People Who Want a "Morally Grey" Alliance

[Arlifrex-moon-guard (Arlifrex)]

Hi, warlock, rogue, and death knight player here, as well as future demon hunter player if or when I buy Legion. I want the Horde to suffer. Honor isn’t a luxury the Alliance can afford when the Horde has a hate arousal for killing.

[Xoroth-crushridge (Xoroth)]

I legitimately hope that no interesting races(such as Ethereals) join the boring faction. Anything Alliance just gets ruined, just ask the Night Elves.

[Anelaan-wyrmrest-accord (Anelaan)]

Hi, warlock, rogue, and death knight player here, as well as future demon hunter player if or when I buy Legion.

They didn’t bundle Legion into the base game yet?

[Arlifrex-moon-guard (Arlifrex)]

Idk. Did they?

[Daiza-kelthuzad (Daiza)]

I want “moral grey” but only if they know what that actually means, which many people tend not to.

[Taalva-wyrmrest-accord (Taalva)]

OPs sweeping generalization skills are astounding.

[Aureton-moon-guard (Aureton)]

I want a nuanced Alliance, more like what we had from Classic to Wrath, before Cata killed off or swept away all the more grim characters. That’s not to say Cata didn’t have some nuance to the Alliance, but it by and large was only in one note quests, and certainly didn’t have the benefit of the storytelling tools now.

I want the 7th Legion I met in Wrath, when I rushed to go and warn them of traitors in their midst, only to find that all the traitors were hanged from the keep gates. Fandral Staghelm getting thrown into the villain pot was also a waste, the Defias being wiped out once and for all in Cata was the same.

All the internal strife, not with the Alliance as a whole, but within their races, was all but vanished by MoP, and really, that’s all I really want. They can be the good guys, they were the good guys back then, but show that they’re an alliance of nations, each nation with its own issues.

[Carmageddon-hyjal (Carmageddon)]

I want the 7th Legion I met in Wrath, when I rushed to go and warn them of traitors in their midst, only to find that all the traitors were hanged from the keep gates. Fandral Staghelm getting thrown into the villain pot was also a waste, the Defias being wiped out once and for all in Cata was the same.

I agree on all but Fandral. Everyone hated that dude in Vanilla questing. He was obviously shady as hell, and his quests were the worst, sending you all over Azeroth. Which was not necessarily atypical in Vanilla, but doing it for someone that you knew was up to no good really rubbed the wrong way.

[Aureton-moon-guard (Aureton)]

Villain batting characters that players don’t like is how we got into this mess in the first place.

[Tannaril-area-52 (Tannaril)]

Truth bomb: These people do not want a morally grey Alliance because they would enjoy a more nuanced storytelling of the faction, they want the Alliance to become morally darker because they are Horde fans first and foremost (the story forums are overwhelmed with them) and want to be able to blame the Alliance for anything more easily, so they can justify each action of the Horde.

It would be a lot easier to justify Sylvanas’ actions right now if Anduin was also being a big jerk to the Horde, and then they’d start pressing for the genocide/disbandment of the Alliance, since that’s all they’ve ever wanted!

You know I’m right.

Well, until Teldrassil, there was plenty to justify Horde actions. After that, it didn’t matter anymore. The Horde story is in shambles and I don’t know how it can recover, regardless of what they do with the Alliance.

And you I’m right.

[Tannaril-area-52 (Tannaril)]

[Edited to combine posts]
Though, if I can stop hating the Alliance too much. (Because of them being the “chosen Heroes” at my expense and rabid Alliance posters.) I might switch factions (if I don’t just unsub again). If I did, I would want a more interesting Alliance.

First of all, Anduin and the Alliance’s antagonism to the Horde is very real, but many pretend it isn’t there because of the story’s tone, it only looks like the alliance isn’t morally grey.

And, as you say, the Alliance being able to launch unprovoked attack or kill civilians, and pretending it is all OK, is actually boring for their story. It is probably the worst way to go. I mean, if you had actually consequences for Genn getting forces needed against the Legion and people on both sides killed for his personal revenge, that could be interesting. Maybe Shaw wanted you to kill the miners, but you spare them if they give you the Azerite and he becomes a enemy. Jaina imprisons and kills civilians in Dalara and has a falling out with Velen.

[Akiyass-moon-guard (Akiyass)]

I agree on all but Fandral. Everyone hated that dude in Vanilla questing.

I liked him. He was a true Night Elf, not the hippy that Richard Knaack turned Malf and Tyrande into. I wish Blizzard did more to show the Xenophobia of the elves.

[Tannaril-area-52 (Tannaril)]

I’m not even sure the Alliance can be morally grey at this point. Tyrande could kill the Horde to the last, then sit down to a nice meal of fresh Tauren-calf liver, and a glass of looted arcwine, and come out of it all only a shade of morally light silver (and even that would just be from accidentally stepping on one of the cockroach vendor’s pets).

I have to tell you. Killing civilians and innocents because of what someone else did isn’t light grey. It isn’t dark grey. It is black. Taking revenge against people who weren’t involved is a villain trope.

[Zuleika-hyjal (Zuleika)]

Killing civilians and innocents because of what someone else did isn’t light grey. It isn’t dark grey. It is black.

Galenorn’s not entirely wrong, though: if Tyrande did do all that, the writers would probably treat it as light grey.

[Vexander-moon-guard]

You know I’m right.

You’re not wrong, but you’re not right either.

I think there are a lot of Horde players/fans who want the Alliance to be darker and morally reprehensible so they can enjoy fighting them in a faction conflict. So, you’re right about that.

You’re wrong in thinking there are no Alliance who want a darker Alliance, to get some satisfaction out of fighting the Horde.

As an Alliance player, I’m pretty happy with where we are right now to be honest. I feel like the Void Elves and Dark Irons are bringing enough grey to the Alliance. Summoning a Magma Golem to mow down hundreds of Goblins was a massacre, and the Void Elves are sending Horde ambassadors on a one-way trip to the Void while summoning Void Monstrosities to fight the Horde and creating new ones from the remains of dead creatures to wage psychological warfare on the Horde’s allies.

The thing here is, both groups are still using restraint, and are not going into pure evil territories. The Dark Irons aren’t risking another Cataclysm with their work and are using it against designated military targets rather than civilians in civilian settlements. The Void Elves aren’t sending Orphanages into the Void or making entire Horde villages disappear into the Void to sacrifice souls for terrible rituals that leave entire zones corrupted forever.

It’s dark, but it’s not outright evil.

[Akiyass-moon-guard (Akiyass)]

I have to tell you. Killing civilians and innocents because of what someone else did isn’t light grey. It isn’t dark grey. It is black. Taking revenge against people who weren’t involved is a villain trope.

No such thing as innocent Horde. Only complacent bystanders. They’ve made their choice.

[Grandblade-wyrmrest-accord (Grandblade)]

Opinion discarded.

But is mine?

[Galenar-khazgoroth (Galenar)]

Do you think I’m a fan of the Horde? I do nothing but complain about how they screwed the Night Elf race and need to answer for their crimes. Preferably with the deaths of Sylvanas and Saurfang. Regret doesn’t change the fact you planned the campaign that led to this. You Human Paladins always make the strangest posts.

[Withpuppys-nazgrel (Withpuppys)]

i just want to kill horde, if it means being “morally grey” so be it

[Jmanwarrior-darkspear (Jmanwarrior)]

Remember when Rogers or Taylor (christ i cant remember) killed Orcs swimming and struggling to make it to shore after they invaded Pandaria. Id like more of that tbh.