Dragonflight 10.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Nyel]

Only WoW fans get mad at free stuff

Free stuff isn't the problem, but the predatory psychology behind introducing something like this. Similar mechanics have been thoroughly discussed and criticized in other games, too, this has nothing to do with WoW in particular.

[Makorus]

Seeing all the pessimism in WoW players is just so fucking sad.

Like, if your first reaction is "hahahah watch this get monetized in a few months" then why do you even bother playing the game if nothing excites you int he slightest.

[Makabreska]

Seeing all the pessimism in WoW players is just so fucking sad.

Like, if your first reaction is "hahahah watch this get monetized in a few months" then why do you even bother playing the game if nothing excites you int he slightest.

I wouldn't worry too much. Quick glance at the main post and Reddit shows that people are happy with this feature. Usual suspects having usual "concerns" wont change that, and is soooo predictable.

[loras]

Seeing all the pessimism in WoW players is just so fucking sad.

Like, if your first reaction is "hahahah watch this get monetized in a few months" then why do you even bother playing the game if nothing excites you int he slightest.

To be fair excitement is not at all required to genuinely enjoy things.

And i suspect that they are actually excuted, just that excitement mixed with jaded pessimism produces the behaviour seen here.

[Sondrelk]

Is it bad I saw the trading post had a special currency and immediately just skimmed the story looking for the cash shop confirmation?

Wasn't one, thankfully, which actually makes me kinda excited. Seems like a neat way of giving players things to do each month other than raid logging. Reminds me a bit of XIV's challenge log in a way.

I mean, I don't see why you would assume there would be anyways? Seemed like a very clear cut "get shop rewards for in-game playtyime" sort of deal. Not to mention that it would beg the question of why not just have it directly on the cash shop.

[Revamp Man]

Now that we are a day away from the raid opening, can we discuss what we think will happen during/after the raid? Additionally, what will come after for future content?

Raz succeeds (idk if we kill her since the fight seems to focus more on the prison health than her)
The elemental storms start in .0.5
Chromie finds the disc that got tossed in the timeways and aeon is revealed to be aeonus who tries to steal it thus leading to the weekly quests in alternate timelines..

We no longer have the luxury of waiting to create new aspects and find ysera unable to become one again due to her tie to the Shadowlands and her daughter becomes the new one. Sabellian and wrathion don't come to an agreement and Abyssion comes to back his claim but Tyr checks out his titan powers and says he has a bigger destiny so he let's Abyssion lead and Sabellian throws a fit.

The decay story is wrapped up with a bit of a new twist with Xal being its source. She is revealed to be an old god that her brothers tore apart because her influence was too dangerous and Tyr is the only one who recognized her.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

I mean I personally just would like them to instead of surprise dropping this, they'd actually just have a proper showcase and reveal while talking about their plans instead of having to play a puzzling game about their plans for the game.

I can't tell if this is good or bad because historically Blizzard loves to penny pinch their budgets and this seems like a solution that makes them seem to care about evergreen and can cut off anymore evergreen features from ever being discussed as they usually like doing by dropping something that appeases fans and then "See? They listened" and then the silence steps in to stop any further discussions or additions.

I just think this is a Korean MMO feature for recurring engagement. As I have no actual design intentions or information that indicates a direction for the team that supports that this will be a feature of plenty to come.

[Revamp Man]

It's just another way of keeping the MAUs up and nothing else, don't be fooled. ESO has something very similar in the form of daily login rewards. The best reward awaits you at the end of the month and you can only get that when you log in daily. The intent of the system is very clear.

Do you know how MAUs are measured or are you just looking for reasons to be mad

[Sondrelk]

Free stuff isn't the problem, but the predatory psychology behind introducing something like this. Similar mechanics have been thoroughly discussed and criticized in other games, too, this has nothing to do with WoW in particular.

Game rewards are predatory for requiring playtime?
I can get somewhat behind the argument when it's for stuff like the Mage Tower challenges disappearing, or mounts being exclusive to a pre-patch, but this seems like a very clear cut case of evergreen reward system for miscallaneous cosmetics.

- - - Updated - - -

Raz succeeds (idk if we kill her since the fight seems to focus more on the prison health than her)
The elemental storms start in .0.5
Chromie finds the disc that got tossed in the timeways and aeon is revealed to be aeonus who tries to steal it thus leading to the weekly quests in alternate timelines..

We no longer have the luxury of waiting to create new aspects and find ysera unable to become one again due to her tie to the Shadowlands and her daughter becomes the new one. Sabellian and wrathion don't come to an agreement and Abyssion comes to back his claim but Tyr checks out his titan powers and says he has a bigger destiny so he let's Abyssion lead and Sabellian throws a fit.

The decay story is wrapped up with a bit of a new twist with Xal being its source. She is revealed to be an old god that her brothers tore apart because her influence was too dangerous and Tyr is the only one who recognized her.

I would be shocked if Ebyssian decides to actually enter the running for Black Aspect. Nothing about his character implies he would want, or be comfortable leading all Black Dragons. He seems much more content bumming around in Highmountain, occasionally flying to the Dragon Isles to participate in whatever the Dragon Equivalent of a UN summit would be.

[Revamp Man]

I'm also ready for the scarlet crusade to come out because you know their leader is a black dragon

[Berkilak]

Its never as "satisfying" because people are fickle. No ending it at Legion shouldn't of been a thing and waste lots of potential. The demons weren't the biggest bad in the universe. It evolved past that point and you simply don't just end a franchise like that. People would still be asking about the sword in Azeroth if that is how Warcraft/WoW ended. If you want to delude yourself fine but thats on you not anyone else.

And Star Wars needed to explain the life story of everyone in the cantina in the expanded universe. And shoehorn Jar Jar into Return of the Jedi. And have a production line sequel trilogy. To appease those people that weren't appeased by the Skywalker story. But that doesn't mean that they couldn't have resolved that core narrative without addressing that junk.

Tying up loose ends left by the world building is not necessary to tell a story in that world. In fact, tying up the loose ends just serves to make your story feel smaller and more contrived since those loose ends were propping up the illusion of a large, living setting. There's a reason we'll never go to Akavir or find out what happened to the Dwemer in the Elder Scrolls - those "loose ends" exist for the sake of the mystery. To explain them is to overexplain them, and the explanation will never be as satisfying as the mystery. Again, a lesson the modern WoW writers need to learn (although they're doing a great job so far with Dragonflight).

[Makorus]

I mean I personally just would like them to instead of surprise dropping this, they'd actually just have a proper showcase and reveal while talking about their plans instead of having to play a puzzling game about their plans for the game.

I can't tell if this is good or bad because historically Blizzard loves to penny pinch their budgets and this seems like a solution that makes them seem to care about evergreen and can cut off anymore evergreen features from ever being discussed as they usually like doing by dropping something that appeases fans and then "See? They listened" and then the silence steps in to stop any further discussions or additions.

I just think this is a Korean MMO feature for recurring engagement. As I have no actual design intentions or information that indicates a direction for the team that supports that this will be a feature of plenty to come.

Massive copium from you about Blizzard adding a good feature.

People trying so hard to find a reason to shit on Blizzard for anything they do, they even cling on to "Oh, they didn't reveal it the right way".

lmao get real.

[Revamp Man]

Game rewards are predatory for requiring playtime?
I can get somewhat behind the argument when it's for stuff like the Mage Tower challenges disappearing, or mounts being exclusive to a pre-patch, but this seems like a very clear cut case of evergreen reward system for miscallaneous cosmetics.

- - - Updated - - -



I would be shocked if Ebyssian decides to actually enter the running for Black Aspect. Nothing about his character implies he would want, or be comfortable leading all Black Dragons. He seems much more content bumming around in Highmountain, occasionally flying to the Dragon Isles to participate in whatever the Dragon Equivalent of a UN summit would be.

That's why he'll be leader
A black dragon that doesn't want to continue his flights legacy.
Sabellian is tainted and we don't know how he and his flight were cleansed of madness
Wrathion is powered by titan blood and obsessed with a legacy
Meanwhile abyssion is cleansed and has centuries of experience.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Massive copium from you about Blizzard adding a good feature.

People trying so hard to find a reason to shit on Blizzard for anything they do, they even cling on to "Oh, they didn't reveal it the right way".

lmao get real.

I mean its not a good feature since it will just involve players doing dumb activities, force people into not talking back to morons in-game in case they want to keep getting their 500 coins and uh the necessity of continuous grinding through FOMO. But, sure.

[Makorus]

I mean its not a good feature since it will just involve players doing dumb activities, force people into not talking back to morons in-game in case they want to keep getting their 500 coins and uh the necessity of continuous grinding through FOMO. But, sure.

It's an activity system that rewards people with unique appearances and store items by playing the game and essentially doing achievements.

Anything else is your hatred for the game sneaking through.

[Revamp Man]

I mean its not a good feature since it will just involve players doing dumb activities, force people into not talking back to morons in-game in case they want to keep getting their 500 coins and uh the necessity of continuous grinding through FOMO. But, sure.

It's a feature that gives rewards where 1/3 of your monthly cap is just playing

Also I can't find the spot in the post where the rewards are a limited time only that they rotate

[Koollan]

That whole Bronze dragon area is overdesigned if it isn't going to be used for something else.

I expect a Torghast successor rather than a traditional dungeon or raid. Randomized timelines.

This would be the best timeline.

[Sondrelk]

That's why he'll be leader
A black dragon that doesn't want to continue his flights legacy.
Sabellian is tainted and we don't know how he and his flight were cleansed of madness
Wrathion is powered by titan blood and obsessed with a legacy
Meanwhile abyssion is cleansed and has centuries of experience.

And if you pick 50 people at random then you are likely to get someone who would be a great leader, but not necessarily one that should be.

Ebyssian has not been a part of Dragon politics seemingly ever. And while this arguably gives him a nice outsider look to the whole affair, it would still feel very out of place to have someone who clearly doesnt want to take part be forced to lead just because.

Again, it isnt even that he is reluctant to take charge despite being a good leader. He is wholly uninterested in leading at all, and seemingly just wants to spend time in Highmountain with the Tauren there.
Narratively, making Ebyssian the aspect would be a creative dead end. He has no discernible storylines that could be gleaned from it. He wouldnt learn humility, he wouldnt add a fresh new aspect to the Black Dragonflight, he wouldnt really do anything except be the Black Aspect by virtue of being a Black Dragon.

[Kiivar86]

The trader's post thing honestly seems real neat to me, and a way to get shop or former shop stuff in-game without paying, I don't see the issue.

[Lahis]

Is it bad I saw the trading post had a special currency and immediately just skimmed the story looking for the cash shop confirmation?

Wasn't one, thankfully, which actually makes me kinda excited. Seems like a neat way of giving players things to do each month other than raid logging. Reminds me a bit of XIV's challenge log in a way.

Eh, it will have Premium Trading Post Pass soon enough. No Battle Pass will be complete without paid tier.