With the faction war over/in the back burner it does seem like there is alot less to talk about it.
Blizzard will also have to deal with that reality. As much as the faction wars were always controversial, it was also a big draw of the story.
1 Like
Not in the positive way you seem to think it is/was. After BfA/SL, don’t be shocked if blizz resets the Faction War back to vanilla level again. I.E it won’t be relevant except to justify the existence of PvP
Not reading all the previous replies, but has anyone pointed out that the premise of the thread is wrong? Plenty of Alliance players used to dislike Jaina and call her a traitor for being too chummy with the Horde.
3 Likes
Yes, I remember that. After she froze Varian and Thrall to keep them from fighting in UC and then ported herself, Varian, and the Alliance forces out of there, the hardcore Alliance fans started to go apeship and lable a traitor. Wishing for her to die in Halls of Reflection or ICC raid, etc.
Then, interestingly enough, after she nearly flooded Orgrimmar, the same people would dig out every justification they could scrounge from every rock they dared to look under for her to actually do it.
Damn, the forums were fun back then.
1 Like
I saw an excellent comment summing up Jaina’s story on Youtube. It went something like this;
“Jaina is someone forced to choose between her father’s death and war. She chose her father’s death, then still got the war.”
I always liked Jaina, even when she nearly went down a darker path. The only problems I have with her writing are how easily she forgives Sylvanas and how she dropped out of the story in Legion.
6 Likes
Yeah, but whoever wrote that comment is full of crap. Jaina made her precious Alliance outpost that the narrative treats as a sanctuary city into not only a valid military target, but a pressing one Garrosh would’ve been stupid to ignore. Then she decided she’d take him for a bluffer when he gave her time to evacuate.
Golden’s revisionism of this matter means exactly what it does when she revises other old stories - she’s protective of her writer’s pets and dismissive toward anything that threatens them or her personal interpretations of them - especially their established characterization and actions.
5 Likes
I hated Jaina since MoP. She made Theramore a target when she invaded the barrens. Got nonone to blame but yourself.
Yup and now Baine is the Horde version of pre-Theramore Jaina. And much of the Horde player base treats Baine now the same way Jaina got treated by a large chunk of the Alliance player base then.
1 Like
Jaina has never been able to win with a large chunk of the playerbase no matter what, it’s almost funny after a point. In terms of extremes and showcases of power there are plenty of characters who match or outclass her, but she was always the focus of either mockery, or dislike, depending on the era.
Honestly I just wish they’d left her story alone after BfA, as opposed to adding her into Shadowlands, because it didn’t amount to anything. I don’t think her and Sylvanas actually exchanged any meaningful dialogue even as antagonists despite having far more reason for it.
I can’t think of any benefit Jaina gave to Shadowlands. I feel like she was a detriment for that expansion if anything.
1 Like
I don’t understand why people keep thinking Theramore was a neutral city or a sanctuary city.
Did orcs or tauren or even night elves live there? No.
In WC3 the Alliance in Northern EK collapsed, Jaina gathered whoever she could and sailed to Kalimdor. They beat the big bad and instead of sailing back Lordaeron they made their new home on Kalimdor.
Until Daelin arrived, a veteran of the first and second wars. He believed peace was impossible with the orcs/Horde so he decided to finish them off. Jaina had the choice, follow old hatreds or give peace a chance. She chose peace.
Thats it. Thats all Jaina did, she wasn’t neutral. She wasn’t a pacifist, she wasn’t a sanctuary kingdom or a neutral entity.
She just wanted to chill in peace and probably desperately tried to keep the peace because she literally got her own dad killed to achieve it. If she let a war happen it would mean her dad died for nothing. Pretty sad if you think about it.
Anyway Daelin was 100% right in the end and war came for Jaina whether she wanted to or not. Thanks MoP!
5 Likes
Not just MoP, Theramore was spending Cata carrying out the war Varian declared in Wrath.
2 Likes
A war that ended before Cata. So no Jaina was not “carrying out” Varian’s war.
Also, not once did Garrosh use the Wrathgate as justification for his war. He wanted the night elves’ resources and he was going to kick them out of their homes. Jaina, as both friends of the night elves and an ALLIANCE LEADER had a duty to protect her ally.
By supporting the Alliance’s invasion of Horde Sovereign Territory by allowing Varian/Anduin/ETC to send troops through her port, through her city, through her forts in the swamp, etc.
5 Likes
Yes exactly i am glad you understand.
Yes exactly Treng, Jaina chose peace and Horde chose war. I am so glad to agree on something for once.
2 Likes
i hated jaina since wc3 when she left Arthas
This argument again? 
Saying Daelin was right in hindsight because Garrosh happened is really, really not fair. It’s always the right move to try to protect peace from those who try to start a war for whatever reasons.
Hell, even Daelin’s wife of all people finally realized that her husband was wrong and Jaina was right.
7 Likes
Katherine just absolved Jaina of her dad/husband’s death. Her exact words were that Jaina could not save Daelin. The Horde or Jaina’s attitude towards peace didn’t change after the Kultiras arc. She was still very much antagonistic towards the Horde and for good reason.
Don’t forget Sylvanas. 
Maybe thats true in certain situations but with the Horde? Thanks to the writers that has been proven to be a very suicidal move to think peace with the Horde is possible. Eventually they will start a war. They always do.
1 Like