The hardcover of that book might be the first physical wow item I buy....That looks fantastic.
I like the skin for Nithogg, very cool screenshot.
As nice as the armor on the new Nightbourne is, chances of players seeing similar armor is unlikely unless Blizzard treats it like the capes. The WoD capes use alpha channels which lets them cut things out with an alpha map which gives them many more design options instead of static shapes. For those familiar with the Sims franchise, alpha channels are also heavily used for many clothing models there. Many of the new Nightborne appear to use alpha channels. The females with the full skirt have the front cut out via alpha maps for those with coat tails. The old models aren't setup to use alpha channels. If they equip a newer cape, it's just a rectangle because the game doesn't know how to read the alpha channels on the old model to cut them out. Worgen and goblins certainly suffer from this. Blizzard would have to update the old models to use alpha channels or else put in some kind of texture in the area that would be otherwise cut out so those using old models don't look terrible. In many cases, having a skirt that actually shows the lower leg and feet would be unlikely for older models. Chances are they'd just use the regular robe bottom model available already.There's also the issue that the Nightbourne armor is 3D and not painted on the body. Blizzard might not want to take the time to make the 3D armor models work on the older models. It'd also cause more strain for older computers. A few more polygons might not seem like much, but they add up and quickly, especially in an MMO. The old models wouldn't look as snazzy due to being forced to look painted on rather than 3D.Put another way, as long as Blizzard supports the old models, we're not likely to see armor like the Nightbourne. So you can blame those still using the old models for us still getting painted on armor. Really wish Blizzard would stop supporting them. Honestly, if you're using the old models, you're part of the problem. You should be posting images and making suggestions on how Blizzard can fix the new ones to make them appeal more to you even if they have to add a new face, skin, etc. By just using the old models, you're evading the issue and not helping to fix it. Blizzard can certainly add in more facial options, etc.In regards to the art, very pretty. Wish I was that good but my stuff tends to look like crap. I've been complemented on some of the stuff I've done and done the odd commissioned piece, but my stuff doesn't compare to anything professionals do.
I would love to see those paintings offered as prints. I want the Dragon Aspects Blessing the World Tree on my wall!
If we ever get sub-races Night Elves might get the Nightborne .
It upsets me that Suramar City NPCs (I assume) have visually and technically better armor than players, who wield legendary artifacts from major lore characters. Why can't we have a proper robe, when these NPCs have custom armor just for them. Why can't Blizzard spend the time to make armor work properly on all races? I can live with clipping, but I can't live with half a race being broken. Hiding shoulders helps temporarily, but they need to start being serious about armor.
I think they inverted the numbers in Storm Breath's tooltip. I feel it should read 828750 to 871250 damage, and increase the damage by 100% for 30 seconds.But yeah, alpha.
OMG OMG Ancient Kalimdor, yaaaaas!
I love WoW lore and this book is exactly what i needed. I'm soooo happy that some things will be clarified and we'll get to know a lot of new things. Also the art is BEAUTIFUL!
OMG, must....have.....
This expansion would be a great time to reintroduce Dark Trolls. I've had a fascination with them since WC3.
Nithogg, huh?Blizzard paying homage to FFXIV Heavensward? Weird.
Actually, I'm pretty sure it's a reference to Norse mythology. It's a variation on the name for the beast that gnaws at the roots of Yggdrasil. (I was kind of into reading all sorts of mythology as a kid.)
As a lore enthusiast I'm super hyped about the book. I can't wait for it to be released. It looks amazing!
YES! World dragon bosses again!
Interesting to see what Karazhan looked like before it got all messed up. Funny thing is, it LOOKS like it's in the midst of not just a village, like it is now (albeit in ruins), but a great city. Given the rest of the stuff shown from this new book, it seems to indicate (to me anyway) that Karazhan is at least ten thousand years old, give or take a century or so...which makes one wonder.In "The Last Guardian", it's speculated (kinda-sorta) that Karazhan was at the place it was now with the intention of being Medivh's sanctum...but who would have been there before him? The other Guardians, up to Medivh himself according to the little lore blurb on the Chamber of the Guardian, seemed to have taken up residence in Dalaran for its existence (which, if my memory serves, dates back at least three thousand or so years, give or take - to the order of wizards trained by the elves to serve King Thoradin in the Troll Wars), and presumably someplace else before that. So who lived in Karazhan before Medivh moved in?
I will have this book!
Massively hyped over the book.Chris Metzen near the start of the trailer makes the case that THIS book series is Blizzard's attempt to tighten up, codify, clarify all aspects of lore. THIS to be the definitive source.Loving the gorgeous art.That diagram with "reality" in the middle and all the known "forces" surrounding it was awesome.Titans / Wild Gods / Old Gods / The Naaru / The Burning Legion / Undead all on the same level.Think about that. We have had plenty of The Burning Legion. We've had a nice amount of Old Gods and we have seen the influence of (but not actually adventured with) the Titans via Ulduar/Uldaman/Uldum.Time to explore The Naaru more fully? Nah. A force for good = boring.What about that Undead, sourced from Necromantic energies which represent Death?With a proper introduction, Blizzard could pull that off. Heck the old Warcraft games had The Burning Legion and in WoW we had TBC etc. Let's build up to a "Necromantic" expansion. If they could sneak it past censors in China of course.Wild Gods. Presently their influence has been more subtle in WoW but when I think about it, yeah nicely done so far.The WORLD-SOUL of Azeroth a Titan. Dwelling deep within. Absorbed all of the Spirit element. More please!The map titled "Aftermath of the Aqir and Troll War".Oh man! We MUST have an expansion set at this time.Wait. No.If ever there was a chance to reboot Warcraft then this is it.Warcraft Origins. The new MMORPG. Set in Ancient Kalimdor. Entirely new game engine.We ALL start as Trolls - but as SUB-RACES of trolls.No publishing company could ever pull off a MMORPG with EVERYONE playing as the one race.Except Blizzard.They gotta do this!Um, that picture of Karazhan. Is from way before Medivh's time. Even though, it still looks creepy.Wait. That is a RAVEN flying about. Medivh = raven is the usual thing but this is way before Medivh had been born... That's a nice touch to whet the appetite of Warcraft fans.
In Norse myths, Niðhöggr was a giant dragon who gnawed upon the roots of Yggdrasil, the world tree. Nice seeing him here.