wow The Most Convincing 11.0 Expansion "Leak" So Far

[Staff 1,195]

Many have been surprised by the lack of convincing leaks so close to BlizzCon, but here we go! We've seen some manufactured leaks for WoW's next expansion already, but they've either been just text or your usual new logo varieties (and of course all the AI art ones). However, today we have the first even slightly convincing one. 

Avaloren and the Storm Riders

There's no expansion title attached to this one, but it does offer the name of the new continent we'll be exploring: Avaloren. There's no source for any of the images, only those that posted them first, starting with Upset-Setting-501 who added these images to reddit with the title Is this 11.0??.

 

Avaloren is an actual place already mentioned in the lore. It was talked about in the Uldum: Legacy of Tyr dungeon added in Dragonflight, where a text talks about Odyn sending expeditions there to hunt down "heretics" for their crimes against Keeper Innaria. The second image shows what are presumably the Storm Riders, which is the one solid hint we do have about the expansion, namely a datamined Storm Rider mount and race achievements. The third image is also interesting in that the lamps present there resemble ones from a teaser image for BlizzCon (as spotted by cinamonjackz?

Now, the fact that all these things have some relation to actual facts and already leaked or shared details makes sense both if the leak is real and if it's fabricated. All three images could have been created simply based on these facts we know and lore teases from within the game. 
 

The Expansion Website Laptop Images

Then there's the laptop images (also from an unknown source, but posted on the MMO Champion forums). This one looks like the expansion landing page, but interestingly it's using the "default" Dragonflight zone art as background. Now, this may just be a temporary image and is to get replaced, but it also points to it being fake. The "Mobile ready" part refers to the site page being ready for mobile formats. 

The Khaz Algar reference is also one that we're already aware of, also from Uldaman: Legacy of Tyr. This one was more circumstantial, however, as it is only relevant because it refers to a separate race/clan of dwarves, which was linked to the Storm Rider datamining information. 

 

So, actual leak just over a week ahead of BlizzCon or (sort of) convincing fake? If it is a fake someone really went to a fair amount of trouble to make it! Also keep in mind that the two aren't necessarily linked either, as the laptop photo did appear a little after the reddit one. 

[TheCake 95]

So the other day, I had a dream about the future WoW expansion (Yeah, I need a life - I know), where I was in a dungeon with a bunch of idiots who blamed me for them standing in crap... the dungeon had vines in it, and one boss with a vine-earthquake/grab kind of thing split in four directions.
They had improved on the visuality of where things will happen (like those vines)

Before DF I dreamt of a dragon scorching the area and fighting it.
___ Soooooo....

Seeing the last picture makes me think "Huh, maybe my brain actually has played too much WoW over these 20 years..."

My single take on what I see here tho besides that is;
It looks boring, bland, uninspired and frankly soulless.
So I am absolutely sure the devs made that, since they have wanted to destroy the soul and original-grounds of WoW and convert it to their Twitter-mentality paradise; which WOMEN (not fruit bowls) like me (and men ofc) quite dislike.

I fell in love with WoW with the Undead in the original trailer, just snuffing out life in a single hand movement.
He looked amazing.

I am glad OG Classic exists so I can choose to play that as well as retail, but I do wish Retail would get the old Metal feeling back and less Twitter-culture.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. 🐈

Edited October 26 by TheCake

[Prophet001 481]

I mean this just looks like someone told an AI somewhere "Draw me random WoW landscapes" and that's what it did.

iuno :/

[dlhak 30]

I don't want this to be real. it feels so generic. I won't play it.

[TheRagingwolf 194]

40 minutes ago, TheCake said:

So the other day, I had a dream about the future WoW expansion (Yeah, I need a life - I know), where I was in a dungeon with a bunch of idiots who blamed me for them standing in crap... the dungeon had vines in it, and one boss with a vine-earthquake/grab kind of thing split in four directions.
They had improved on the visuality of where things will happen (like those vines)

Before DF I dreamt of a dragon scorching the area and fighting it.
___ Soooooo....

Seeing the last picture makes me think "Huh, maybe my brain actually has played too much WoW over these 20 years..."

My single take on what I see here tho besides that is;
It looks boring, bland, uninspired and frankly soulless.
So I am absolutely sure the devs made that, since they have wanted to destroy the soul and original-grounds of WoW and convert it to their Twitter-mentality paradise; which WOMEN (not fruit bowls) like me (and men ofc) quite dislike.

I fell in love with WoW with the Undead in the original trailer, just snuffing out life in a single hand movement.
He looked amazing.

I am glad OG Classic exists so I can choose to play that as well as retail, but I do wish Retail would get the old Metal feeling back and less Twitter-culture.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. 🐈

I need you to dream about me winning the lottery.

[Arcling 822]

I see another Azure Span, Frostfire Ridge, Gorgrond and Val'sharath. These zones look rather standard and they overlap too much with existing themes. Also we have classic "picture taken at tilted angle", this reminds me of that fake Shadowlands which had a map of titular Shadowlands, which was nothing like the continent we've got in game (it even had Ny'alotha, it was made before final patch for BfA was revealed and back then people associated it with Shadowlands).

Also nothing about any new playable race or class? These are usually high selling points of expansions, usually those without any of these tend to do worse.

[Ken007 64]

This seems fake, the lack of info/leaks is surprising. Blizz should do something huge- the next x pac coincides with the twentieth anniversary. There are rumors of the Classic x pac as well but not much on that either. We will know soon enough. 

Edited October 26 by Ken007

[blacktiger1974 24]

1 hour ago, dlhak said:

I don't want this to be real. it feels so generic. I won't play it.

You will. Trust me.

PS: People are weird... What do you expect? A casino with blackjack, whores and unreal engine 5?

Edited October 26 by blacktiger1974

[Cham79 59]

I'd be down for another Azeroth themed expansion but the problem is the amount of Disney shenanigans just ruin it for me

[Dkirss 0]

The Agg'orand is also in the third zone pic if you look closely. I think this *filtered* is real

[Migol 421]

Surely the next expansion will see us doing something about that Giant Sword still lodged in Azeroth's gut?

[Arcling 822]

1 hour ago, Migol said:

Surely the next expansion will see us doing something about that Giant Sword still lodged in Azeroth's gut?

Probably not if it's another "hidden, but suddenly revealed" type of continent.

[Migol 421]

On 10/27/2023 at 12:09 PM, Arcling said:

Probably not if it's another "hidden, but suddenly revealed" type of continent.

Well...holy crap huh.

[Arcling 822]

2 hours ago, Migol said:

Well...holy crap huh.

It's still another suddenly revealed continent, just underground. The Sword has been inert since the Legion, so probably nothing happening with it. What's weird is how they are making identity of that voice a secret, like they couldn't just talk with Magni? Anyway, good thing that Avaloren turned out to be fake, but at least someone had to put some effort into it, unlike other fake leaks.

Edited November 8 by Arcling

[Migol 421]

14 hours ago, Arcling said:

It's still another suddenly revealed continent, just underground. The Sword has been inert since the Legion, so probably nothing happening with it. What's weird is how they are making identity of that voice a secret, like they couldn't just talk with Magni? Anyway, good thing that Avaloren turned out to be fake, but at least someone had to put some effort into it, unlike other fake leaks.

Yeah I was just shocked that they mentioned the sword and that there's a chance now of actually doing something about it.    I thought there was gonna be a least of decade of pretending it didn't exist and that Silithus itself was a myth.