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

[Nymrohd]

Did we expect anyting different though? The story of the Forsaken is so muddled by Sylvanas that I am surprised they managed to make anything at all. They had to conclusively set up that the Forsaken are more than Sylvanas, even as rabid Sylvanas fanboys are chomping at the bit to have their glorious queen canonized.

I guess you did not get the example of the Orc Heritage questline. I mean that questline doesn't actually change much. But it gives fan service by recognizing all the many npcs that have been part of the race over the years and having them interact. It is also constructive with combat incidental; it is about the race's heritage.
A Forsaken Heritage questline imo should have been about the Forsaken's common heritage (that being humans of Lordaeron), bringing most of their named NPCs (and perhaps having some of those who went neutral make an appearance) in a story that is about improving life for the race; e.g. rebuilding Brill and then finishing with an announcement that they plan to build on Capital City's grounds, not just in the sewers. Maybe recognize Sylvanas for what she did for the race but acknowledge they are moving forward. So don't actually do much but state intentions and bring a large cast of characters together.

Instead we get yet another reprise of a classic Forsaken questing experience that any Forsaken player has played through half a dozen times by now in different version.

[Sondrelk]

I'm okay with that.

- - - Updated - - -



Blizzard said they wanted narratives to spread across multiple expansions. So, DF might not actually have a "proper ending" so to speak. But I do think we'll see a proper climax to the whole World Tree stuff.

Narratives spreading across the expansions is stuff like the Sword in Silithus, or Sylvanas escaping.
The main story in DF is about the Dragons. And the core of that story is the Titan Keepers manipulating the dragons for whatever end. You can't just leave that plotline hanging. It needs something conclusive to make it clear that the expansion is over, and that we shouldnt have to worry about what is happening on the Dragon Isles anymore.

[Cheezits]

It needs something conclusive to make it clear that the expansion is over, and that we shouldnt have to worry about what is happening on the Dragon Isles anymore.

Tyr waking up, doing something bad, getting stopped by Alex/Vyranoth then saying "k bye lol" is entirely and utterly possible.

[Sondrelk]

https://twitter.com/keyboardturn/sta...48429954613522

rip 10.3?

Why would there be flags for 10.3 racing when the relevant zone isnt in the game at all? It wouldnt make sense for 10.1 to have flags for the Dragonriding races in the Dream either.

[Cheezits]

Why would there be flags for 10.3 racing when the relevant zone isnt in the game at all? It wouldnt make sense for 10.1 to have flags for the Dragonriding races in the Dream either.

Because 11.0 has files but not 10.3 or 10.2.7.

[Nymrohd]

Terrible having no 10.3

Normalizing three raid tiers and a Fated Season. Players got hooked on Mythic Dungeons anyway and accepted having them on rotation with old ones so why make more content than that? Meanwhile copy the same invasion formula from Legion half a dozen times in the same expansion, only with far less effort (no actual group scenarios at the end instead just a single mob in an existing space) offering the same models from the main patch reskinned multiple times over.

I mean, it IS more content.

I guess Tyr will happen in 10.2.5?

[Sondrelk]

Tyr waking up, doing something bad, getting stopped by Alex/Vyranoth then saying "k bye lol" is entirely and utterly possible.

Unless we are literally going for the BfA "Dragons are nothing!" ending, I would still say you need a big bombastic actual ending that feels satisfying and makes you appreciate where the expansion started.
BfA at least did have a final raid that answered some questions. This would be like if the final thing you did in BfA was actually the small scenario outside Orgrimmar.

- - - Updated - - -

Normalizing three raid tiers and a Fated Season. Players got hooked on Mythic Dungeons anyway and accepted having them on rotation with old ones so why make more content than that? Meanwhile copy the same invasion formula from Legion half a dozen times in the same expansion, only with far less effort (no actual group scenarios at the end instead just a single mob in an existing space) offering the same models from the main patch reskinned multiple times over.

I mean, it IS more content.

I guess Tyr will happen in 10.2.5?

You can't sacrifice the ending though. If the writers wanted to do this then they would sacrifice a smaller part, or more likely downgrade it into a dungeon or something.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

This just feels like we should've known about this decision a long time ago about the new game model they are going for.

[Sondrelk]

Because 11.0 has files but not 10.3 or 10.2.7.

We've had next expansion hints coming before the actual final patch before.

[Nymrohd]

You can't sacrifice the ending though. If the writers wanted to do this then they would sacrifice a smaller part, or more likely downgrade it into a dungeon or something.

They can move the ending to 10.2.7. The ending doesn't have to be in a raid or a dungeon.

- - - Updated - - -

This just feels like we should've known about this decision a long time ago about the new game model they are going for.

yes but then people would know that all the minor patches with fast food casual content cost them a raid tier.

[Cheezits]

Unless we are literally going for the BfA "Dragons are nothing!" ending, I would still say you need a big bombastic actual ending that feels satisfying and makes you appreciate where the expansion started.
BfA at least did have a final raid that answered some questions. This would be like if the final thing you did in BfA was actually the small scenario outside Orgrimmar.

That's the real ending to the faction war plot though, and therefore the """main""" plot of the expansion.

This is starting to sound like Blizz realizing you don't NEED three patches to tell an expansion story, and should cut it up to keep expansions more concise/faster produced instead of juggling two big themes (War/Nzoth, Dragons/Titans) in the same expansion.

[Sondrelk]

This just feels like we should've known about this decision a long time ago about the new game model they are going for.

It would be the ultimate downer ending for the bold new future of WoW that DF promised. Not being upfront about a severe downgrading in content.

Though then again, maybe my old prediciton for no 10.3 is right. Blizzard is banking on 11.0 being the most amazing thing ever. Enough so to justify this severe betrayal of the playerbases trust.

[Marlamin]

https://twitter.com/keyboardturn/sta...48429954613522

rip 10.3?

Worth adding the context that these have been in the files since 10.0.5 (save for 11.0 which is from 10.1.5), so this is only indicative of the plan as of January. Stuff could always shift around a bit (e.g. New Player Experience scenes are for 8.3.5 but didn't ship until later).

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

yes but then people would know that all the minor patches with fast food casual content cost them a raid tier.

Sure, but I feel like this just stings a lot harder and is pretty bad PR wise to just rugpull your audience into without any clarification or statements about the future of the game.

[Nymrohd]

Also if 10.2 is the final patch, it means we are just before the final patch and still don't know the villains motivation and plans.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

That's the real ending to the faction war plot though, and therefore the """main""" plot of the expansion.

This is starting to sound like Blizz realizing you don't NEED three patches to tell an expansion story, and should cut it up to keep expansions more concise/faster produced instead of juggling two big themes (War/Nzoth, Dragons/Titans) in the same expansion.

They kinda do. There's nothing wrong with having 3 big patches in an expansion. Trying to rush it and finish it is a bad idea.

[Nymrohd]

Sure, but I feel like this just stings a lot harder and is pretty bad PR wise to just rugpull your audience into without any clarification or statements about the future of the game.

Because this team, whose leadership has not significantly changed, just slightly shifted posts, has historically been so great with communication and PR.

[Sondrelk]

They can move the ending to 10.2.7. The ending doesn't have to be in a raid or a dungeon.

No. It kinda has to be. That is just how expansions work. For a game so focused on the PvE experience you can't just ignore that bit for the actual finale. The story structure in WoW always ends with a big challenge, not just because that is how WoW does it, but because that is how video games do it.
Even if it's just a 3 boss raid you do need an actual ending to bookmark the expansion.

- - - Updated - - -

That's the real ending to the faction war plot though, and therefore the """main""" plot of the expansion.

This is starting to sound like Blizz realizing you don't NEED three patches to tell an expansion story, and should cut it up to keep expansions more concise/faster produced instead of juggling two big themes (War/Nzoth, Dragons/Titans) in the same expansion.

And BfA felt like a jumbled mess because the main plot unceremoniously ended outside Orgrimmar, only for us to then go to a storyline that had nothing to do with it somewhere else.

And you don't need three patches. You just need a good ending that makes sense.

[Reive]

having only 2 major patches means dragonflight was another low effort expansion. don't care if we got 10 patches with 10 minutes of questlines in each of them. the content of this expansion has been underwhelming. losing a main patch would be the nail in the coffin for me.

[Jaggler]

Also if 10.2 is the final patch, it means we are just before the final patch and still don't know the villains motivation and plans.

What are you talking about. We know Raszageth's motivation to free her siblings, we knew Sarkareth's motivation to claim Neltharions legacy and we know Fyrakk's motivation. The only one we don't know fully now is Iridikron but he is shelved at the moment.