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

[Luck4]

It seems like they are also slowly changing old armour to give it a HD look via AI (because no human would want to go over the tens of thousands of old gear just to give it an high rezz upscale):

https://twitter.com/kraulspine/statu...42966332297293

This is really neat, but I think this takes time, otherwise, we would be getting HD upscaled buckets of old stuff every patch, and Blizzard would be bragging about it.

But, of course, they also could be saving it to sell as an expansion feature.

In less than two months we'll know... I hope.

[Sondrelk]

It seems like they are also slowly changing old armour to give it a HD look via AI (because no human would want to go over the tens of thousands of old gear just to give it an high rezz upscale):

https://twitter.com/kraulspine/statu...42966332297293

Great news if so, and I really hope they also do this with classic/tbc era mounts next expansion - new stuff is cool, but sometimes I just want to use old mounts/sets and would love them to be on par with modern stuff!

Makes sense as well. Not every set can be Judgment. Some has to be puke green chainmail.

[Lady Atia]

I imagine Blizzard would want to do a 10.3 with a final raid, even if that means a 3 boss raid instance bolstered by Fated Raids.

I still don't get why some people are so hell bent on getting another raid after Amidrassil .... I would rather have a few months of relaxed fated farm raids instead of having to do progress until the last minute. Also new expansion > any patch, so I would rather get 11.0 in late summer instead of another dragged out raid tier.

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Makes sense as well. Not every set can be Judgment. Some has to be puke green chainmail.

Speaking about Judgement - I would like to see how really old classic sets would look with that uprezz since the styles/colours were a bit different back than compared to today.

[KyleEverett]

I still don't get why some people are so hell bent on getting another raid after Amidrassil .... I would rather have a few months of relaxed fated farm raids instead of having to do progress until the last minute. Also new expansion > any patch, so I would rather get 11.0 in late summer instead of another dragged out raid tier.

Main reason I wouldn't is you'd be forking out the money for an expansion every 18 months or something vs every 24. I'm also on the side you'd more likely still get a fall or winter release you'd just have a longer fated season.

[Sondrelk]

I still don't get why some people are so hell bent on getting another raid after Amidrassil .... I would rather have a few months of relaxed fated farm raids instead of having to do progress until the last minute. Also new expansion > any patch, so I would rather get 11.0 in late summer instead of another dragged out raid tier.

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Speaking about Judgement - I would like to see how really old classic sets would look with that uprezz since the styles/colours were a bit different back than compared to today.

WoW is very much defined by its raids as a method of storytelling, and the story of Dragonflight isn't even close to ending based on what we are seeing with the ending of 10.2.
Ending the expansion with that raid, and just a regular quest afterwards for the actual conclusion would feel very much like how BfA just unceremoniously ended its main storyline in 8.2.5 when Sylvanas ran away in front of Orgrimmar. Maybe fitting as a pure storytelling conceit, but very much underwhelming as a game.

I don't disagree that relaxed Fated raids is a bad way to end the expansion, quite on the contrary I love it. But the expansion needs a strong finale, and that should mean a raid.
Imagine for instance if SL ended with the Jailer being defeated in a questline rather than a raid. Or Legion just had a brief scenario on Argus after Tomb of Sargeras. It would feel horribly underwhelming, even if I am quite sure the developers could make the final stretch just as good if not better than the rest of the expansion.

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Main reason I wouldn't is you'd be forking out the money for an expansion every 18 months or something vs every 24. I'm also on the side you'd more likely still get a fall or winter release you'd just have a longer fated season.

And lets be honest. Even if the expansion could come out in September or whatever if there is no 10.3. Are expansion actually all that much better just because they release late summer rather than early winter?
All that changes in the grand scheme is how long from now until the next expansion, not really how long the drought is.

[Shadowferal]

WoW is very much defined by its raids as a method of storytelling, and the story of Dragonflight isn't even close to ending based on what we are seeing with the ending of 10.2. Ending the expansion with that raid, and just a regular quest afterwards for the actual conclusion would feel very much like how BfA just unceremoniously ended its main storyline in 8.2.5 when Sylvanas ran away in front of Orgrimmar. Maybe fitting as a pure storytelling conceit, but very much underwhelming as a game. .

Considering the sheer amount of loose ends, unfinished storylines, this is par for the course.

[Sondrelk]

Considering the sheer amount of loose ends, unfinished storylines, this is par for the course.

This is the main story thread we are talking about though. Those usually end up resolved.
The Jailer is defeated. The Burning Legion is stopped. The situation on Draenor was resolved. Garrosh was defeated and the war ended. Etc.

There are almost always loose ends, but they are usually either minor ones, or something that can be carried over into future expansions. Like Wrathion being afraid of the Legion returning in MoP, or the Shadowlands in Legion.

The main storyline in DF is the aspects and their purpose, which isn't really a storyline that can currently be carried over into future expansions. It has to have a conclusion while we are on the Dragon Isles.
Basically everything about their purpose revolves around Tyr as well, and so far there doesn't seem to be anything he is doing in the 10.2 raid, so no resolution there.

[KyleEverett]

Y'all think there is a domain of Life or not?

There absolutely is. We know it's where Elune is from and it's where Loa go before they're sent to the dream for rebirth.

[RahEndymion]

Y'all think there is a domain of Life or not?

Probably but I think they're likely to try and avoid the assumption that every cosmic force has a specific 'domain' in the vein of shadowlands. In the 2020 cosmology chart it seemed to suggest Shadowlands was more akin to the Dream than it was to something like the Twisting Nether or the Void.

It's a bit confusing because the chart sort of implies that if there is a 'Domain of Life' then there is also a 'Domain of Death' that is more than part of the Shadowlands. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing really.

It would be cathartic if we learned that the Shadowlands are not the true afterlife, or the true realm of death.

[Shadowferal]

This is the main story thread we are talking about though. Those usually end up resolved. The Jailer is defeated. The Burning Legion is stopped. The situation on Draenor was resolved. Garrosh was defeated and the war ended. Etc. There are almost always loose ends, but they are usually either minor ones, or something that can be carried over into future expansions. Like Wrathion being afraid of the Legion returning in MoP, or the Shadowlands in Legion.

You're joking, right?

Blizzard has directly mentioned Gilneas. Beyond that, how much time do you have? Let's start geographicall from Quel'thalas and then go clockwise? How are efforts to contain the Dead Scar and reclaim lost lands in Silvermoon? What is the state of the Amani after Zul'jin died, Drakara died and the Revantusk conquered Jintha'alor How are Argent Dawn efforts to cleanse Stratholme and the rest of the Eastweald going? What is the state of Strom? Did Forsaken maintain their presence in Alterac City? Have they been building in Andorhal? Depending on the state of Strom and given that Dark Iron forces are no longer opposed to the other clans, what is the state of Khaz Modan infrastracture; has the Loch Modan dam and the Thandol Span been rebuild? What happened to the Wildhammer clans of Twilight Highlands? Have they remained there or have they been displaced? What will happen with the Ironforge Crown; when will Moira's son take over? What about the Cult of Ragnaros? What is the state of Redridge after the Scourge Invasion during Shadowlands? Has Darkshire been repopulated? What is the state of Westfall after the events of the Human Heritage questline? Is anyone watching the Dark Portal after Netherguard Keep was destroyed? What is the state of Zul'gurub? Has Gadzetan actually expanded? Have the Wastewalker tribes build settlements now that they have made peace with the Tol'vir? What sword? Had Gazlowe been replaced as the leader of Ratchet? Does it remain neutral/Steamwheedle-aligned? What happened to Goblin Kottick? How have the Botani who crossed the Time Rift affected the Barrens? Can the orcs develop agriculture so they can actually be self-sufficient? Did the trolls build a proper settlement in the Echo Isles by now? Where are the Night Elf refugee?

And the utter lack of any coherent follow through regarding the Holocaust of Nightelves is enormously telling.

[Yarathir]

Y'all think there is a domain of Life or not?

As in-- like Zereth Mortis?

Sadly, yes. Fairly sure I recall 9.2 confirming that there's a Zereth Lumen, Ordos, Vitae, Umbra and Tumult.

[Shadowferal]

Probably but I think they're likely to try and avoid the assumption that every cosmic force has a specific 'domain' in the vein of shadowlands. In the 2020 cosmology chart it seemed to suggest Shadowlands was more akin to the Dream than it was to something like the Twisting Nether or the Void.

That chart is useless without definition.

[Nebron]

And, you know, that there's a 95% chance that they announce a new expansion in eight weeks.

I would go with 100%. What does it change? What makes it so difficult in terms of timeframe, to put 10.3, with a regular or even smaller sized raid in May 2024, so it’s consistent with Dragonflight patch cadance?

DF launched in November.
Aberrus launched in May.
Amirdrassil launches most probably in November.
10.3 in May 2024?
11.0 launches in November 2024.

I’m not arguing that they will release the raid in 10.3 and I’m super confident about it.
It’s just now, that 10.2 has been previewed and AOTC mount popped up, suddenly everyone is confident beyond any doubt that 10.2 is a final raid tier.

[Sondrelk]

You're joking, right? And the utter lack of any coherent follow through regarding the Holocaust of Nightelves is enormously telling.

Do you have any examples of a major storyline of an expansion being left hanging? Stuff like Teldrassil is certainly a major factor in the main plot of BfA, but it wasn't so major that it couldn't be tied to Sylvanas and follow her into the next expansion.
I can't really imagine doing the same to stuff like the Dragon Aspects and Titan keepers interference following Iridikron into future expansions.

[Shadowferal]

Do you have any examples of a major storyline of an expansion being left hanging? Stuff like Teldrassil is certainly a major factor in the main plot of BfA, but it wasn't so major that it couldn't be tied to Sylvanas and follow her into the next expansion.

The hell it wasn't major!
The logical follow up should have left the forsaken alone against pissed off nations. Blizz could have done so much with this, it could've been a major expansion.
But...it'd take decent writing. And add all the other points I quoted from Nymrohd...it's clear that shit-tier writing is all Blizz is about.

[Xilurm]

This is really neat, but I think this takes time, otherwise, we would be getting HD upscaled buckets of old stuff every patch, and Blizzard would be bragging about it.

But, of course, they also could be saving it to sell as an expansion feature.

In less than two months we'll know... I hope.

With how some people view AI when it comes to anything that has to do with art, I don't blame them. Some people see the word AI nowdays and start seething and frothing at he mouth.

[micwini]

Imagine the growth in GB's if all old items were upscaled to HD.

[Dracullus]

I’m not arguing that they will release the raid in 10.3 and I’m super confident about it.
It’s just now, that 10.2 has been previewed and AOTC mount popped up, suddenly everyone is confident beyond any doubt that 10.2 is a final raid tier.

No one is "confident beyond any doubt". But this and non-answer in MrGM interview are clear signs, enough to expect tree as final raid.

Will we have Season 4? Beyond any doubt. Will it be big enough update to call this patch 10.3? Unknown, depend how many new world content it could bring.

I'm waiting if Tyr's storyline will continue in 10.2. If not, I expect S4 to be all about it with Nighthold reused as raid or revamped dungeon.

[Sondrelk]

The hell it wasn't major!
The logical follow up should have left the forsaken alone against pissed off nations. Blizz could have done so much with this, it could've been a major expansion.
But...it'd take decent writing. And add all the other points I quoted from Nymrohd...it's clear that shit-tier writing is all Blizz is about.

I'm not saying it isn't a major storyline in BfA, just that it was more tied to Sylvanas, and therefore followed her into the Shadowlands.
Regardless, the main plotline in BfA was concluded, it was just a shit ending without an actual raid, which was my point. The main storyline of BfA ended in 8.2.5, and then we had an unrelated raid for the N'zoth plotline for 8.3.

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No one is "confident beyond any doubt". But this and non-answer in MrGM interview are clear signs, enough to expect tree as final raid.

Will we have Season 4? Beyond any doubt. Will it be big enough update to call this patch 10.3? Unknown, depend how many new world content it could bring.

I'm waiting if Tyr's storyline will continue in 10.2. If not, I expect S4 to be all about it with Nighthold reused as raid or revamped dungeon.

Blizzard basically never confirms plot points that isn't already established though.

[Fahrad Wagner]

That's almost certainly a store/cross promo set. Maybe Trading Post.

Very likely but the question is... where does that Tanaris Wastelands fantasy come from? It's never been associated to that kind of aesthetics or story, so if it is now it means things might have changed since we last visited Tanaris