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

[Hitei]

But the color of the glow on the gryphon mount DOES match the drust blight environmental effects in Ardenweald. And the eyes of the Kul Tiran druid forms.

I don't really agree that it matches the environmental effects.

It matches the KT druid form eyes, but the KT druid forms also have noticeably more green effects than actual drust magic does (I assume specifically to make it readily clear that they aren't just using the exact same dark magic). They also specifically have a much more naturalized organically grown wicker look isntead of the bundled together artificial wicker look.

I just don't see this thing being at all drust related. Especially since nothing else about it is drust-like.

[Mysticdoll]

Very similar looking effect.

if you look at the full texture pack there is also dark purple

[Cheezits]

It being a gryphon, and also very much NOT a normal gryphon with any spell effects we know, makes me wonder if we are getting another OCshit Shadowlands 2 expansion.

[lostsoup]

Do we know what wowexdev's header is from? Unlike the "Void Dreadlord", this one doesn't look AI generated, and is in a way higher resolution. It's also a bigger but cropped version of this: Which is Scaleface's profile picture.

Haven't really seen anyone talking about this picture, but it looks interesting. Two big dark blue creatures on the side of the person with armor that kinda reminds me of the Dreadlords, and what looks to be the tail of something (Azshara?) hovering in the big purple orb.

[AOL Instant Messenger]

The picture looks painfully AI, but it's possible it was generated to hint at something without leaking real images that could get someone in trouble, and the color is part of that.

Ah, whatever, we'll know soon enough I guess.

That's my feeling, as well. I checked the metadata and didn't find anything (though I may have not been sufficiently meticulous), so if it is a hint at all, it's presumably in the content. The giant sword has me convinced Houle was on the money with something happening with C'thun in Silithus.

[Cheezits]

Do we know what wowexdev's header is from? Unlike the "Void Dreadlord", this one doesn't look AI generated, and is in a way higher resolution. It's also a bigger but cropped version of this: Which is Scaleface's profile picture.

Haven't really seen anyone talking about this picture, but it looks interesting. Two big dark blue creatures on the side of the person with armor that kinda reminds me of the Dreadlords, and what looks to be the tail of something (Azshara?) hovering in the big purple orb.

The blue stuff looks incredibly fake to me.

[AOL Instant Messenger]

Do we know what wowexdev's header is from? Unlike the "Void Dreadlord", this one doesn't look AI generated, and is in a way higher resolution. It's also a bigger but cropped version of this: Which is Scaleface's profile picture.

Haven't really seen anyone talking about this picture.

Well, the armor looks pretty Draenic. I could've sworn I've seen it before as a WoD or TBC armor set, down to the green details, but I sadly can't find it after combing through Wowhead's dressing room sets. Either way, I'm not sure if that looks AI-generated or not to me. There's some odd details and textures that read as AI fuckery to me, but it may be due to distortion.

[Sondrelk]

Do we know what wowexdev's header is from? Unlike the "Void Dreadlord", this one doesn't look AI generated, and is in a way higher resolution. It's also a bigger but cropped version of this: Which is Scaleface's profile picture.

Haven't really seen anyone talking about this picture, but it looks interesting. Two big dark blue creatures on the side of the person with armor that kinda reminds me of the Dreadlords, and what looks to be the tail of something (Azshara?) hovering in the big purple orb.

Really? That one looks especially AI generated. Generic dude in purple ish armor that doesn't look like anything specific, and which avoids common issues like hands. The big things on the sides are what really get to me though. One had one big eye on one side, and kinda three eyes on the other. One has the weird visor thing. None of them look like they were designed with a specific intent behind them, but rather just generic blue aliens.

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The blue stuff looks incredibly fake to me.

All the features bleed into each other like what you usually see in AI creatures.
One of the ones in the back look like they have the heartless emblem from Kingdom Hearts as well.

[AOL Instant Messenger]

Really? That one looks especially AI generated. Generic dude in purple ish armor that doesn't look like anything specific, and which avoids common issues like hands. The big things on the sides are what really get to me though. One had one big eye on one side, and kinda three eyes on the other. One has the weird visor thing. None of them look like they were designed with a specific intent behind them, but rather just generic blue aliens.

That's my feeling, as well. Then again, those might not be creatures and could be some kind of weird ridges we're reading as looking like faces. Either way, I'm still pretty suspicious of this one. It strikes me as an eclectic mishmash of aesthetics from Shadowlands and TBC on top of its distortions and peculiarities.

[Sondrelk]

That's my feeling, as well. Then again, those might not be creatures and could be some kind of weird ridges we're reading as looking like faces. Either way, I'm still pretty suspicious of this one. It strikes me as an eclectic mishmash of aesthetics from Shadowlands and TBC on top of its distortions and peculiarities.

Looks more like StarCraft stuff to me honestly.

[huth]

Why are we calling it a Void Dreadlord? Looks way closer to a fire elemental like Smolderon or Baleroc in my opinion.

The violet colour coming from the creature itself also stands in stark contrast with the background, which has that greenish hue. So assuming the image is real, which I don't think it is, my bet would be that the creature is in a location where he doesn't belong. He's a Void creature invading someplace, or a creature native to that place (perhaps a fire elemental) that has become corrupted by the Void.

The location itself screams "Yogg-Saron" to me, since that's his colour, and it looks to be underground.

It doesn't really look like what Void-affected stuff looks like, that tends to either be Old God-ish tentacles and stuff or more starry void like visuals.

This looks more like the next expansion is going to be WoW: Ravestar with an 80s Neon aesthetic.

[AOL Instant Messenger]

How strongly do we think this is the pre-order mount for the next expansion? Because its giving Drust vibes. And the Drust aren't strictly related to the shadowlands; its nature spirits that were removed from the great cycle entirely. So add Drust to the list of potential evil invading forces.

It looks like it's just a variant on the spectral gryphons we've gotten before. If it looks like anything to me, I'm inclined to think of Yogg-Saron. The vaporous glow looks pretty similar to saronite.

[Ersula]

It being a gryphon, and also very much NOT a normal gryphon with any spell effects we know, makes me wonder if we are getting another OCshit Shadowlands 2 expansion.

I am the sicko who thinks Shadowlands would have been great if it wasn't for a mass firing & global pandemic hurting every aspect of its production. So I'm excited.

[Cheezits]

It looks like it's just a variant on the spectral gryphons we've gotten before. If it looks like anything to me, I'm inclined to think of Yogg-Saron. The vaporous glow looks pretty similar to saronite.

Maybe they are doing an expansion where each new zone is tied in some way to each of the Old Gods?

Cave zone could be Silithus/AQ. Some kind of Yogg Zone. Nzoth is taken care of with Naga/Azshara. And then a Pandaria style zone for the Yshaarj.

Not Black Empire expansion but aesthetic and lore ties to each of the OGs.

[Santandame]

That's my feeling, as well. I checked the metadata and didn't find anything (though I may have not been sufficiently meticulous), so if it is a hint at all, it's presumably in the content. The giant sword has me convinced Houle was on the money with something happening with C'thun in Silithus.

The scale of the sword in that picture is way off though. It looks so much smaller than how it’s represented in Silithus. So I’m not convinced it’s the sword. It could just be a portal to a void dimension or whatever.

[AOL Instant Messenger]

The scale of the sword in that picture is way off though. It looks so much smaller than how it’s represented in Silithus. So I’m not convinced it’s the sword. It could just be a portal to a void dimension or whatever.

Well, I don't think it's the sword. It's an AI-generated image of a corrupted sword meant to be specifically evocative of the sword in Silithus.

[Santandame]

It doesn't really look like what Void-affected stuff looks like, that tends to either be Old God-ish tentacles and stuff or more starry void like visuals.

This looks more like the next expansion is going to be WoW: Ravestar with an 80s Neon aesthetic.

WoW: Vice City. Yes please.

[Teriz]

It being a gryphon, and also very much NOT a normal gryphon with any spell effects we know, makes me wonder if we are getting another OCshit Shadowlands 2 expansion.

I don't think blizzard wants to torpedo all the good will they've built up from Dragonflight by going back visually or thematically to the expansion that almost killed the game.

[AOL Instant Messenger]

Maybe they are doing an expansion where each new zone is tied in some way to each of the Old Gods?

Cave zone could be Silithus/AQ. Some kind of Yogg Zone. Nzoth is taken care of with Naga/Azshara. And then a Pandaria style zone for the Yshaarj.

Not Black Empire expansion but aesthetic and lore ties to each of the OGs.

That could be it. Would be an interesting approach to a world revamp. However, if the cave hints are true,—which I'm naturally skeptical about, but could be willing to accept given that we have had some build-up with the transition system used for Zaralek,—a saronite-laden spectral gryphon may hint towards an expansion specifically oriented around Yogg-Saron, potentially in Azjol-Nerub.

[Cheezits]

That could be it. Would be an interesting approach to a world revamp. However, if the cave hints are true, a saronite-laden spectral gryphon may hint towards an expansion specifically oriented around Yogg-Saron, potentially in Azjol-Nerub.

I doubt it would just be one of them. The Jinyu already point to water shenanigans and they would fit two of the OG themes now that BFA tied them to Azshara.