This is essentially my stance as well; if faction identity matters so much to the Devs, then it needs to matter outside of faction conflict expansions as well.
In Ardenweald, Horde players should never have to encounter Tyrande/Shandris. They should get to do more with Bwonsamdi, to meet Vol’jin and Rastakan, maybe have Rokhan or Zekhan as the living counterpart to Shandris, etc… The same holds true for Alliance players. There’s no reason we couldn’t save the souls of Wild Gods from the Maw for Ysera, who discovers they’ve been stolen.
First Gladwell, I think you might benefit from a bit of background about me.
I was active on the Story Forum from 2010 to 2016 - I left because I didn’t trust Dave Kosak with an entire expansion of Night Elf lore after the train wreck that the previous six years turned out to be. I was reengaged on SOL and on Discords since BFA’s announcement. I am here on the Story Forum again for only a month, as I paid for a month’s worth of a subscription for the specific purpose of altering the conversation. I would love to play this game again - but I can’t in its current state, and I feel that conversations about solutions are shockingly light these days.
That’s why I’m also aware that Blizzard does look at this forum from time to time, even if they don’t post here.
So, if you’re telling me to unsubscribe, and get others to do so - I already have, and apart from this one blip after four years of providing $15 to Blizzard, I pretty much am. I see my role here as being the voice of the lost consumer - the voice that marketing classes say is the most valuable. I’m happy to provide that value if it even has a chance of resulting in a game that I’d feel good about playing.
You’re telling me to PVP? Look at my armory, look at my gear, and look at my achievements. That’s what I did before I left the game. Would I do that now? Why would I? The game is telling me that no matter how well I do, I will always lose to the faction that I’m fighting against. If I win in a Battleground, why does that matter if the Horde can take all of the zones that my playable race has and commit a genocide against the people that I’m trying to protect? What’s the point? Why should I roll that boulder up the hill if I know that the narrative dictates that what I’m fighting for is going to be lost and there’s nothing I can do about it?
No, I am not going to abate the abysmal state of Alliance PVP in any fashion, and I’m not shy about convincing people to unsubscribe, but I also want to provide feedback for Blizzard to turn things around - to earn my trust and my custom back. I want to improve the discussion here to improve the caliber of feedback that we give here, in part because despite that I was for a time removed from this community, it’s still home, and in part because I’m aware that they’ve made changes on the basis of feedback that has been posted here.
First, let me walk this back with an apology, because I realize that could have come across as aggressive and that wasn’t my intent.
But the conversation hasn’t left. It’s still here. We’re still talking about BFA long since the prepatch still rolled out. It’s light because the reality of the situation is; we’re screwed. Nothing we want will come out of this. We have no say in how this is constructed and it has certainly changed since 2016, because there is a strong “no negativity in the dojo” policy, with strict “no consumption of fan work” policies. They ‘do’ hear from this forum, but through an extremely filtered way (which, fair, a lot of us are pretty prickly that we’re being ignored in favor of garbage and the only people who can seem to get a direct answer on anything are influencers, so any blue that wanders in here is basically walking into a den of lions.). And no matter whatever conclusions we draw, they just ultimately amount to nothing or worse than nothing.
So when I invite you to partake in PVP, it’s because when we have these conversations, it feels as though you are looking for consequences which there already have been and want more. I’m inviting you to take it upon yourself, because you’re asking for more that you probably won’t get and, frankly, you don’t want. Seriously, you distrusted Kosak - why trust this current team? They’re worse than Kosak. I’m sorry to say it, but, really, they have a vision for Warcraft that isn’t Warcraft. Why ask them to return to the biggest cinematic flop in Warcraft’s history to try and make a satisfying conclusion?
Winning back Darkshore and Ashenvale should be enough. Take it. Don’t ask for an on-screen, cinematic about how it was carried out and revisit BFA. This team cannot make something that you want. Yes, I’m aware that settling for less from a AAA company is insanity but the truth of the matter is; there’s no talent left here and those that do have talent are getting out of dodge now and falling in with Morheim’s new company.
I’d expect more if their salaries were more than basically minimum wage but the truth of the matter is that they’re fans of this company and are paid jack squat to work on this project. They don’t have the magic of yesteryears.
I certainly wouldn’t pay for this slop. The game, mechanically, is okay right now and I have people to play it with. I check in here every now and then hoping to see some glimmer of the WoW I used to love and sometimes post about how they ruined the stories of the sub-plots I like in WoW (Forsaken, Night Elves, Worgen, the list goes on) or how Calia Menethil is the worst possible thing to have come conjured out of their brains in recent time like a 40-something that gets into the wine and posts on Facebook, but, I know full well I’m screaming into the void with some others to echo my thoughts.
And I’m entirely replying to you on the hopes that you might see that asking for what you have been is folly. Because you won’t find what you’re looking for here and inviting them to try again is going to make something even worse than what we originally got.
I appreciate what you’re trying to do, and I’m sorry if I came across as being aggressive myself, but I know that Blizzard is better than this. I will not adjust my standards, nor will I accept that the current crop of writers should retain their positions. I will not amend my criticism for the current state - I will instead tack it to what I believe is necessary for the good of the franchise.
I’m aware of “no negativity in the dojo”. I’m aware of how they approach things, and I’m familiar with being burned over and over again. I will still provide feedback because I still know they can do better, because once upon a time I saw it. Now I’m here demanding it again.
Will I get it? No, but I aim to at least shift the conversation somewhat.
The correct phrase is “rule of cool”. So long as it fits the company’s newest “cool idea” for the next expansion, there are no limits to what terrible decisions they’ll make, even if the new story doesn’t fit the existing development/narrative direction.
This is nothing new.
Teldrassil is unforgivable, and neither faction should ever be allowed to move past it; it’s just piss poor writing to hand wave it after one patch.
To a point the two super powers have to because of mutually assured destruction. Only instead of nuclear weapons its the threat of being destroyed by a litany of cosmic monstrosities coming for the literal soul of their world.
That’s why BFA made some sense on paper, at least at the start. The Legion was far and away the greatest existential threat to Azeroth. With that taken off the table the Horde and Alliance going to war made sense.
But as it turns out there is just no end to the cosmic threats. If it’s not Squidworst bursting out from beneath the darkest depths it’s Mr.Clean’s emo brother trying to bring death to this world.
Since WC3 the idea has always been coexistence or extinction. Which in itself is a nice morality play lesson fairytales are designed to tell. It’s just headache inducing they keep telling it over and over again.
It’s Anduin’s ultimate plan for victory through peacecraft. “We’ll disband the Alliance and join the Horde!” [Five minutes later] “So, I hear that the Horde needs a new War Chief. I have leadership experience.”
The Horde racials are better for raiding, the Alliance racials seem to be aimed at leveling. I’ve yet to see an Alliance guild pull a World First event… without exploits.
They should’ve had the Fourth War end with Sylvanas shattering the veil and the factions being forced to focus on the Jailer. Skirmishes/battlegrounds resume as normal, the war between Alliance/Horde throughout the zones of previous makes expansions, and the “war in Warcraft” serves as an ongoing backdrop rather than a central focus.
Alas, we have yet another doomed tenuous peace until Blizzard decides to milk faction pride for yet another expansion.
Don’t forget Jaina also ordered the slaughter of Camp T and her men were caught trying to create a beachhead so they could attempt to raze every orc/troll city in Durotar.
Because killing civillians is only evil and unforgiveable if your background is red!