Everytime something came through the Dark Portal, Nethergarde got either bypassed or beaten/leveled. So why? Were the fortifications insufficient? Troop quality/quantity? My alt has just started the WoD campaign and it made me think of this.
Obviously, the Iron Horde with its excessively large explosive weaponry would have little trouble blasting a place like Nethergarde apart. But what about when incarnations of the Horde without explosives and advanced technology did it? Nethergarde has been beaten down, what, 3 or 4 times?
Anyways, was the installation and upkeep of Nethergarde a waste of resources and manpower? Or was it a useful speedbump to slow and warn of invaders from the Dark Portal? Should it ever be rebuilt in the Lore? If so, what changes should be made to make it a viable fortification against such invasions? Perhaps the Lightforged Draenei should occupy the area and use their advanced techniques to make it a worthwhile effort?
I think realistically it should serve as an outpost only. Since it’s efficacy as an actual bulwark against the Dark Portal is pretty much non-existent, if they choose to revive it to any capacity it should be a place for scouts and messengers to send status reports regarding the goings-on of the Blasted Lands, Portal and Horde activity. Otherwise it’s just a waste of resources.
As Nithae alluded too, it really only should be an outpost. It can be a well defended outpost, but an outpost nonetheless.
Recall it was established by the Kingdom of Dalaran and later supported by the Kirin’tor to watch over the Dark Portal and ensure another invasion would not occur unnoticed. It was never meant to stop a full on invasion, but monitor whatever magical wibbly wobblies occur, to send world back to the Alliance to prepare if things were happening, stall whatever forces came through, and hope for the best.
They accomplished that task during the Iron Horde invasion. While both Nethergarde and, now, Okril’lon Hold fell, they sent back world as they were suppose to and ordered to do so, this is how and when we get there with our navies and counter offensive forces at the start of WoD.
So is it a waste? Not really. While it needs to rebuilt and fortified further, it serves an important purpose in the world and has done its job well. That is to say nothing of the more proactive things they have done in the Blasted Lands thinning remaining demons and thwarting ill intentioned individuals. Probably should be protected with some Light Forged or Dreanei in general, Kirin’tor members of magical know how, and generally a rotating garrison of Alliance/Eastern Kingdom forces. Okril’lon hold should be similar if we really want to make the Dark Portal an Azeroth wide concern - because it is. Stock em up with some Suramar and Blood Elf mages, an Orgrimmar/Stonard garrison, and hope for the best.
Now if the concern or want is to fully or significantly halt an invasion through the portal, Im sorry to say to my Alliance friends here but Stonard is the place you want to allow to build up into an impressive, well stocked and guarded, fortress. Sure, things can fly, but that super narrow valley between the Swamp of Sorrows and the Blasted Lands is where you’ll hold someone. That is to say nothing of the swamp they need to get through.
To be fair, Nethergarde Keep is basically perfectly positioned to artillery the hell out of that valley. It’s weird from a lore perspective (but makes sense for faction-based gameplay) that there isn’t actually an armed wall over it.
It’s such a weird oversight it makes me wonder if that valley actually exists from a lore perspective or if the ground there is subject to sinkholing that makes permanent barriers impractical.
All good points. I suppose both a strategic and tactical question needs answering. Watch post or Stronghold? A place for fast scouts and messengers, or a place of strength to garrison an army?
Watch posts are way cheaper, both to construct, garrison, and supply. But they don’t hold up against attacks of any sort very well. Ideally you want such outposts to be well hidden so they aren’t targeted, but positioned so they can effectively monitor what you want watched.
Strongholds are super expensive to construct, garrison, and supply. Due to its RTS inspiration, we commonly think of buildings quickly popping up in any old landscape in WoW. But looking at things more realistically, major fortifications are a huge expenditure. Before its destruction, I remember quests or mentions of how important the nearby mining operation was to help fund Nethergarde. So it’s expensive. However, the benefits are that it can not only do everything the Watchpost does, it can also provide significant military support and a base of operations for an army. Watchposts will only be able to inform you of what’s going on, while a Stronghold can deal with moderately larger problems on its own.
Welp, I just went and convinced myself. Nethergarde was not a waste, and I want to see it rebuilt(though with modifications) and garrisoned with Lightforged Draenei and the like. Oh, and as was said by Twinkletorch, fortify the pass into the Swamp. Especially a good idea if the Alliance side of events in the Swamp are canon.
Nethergarde was never really meant to be the direct bulwark against invasion. It’s more like a hard point that no serious invader can afford to leave intact behind them, meaning they have to stop and besiege or assault the place before marching onward in force, giving the Alliance time to rally their armies and respond to the threat. Its proximity to the shoreline also means that if it’s not eliminated before moving on, Nethergarde presents a fortified landing risk by which the Alliance could potentially flank an invading host and cut off reinforcements through Dark Portal.
Nethergarde Keep did the job it was supposed to do, which was to watch over the Dark Portal. It was never designed to actually stop any invading force from getting out of the Blasted Lands (otherwise it would have been built on the access road into the blasted lands, making sure the only way out was through the keep), although it was positioned in such a way that it could easily waylay any force that tried.
Which is exactly what happened when the Orc Horde invaded a second time, a large portion of the Orc Horde forces besieged the keep and Nethergarde held out under Khadgar’s leadership until Alliance reinforcements arrived and they pushed forward into Draenor.
And up until the Iron Horde destroyed the keep there were few threats that actually did manage to get out of the Blasted Lands. The Burning Legion forces didn’t manage to get beyond the Blasted Lands, and it was never stationed there to slow or stop the Horde post Third War.
Nethergarde Keep’s function was to serve as the canary in the coal mine. and as long as the Dark Portal exists, there should always be something there at the site. But it’s not the only threat on Azeroth and when you don’t have an unlmited amount of military power, only so much can logically be tied up to protect a canary.