Theory time

Community General Discussion
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Maybe I’m in the minority, but there does seem to be a core group of NPC’s that make up the functioning “Main Characters”. I also understand not everyone sees an overarching story in this game, I do. It’s not always cohesive, coherent or intuitive… But there is a story being told.

I fully understand why people may have checked out at various points in the Lore and the game became about the gameplay instead of any interest in Lore. I find the Lore intriguing.

To that point, I’ve spent time theory crafting and thinking about what’s happened (both in story and IRL) the last few years and what might be headed our way. Just having a theory means I need to keep playing to see how well, if at all, it pans out. Raiding and all that other stuff is kinda secondary to me, I want to see first hand how close I get.

The characters I’ve always seen as the core of the story of Warcraft are Malfurion, Thrall, Anduin, Baine, Illidan, Khadgar and Medivh. The last one I understand is a personal choice that I might be looking at through rose tinted glasses.

But, I can’t shake this feeling that Medivh is going to be a significant part of the end of this story (end of the story not being mutually exclusive with end of game). The game will live past the end of the story, giving time for a new story to begin.

To present something of evidence (this is still largely weighted by a feeling in my gut I can’t shake):

Legion was the last time we saw Medivh. Having helped us stop Sargeras and passed the title of Guardian to Khadgar he said something to the tune of I can’t stay here there is something I must go do… Before flying off to what looked like space. Sure this is a pretty small detail, honestly COULD elude to just about anything. Until you take another couple “small” things into consideration.

Legion was also the period of time Chris Metzan left Blizzard, and at the time it appeared unwillingly. This is the Lore side of me, but once you get rid of the Lore Master things fall apart… Especially mid story. Imagine a new DM that’s not part of the group presiding over a few sessions at your table. But, he came back near the end of DF, the period in time The Dark Heart became the primary focus of the Expac (coincidentally when I returned to the game as well haha). And so far, TWW appears to be trying to pick up where Legion left off. Are they keeping things from BFA/SL, absolutely. Those events are still technically canon, at least until they are officially Retconned. So, we have to move forward as if those events happened as is. Odds are they were created from notes from Chris anyway.

It’s the fact this “theory” is the culmination of a gut feeling and tiny details I’m not sure where I stand and am hoping someone has something to add to improve or disprove it

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Well, yeah. There’s almost always been a rotating cast of “core” characters for each expansion thus far. Not a surprising revelation there.

Medivh is certainly a choice though. Color me skeptical that he’ll even make a return after seeing the mess Azeroth was/is in during Legion. Khadgar has basically taken Medivh’s place, whether he likes it or not, and even adopts his raven form when traveling.

Maybe we’ll see a cameo from Medivh in Midnight or Last Titan, but I don’t think Blizzard has any plans on giving him any significant impact on lore going forward. Influence of Chris Metzen’s presence or any leftover notes as influence on current lore/story is a question mark and will always be unless he comes right out and drops a detailed writer’s log book or something.

I’m with you though, I do hope they do eventually get their stuff together and make the lore good again. TWW so far has been somewhat interesting but simultaneously felt … inconsequential? Yeah, yay, more Titan & Azeroth lore. But beyond that… Eh.

Everything’s that’s happened with Xal’atath or her plans has been in the hands of Alleria or other lore characters. Never directly because of us. We just happen to carry these characters to whatever happenstance that moves the plot forward. She’s also kinda terrible at the whole villain thing. But that’s another matter. Maybe that’s why I’m meh about her.

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Well, they could have her burn down a tree or destroy a city but we know how the fan base reacts to true evil. :slightly_smiling_face:

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:skull:

I think people would have been a little less upset if it came from an “actual” villain and not a Horde warchief that’s gone looney villain mode with genocidal tendencies yet again.

Night Elves didn’t even really get their justice in Shadowlands either. Blizzard pulled all stops to get out of killing Sylvanas because a writer had a fetish for her.

Absolute mess, that character, for everyone involved.

But yes, in general, I agree Xal’atath needs to be a little more threatening? She did good with the destruction of Dalaran, but after that she’s been just fumbling left and right.

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Heh, my bad and thanks for reminding me that she did in fact destroy a city!!! Completely forgot about Dalaran. :slightly_smiling_face:

Being said, yeah even after that, she doesn’t seem too threatening. I’m thinking to make the villain more impactful, they need a hardcore raid of sorts. Like the villain is so bad that if you die in the raid you get sent to the maw. Can’t leave until you free 100 souls or something terrible like that.

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Yea, the whole Dalaran thing kind of feels like an afterthought. Like “Oh no!.. Anyway…”

Wouldn’t be the first time Dalaran’s been destroyed, sieged, or gone through a massacre. They’ll rebuild it again anyway, even with the whole “we won’t do it again” story from that side quest with Dalaran magi mourning the loss of Dalaran.

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I’m still waiting for the reveal that Xalatath “pulled a Khadgar” with most of Dalaran and shunted it into another plane of existence or into the Dark Heart itself, and there’ll be a raid or dungeon involving us running around the central ring of Dalaran with everything being all purple and voidy.

Remember that only a few tower tops and sewer pipes ended up on the beach, and there’s nothing in the ocean nearby.

So either the devs got lazy with Dalaran Detritus (entirely possible), or the core of the city is elsewhere.

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I didn’t. And I’ve convinced myself that it was for the benefit of Azeroth, intentionally or not.

Think about it, there have been two locations used exclusively by foreign invading entities. The Dark Portal and Dalaran. We destroyed The Dark Portal ourselves to make sure it couldn’t be used against us again.

But our hubris blinded us to the glaring target we created in Dalaran. The single largest focal point of Magic, Mages, Artifacts on the planet. It’s a bright shiny Las Vegas Strip beacon. She took what was needed to accomplish the task, and destroyed the only other strong anchor point an invading entity could use. Which is semi important as we know a Dimencious level Void Lord is on their way to Azeroth, but those beings need incredible magic funnel to maintain form.

Also, she protected Khadgar. Sure, she messed him up but she didn’t kill him which appeared to be within her capabilities with how easily she packed him in. But he was ready to sacrifice himself to “stop” her. She knew that was definably impossible and for some reason didn’t want him to die. So she knocked him out and wrapped him in the Dark Heart. Certainly traumatizing, but she wasn’t the slightest bit worried that Khadgar was freed. She was concerned that the artifact that she needed was damaged.

I’m probably way off and she is a villain, but if we look at her actions as antihero the writing doesn’t seem as bad for her all of a sudden. And the Ethereals having The Dark Heart now may force her to finally communicate with us on at least a portion of her plans in an effort to get our help retaining the artifact.

That’s just my theory on her though

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