Every race’s Heritage Armor questline has taken players back to where it all started for their character and doing quests themed around their race and their origins.
So naturally the Pandaren player will be going back to the Wandering Isle eventually but what exactly is unique about the Pandaren that would be worth exploring in a questline? Well the first thing that comes to mind for me is that for a full decade, they were the only race that could be played on both factions. Torn apart by their opposing philosophies.
Now the path they’ll probably take would be to have the Pandaren reunite and remember that there is more than binds them than divides them or something equally nauseating and predictable. But what if instead, they leaned into the divide that now exists between the Huojin and Tushui?
At first, the Huojin and Tushui Pandaren were divided just by their desire to work with the Alliance and Horde who they believed represented their values. But it’s been years since then and a LOT has happened between the Alliance and Horde and by extension each other. Can they still coexist with each other like they did back before that fateful day when the Alliance Airship crashed into Shen-Zin Su?
What if they realize that too much has happened? What if the influence of the Alliance and Horde has stoked the flames of their beliefs so high that they no longer feel like there is any common ground to be found between their philosophies? The Huojin will find every stop a Tushui makes to be an inexcusable waste of time. Meanwhile, the Tushui become infuriated with the recklessness and impatience of the Huojin.
Then comes every theater of conflict between the Alliance and Horde they’ve fought on. How many Huojin have died on the blades of a Human whose city the Tushui now call home? How many Tushui have been butchered by an Orc that the Huojin would call “brother”? Hell, how many times has one Pandaren killed another on behalf of their faction? Can these tragedies be so easily forgotten and moved past?
I think the irony of the race that once tried to push the Alliance and Horde together now being the most divided would be infinitely more compelling than the standard Heritage Armor “coming together” plot.
The current writing team seems averse to any kind of nuance or conflict so I totally expect it to be a completely standard lukewarm questline. But I can dream.
Yes, i mean the Horde can just run around the new Night Elf capital city. You know so i guess it’s only fitting if you commit genocide and war and burn an entire city full of people why not just let those folks run around the new city so everyone can feel good about it.
So yes, of course nothing should have consequences and everyone should just forgive and forget and move on because…REALLY HORRIFIC WRITING means everyone plays nice and sings Kumbaiya at the late night campfire.
Don’t forget the Eredar who murdered their way across the universe burning away trillions to quadrillions of innocent lives being allowed to join the Alliance because “uwu meanie Kil’jaeden made us do it”
I reckon it would be more like a bittersweet reunion, both Huojin and Tushui will bring something to the reunion feast. It will be all good at first if only with a bit of a tense atmosphere hanging in the air.
A fight will break out that would be caused by sprites or “playful” spirits and different philosophies will step forward to resolve it in their own way. Bonk some sprites, bonk some of those ugly rabbits, bonk some ale elementals.
In the end representatives of both philosophies would acknowledge strengths and capabilities of the opposing one and be more chill towards each other. Everyone is now happy, there’s no more tension, the feast is wild is fun for all attendants.
After the feast even the Pandaren are suffering from their hangovers and the Elder of the Wandering Isle will call on the Pandaren PC to tell them that Pandaren PC has grown a lot since their wanderlust took them and that they are proud of us. The end.
Thank you dearly, didn’t mean any offense just a tease. Im gonna bury myself under a hot blanket with some tea and try to see about some keys til I feel like sleep.
Least til after the doctor… It really sucks cuz I know I got my flu vaccination. I know it’s not COVID because it doesn’t feel like it at all. No fever no loss of smell.
Just that upper throat at the sinuses yuck feeling. I haaaaaate it
I just wish they would release the last three. It’s driving me nuts that I’m missing pieces from my collection. Plus, it’s annoying that a brand new race will have heritage armor before two of the oldest.
I like the idea of an atypical heritage quest that ends on a dour note. It’s a good way tie story elements to different tints of the reward armour, too.
