Troll Heritage Quest

Lore Story Forum
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I completely forgot she was name-dropped in BFA!

To be fair, I’ve scrubbed a good chunk of BFA from my mind.

I do agree. Dambala’s absence was felt here. I like Kevo ya Siti and feel he definitely could have been slotted in as our ‘Cunning’ Loa without taking from Dambala. They could have worked in tandem.

I did a slight double take myself before shrugging and going with it, as Kevo ya Siti got the same reaction with his MOP Mist Walker self. At the end of the day, I’m okay with them being different. I just want them to remain relevant.

This was my biggest gripe. Rokhan needed the love, so I’m not upset he was the focused character. The new Loa are fun, but the absence of others is felt.

Bwonsamdi ends the quest talking about the loyalty of the Darkspear, that their Loa know that they will always respect them. That would have been the moment for the other Loa to appear and show they were ready to back the Darkspear up against Mueh’zala.

Shirvallah and Gonk should have made an appearance at the minimum. Hir’eek, Shadra, and Dambala may be dead but it would have been an opportunity for ‘shades’ or ‘avatars’ of them to appear to at least show they are always present. Maybe even a shadow of a Troll figure (Vol’jin).

Overall, I still deeply enjoyed it for what it was. It absolutely wasn’t as good as the Orc questline, but it was miles ahead of the trash-heaps that were the Worgen and Tauren.

I’d rank it as #2 or #3 Hordeside, either Forsaken or Darkspear for the #2 spot.

Agreed. I’m hopeful that we’ll see them team up with the Darkspear and Zandalari during Midnight. Not holding my breath, but I can hope.

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83

I thought the questline was okay. I’ll wear the mask transmog for a bit before I get tired of it. Reminds me they did all those facial feature upgrades in Shadowlands and then had lots of full over head piece armors.
I’m also thinking there could have been a lot more of the existing Darkspear NPC’s (Where is Zappi Boi/Zekhan?) And some more lore nods/foreshadowing.
As for the new Loa, I think they could have given Lokou and Kevo ya Siti their own unique models instead of reused monster figure with a mask. I think Lokou should as some one else said be a troll female with plant/fae features that make her unique. Kevo ya Siti should be given a unique Male troll model representing the ideal Shadow Hunter.
Mue’zela would consider his place being taken by Jani to be a horrible insult, so I think it works. But there’s a lot of other loa that could get representation in the Darkspear, their own altars and quests and such.

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I don’t think it did. We really didn’t get any new interesting Darkspear lore, cultural expansion, or world building. Like, when did the Darkspear abandon other LOA, and why as a long time Darkspear player am I just hearing about this?

LOA are great, faces are bad.

Except he really doesn’t. He’s just an expository machine with no personality, and he steals our thunder in the cutscene where our player character stands idly by after doing all the work. And we’re both wearing that hideous elephant snot rag as well.

Um did we?

I aggree with all of this. And would add, the Rosh’kah masks should have been integrated into the quests, not an arts and crafts project after. We learned almost nothing of what makes Darkspear distinctive from any other Trolls, other than we found friendship.

Mueh’zala vs Bwonsamdi is not really a heritage style plot line, but more LOA drama from Shadowlands/BFA. It’s ok for a side quest to flesh out the religious struggles of the Troll tribes, but it didn’t reveal anything new or special about the Darkspear and their relationship with any other Troll tribes.

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He ‘nothing personal’d’ our evil witch doctor. Which got a giggle. Other than that, infused with shadow and dashing around the shield. It wasn’t much, but it’s unironically more than we ever got with Vol’jin in game. I hope they realize there is a lot you can do with Shadow Hunters and build on this.

I think they chose the wrong word. It read to me as more of a ‘it’s been a long time and we lost our connection to these Loa’. Rokhan and the other Shadow Hunters/Witch Doctors knew about them, just didn’t know where they were.

I agree with all of your criticisms in some way otherwise. Maybe my expectations were dirt poor and that’s why I enjoyed it, but it felt like a step in a good direction.

Hopefully, we’ll get a part 2 (Like the BE and Dark Iron) which can expand on what we got here and improve on it.

Hopefully Lukou gets a new model as well. The podling works, but it’s goofy. Kevo ya Siti kind of works. I like the Mistboi.

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86

Blizzard doesnt have to “make amends” for anything. Holy crap this world view is so bizzare and cringe.

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More like, the “lesser beings” press into troll territories and take what belonged to trolls. And narrative always justified that.

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so in other words, new lore? :3

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I know, I was only messing with Erevien with that comment. It’s a really hard habit to break. No offense meant :dracthyr_nod:

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  • A cry from Hinterlands

A messenger came from Hinterlands for ask help. Revantusk tribe attacked by other Forest trolls and captured for sacrifice.

-Travel to Revantusk village

We are going to village with Rokhan to see what happened. There are dead bodies and altars for a bad loa so we are trying to find who is this loa.

  • İnvestigate the situation

Search evidences in village and find a sacrificial dagger. Try to summon Bwonsamdi but he is not there. so we are heading to go Jintha’alor.

-A new era.

Vilebranch tribe is there. they are doing sacrifices for their loa. We are attacking them and have some boss fights. After all we are freeing all of captives.

-Find da source

Go to echo isles and ask elders about dagger. They will summon Darkspear Loa’s . Shango,Dambala,Lukou,Ogoun comes. But not Bwonsamdi.

They will say it comes from De other side. Very dangerous with voodoo magic and maybe Bwonsamdi is betrayed us.

-De other Side
We are going to entrance of De other side but gates are locked. We are trying to force the gate and risen guardians comes and attacks to us. They are outnumbering us and circling around us. And then white flash explosing and we are teleporting to another area.

-Return of Loa of Kings

We are teleported to Dazar’alor. A shadowy figure walks to us and say " Darkspear never die" Its Vol’jin as Loa of Kings helped us. Takes his warglaive and tells us all story. Muehzala gained control and captured Bwonsamdi as prisoner. And Hakkar is trying to gain control on Azeroth. And he senses cry from echo isles so he teleport us to echo isles.

-Last Stand of Darkspear

When we arrived to Echo Isles we see undead minion of Muehzala attacking to village. Our people and loas fighting with them. We will kill them and Hakkar comes from shadows. Vol’jin blesses player and Rokhan and gives his warglaive to him. After big fight Rokhan kills Hakkar.

-Save ol Bwonsamdi

We will go to De other side with Vol’jin Rokhan and other loas for confront Muehzala. Loas Blesses player and Rokhan. We will fight with Muehzala while Vol’jin saves Bwonsamdi from bonds. Rokhan wounded bad and throw warglaive to us. Bwonsamdi frees himself with help of Vol’jin. Blesses warglaive. We will kill Muehzala. Vol’jin heals Rokhan.

-Darkspear never die
After all we return to Echo Isles. Vol’jin says we passed trial of loas. Calls us as Shadow Hunter. And says that warglaive is legacy of our bonds, strength . Everybody happy.

Warglaive transmog 1h dagger 1h sword 1h maul. Staff Polearm and 2h maul
Titles " Shadow Hunter" " Witch Doctor" “Hexxer”
And a great heritage set instead of this garbage nosesock

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New Lore implies something that changed recently, or a revelation that expands previous understanding. This is framed like the Darkspear forgot the Loa, or moved away from them. And yet most of the culture we know of about Darkspear is told through Vol’jin, who invoked the Loa all the time, and seemed to be devout. The ties to the Loa and many other troll lore bits have been scattered around the Warcraft games for years.

Feels more like a shoehorned in plot mechanic to justify the quest story.

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I think we’ve all come to a general conclusion that the Darkspear Heritage quest isn’t the orc’s or the draenei’s, and thats mostly okay. Not every quest is going to be a 11/10, but when you have something that is an 11/10 and pair it with like a 6 or 7/10 it makes the other look worse than it is. Same thing happened with humans, same thing happened with night elves. At the same time, the expectation now is that every heritage quest should be as grand as the orc’s and draenei’s.

The Darkspear quest did what it really needed to do. The developers who created it truly did some research and put in the care to flesh out the Darkspear, their relationship with Loa, the Loa themselves, and address Rokhan’s tepidness around being the new Chieftain and his own expectation of filling Vol’jin’s shoes (or lack thereof).

So of course, and nothing too new here, the positives:

  • Bwonsamdi, as awlays. Given his introduction in the Cata pre-patch and retaking the Echo Isles, it only makes sense that he would be involved in the heritage quest. Not to mention despite being both the newer, and main, death Loa having to keep Mueh’zala in his place on top of being the new Loa of Kings and Queens, the busy guy still always finds time for the little 'ol Darkspear. I can barely handle a few extra meetings a week after my basic 9-5.
  • Jani will always be a fan favorite for his silliness and characterization and was a nice touch of fan service put him into a serious matter.
  • New Loa and learning about them will never disappoint.
  • Addressing diaspora and refugee experiences and practices. The Darkspear were and are removed from their ancestral homes. Not just from the Darkspear Isles but also from the wider Stranglethorn and Gurubashi homeland. Addressing how they never forgot and tried to remain connected to their Loa and roots despite losing so much and the hardships that made it difficult to retain practices was a good touch, much like actual diaspora and refugee populations.
  • Nice to see some old faces, and of course their recognition of you.
  • Visiting ZG and seeing some inter-Loa relationships going on was a nice direction. Everyone hates Hakkar. Would feel as if something was missing if they didn’t address ZG and the Gurubashi in some way. Especially that Bambala is still used and occupied.
  • Learning about the Rosh’kah masks and making your own, even if a little brief. Masks have always been a pretty center part of troll culture so its good to give them a name, symbolism, and importance.
  • No Zekhan

Shortcomings and what could have been improved:

  • More Darkspear characters. We know the roster is a little thin, but nothing was stopping them from adding new characters, particularly voiced characters, like the Draenei questline. No Vol’rath, Jin’Zil, Denjai, or Zenkiki.
  • Those same characters doing something. I enjoyed our little trip to Rokhan and crew, but would have been nice to see anyone else be the point person for a little bit.
  • As many have pointed out, a lack of wider Loa. It was nice to see these new additions, but recognizing those they have already honored would have been nice. Especially Gonk, Drambala, Hir’eek, and Shirvallah, but also any of the traditional Gurubashi loa.
  • General length and quests. Seemed very short fetch quest-y. They didn’t hit or feel as if they had the same depth like draenei or orcs.
  • General lack of history from Gurubashi Empire, Darkspear Isles, Echo Isles (both times), Darkspear Rebellion, to current.
  • Relationships with other tribes, particularly Revantusk, Shatter Spear, and Zandalari.
  • New troll character, Gadrin’s apprentice no less, is a traitor again and killed.
  • Would have been nice, and maybe I missed it, but no special dialog for characters part of the Echo Isles questline back in Wrath/Cata.

Still, overall I give this a solid 7/10. Well researched and fleshed out in what they gave us, fairly evergreen, addresses the whole Vol’jin to Rokhan transition, and gave us some troll love but, just a little short and realistically could have added more without massive resources needed, while overshadowed by the Draenei’s.

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Just a note on Shirvallah after mentioning, she’s noted by Zen’tabra for especially not liking her and Gonk’s plan to share the various spirit’s power from the Dream rather than following just one Loa at at a time.

If Blizzard can be cheeky and tease Void Elf Paladins as “Knights of the Eclipse” then damnit they could have shown us Darkspear Paladins following Shirvallah, so sure, singularly focused, and protective of her blessings. This also follows how they depicted the Light, in general, in Legion as knowing one singular truth. Not only does it give us a new cool race class combo possibility, that they intend to add to all anyway, but really embrace that tiger warrior aesthetic they gave us in Hearthstone.

https://hearthstone.wiki.gg/wiki/Zandalari_Templar#/media/File:Zandalari_Templar_full.jpg

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94

points at new loa

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It was BIZZARE decision considering that Darkspears have trained the most shadow hunters, which are connecting to multiple Loa at once even. So you’re telling me that for the whole time they only called for Bwonsamdi? That doesn’t make any sense to me.
That doesn’t make any sense.
I’d rather have more truly unique Loa that add something more and are really cool. And Lukou was fumbled, and that new made up Loa isn’t as cool as those from RPG book.
There is so much that could’ve been squeezed and it was so undercooked.

Darkspear questline had a chance to be the best questline. And just like their armor it’s not really on point.

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96

Vibe I got is the people who did the Draenei quest were passionate about it, while the Troll one was done by people for whom it was a checkbox on their list of assigned work to complete. It fulfils the basic qualifications, but it lacks the spark you can feel in the Draenei one.

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The entire questline was centered on explaining that Darkspear have been stagnant since they left Zul’Gurub/Stranglethorn

All the Shadow Hunters recognize Lukou and Kevo during the questline in dialogue

The implication is there haven’t been any new Shadow Hunters in literally decades, that only Shadow Hunters kept the traditions while the tribe as a whole was left stagnant, which Rokhan takes upon himself as largely his fault because he hasn’t done anything

which in itself is self-evident meta commentary because neither Rokhan nor the Darkspear have done anything meaningful in-game because of NEGLECT FROM THE DEV TEAM ITSELF.

All the Troll mains loved it, precisely because it responded to our concerns:

  • who are the darkspear now, without voljin and after Zandalar “stole” so much of Darkspear lore (retcon’d WHEN Gonk created Troll druids, retcon’d Bwonsamdi’s extent of worship among Trolls)
  • DID NOT have Voljin come back in the Heritage Quest, which should be a larger quest for everyone to experience, and the return of all the SL Wild Gods including Ashamane
  • Didn’t lean upon the usual racist tropes
  • Borrowed respectfully from IRL motifs and themes of being African Diaspora, internal Voodoo dynamics, and the nature of initiation by the Lwa
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Oh, they were most certainly incredibly careful with it, But it just did not have the same spark that the Orc or Draenei ones did, is all. It is perfectly serviceable and Blizzard for once avoided stepping on any rakes it left laying around in its yard.

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My main disappointment overall is… Mueh’zala worship with the Darkspear kinda comes out of left field? I know its the one Apprentice, but like… they bait us with a Hakkar return story, but we just kill a handful of cultists to find the new Loa of Cunning that takes Legba’s place from the old RBG material (and I believe a similar, brief, mention in like, TBC or something).

But no, we kill some cultists, then some ogres, then bam, its Mueh’zala time. Darkspear were from Stranglethorn originally, they know Hakkar, they know the Loa of the Gurubashi, and likely worshipped many of them too. We can presume, by context, the reason the Darkspear were banished, among many other reasons, also included the Darkspear’s preference to avoid Troll Sacrifice, I.E., putting them at odds with Hakkari whose Loa loves Troll Sacrifice, but it still made more sense that the lady, particularly with blood offerings, would have instead tried to herald Hakkar’s Return to elevate the Darkspear.

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Loa of Cunning was Dambala, His title was actually Loa of Deceit and treachery, but He valued cunning above anything else, and most importantly, it’s a snake Loa and Darkspears use a lot of snake motiff in their attire/decorations.

Legba was Loa of speed, travels and Voyage, he would better serve that role than Jani, when it comes to taking player from place to place.

Darkspears really neded to expand on the Shadow hunter Loa, becuase choice of Loa speaks a lot about it’s follower.

And as you said, the plot was weird. Darkspear to turn to Mueh’zala? Giving blood offerings? That should be a massive no-no for a tribe who was harrased because they didn’t participate in it.

I also don’t buy the whole “we abandoned Loa”. Dude, Darkspears have the most shadowhunters among their ranks - a class that specificially deals with multiple Loas. You tell me they only followed Bwonsamdi the whole time? I call it bull.

It should’ve been better to go to Zul’Gurub to reflect on Darkspear’s past, and the choices they made. To end up with what they can offer. And they can offer not only loyalty and adaptivity but also experience. They were the most active troll tribe- they were everywhere, fought against multiple foes, in various conditions, on foreign lands, alternative dimentions. Scourge, demons, elemental lords… Even Zandalari don’t have such experience.

The quest should’ve been “Look how we started, and where are we now”. Although Echo Isles still looks pitiful. I’d love for it to get proper update.

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After this nealy 2 decades ago in-game it’s not surprising at all if Bwom ended up getting elevated an focused on more than the other loa to their detriment, which was a major positive of the Heritage story, the Darkspear serve multiple Loa, like all trolls, they are more than just faithfuls of Bwomsamdi like the writing had fallen into over the years.

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