From the dungeon journal: “For ages untold, Dazar’alor has stood at the center of the great and powerful Zandalari empire. Its guards have thwarted numerous attempts on King Rastakhan’s life, and it has endured trials both ancient and new. But as war reaches the shores of Zuldazar, the Alliance embarks on a daring gambit to besiege the golden pyramid and sever the Zandalari’s bond to the Horde.”
So the Alliance wants to sever the bonds between the Horde and the Zandalari, which admittedly is a sound war strategy. Yet to carry this out they decide the best way to do so is to attack the Zandalari Capital. How in the world would attacking Dazar’alor severe the bonds between the Zandalari and the Horde?
All it does is further strengthen the ties between the Zandalari and the Horde as they both fight to defend Dazar’alor from the Alliance invasion.
It was my understanding that the Alliance’s reason for striking at Dazar’alor was to destroy the Zandalari navy. And everything beyond that was just targets of opportunity before the Horde could organize a counter attack.
I’m not saying it’s a good plan, a sound plan, or even the plan, but…
Theoretically, if the Zandalari were attacked for their association with the Horde, it could show an unsure ally that the cost of formal alliance is too great because it makes them a target. This could be especially true if you were to take out their leadership, both political and military. Doing so could also demoralize an enemy enough to keep them from engaging in any actions that might provoke reprisal.
None of which is actually likely to play out. Politics in war tends to err on the side of machismo, where hitting an enemy hard enough to knock them down just makes them commit all the more if it’s only the first strike. A better tactic would have been to offer the Zandalari something the Horde cannot that the Zandalari wants more than what the Horde can provide. I can’t think of any examples of what the Alliance could give that the Horde can’t, but there could be stuff I’m too tired to think of. This increases exponentially if you can also supply what the Horde can too, in this case defeating the blood trolls.
The problem for the Alliance was potential for the Zandalari’s Navy being used against them. It would have given the horde a big advantage over the Alliance. Discouraging the Zandalari from assisting the Horde without killing them/ breaking their stuff was just some lofty ideal that was probably never going to happen.
i guess that the intention was to capture rasthakan and force him to surrender.
but the zandalari are prideful of course they will not surrender.
that is why many alliance players feels like is a defeat, because from the beginning the goal was impossible. (thanks anduin, you are an idiot) well,not really, thanks writers, you all are idiots for don’t giving the alliance a damn crushing victory.
now people will demand MORE.
Like I’ve said before, Story’s purpose is to support gameplay. And part of that game play is head on collisions between the Alliance and Horde. You need dramatic backgrounds for the faction-themed raids. And its not like Dazar’alor isn’t a strategic asset.
We want a more agressive alliance, just not a more agressive alliance that has to run circles in being morally right even when it makes no sense whatsoever
Just saying the alliance attacked the zandalari to cripple them before they join the war would be fine. But saying they attacked to keep them out of the war makes no sense.
This would be a perfect reasoning for Genn, Jaina, or Alleria to bring up to Anduin. Too logical for the current story.
“If we crush the Zandalari and bring their King to heel, it will show all of Azeroth the price they pay for meddling in this war and supporting the Horde. Other nations will learn that the noble Alliance will not permit such evil to be abetted.”
I don’t know if that is ever stated by any Alliance character. It sounds like something Sylvanas would say. But it is a more consistent reason than what I am seeing.
“We have come to Zandalar to break the bonds between the Horde and Zandalar! By assaulting the Zandalari as much as possible until the Horde can muster a salvation for them! That should break the bonds between the Horde and Zandalar!”
That doesn’t really address the criticism, which is the given motivation. Not the fact that Dazar’alor is being a raid, that it is a dramatic background, or that it involves head on collisions between the Alliance and Horde. It is that the rationale doesn’t make sense.
Break the Zandalari fleet and you essentially remove the Horde’s reason for helping the Zandalari to begin with. Which might have been true, but I think that line of thinking is going to backfire for the Alliance just like it backfired for the Horde a few times in the past.
is just that blizzard writers are incredibly incompetent to give a compelling story to either side horde players will be mad because they don’t kill anybody of importance,being forced to kill rasthakan while raiding another horde city (and some also will be frustrated by the fact that they are the villains and they deserve to lose)
and alliance players will feel that isn’t enough not only for the impossible objective to cut their bonds, acting as a plot device to make zandalari join to horde, defeat 2 of our leaders and end with a "we had a victory but at what cost :’( "
jaina “dismantle”:
“but attacking during a funeral is wrong, we would be worse than scum for attacking at that moment!, we would be monsters!”
instead of a “we had a great victory when our forces are recovered we will give the final push and win this war, all the sacrifices will not be in vain.” and then, naga attack. was that really that hard blizz?
more considering that this should be our big “win” but we don’t destroy their city and they even don’t want to kill civilians as revenge, is frustrating.
Best part? anduin wanting the horde to heal.
can someone take his head already?
or better, can we have competents writers who understand how to please both sides without taking too much from the other?
I don’t know why they don’t list this as a reason. It’s a terrific reason. Honestly, I think half of the complaints about this attack come because the goal is worded stupidly. Had it outright said “sink the Zandalari fleet” you’d all be toasting champagne with each other when the raid was over. You literally need to change nothing about the existing content other than maybe a few lines of description.
I think that’s an issue with the faction conflict. As long as we have this black and white morality you wont get to win. Large amounts of Horde players absolutely hate the current story, and destroying their new city will get them to quit enmass. Meanwhile the Alliance is incapable of having it’s actual victories be treated as victories, such as at undercity and now Zandalar, because the writers are morons who fail to understand politics or tactics. Undercity should have been treated as a win, as you forced the undead to leave tirisfal, but since anduins objective was capture sylvanas, which failed, it’s treated as a loss, and not the major, decisive victory it was (You trounced the horde army, with the only true roadblock being the blight).
The writers seem to refuse to allow anyone to enjoy their victories, but not in a war is hell type way. It’s in a, “boo hoo hoo pity the poor pathetic alliance and hate the evil horde” kind of way.
This. is infuriating.
it seems like blizzard is trying to give us this “but war is bad, nobody wins at war :(”
they failed to realize that with teldrassil/elegy/war of thorns it only angered more people who was already angry (at least me, i can’t really speak for all alliance players)
where anything less that the obliteration of a horde capital would be an insult.
i am salty? of course i am.
i wonder what will the next impossible objective that we will inevitably fail. because “WaR Is HeLL” xD.
this is my bet:“damn derek killed katherine, hum, let’s have revenge… obliterating those random vulperas and snake dudes for helping the horde that one time and not the actual responsables like nathanos or sylvanas, and with that we will win the war!” and then act surprised when the stupid stated objectives don’t work.
maybe we all are going to be happy once this horrible faction war plot ends.