9.0 General Discussion

[Gurahk]

Basically San'layn wing = Revendreth source

Val'kyr hallway = Bastion inspiration

Undead wing = Maldraxxus source

Valithria = Ardenweald inspiration

Icecrown architecture = Maw source

Making ICC one big pointy Shadowlands tribute

well, to be fair there are infinite amount of realms in the shadowlands, so icc could've looked like anything and still be a shadowlands tribute.

[Cherry123]

they didn't even release comics, chance for CGI 0%.

[therumblings]

well, to be fair there are infinite amount of realms in the shadowlands, so icc could've looked like anything and still be a shadowlands tribute.

True I guess lmao

they didn't even release comics, chance for CGI 0%.

Guessing you haven't seen the leaked pic?

[formerShandalay]

You could also argue for the fact that the Ardenweald has a winter aesthetic with the Winter Queen, and the spirits there talking about death and rebirth as the long winter.

I know it is a children's book, but in Taveler the dryad was talking about 'winter' when she was talking about death.
I really think that simply from the mythology of seeing life as a circle, we can assume winter is the equivalent of death in this cycle.

[Cosmic Janitor]

Still, it seems a bit of a connection.

It might come across as cynical, but personally I feel more like they just didn't have any more ideas as to how to theme the afterlife. Vamps, necormancers, angels and something with nature. If anything it seems maldraxxus only happned because they didn't have any more death themes in their repertoire and therefore they went with the scourge. Vamps are vamps. No two ways to go about this, even though blood dks don't have much in common with vampires to begin with.

If I had to construct a connection between ICC and SL I would probably say that Ardenweald is the odd one out, as Bastion can be interpreted as the Valkyr minions, which also had the messenger/recruiter vibes in wrath; not to mention they are also blue and winged. The only thing connecting Ardenweald would be the the "winter" in the winterqueen's name, but the whole realm doesn't even have much autum vibes, let alone winter. The only parts that fit that are the dead ones they had to forsake because of the draught.

[Adoxe]

Pretty sure Old Soldier came out the week before the pre-patch, we could potentially see the Jailer CGI this month.

It'll be next thursday 100%, it's very weird how there's no Maw afterlives episode considering how important Maw is meant to be and also the next week is kinda just awkwardly standing out as the week with nothing going on seeing as how we're getting pre-patch on the 29th/30th (2 weeks after background download always), with every week after pre-patch release having a new quest unlock as they're time gated in 4 parts leading up to the exp release. No better time to release it than next week as the finale to the Afterlives, even if it won't exactly be an Afterlives episode.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

True I guess lmao



Guessing you haven't seen the leaked pic?

It began with a leaked CGI and ends with a leaked CGI. Poetic.

[Sondrelk]

I know it is a children's book, but in Taveler the dryad was talking about 'winter' when she was talking about death.
I really think that simply from the mythology of seeing life as a circle, we can assume winter is the equivalent of death in this cycle.

It is very basic seasonal symbolism.
Spring is birth and rebirth.
Summer is the prime of ones life.
Autumn is when the person grows old and tired.
And winter is death.

In the brief for what Ardenweald was about it was specifically mentioned that it was about Autumn and Winter as opposed to the Emerald Dream being about Spring and Summer.

[Jokubas]

well, to be fair there are infinite amount of realms in the shadowlands, so icc could've looked like anything and still be a shadowlands tribute.

Yeah, but out of all of those infinite realms, those are the ones we're visiting. A coincidence in-universe for sure, but not so much from our perspective.

they didn't even release comics, chance for CGI 0%.

0% after that picture seems unlikely, but I don't think it's 100% either. They've been doing these tv spots since Warlords of Draenor using the cinematic models. Warlords of Draenor did Grom, Battle for Azeroth did Anduin, Sylvanas, Greymane, and Saurfang. Legion, though the only version I can ever find is low quality, actually had an Illidan one (I wouldn't even have known about it if I didn't see it briefly during the Legion launch event and wonder where it was from), and it does not appear to be his Burning Crusade cinematic model. Technically Illidan appeared in the Legion teaser cinematic where Gul'dan finds him, but there was absolutely no reason for him to have an actual model as you never see more than a silhouette.

So, for all we know, the Jailer's cinematic model will only ever appear in a tv spot, but that does seem unlikely.

Old Soldier came out just before Battle for Azeroth came out, so we still have plenty of time by a past precedent for a Jailer cinematic to come out before the expansion.

[formerShandalay]

It is very basic seasonal symbolism.
Spring is birth and rebirth.
Summer is the prime of ones life.
Autumn is when the person grows old and tired.
And winter is death.

In the brief for what Ardenweald was about it was specifically mentioned that it was about Autumn and Winter as opposed to the Emerald Dream being about Spring and Summer.

Exactly.
And with winter you even have both things going on, actual death, because of the cold and the 'rest and wait' thing, like in trees.
Both equally important in the grand scheme of things, just as the winter itself is with its cold and snow (or in the case of warmer climates the rain), making flooding and thus lots of growth possible in the spring.

[Gurahk]

0% after that picture seems unlikely, but I don't think it's 100% either. They've been doing these tv spots since Warlords of Draenor using the cinematic models. Warlords of Draenor did Grom, Battle for Azeroth did Anduin, Sylvanas, Greymane, and Saurfang. Legion, though the only version I can ever find is low quality, actually had an Illidan one (I wouldn't even have known about it if I didn't see it briefly during the Legion launch event and wonder where it was from), and it does not appear to be his Burning Crusade cinematic model. Technically Illidan appeared in the Legion teaser cinematic where Gul'dan finds him, but there was absolutely no reason for him to have an actual model as you never see more than a silhouette.

So, for all we know, the Jailer's cinematic model will only ever appear in a tv spot, but that does seem unlikely.

Old Soldier came out just before Battle for Azeroth came out, so we still have plenty of time by a past precedent for a Jailer cinematic to come out before the expansion.

All the models used for those tv-spots were already used in a cgi cinematic, so it'd be incredibly unlike Blizzard to put so much effort into creating one for Jailer, then just using it for a simple tv spot or image.

[Nagawithlegs]

The Jailer cinematic (which will likely feature Sylvanas) is their cutesy way of doing a "Maw Covenant" video, they've already said that Sylvanas's new armor is essentially her joining the covenant like the players do. So it makes sense to follow Afterlives.

[Jokubas]

It is very basic seasonal symbolism.
Spring is birth and rebirth.
Summer is the prime of ones life.
Autumn is when the person grows old and tired.
And winter is death.

In the brief for what Ardenweald was about it was specifically mentioned that it was about Autumn and Winter as opposed to the Emerald Dream being about Spring and Summer.

I didn't catch it the first time, but in the Afterlives video, the satyr guy tells Ursoc to dream while he's waiting to be reborn. I almost feel like the Emerald Dream and Ardenweald aren't really opposites or connected, but it's more symbolic, as you say. That explains how Ursoc and others could appear in the dream immediately after being killed, despite now apparently being sent to the Shadowlands: their actual selves are in the Shadowlands, while they're projecting into the Emerald Dream, much like living druids can project into the Dream from Azeroth. In that case, I'd say that the Emerald Dream is opposite Ardenweald merely because it is on the living side of things, and not that they're actually two sides of the same coin.

Who knows, though. I've cited before the fact that Thros was said to both be part of the Emerald Nightmare and a death realm, which really seems to muddy things.

[Dracullus]

Anyone else would like to see Garrosh as target dummy for Venthyr sanctum? ;D

The Jailer cinematic (which will likely feature Sylvanas) is their cutesy way of doing a "Maw Covenant" video, they've already said that Sylvanas's new armor is essentially her joining the covenant like the players do. So it makes sense to follow Afterlives.

Yeah, it's another hint we will get CGI "Maw" cinematic. Others are Jailer cover and fact that it's really strange they released Afterlives in weeks leading on pre-patch, not 29th, 6th, 13th, 20th to fill time before SL launch. It's like they have something better in their sleeves.

[Raetary]

Gonna be interesting to have Thrall and Garrosh meet again.

[Jokubas]

All the models used for those tv-spots were already used in a cgi cinematic, so it'd be incredibly unlike Blizzard to put so much effort into creating one for Jailer, then just using it for a simple tv spot or image.

My point was that the Illidan one wasn't. It wasn't his Burning Crusade cinematic model, and the Legion teaser cinematic only had an Illidan silhouette, not a model (the silhouette might be of the model, but that still means the model wasn't made to be seen in the cinematic).

Though I agree in that I don't think they made the model just for the tv spot, but that heavily implies to me that, at the very least, they originally intended to do more with that model, which makes it unlikely, but possible, that something similar could happen again.

[therumblings]

My point was that the Illidan one wasn't. It wasn't his Burning Crusade cinematic model, and the Legion teaser cinematic only had an Illidan silhouette, not a model (the silhouette might be of the model, but that still means the model wasn't made to be seen in the cinematic).

Though I agree in that I don't think they made the model just for the tv spot, but that heavily implies to me that, at the very least, they originally intended to do more with that model, which makes it unlikely, but possible, that something similar could happen again.

I know the one you are referring to, and it was pretty low quality (at least for CGI standards), but still nowhere near as low as in game cinematics

EDIT: Found it

[Shandodo]

Question.

There was MU and AU Gul'Dan.

Are there two Gul'Dans now in SL somewhere?

Also with Garrosh being there does this mean that the other warlords are also somewhere?

[Kereberus]

600 MB Beta Patch

[therumblings]

Question.

There was MU and AU Gul'Dan.

Are there two Gul'Dans now in SL somewhere?

Also with Garrosh being there does this mean that the other warlords are also somewhere?

Real answer: They don't know, and wont answer, because AU is stupid as hell.

Only guess/headcanon: There are two, but only because AU draenor was a false timeline with just draenor made, so you wont have every single dead person in all the cosmos from AU there.