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

[Eeram]

For me, the clues simply point in that direction. I think people are too wrapped up in believing this storyline is going to continue directly into the next expansion. That really only happened a few times, whereas the norm is for expansions to pull a soft reset of the storyline. Like Dragonflight has little to do with the storyline in Shadowlands.

It should also be noted that people were predicting a void expansion at the end of Shadowlands as well.

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Quote possible, since according to the lore they have similar attributes in personality.

i dont think looking back many expansions had clues that LED into the next expansion. But i Shadowlands could be considered a SOFT reboot because it gave a timeskip. I think using Past expansions as examples going forwards will just confuse people. They have treated dragonflight Vastly differently then past expansions an its clear they are trying something new. Giving us a roadmap small thing but it has done amazingly well with the community. i know there is ALOT of chatter about trading post but most people ive spoken to about it are all in agreement that is Good. Patches have been coming at us faster then befor while most feel alittle Bare to be honest its still a good pace.
I just dont see us going from Cosmic to Grounded by to Cosmic as a good thing. an befor you say "the Light isn't cosmic" it absolutely is.
I think have a Cohesive Story that continues from expansion to expansion seems to be the way they are going this time around.
i am curious tho what clues have i missed point you in the direction of a Light is coming story other then Turalyon being somewhat obedient to the light

[Catastrophy349]

John Hight specifically mentioned that they don't want to do "start-stop" expansions and, instead, having an overarching story that continues from expansion to expansion. You think @Teriz that Dragonflight is just going to happen and 11.0 we "soft reset of the storyline".

[voskopoula]

Plus most of the hints for new expansion are "Evil" Primal Dragons : You are not prepared for whats coming!

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Pillar Mythics . It is a compromise for us (old raiders) who just cant dedicate 4 hours or 3 for even 1 day to raid PLUS i wouldnt personally want to start raiding in an expansion for few months and then dumping the team (personaly i could raid in winter and go inactive after but it is imo lame) . It is a compromise and a wider rangeof playability (you can do m+ up to 12 or 14 or 18 if oyu want, no need to press for more ) . Mythic+ dungeons are not perfect and i have to admit for my pace (and many others's) it is really annoying to get discriminations based on ratings or how many times you played a M+ (under 18). This elitism is annoying..But as i said its an ok compromise.

PvP Yes reimagining PvP is wanted but..what else can you add or fix atm? have you seen pvp parts of other mmorpgs?...

Totally agree with followers..Our characters have downed so many archenemies of wow, they deserve a rank and a castle imo ... and followers..and a small army.and a town. I am not joking :P

[Teriz]

They LITERALLY said that they wanted to continue the story, from expansion to expansion, versus a "self contained story" going forward. I don't mean a "Gul'dan getting away but we saved Draenor", I mean as in the story just continues forward naturally. This information came out prior to DF's release.

You must have misinterpreted that developer, because Shadowlands is a very self contained story and Dragonflight is a completely different story. Yeah the events in Shadowlands have had consequences in DF (Anduin and Sylvanas not being leaders anymore), but in general the plot of DF has little to nothing to do with Shadowlands.

And that's a good thing.

[Catastrophy349]

You must have misinterpreted that developer, because Shadowlands is a very self contained story and Dragonflight is a completely different story. Yeah the events in Shadowlands have had consequences in DF (Anduin and Sylvanas not being leaders anymore), but in general the plot of DF has little to nothing to do with Shadowlands.

And that's a good thing.

I didn't misunderstand anything. They said that they want to do "what I said" going forward beginning with Dragonflight.

It helps to "read". I said "prior to DF's release" which indicates the information I am talking about refers to/begins with Dragonflight.

[Catastrophy349]

Honestly, all of us (myself included) going after one another over a "prediction" for the next expansion of a VIDEO GAME is kind of foolish. We should be speculating, having fun, and staying civil. It's just crazy to me that people will actively attack others for their opinion/speculation, however, if THEIR opinion/speculation gets questioned, they lose their minds!

[Teriz]

i dont think looking back many expansions had clues that LED into the next expansion. But i Shadowlands could be considered a SOFT reboot because it gave a timeskip. I think using Past expansions as examples going forwards will just confuse people. They have treated dragonflight Vastly differently then past expansions an its clear they are trying something new. Giving us a roadmap small thing but it has done amazingly well with the community. i know there is ALOT of chatter about trading post but most people ive spoken to about it are all in agreement that is Good. Patches have been coming at us faster then befor while most feel alittle Bare to be honest its still a good pace.
I just dont see us going from Cosmic to Grounded by to Cosmic as a good thing. an befor you say "the Light isn't cosmic" it absolutely is.
I think have a Cohesive Story that continues from expansion to expansion seems to be the way they are going this time around.

I'm forced to disagree. Legion wasn't considered a cosmic expansion because it took place on Azeroth. A Lightbound invasion would also take place on Azeroth, so similarly I wouldn't consider that a cosmic expansion either. "Cosmic expansions" are when we leave Azeroth, such as TBC, WoD, and SL.

i am curious tho what clues have i missed point you in the direction of a Light is coming story other then Turalyon being somewhat obedient to the light

+Yrel appearing in BFA as the head of an antagonistic army.
+ Avatar popping up on BNET among Shadowlands characters for no reason
+10.1.5 Fractures of time showing the different possible futures and timelines of AU Azeroths is a possible hint of AU Draenor (which is supposedly dying because of it being linked to MU Azeroth in the time stream).
+Thrall on the promo art for BlizzCon 2023. The Lightbound invasion would be a Draenei and Orc focused expansion.
+The next expansion will fall on the 10th anniversary of WoD which was a celebratory expansion partially designed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Wow in 2014.

Let me stress, I'm not saying that a Yrel expansion is for sure going to occur, but based on the evidence, it seems like a very likely candidate. Especially when you consider that it can be used for both a revamp as well as bringing in two sought after playable races: Arakkoas and Ogres.

[Catastrophy349]

I'm forced to disagree. Legion wasn't considered a cosmic expansion because it took place on Azeroth. A Lightbound invasion would also take place on Azeroth, so similarly I wouldn't consider that a cosmic expansion either. "Cosmic expansions" are when we leave Azeroth, such as TBC, WoD, and SL.



+Yrel appearing in BFA as the head of an antagonistic army.
+ Avatar popping up on BNET among Shadowlands characters for no reason
+10.1.5 Fractures of time showing the different possible futures and timelines of AU Azeroths is a possible hint of AU Draenor (which is supposedly dying because of it being linked to MU Azeroth in the time stream).
+Thrall on the promo art for BlizzCon 2023. The Lightbound invasion would be a Draenei and Orc focused expansion.
+The next expansion will fall on the 10th anniversary of WoD which was a celebratory expansion partially designed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Wow in 2014.

Let me stress, I'm not saying that a Yrel expansion is for sure going to occur, but based on the evidence, it seems like a very likely candidate. Especially when you consider that it can be used for both a revamp as well as bringing in two sought after playable races: Arakkoas and Ogres.

Not for nothing, I actually would LOVE a "Light" themed expansion. And if it happens for 11.0, I 100% will NOT be upset at all. I just don't view the direction of the story heading that way as you do.

[Revamp Man]

Vyranoth talks to Alex like Tyr did some CRISPR stuff on all dragon eggs

What if the reason the incarnates are so powerful is because that's the true path of dragons?
I mean we are supposed to believe that the elements coming together made Proto dragons but if that's the case why are there certain ones imbued with the elements more powerful than the rest?
Why are there other elemental Proto dragons chilling out pre-aspects??

Boys I think Azeroth and her elements are hiding something and this fits with the shaman who told us a big difference between the elements on Azeroth and draenor being Azeroth was more tame...thanks Thrall

Also she could see the future and foresaw her being stabbed

[Teriz]

I didn't misunderstand anything. They said that they want to do "what I said" going forward beginning with Dragonflight.

It helps to "read". I said "prior to DF's release" which indicates the information I am talking about refers to/begins with Dragonflight.

Well there's no point bickering about it. We're going to know what the next expansion is in 60 days either way.

[Ielenia]

Please explain how a friendly pirate city would be any different aesthetically from the non-drustvar portions of Kul’Tiras.

Pirate settlements aren't cities like Boralus or settlements around Tiragarde Sound or Stormsong Valley. They're more akin to something like Booty Bay than anything.

Bingo. Further it proved that a pirate/nautical theme is not strong enough to support an expansion.

No, it doesn't prove that at all. You're saying that the pirate/nautical theme is not strong enough to support an expansion... because it was never the focus of an expansion. That's like saying the technology theme is not strong enough to support an expansion because it was never the focus of an expansion.

[Luck4]

Raiding problem is that it just takes too much time and too many people. They should change the format and decrease the number of difficulties.

PvP is very much dead but I hope that they make a last attempt to revitalize it. Adding new BGs is not a solution. The whole system itself has to change. Fuck the balance and start to get crazy and make fun stuff with cool rewards.

I think these two are in dire need of some rework/restructuring, but I simply don't see Blizzard changing anything. Not even Solo Queue RBGs became a thing despite RBGs being dead since BFA.

Mythic raiding with a reduced size would be interesting, but if we go by Ion's comments, I think he would rather see WoW dead than reduce the raid size.

Archeology and a Journal could be something with unlimited potential too, but I feel that it should be tied to old content. We could even have a talent tree to go faster in old instances, chance for extra loot, shortcuts...

I think this a very good idea.

[Catastrophy349]

Well there's no point bickering about it. We're going to know what the next expansion is in 60 days either way.

Yep! My personal guess is still on “Elemental/Elemental Theme” expansion.

[Ersula]

I don't think he misunderstood anything. Hell, he actually clarifies his point quite well lol. Honestly, I wouldn't even call SL "self contained". Dragonflight has a major plot narrative that quite literally carries from Shadowlands.

And that is? Anduin disappearing isn't part of the plot at all. Anduin & Sylvanas were deposed as leaders before the plot of Shadowlands even officially began. Being part of the plot is different from being an off-hand comment from racial leaders who don't even appear in the Dragon Isles.

DF is only half over. We have no idea how "self-containted" its going to be. Iridikron plans on summoning a void beast & the Titans to Azeroth ala Gul'dan & the legion. I doubt they planned it to be self-contained.

[Teriz]

Pirate settlements aren't cities like Boralus or settlements around Tiragarde Sound or Stormsong Valley. They're more akin to something like Booty Bay than anything.


No, it doesn't prove that at all. You're saying that the pirate/nautical theme is not strong enough to support an expansion... because it was never the focus of an expansion. That's like saying the technology theme is not strong enough to support an expansion because it was never the focus of an expansion.

This has already been thoroughly discussed, so there’s no need to rehash it again. The point is that an expansion based on pirates, Azshara, and an old god would be a rehash of BFA.

[Atriel]

After watching the newest patch cinematic, I'm thinking Vyranoth goes against Iridikron and Fyrakk in the end in favor of Alexstraza and Azeroth. I'm thinking about the datatmined White dragon scales for the mounts with no apparent source yet. What if Tyr gets revived and Vyranoth accepts the titan gifts and transforms into the White Dragonflight Aspect? (White dragons in D&D are cold aligned, so it could make sense.) We do not know her personal motives yet, but the alluded friendship she had with Alexstrazas definitely hints at something more from her.

We also have that suspiciously empty spot on the seat of the aspects that could suggest one more spot for banners and a dragon to sit to the left of Alexstrazas. I would guess that Vyranoth and the White Dragonflight could preside over the Elemental Planes and have an aquatic theme since we do not have that aesthetic yet for the Dragons.

/tinfoil hat

[Ielenia]

This has already been thoroughly discussed, so there’s no need to rehash it again. The point is that an expansion based on pirates, Azshara, and an old god would be a rehash of BFA.

Why would it be? BfA was not a pirate expansion. It's not the central theme of the expansion, much like Old Gods were not the central theme of Wrath.

And even if we grant you that 'pirates' were BfA's central theme, what you're doing here is akin to saying we can't have another expansion based on demons because we had TBC. Or an expansion based on death because we had Wrath. And yet we got Legion and Shadowlands.

[Teriz]

Why would it be? BfA was not a pirate expansion. It's not the central theme of the expansion, much like Old Gods were not the central theme of Wrath.

Horde and Alliance meets with a seafaring people with a powerful navy (Kul’Tiras, Zandalar). Horde and Alliance go throughout their lands to solve their problems while experiencing their seafaring culture (8.0-8.1). Horde and Alliance encounter Azshara and beat her and discover someone else pulling her strings(8.2). Horde and Alliance encounter the old god mastermind and beat them (8.3). Additional features is hopping around islands looking for treasure (Island Expeditions).

Only thing omitted is the faction war.

And even if we grant you that 'pirates' were BfA's central theme, what you're doing here is akin to saying we can't have another expansion based on demons because we had TBC. Or an expansion based on death because we had Wrath. And yet we got Legion and Shadowlands.

Legion worked because a Burning Legion invasion was inevitable, and TBC really didn’t cover it.

Shadowlands probably shouldn’t have happened though.

[huth]

This has already been thoroughly discussed, so there’s no need to rehash it again. The point is that an expansion based on pirates, Azshara, and an old god would be a rehash of BFA.

And it's been concluded that you're full of it and your point has no merit, yes.

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Horde and Alliance meets with a seafaring people with a powerful navy (Kul’Tiras, Zandalar).

Zandalar has a powerful navy, but no seafaring culture whatsoever. The navy seems to be almost entirely limited to protecting the lands of Zandalar. Their ships never move away from it during the entire expansion.

If you have to keep making shit up to support your argument, your argument sucks.

[Teriz]

And it's been concluded that you're full of it and your point has no merit, yes.

More like I don’t want to bring up this silly issue again when it’s a rather minor point overall.

Zandalar has a powerful navy, but no seafaring culture whatsoever. The navy seems to be almost entirely limited to protecting the lands of Zandalar. Their ships never move away from it during the entire expansion.

If you have to keep making shit up to support your argument, your argument sucks.

And here we go splitting hairs again. Zandalar not being as sea-based as Kul’Tiras doesn’t negate the overall point being made.