I know this may sound a little awkward, but I would like to share my toughts regarding Tavern heroes.
Tinker – He has no real history in Warcraft3 and feels out of place. Factory, Clockwork Goblins, and especially Robots seem strange in a medieval fantasy game. They do not even have Electricity and we are talking about Robots.
Firelord – While I understand that the Pit Lord comes from the Burning Legion, I am not sure what the Firelord represents in the lore? Lava Spawn and Volcano fit slightly better than mechanical Factory/Robots, but still not completely.
If the intention was to represent the elemental forces, perhaps a true Fire Elemental (similar to the Water Elemental summoned by the Archmage) would make more sense, possibly as a summonable unit for one of the Orc Heroes. Eg. Tauren (Earth -Fire).
Alchemist – A Goblin riding a smart Ogre feels unusual, since Ogres are not generally portrayed this way. They are generally portrayed as unintelligent and not cooperative (especially not to carry others).
Goblin shops already exist in the game and that fit well. Acid Bomb, Healing Spray, and Transmute are interesting abilities, but from a campaign and lore perspective, the hero feels somewhat disconnected.
There are no clear lore references to Alchemists in the campaigns.
I have no criticism of the Pandaren Brewmaster - he has strong lore support from later Warcraft stories and is a fun hero to play. The same applies to heroes like the Naga Sea Witch, Dark Ranger, Pit Lord, and Beastmaster, all of whom are connected to campaigns and established stories.
Please do not throw rotten tomatoes at me or flag me - this is meant as a constructive discussion. Personally, I would consider removing or replacing three heroes (in this order):
Tinker – feels the most Out of place.
Firelord – debatable.
Alchemist – also debatable.
Possible alternatives could include:
Grand Marshal Garithos as a Dark Knight style hero.
Akama (Elder Draenei) - this feels like a missed opportunity, and I am surprised why he was forgotten.
It may have originally been an experimental design, and after some influencers started playing him, so the community embraced the hero.
However, it feels like the background lore was never fully developed, and some of the abilities do not seem to align well with the Warcraft 3.
Personally, I think a Voodoo or mystical theme would fit the universe better than mechanical robots, electronics, and factories.
Steam Power is not Electricity.
Steam engines were incredibly powerful in the 19th century. A single steam locomotive could pull hundreds of tons of cargo, and the same principle can be applied to tanks or gyrocopters.
Electricity, on the other hand, came much later. At first it was just Light bulbs, and only much later did we see Modern factories. Then Toyota developed Lean technology, and even later came Robotic automation (eg. Robo Goblin).
So while Tanks and Gyro fits, Robots and Pocket factory , Clockwork not.
The game has both gas and steam-powered contraptions already. Clockwerk Goblins would presumably be powered mechanically (like a wind-up toy). The programming might as well be a form of magic.
Fire Elementals and Water Elementals have been part of the lore since WC1. It is not a stretch to jump from elementals to elementals with different ranks.
These are both things that predate WC3. Goblin Alchemists are implied to exist in WarCraft II. Smart Ogres also come from WarCraft II, as part of the experiments that create Ogre Magi.
It isn’t a stretch to pair the two together, especially when other units like Troll Berserkers are already created through chemical manipulation.
can be but is not the case.
Wind up soldiers are strange plus Robots needs electronics. Also the Factory who makes them.
Gas powered Shredders make sense.
Goblins originated from Azeroth, while Ogres come from Draenor - Outland, so their combination in some units feels strange. Like the Tinker, these units have no lore, extra campaigns or backstory connecting them, unlike heroes such as the Beatmaster or Pandaren in WoW.
Even if elementals existed beforehand, units like the Firelord appear without any in-universe explanation, making them feel disconnected from the lore.
If you feel like the tinker is out of place, I don’t think you’ve really followed the lore of the franchise, especially in WoW, where goblins are routinely presented as inventors with crazy gadgets and contraptions.
I mean, if you played the bonus campaign, there is a quest with a mechanical goblin who looks like Tinker at the start of the campaign when you meet Thrall. Also, in W1 and W2 there is an oil resource, so it’s not strange there are “robots”.
He is far too powerful — a true Arch-Villain.
That’s why he is not in the Tavern. He operates on a world-ending, apocalyptic scale, not on the level of tavern brawls or personal rivalries. A character like him wouldn’t just dominate the room, he would/could destroy it.
Sure, they could try to balance him for melee, but that would completely ruin the War3 experience.
Archimonde isn’t just another hero, having the main villain casually running alongside them would feel… wrong.
It would take away the tension and make the whole encounter feel underwhelming instead of epic.