I'm leveling a Zandalari

And I just…don’t know how to make sense of the Horde leveling storyline.

I roll a Zandalari. I receive a letter from the Warchief, Sylvanas Windrunner. I go to Stonetalon Mountains and I’m fighting on behalf of Garrosh Hellscream, a name I do not know that means nothing to me, but he’s apparently the Warchief.

Hey, he even comes out and makes a speech about honor! That’s neat! Oh wait, no, he’s a mass murderer…like the Warchief I’m currently serving, but different? And when I go to Outland, Thrall is the Warchief again. But when I come back to Cataclysm, Garrosh is the Warchief again (also my people are invading Pandaria?) But when I go to Draenor, Vol’jin is the Warchief, then Sylvanas is the Warchief again.

I have lived through four different Warchiefs, who lose and gain the throne at random, by the time I’m level 90.

In a way, it’s actually made me loosen up about leveling a character. I used to feel a lot of anxiety about making sure a character’s questing experience informed their character (because I’m a story nerd like that), but it’s literally impossible to make sense of this story, so I’m just your average Zandalari Prelate, out to see what the Horde is all about and maybe make a few friends.

Anyway, is there any rule saying I can’t worship a dead Loa?

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I’d assume still some worship Rezan, right? He’s p dead, I think.

I’m pretty sure worshipping a dead loa gives living loa worshippers divine right to make fun of you.

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I think the last time I did any leveling IC (which was… god, back in MoP?) I treated everything before current-content as already having happened, and any basic “go kill x, go fetch y” quests I did were miscellaneous things that could happen on a day to day basis.

At least that’s when I still gave a crap about any of that.

Yeah the timeline is so borked now. I have the same feeling when I level my Nightborne–why are they even talking to Garrosh and all these other long-dead NPCs?

Wish they’d revamp again and clean up the timeline, to be honest. Doubt it’ll happen, but I can dream.

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I think at some point they said they were fine with older content being treated as earlier points in the timeline.

Which is garbage. They “updated” things before, they can do it again

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Yep. Other games update old content now and then to keep it relevant. It’s laziness more than anything. Ion and his crew aren’t exactly focused on anything but Mythic and E-sports and gating everything into oblivion, so unless we see a big change at the top, likely we’re stuck with the wonky WTF timeline–and I hate it. It makes NO SENSE for any of the allied races, especially, to be running around doing this shiz.

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I was actually debating returning to this ongoing train wreck of a game. Threads like these help reinforce why I shouldn’t.

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Killing Shadra on my Zandalari was real interesting.

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I just wrapped up the Stonetalon Mountains questline and I think I’m getting whiplash from my shifting allegiances.

I start out as a loyal soldier in Krom’gar’s ranks. Then I find out he’s been doing dirty stuff and I immediately turn on his general to defend a Tauren I just met and murder my superior in this army. Then I immediately turn on that Tauren and go rat him out to Krom’gar. Then I come back and am spared execution only because the Tauren I just betrayed vouches for me because I betrayed Krom’gar to kill the general.

Also Garrosh goes on this rant about sparing innocents and then almost immediately nukes a city full of civilians (don’t @ me with extraneous garbage from Tides of War).

Being Horde is a wild experience. 90% of the story is about you and 80% of that is absolute garbage.

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but but but taurajo

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Guys, Remember that time the Nightborne, Zandalari and Highmountains gallivanted through Outland and Northrend thwarting the Legion and Scourge at every turn?

Best part.

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You don’t make sense of it any more than the OG death knights having to hop back into Outland did back in the bygone days of Wrath.

That’s also true. Though I think it’s gotten progressively more unwieldy as time goes on and the lack of continuity piles on top of each other.

It’s weird because prior to Cataclysm, this didn’t actually matter that much. The themes were very much about localized problems and they withstood the test of time. Quilboars were going to be a problem in the Barrens whether it was Illidan, the Lich King or the Old Gods threatening the world.

But “Warchief Hellscream is trying to destroy the night elves for being purple” significantly dates a zone.

Ironically, in trying to tell a more connected story, they’ve kind of jumbled themselves.

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Just kill boars nonstop and never do any quests, it is actually incredibly immersive

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Well, let’s put this to the test.

Are there boars in Vanilla? Yes.

Are there boars in Outland? Yes, spiky ones.

Are there boars in Wrath of the Lich King? I can’t remember.

Are there boars in Cataclysm? I don’t think so?

Are there boars in Mists of Pandaria? …are there?!

Are there boars in Warlords of Draenor? Yes, and they are super spiky.

Are there boars in Legion? A few, right?

Are there boars in Battle for Azeroth? Yes.

So there’s a chance that your theory may fall apart if we get confirmation on the No Boars Law.

I know how you feel I’m leveling a Zandalari Pally and right now I’m in WoD content. My poor gal is going to be so befuddled she is going to be lost.

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I think the “localized problem” quest style of Vanilla was one thing I actually liked about it. You got a few stories, a bit of lore, and no weird, awful plot arc that makes almost no sense.

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I just did the Southern Barrens intro quest where I get a lecture about honor and cruelty and the need to arm the Horde prisoners so they won’t be tortured because no one deserves that.

Immediately upon arming them, they rush out and start murdering peasants.

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That’s so weird. In Westfall the Alliance just lets their peasants starve to death or learn how to make dirt cake or dirt soup.

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