I found “The Vow Eternal” after the dragonflight expansion was done, and it is the best story I’ve read! I love anything to do with the dragonflights (my top three favorites have to be the black, bronze, and blue), so I’m a bit sad this story is only available on the website. I don’t know if anyone would agree with this, but I would love it if Blizzard would release a paperback or hardback book with more short stories involving the dragonflights, with “The Vow Eternal” included. It would be interesting to see how the other stories go and what art would adorn the dragonflight short story. Dragonflight was by far my favorite expansion. Would anyone else love a book just dedicated to dragon short stories? I’m hoping Blizzard somehow sees this.
As long as we can get more short stories, I’m all for it. Like we should another collection of leader stories.
Only issue with writing a short story is you have to somehow have to explain why the dragonflights, the powered up god like beings charged with protecting azeroth aren’t involved at all with the evil void beings threatening the Soul of azeroth with void.
Honestly newly powered up dragon aspects are the stupidest thing they could have done in the story in my opinion.
It’d be better if they were just killed off again so that it the big bad threat is something we the players need to deal with and not a bunch of the writers NPC’s.
they did a good job with explaining their stories i believe. they were blessed first by the titans with safeguarding azeroth. it went downhill because deathwing was taken advantage of. the titans themselves aren’t exactly saints and pure good from the latest expansion (removing the free will of the earthen, failing to tell deathwing of the price his earth mastery must pay, etc.). honestly, the dragons are what keep me playing and really got me into wow again
Thats fair, great that it got you back into the game. Im only back for the new void content.
I just find the Aspects this problem point with the game because how do you have uber powered dragons charged with protecting the world that just don’t. In fact track record of the Aspects has been one of failure and becoming more of a threat than help in most instances.
Don’t even get me started on ms elemental dragon.
I was always annoyed that Blizzard only sold an online copy of the leader short stories. I would have loved to have a physical copy but I still bought a pdf version because Blizzard had the blood elf novella as part of the package.
I suppose if your metric for how good or interesting a story is if it involves the dragonflights, then “The Vow Eternal” was a triumph.
Personally, I was happy that Lor’themar and Thalyssra’s wedding was being given content, but in hindsight, it was an absolute waste of a story.
- Told unnecessarily through the eyes of a loser who wouldn’t even go on to become aspect of the Black Dragonflight.
- Fictional elves essentially being given a real world Human wedding.
- Not a single mention of Oculeth, who is a close member of Thalyssra’s circle.
- It’s clear that Christie Golden knew very little personally of the subject matter she wrote about other than the details she was fed.
I would LOVE if Blizz released a short story collection or series of novellas that explored each of the races in a slice of life kind of deal or minor conflict that gets resolved etc. It could better explore their culture, social norms, history, folk stories and give more oomph to the often shallow worldbuilding. It would also be great to revisit old characters and establish new ones which could move on to be introduced in game.
This could also work for cultures that get even less screen time, lack depth, or we’ve moved on from like Strom, the Alteracs (Alteraceans?), the Outland Mag’har, Harronir, Northrend races, Man’ari, Gnolls? Etc etc
I’d also love it if Blizz commissioned a bunch of writers they havent worked with before so we can get a variety in authors potentially moving on to pen new WoW novels.
Now that i think on it more, this might be cool to do as a fan project on the premise that the stories remain low stakes (though there could be some mystery) and is compliant with canon lore. Any new worldbuilding would only be flavour to add depth.
This could be extended to exploring specific sects within a society (e.g. the Blood Knights, Stormwind nobles) or create a low stakes new sect (e.g. rangers in Elwynn forest), or even follow an individual trying to do something new (e.g. a stormwind human trying (and failing?) to become a druid).