What I think is more noticable is lack of representation for the Eastern Horde really. Maldraxxus is pretty Forsaken-y, but also appeals just as much to the sensibilities of any Alliance Warlock or Deathknight. Similarly, Revendreth plays into a lot of that decedant extravagance and the red/black/purples that would fit well with Blood Elves or even Nightborne and Void Elves, but the Gothic Victorian architecture and accents and other classic horror elements are straight out of Gilnneas.
There’s not much that really sticks out to say, Trolls, Tauren, Orcs, or Goblins. There’s nothing either for Gnomes or Dwarves- unless you’re subsuming them under Humans in their association with the Light and it’s angelic/priestly/paladin themes that Bastion is soaked in- but that’s something of a stretch.
What Shadowlands is tailor made for is Humans and Elves- and their countless subraces. Living and dead.
I wouldn’t say any of the zones are Horde or Alliance themed. Although, the complaint about a lack of ‘tribal’ (?) afterlives is legit.
De Otha Side being a small section of Ardenweald is really sad. My vision of De Otha Side would probably be more like Zulzadar.
They have said that many more realms exist, but I do wonder about how that would work. Do all the realms have an Eternal One? It would seem it is only those 5 or 6. So who is the administrator of those realms? Or is there no Anima Czar or someone to control the realms’ “economy”.
No, Eternal Ones are just the governance pantheon of Death. It is unclear how any other realm works, if there is one soul empowered and put in charge or what.
RT
Global-South-culturally-inspired African, Amerindigenous, South Asian, West Asian, etc.
They exist, but I guess Blizzard didn’t deem them important enough to visit when laying out the expansion. Compared to designing specific zones to be special and crucial to maintaining the order of an entire death dimension, something like the Post-Geriatric Green People Retirement Home no longer measures up.
Ah yes, because blood-red anima, a tortured Naaru, actual vampires, an overall red and gold color scheme, and Kael’thas freaking Sunstrider are all reminiscent of the Alliance and not the Sin’dorei, Blood Knights, or San’layn. /sarcasm
Yes, and even then Alexandros has stronger connections to current neutral characters and organizations than to the modern Alliance. He was from Lordaeron, not Stormwind, and all his family, old friends, and colleagues from his Scourge-fighting days are either properly dead (Elena, Renault, Tirion, all the old Scarlet leaders), undead and neutral (Darion, Whitemane, presumably Alonsus Faol), or living and neutral (Tyrosus).
Now this I can agree with, and I’m guilty of this with my level 60s. My Worgen mage dodges the stereotypes a little as a Kyrian, but Vandraeda is Venthyr, my Blood Elf death knight is a Necrolord, and my Night Elf hunter is Night Fae.
To be fair, it can be reminiscent of both given how aesthetically Alliance the Blood Elves are anyway.
Lordaeron and Stormwind are basically the same thing post-Second War.
The fact is that if a given character is a Human, then they are going to be associated with the Alliance in some form given how much of a titan of history the Alliance is.
Reuse Vashjir assets, or have the tree be on an island in the middle of the ocean
I will never get over that they sat down, tried to come up with “interdimensional cosmic afterlife of all Wild Gods” and settled on “How about… we do… a Western European Deciduous Forest using Western European Folklore motifs? !!! ??? !!! ??? EXCLUSIVELY, NO OTHER BIOMES OR CULTURAL MOTIFS?!”
The thing is, while sort of true, this idea of Bastion being palinesque is immediately rejected by Uther. Uther is like “but I’m a PALADIN!” and Devos tells him “not anymore!”. Mograine’s story drives it home when the Kyrian is basically like “you don’t get it, man. We aren’t paladins, and the light has no power here”. I’m not sure how much farther they could have gone to make the point.
Aesthetically, Bastion is a bright place with shiny gold stuff; and there is an emphasis on service. But that’s pretty much it.
Unless something is made specifically to crowbar in Horde aesthetics and themes, everything will default to feeling more Alliance because they are that basic b.
Sylvanas should have had the killing blow against Arthas back in wotlk. It would have ended her story the proper way instead of dragging it out for 11 more years to come afterwards.
I would still argue the forsaken have a stronger connection, considering that several of the forsaken WERE former alliance and then made to SERVE THE LICH KING before breaking free only to betrayed by the current JAILOR’S RIGHT HAND WOMAN SYLVANNAS.
But the alliance also have a strong claim…those that escaped from Lordaeron…which despite everyone’s headcanon…is less than what became the forsaken.
As an aside, Shadowlands is just WoW’s take on D&D planes/realms
Bastion = Celestial Plane
Maldraxus = Thay and realms that use necromancy and undead as a tool
Ardenweald = The Feywild
Revendreth = Barovia (vampires and gothic nightmares)
I mean the thing is its not basic. It’s not neutral, and not the default. Blizzard treats it as such because of Western Euro cultural hegemony.
And Blizzard is comfortable with Western Euro Cultural Themes.
I love Irish myths. I’m (very) distantly Irish and the two things that survived were a familial love for dark beers, and folklore.
But it’s Irish. Ardenweald is aggressively Irish, and where it isn’t Irish its Shakespeare, and where it isn’t Shakespeare it’s Euro Nature Myths Nondescript (centaurs, fauns, etc).
Eg:
Kyrian look like in-game humans, and IRL white folks, wear Greek togas
Ardenweald is Dark Magical Deciduous Forest Number Three Hundred And Forty-three, Shakespeare references galore where it isn’t an Irish derivative
Revendreth is just one giant Gothic estate with Balkan Nondescript and mainly Romanian names
Maldraxxus is Roman gladiator themed with Latin titles (eg secutor)
Like the lack of a Shamanistic realm, and the fact if there was to be one it may be on the chopping block due to the fact this is to be the longest launch patch in all of WoW history, a larger gap than even Warlords of Draenor, is jarring.
Horde themes are an afterthought except where Horde is to be a villain to set up another civil war.
Horde themes aren’t even respected in our city layout, where they removed the portal room from the Cleft of Shadows and put it with Normal Mages in the entrance wall.
Instead of using Shadowmoon Clan assets from WoD for a revamped portal room run by Shaman, they used Siege of Origrimmar assets with mages.
African, Amerindigenous, South Asian, West Asian, etc.