its own. It will be even more depressing than Outland (because there cannot be pockets of life like Nagrand left after a Void Lord manifested). As such, it will be relegated to patch zone like Argus.

Old God/Void expansion will take place on Azeroth. The world of Azeroth, and no other, has always been the ultimate objective of the Old Gods and their masters. They want the World Soul of Azeroth because then they can create a Void Titan that, as is stated in the Chronicles, will easily consume entire Cosmos. On top of this, there has been much build-up in DF about the storyline continuing on Azeroth. First of all, it is the main setting and has always been; expansions like TBC, WoD, and SL are not nearly as praised for their setting as the Azeroth-based expansions (how many people praise the setting of TBC/WoD/SL compared to Pandaria/KulTiras/Zandalar/Suramar/Grizzy Hills ?), and they should be outliers. A Warcraft story should typically take place on Azeroth. Having a fourth Cosmic expansion so close after SL is too much.

DF literally opens with a reminder that Azeroth's World Soul is stirring. In the expansion, we are once again reminded by N'Zoth in the Past that the Old Gods draw their strength from the earth. Yogg-Saron and C'Thun are still active on Azeroth, with Yogg-Saron's whispers being heard in Ulduar in Legion and C'Thun's spirit haunting Ahn'qiraj and turning Cho'gall into a monster pre-WotLK.

Besides that, there is a resurgence of the Scarlet Crusade since BfA (as shown by their pamphlets criticizing Greymane, Anduin, and Calia), and the Lightbound can invade through the Sunwell, which is a source of immense Light. That way, we can also have the long-awaited revamp of Quel'Thalas (which remains one of the most talked-about points in any expansion speculation. People love Quel'Thalas and its lore, people are saddened that it is still stuck in the TBC era).

11.0 with A-plot Void/Old Gods, B-plot Light/Lightbound/Scarlet Crusade, on Azeroth.

[KainneAbsolute]

Without an organized Legion (maybe Denathrius and the Dreadlords will retake it later) and Primus waiting for the right moment (I still think he is the evil guy in Shadowlands, hehe), maybe 11 is Light vs. Void for the soul of Azeroth.

That's a big event, the closest thing we can have for an ending.

[DiscipleofCazicThule]

Regardless of the overarching theme, I would love for the next expansion start with us getting our butts kicked. It's been awhile since we've been humbled, with Legion and WotLK feeling like our backs were against the wall somewhat. Have whatever threat just come and put us to the ropes so that we can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. They can have the Alliance and Horde work together like DF, but less expedition and more huddle together for survival.

[loras]

Karesh is a blasted wasteland that was devoured by a manifested Void Lord, Dimensius. It is basically Outland but even more ruined and hopeless.

Outland was not very well-received by players. Players praised Nagrand and the originality of Zangarmarsh, but they also criticised how ruined and blasted and just depressing every other zone looked.

Since then, Blizzard has toned down the depressing zones and has been making continents teeming with life and light. Argus, an even worse wasteland than Outland, was relegated to a patch; and even then, one of the three zones was teeming with alien flora (Eredath). Even the Shadowlands which, for all intents and purposes, should be depressing and dark (as the literal afterlife), were mostly teeming with life and flora, with only Maldraxxus and the Maw being depressing and ugly places.

Karesh only makes sense as Outland-but-worse, as Argus 2.0, because it was literally consumed by a Void Lord, the greatest threat that the Physical universe has ever known. There will not be surviving civilizations or flora left in the wake of a Void Lord. So, Karesh cannot carry entire expansion on its own. It will be even more depressing than Outland (because there cannot be pockets of life like Nagrand left after a Void Lord manifested). As such, it will be relegated to patch zone like Argus.

Old God/Void expansion will take place on Azeroth. The world of Azeroth, and no other, has always been the ultimate objective of the Old Gods and their masters. They want the World Soul of Azeroth because then they can create a Void Titan that, as is stated in the Chronicles, will easily consume entire Cosmos. On top of this, there has been much build-up in DF about the storyline continuing on Azeroth. First of all, it is the main setting and has always been; expansions like TBC, WoD, and SL are not nearly as praised for their setting as the Azeroth-based expansions (how many people praise the setting of TBC/WoD/SL compared to Pandaria/KulTiras/Zandalar/Suramar/Grizzy Hills ?), and they should be outliers. A Warcraft story should typically take place on Azeroth. Having a fourth Cosmic expansion so close after SL is too much.

DF literally opens with a reminder that Azeroth's World Soul is stirring. In the expansion, we are once again reminded by N'Zoth in the Past that the Old Gods draw their strength from the earth. Yogg-Saron and C'Thun are still active on Azeroth, with Yogg-Saron's whispers being heard in Ulduar in Legion and C'Thun's spirit haunting Ahn'qiraj and turning Cho'gall into a monster pre-WotLK.

Besides that, there is a resurgence of the Scarlet Crusade since BfA (as shown by their pamphlets criticizing Greymane, Anduin, and Calia), and the Lightbound can invade through the Sunwell, which is a source of immense Light. That way, we can also have the long-awaited revamp of Quel'Thalas (which remains one of the most talked-about points in any expansion speculation. People love Quel'Thalas and its lore, people are saddened that it is still stuck in the TBC era).

11.0 with A-plot Void/Old Gods, B-plot Light/Lightbound/Scarlet Crusade, on Azeroth.

Hey I liked TBC! Unlike WoD and SL it did re-tie into the main universe neatly by having both the draenei / belf starting zones be there as well as the entire ending patch and many in-between activities (notably Karazhan and Zul'Aman).

It's not in the same vein as WoD (semi-isolated pocket timeline) and SL (lolwat entirely different plane of existence).

[Dracullus]

November wouldn't surprise me. All those routinely canceled subscriptions coming back for the holidays...and a nice boost in revenue for Blizz.

They will come anyway, and most of them probably didn't even played DF beyond 10.0. It always happen after expansion reveal.

That's why imo most likely date is November - but end of November, after 3 week anniversary event.

[Raetary]

10.2 - around BlizzCon.
10.2.5 - February 2024.. Fated raids, etc.
11.0 Pre-Patch - May 2024.
11.0 Expansion - July 2024.
Revamp - November 2024.

???

So like, launch a revamp expansion but delay the revamp for 5 months?

[Lady Atia]

Regardless of the overarching theme, I would love for the next expansion start with us getting our butts kicked. It's been awhile since we've been humbled, with Legion and WotLK feeling like our backs were against the wall somewhat. Have whatever threat just come and put us to the ropes so that we can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. They can have the Alliance and Horde work together like DF, but less expedition and more huddle together for survival.

Yeah, because loosing is so much fun. We totally need another dark and depressing expansion.

[Varodoc]

Hey I liked TBC! Unlike WoD and SL it did re-tie into the main universe neatly by having both the draenei / belf starting zones be there as well as the entire ending patch and many in-between activities (notably Karazhan and Zul'Aman).

It's not in the same vein as WoD (semi-isolated pocket timeline) and SL (lolwat entirely different plane of existence).

The Draenei/Blood elf starting zones, Karazhan, Zul'Aman, and 2.4 take place on Azeroth.

By saying that these are your favourite parts of the expansion, you prove My point.

The best parts of TBC were those that took place on Azeroth. The storyline of Outland was harshly criticized with the villain-batting of Illidan, Vashj, and Kael'Thas in Tempest Keep. The best parts of TBC were easily Quel'Thalas/Azuremyst isles, Zul'Aman, and Sunwell Plateau, all of which took place on Azeroth.

None of the Outland zones were particularly memorable or beloved aside from Nagrand. Nagrand is so beloved and memorable only because it is the only zone of Outland that resembles Azeroth (Elwynn Forest/Loch Modan/Hinterlands/Mulgore/Quel'Thalas) and not a desolate shithole, like all the other zones.

But you cannot make a zone like "Nagrand" for Karesh, because Karesh has been devoured by the Void Lords. Any "Nagrand"-like zone in Karesh will be pure retcon and nothing more, because it makes no sense for a lush forest to survive a Void Lord's invasion.

It would be even worse than the krokul tribe surviving in the heartland of the Legion's base for millennia.

Besides that, it makes no sense to have Karesh as the expansion's setting, because it is of no value to the Void. Karesh has already been devoured by the Void Lord Dimensius long ago. It is a corpse that has no value to the Void Lords and their minions. The only world that matters to the Void Lords and their minions is Azeroth, the planet of the World Soul.

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Regardless of the overarching theme, I would love for the next expansion start with us getting our butts kicked. It's been awhile since we've been humbled, with Legion and WotLK feeling like our backs were against the wall somewhat. Have whatever threat just come and put us to the ropes so that we can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. They can have the Alliance and Horde work together like DF, but less expedition and more huddle together for survival.

BfA was meant to have this feeling too.

The liberation of N'Zoth was supposed to be an event akin to the Scourge invasions of the capitals and the Broken Shore.

The revelation that N'Zoth had been using Magni and the player as pawns since the beginning was supposed to be followed-up by a devastating invasion of the liberated Old God.

Ofc, Blizzard dropped the ball by having the Old God attack 2 zones that nobody cared about and relegating Ny'alotha to a raid instead of full-blown zone. A sad consequence of wasting so many resources on the faction war campaign.

There cannot be another faction war, how is this possible? Both factions are led by spineless peacemongers. There will not be another BfA fiasco, where the obnoxious faction war took up half the screentime.

I could see another Broken Shore scenario in the Old God expansion, if anything because that entire storyline needs redemption after the travesty that was BfA 8.3. Having the Old Gods score a victory against the Alliance/Horde at the beginning will suffice.

[Makabreska]

In theory we could be looking at a faster dev cycle moving forward.

The world revamp could be its own thing. A 20th anniversary update to the core game. Perhaps the story of 11.0 needs to arrive at a certain point before it makes sense. Thrall calming the elements, Azeroth waking up, or something like that.

So, THE feature of the expansion, highly doubtful to even be implemented in the first place, the one that was supposed to heavily tie to end game, would not be shipped on launch but 5 months later. How would that look like from the marketing (and any other) standpoint?

These theories are getting wilder and wilder.

[Syegfryed]

AFAIK he has not been mentioned at all.

Thematically Chromatus would work really well for a last boss but the plot/buildup isn't there yet.

yeah, that seems to be most frustrating for me, the new team cherypick what they want from old lore, but mostly want to do their own new thing, i get it why, but i don't like still. Imo the chromatic dragonflight should be the real enemies with cromatus at the top.

[Cheezits]

yeah, that seems to be most frustrating for me, the new team cherypick what they want from old lore, but mostly want to do their own new thing, i get it why, but i don't like still. Imo the chromatic dragonflight should be the real enemies with cromatus at the top.

The chromatic would've worked well for this expansion but I think they went with an elemental/twilight-ish cult as the villains to keep it from being entirely dragons v dragons.

I gotta say that even if the story was better I'd get sick of seeing dragons if it was solely that.

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One thing I want out of the Dream is a final confirmation on what's up with Grell and whether or not they are Imps, or even related to Trolls.

[Catastrophy349]

You know what’s really got me excited? The fact that we are SO CLOSE to a constant stream of content. Once 10.2 gets announced/10.1.7 releases, it’s full steam ahead basically all the way to 11.0. From 10.2 speculation, to 10.1.7 conversation, 11.0 news at Blizzcon, speculation on 11.0, Alpha/Beta for 11.0, not to mention any other content patches of Dragonflight. I am so excited right now!

[Aeluron Lightsong]

The chromatic would've worked well for this expansion but I think they went with an elemental/twilight-ish cult as the villains to keep it from being entirely dragons v dragons.

I gotta say that even if the story was better I'd get sick of seeing dragons if it was solely that.

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One thing I want out of the Dream is a final confirmation on what's up with Grell and whether or not they are Imps, or even related to Trolls.

Perhaps but sometimes not using Dragons is kinda silly in an expansion called "DRAGONFLIGHT"