I’ve been lurking on this forum for a long time, and BFA feels like the most devisive expansion to date. Other ones have certainly had this issue, but not to this extent. One thing I’ve noticed from some Alliance Players here is having a very real hatred for the Horde as a faction. This sometimes feels targeted towards Horde players since they are tied to whatever story Blizzard wants to tell. When I see suggestions on how to end the story from these people, the goals often seem unrealistic when game mechanics are considered.
So my question is this: How would Alliance Players finish this story (With some restrictions)?
For starters, this is a two faction game and likely to remain as such. So the Horde needs to remain a viable faction.
Nothing that has happened can be changed. The story can only move forward.
Game balance must be retained. Meaning Alliance cant retake zones from the Horde without a viable alternative for them to quest in, as the Cata changes were to balance out leveling zones between factions.
With that being said, I’m curious what would satisfy Alliance Players with WoW story/treatment?
Proper closure on Teldrassil, raising of NE undead. This doesn’t mean curb stomping Horde or even Sylvanas, but I’d like to see the raised dead put down by the Alliance properly, and their spirits acknowledge that there was some sort of outside influence, and they just didn’t flop sides out of some in-name-only “free will”. Right now that conflict is nearly entirely one sided.
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Sylvanas no longer Warchief. How this happens, I… honestly barely care, so long as it doesn’t take the form of dunking on the Alliance again. The Horde doesn’t need to be it’s straight WC3 self, but it needs to be something closer to it. As it stands, that element is either warped badly (Mag’har), or in this hyperbolic place occupied by Baine and Saurfang where it is taken to its own extreme. Honestly, Thrall generally had a good balance.
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Forsaken absolutely must have a narrative path forward beyond Sylvanas’s will. It doesn’t need to be Calia or anything akin to the Desolate council, but if they are going to have any real story arc moving forward, it also shouldn’t be hyper aggressive near-scourge with no moral compass. The Forsaken stood a troupe on it’s ear, but Blizz seems determined to sink them back in to it. Some diversity and balance would be lovely here- they are free willed, sentient undead after all- let them have better representation of their more noble and peaceful members, in addition to the darker ones.
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New settlements for the Night Elves and Forsaken. Both deserve and need them for the obvious reasons. No quarter in a captial, no Allied Race mini-home. Re-settle the old ones, or claim new ones- the important part is that it happens, and that they are developed.
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Finish off the faction war in a way that lets both sides walk away at least not feeling like they were beaten. It is tired, done to death, and repeatedly paints the writers into a corner where they push characters (Garrosh, Sylvanas) into molds to suit the narrative, commit often unnecessary atrocity for dramatic effect towards the former (Theramore, Teldrassil, raising of night elf undead), and just wind up sending the story down the same staircase it has already been thrown down. Lets try something new- how about not kicking the crap out of each other for a while and developing aspects of the lore that constantly get left in the dust in favor of pounding the other faction?
Honestly, any ending that closes out satisfactorily for the Night Elves is good for me, far-fetched as it is at this point. It’s been said numerous times, but they’re the ones who got screwed the most this expac. Gilneas takes a very close second, given how Sylvanas has menaced them out of their home twice now.
Alliance dismantles the Horde.
Alliance dismantles itself because there is no more Horde to threaten it.
All races revert back to their independent state and have relationships of their own with all other races.
The Alliance as a playable faction is already standing on its own legs. If this trend continues Horde would be playing against themselves in both meta and lore.
I want the Horde humiliated by the Alliance.
I keep bringing up this scene of Tyrande with her foot on Saurfang’s neck.
I want to punch back at the Horde where it hurts before the factions disolve. And from there the players a some neutral organizations can choose to cooperate with each other for some greater good purpose but never, ever the Horde and Alliance as we know it should stand side by side.
I sincerely hope Saurfang gets wreck’d by Tyrande when they meet again and Sylvanas exiled to be some sort of villain in the next expansion.
I don’t have a hatred towards Horde players, at most I get annoyed when I encounter people who clearly aren’t arguing in good faith and just want to be a verbal brick wall ‘for the luls’.
I can’t accurately answer this question because I would never have had the faction war as a focus in the first place. At this point in time the only way they can actually end it in a way that doesn’t end with the dissolving of the Horde(not feasible, nor would I want that, ever), will not be satisfying to anyone will logic or anyone who’s a fan of night elves. The story itself has an absence of logic to it, in terms of character actions, right down to the core, and so in order to finish it off it won’t be anything that will make the Alliance feel good, or the Horde, for that matter.
Simples. As the lady says, Anduin’s psyche should crack open like an egg, spilling his voidy yolk all over Stormwind. Then we can unite with Sylvanas & friends in defending Azeroth against the greater threat of his protein-rich evil.
As long he or Baine have a friendship there is no chance for such things. Tauren only have Baine so it have to be Anduin. Let’s not forget that we only lost Vol’jin cause the Horde needed a mad warchief again.
World of Jaina have to end. Blizz should stop wasting their money by animate Jaina in cinematics.
I am so hungry for characters that are legitimately against the Horde that as long as Jaina is there to spit in the Horde’s face at every opportunity I am fine with seeing her mug anywhere.
That’s why the latest cinematic is so disappointing.
Thrall getting redeemed? Hell no.
I’ll preface this by stating that I don’t think there’s an ending that’ll be accepted positively by the whole of the fan base. Hopefully this is the last of the faction war expansions. That said I think these are the best outcomes for the Horde, as someone who plays and loves both factions:
Sylvanas is deposed and allowed to operate in the shadows where her character can actually develop. Calia Menethil becomes the new leader of the Forsaken.
Baine is appointed Warchief and can grow as a character while giving the Horde much-needed stability.
Rokhan is appointed leader of the Darkspear, with Zekhan at his side.
Thrall and Rexxar have prominent roles in advising Baine.
Saurfang and Nathanos are killed, one being an honorable death and the other to avenge Teldrassil (perhaps he gives his life to save Sylvanas and Saurfang gives his to save Zekhan.
Let’s be real, that’s not due to Jaina, that due to the faction war reducing any character’s mental capacity to paste. All characters are best when removed from the faction war, Jaina especially.
With Sargeras busting out of prison and cutting the rest of Azeroth in half. Then we all escape to AU Draenor, because * middle finger emoji from blizzard* that’s why.
Seriously. I think that’s the only thing that could be worse than the writing so far. And whats funny as that’s probably not as bad as what we’ll get.
I don’t particularly care if Sylvanas survives this expansion, but she cannot be allowed to continue leading the Horde or have any authority for the faction whatsoever. Between Genn, and Tyrande, the Alliance will never forgive her for what she’s done, and her staying in power will severely jeopardize any lasting peace that can be formed between the factions. Which I do want btw. I would love to see the faction war finally disappate or at least have an option for characters who don’t want to participate in it anymore. As far as I’m concerned, most of my characters left their factions in Legion to serve the greater good.