I think FF14 does a good job of keeping up its mysteries over multiple patch cycle or even multiple expansions, but they also drip feed hints about said mysteries instead of saying absolutely nothing about it until the very end like Blizzard does. Like the teasing of the Fourteenth councilman of Amaurot and the appearance of Venat in the latest patch, which feel like they’re going to be leading up to a major revelation regarding Hydaelyn.
But in contrast, as has already been discussed in this thread, Blizzard’s method is not to slowly provide clues but to instead save everything until a big twist at the last moment and go “Weren’t you surprised!?”
It sounds like the problem there is that Blizzard wants it’s heroic characters to be perceived as heroic by both factions, but that they only succeed in making them appear as wishy-washy hypocrites. And that problem is exacerbated by making the Alliance more lily-white so that Horde characters who aren’t chummy with Alliance characters look more like villains instead of simply Horde Heroes, as they need to be. I think? Sylvanas, Nathanos and Gallywix were always villains, but they didn’t have to be DEATH TO THE ENTIRE WORLD villains.
The Broken shore seems easy enough. Mainly because the Demons could have ripped her ship with little to show for it. Plus they probably could make that sort of spell casting impossible.
As for WoD, she did help make us a legendary ring. Possibly the first time such an item was created.
Well that’s because the Magister IS in the wrong. I don’t get why that’s even a question here. What am I missing?
Sunreavers, who were supposed to be neutral, aided the Horde in their war effort to retrieve the Divine Bell. Their leader, Aethas Sunreaver, didn’t take part in the plan but knew about it and chose to do nothing. That makes him just as culpable. When Jaina - the literal leader of Dalaran - found out she told the Sunreavers to leave Dalaran - to which they replied, “Nah” and thus forced her hand. Sunreavers can cry but they were 100% wrong. If Aethas didn’t know about it and offered to punish just those involved then Hordies might have a leg to stand on but he sat by and knew it was happening and didn’t stop it, thus giving tacit approval and breaking neutrality.
Like she’s 100% in the right here.
The thing that has always made me hate Jaina was her idiotic idealism and pacifism. Which was due to bad writing. Like we’re supposed to view her father, Daelin Proudmoore, as some evil racist warmonger but all Blizzard writers have accomplished is to make him seem prescient AND on the right side of history.
Under Garrosh Horde went all genocidal - proving that it wasn’t the demon blood. And to drive that point home you literally had the Iron Horde from alternate Draenor repeat their genocidal history minus the demonic blood. And if that wasn’t enough it was shown to us a 3rd time with Sylvannas at the helm, lol.
Daelin did nothing wrong.
Which is why I loved Jaina’s change in character at the beginning of this expansion. I thought to myself, “Finally. She sees the Horde for what they are.” only to have the writers make her do a 180 by the end of the expac, tantamount to regression/negative character growth, with, “My dad Daelin was wrong after all.” Like no, he actually wasn’t.
If it wasn’t for Baine and the Tauren the Horde would have almost no moral compass. It certainly isn’t with the Orcs or the Forsaken.
They can do mystery when they dont actively focus on it (lol). Like The Old God stuff in Howling Fjord that built up to Yogg Saron in Ulduar and Icecrown (Darkspeaker R’kem).
But as soon as Blizz shifts its focus to a story beat, it’s dicey.