I will always, always advocate for thinning the gameplay barriers between factions. It’s the future the game needs. I will always advocate that having our favorite races in the game making us see people with other preferences as “other” or “the enemy” in game or out as unhealthy. I will always maintain a presence in both factions just in case of the unlikely future where we get faction-split expansion stories once more…
But…
I do see myself taking the opportunity to turn many of my “singular token horde race alts” into alliance dracthyr at the earliest possible opportunity. I do find myself erring on the side of “they won’t let us queue cross faction for timewalking so I’m going to go void instead of blood elf” more often. With the likely future of story content being faction agnostic (or “dual-faction intended” if you will), I feel less of a need to be even remotely close to balanced between the two factions.
I will never call myself “an alliance player” because that’s kind of part of the problem we need to get past if we ever want to see cross faction random dungeon queues for incomplete groups, but I’m ok admitting that, for the community I landed in in WOTLK, and have stayed with since, we are a cross faction guild where the horde alts feel like a side project for each altoholic in said guild.
It’s largely a mechanical choice, that has very few “non-mechanical” effects and consequences, as it really should be for the good of the game. Actually, no, check that, it should be a purely cosmetic choice, really.
Now just take down those last barriers because honestly… bloodelf paladins are still cooler than any other “elf paladin” they could enable (Unless they let us color our paladin abilities voidy or silvery moonlight that is!) , and I’d love to tank for my alliance pals as a bloodelf paladin in what few random, non-follower dungeons we still do.
Anyone else finding that thinner faction walls are letting them consolidate on one side or the other for concept or mechanical reasons?
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I should be allowed to quest where ever I want without some low paid guard beating on me for just existing. Fight the Powah! Poops in your yard! Eats your food and doesn’t pay!
I really only like Horde, but I enjoy druid too and I don’t like the options. My druid is a Worgen. Other than that I’m Horde all the way and I want to defect my druid.
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I was Alliance when I started playing the game 20 years ago, but have long since maintained alts of both factions that I still do to this day. The dropping of barriers to cross-faction play hasn’t changed that.
My most geared character right now is my Troll Shaman, followed by my Void Elf Mage.
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I am like this with Paladins! The paladin I have that I’m most enthusiastic about is my bloodelf, but he can’t tank for all my alliance friends in timewalking, so I’ve stacked the deck with other tanks alliance side!
Been screaming for “alliance elf paladins” for as long as I’ve been playing WoW!
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It depends really. If I could be truly neutral with some of my characters, I would. But I still play both sides. I don’t really have any intention of turning my Horde characters into Alliance.
I want to defect into another faction. I am so tired of these muppet babies factions. I want to be in a faction that actually cares and have pride within their faction. Just like the good old days of WoW.
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Honestly the faction divide is what made WoW unique, so in my opinion it’s very unfortunate that it has been thinned so much over the years.
I understand Warbands and being able to share resources between your own characters, but everything else feels icky.
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War-craft. Not world of holding hands.
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Good thing we’re literally always at war with something. It doesn’t have to be Alliance vs Horde.
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Not really. I only have an Alliance Army for Achievement reasons. And they can stay there. My Horde Empire is old and well established.
I never stopped being loyal to the Horde.
I never stopped being loyal to the Banshee Queen.
I never stopped being loyal to Nzoth.
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There was this one YT video where players can have a faction back packs for their characters . Orcs, Human , Night Elf , and Scourge. What do they mean by Scourge? A new faction for players to join ? If that is true , than i am all in . Someone has to be the bad guy here. Might as well be me.
Yeah at war with it’s playerbase.
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It means you’re getting longer queues then.
I cant play a Vulpera or a Goblin in Alliance and Alliance has no decent short races playable, so…
Cross faction only makes me more free to play with friends and still keep the races I enjoy.
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I like Goblins which is part of my personality. Being silly, goofy , tells joke , sarcastic, and etc… While Orcs is my angry hulk side. Loves to destroy everything in it’s path.
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I find it hard to believe the game that was up to near 17 million running subs that started as horde vs alliance is better because we are all supposed to be friends now.
No…factions need to be a thing in a war game. They should be really making the faction war much much more appealing and a lot bigger.
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I’ve planted my flag in razor hill many years ago. I long for the days of open war between the horde and alliance. I was shocked to find out a member of my guild, whom I’ve been talking with and showed up to raid together, was in the filthy alliance. When I plant a banner before taking down a strong and worthy enemy, my party yells for the horde. And there he is, chanting it too, garrosh died for this??
Jokes aside, i know it don’t make any sense but i love the conflict from a narrative and gameplay perspective. It doesn’t have to take it self serious, make it corny or campy but conflict is fun. People like having a team to root for and rally behind, why take it away
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This is why retail is in such a bad place. Every good story needs conflict, tension and resolution. Everyone holding hands and skipping through the fields is not fun for anyone.
I can’t even with comments like this. The game is called Warcraft FFS. What part of war has everyone as best friends and sharing cupcakes at a picnic? This is not real life, it’s a fantasy built on a legacy of conflict. If you want a game where everyone is pals you should try a cozy sim.
No, it’s lazy and removing 50% of the content. Alliance and Horde should have their own main story and quest hubs.
Wrong again. It is very healthy in any story to have a protagonist and antagonist. Throwing in cardboard enemies each expansion that have paper thin motivations is boring. Alliance and Horde are opposing forces like Yin and Yang. It’s fundamental to the lore. Would you also like tennis players to play on the same side of the court without an opponent?
The writers and devs who have the same views as you are actively destroying any semblance of the game that broke records and reigned as king for a decade. They keep this up and the only subs they will have left are the handful of people with the same mindset as you.
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I would prefer cross faction queuing, for sure. It beats keeping clones of my toons across both factions just so I can play with friends on either side.
“But what of the lore…”
I don’t really care. But if we want to bring roleplay into it, my toons are a reflection of me to some degree, which means that none of them are down with tribalism.
For the Alliance? For the Horde? …for the Emperor? Never.
Even my paladin would be disgusted at the zealotry involved in worshipping various sources of the Light™. Hallowfall is an awful place full of awful people who are asking us to fight against marginally more awful, awful people and she would have none of it… not that we’re given a choice in the matter.
Anyway. Yeah. Making it easier to play with friends while allowing everyone to play their favorite race would be very pro-player of Blizzard and I hope it’s fully implemented soon.