Not going to lie, I’m a bit disappointed of how little the horde characters have been involved in the leveling quest in war within. Thrall goes mia early on, feels like he is only in the cinematic and artwork. We do get a bit of Gazlowe, but compare to all the alliance characters involved it feels rather under whelming.Even the zones are mostly alliance aligned.
Is this the new norm now horde characters are not involved unless it is faction conflict.
Can’t help but feel left out here.
It’s for sure the most Alliance-heavy questing experience we’ve ever had. Thrall peaces out after fifteen minutes, Aethas after fifteen seconds, and we’re left to pal around with Alleria and Anduin and the entire Bronzebeard clan and the new Lothar of Arathor and a slew of half-elves and crystal dwarves and…
It was apparent to a point during SHL and parts of DF, but writing one story for two factions is beginning to hit different now they’re telling those stories with active faction heroes. Thrall has never felt more like the “token Horde guy” than he does in TWW, and his swift departure leaves the Horde PC to fulfil the role. That is a problem, and one that seems unique to the Horde. Who seriously thinks the Alliance is going to sit out the next two?
I highly doubt they will be excluded at all during the the next 2 expacs
Hey now, I saw Aethas helping shield injured Earthen a little bit further on after the initial crash scene, which I’m pretty sure is more useful than he was in the entirety of Legion.
Can I just say I have enjoyed seeing Aethas actually…
You know… Do things?
Like, he’s not driving plot, but he’s saving lives and generally being more involved that a “certified hand wringing moment” or worse, feuding with a weasel.
Where is the Alliance? The only Alliance characters I saw active in the story are Dagran II and Moira.
You also saw jaina, alleria, anduin
I did actually enjoy that moment, honestly, and his small part in the crash scene was nice. Much better than getting captured by harpies and having to be rescued by his new “apprentice”.
To be fair, Moira and her son Dagran are featured pretty heavily in Dorn questing. We deal with them more than anyone else. Alleria and Anduin show up on ocassion. We get one quest from Alleria in the finale for Dorn
The lack of horde presence is a known problem by the writing team, and one which they kind of realized late in development would rankle the player base but also not really something they could do much about.
Like, Metzen has acknowledged that this is a problem, but it’s also one that they can move to correct going forward; Having a patch where we rally around Gey’rah to fight off an incursion by zealous light worshippers would be the most natural thing in the world from a writing standpoint, Talanji making inroads with the Troll/elf hybrids would make sense, Gazlowe pushing for reform in Kezan could get interesting things going…
Like there are stories to tell with the horde, it’s just that they’re not the stories that need to be told right at this moment.
Maybe it can be a changed feeling with one of the big Earthen characters joining the horde? Similiar idea from the Nightborne. 
I saw Aethas silently helping Earthen later in the quest line and was like…
“Shut up, Aethas.”
I immediately started seething, because they have one Horde Character, and it’s the muffin man.
It was like Argus all over again.
I did wonder though… we have to help Brann who is polymorphed… but the Nerubians don’t have mages there… so basically Aethas polymorphed Brann on accident?
Even in his brief appearance, he bumbles.
I doubt it, it would have the same feeling.
It either comes off as:
“Remember that story that had nothing to do with you? Well, someone in that story joined your team way later, so that story was your story all along!”
Or
“See this rock? This rock is in the Horde now. When you see this rock, pretend it’s the Horde - because you won’t see any of the Horde except this rock.”
Eh, if the only way to get “horde” rep is through use of a neutral race, that’s not really horde at all. I’d say it’s worse than nightborne because at least you can visually tell them apart from night elves (although I hated seeing NB join too).
It gives a big “we didn’t think about you so take this hand-me-down” vibe that’s not fun. It makes me feel resentful that they’re going to need the occasional rep inside the horde after this, too.
It is annoying that the writers couldn’t find a way to include more Horde-aligned characters in a meaningful way during The War Within’s campaign.
I can accept that The War Within features a mostly Alliance-aligned cast, as long as the pendulum will swing in the opposite direction for Midnight.
Yeahhh, it does seem like a stretch for the Earthen to represent the horde. 
Maybe the horde will get lucky with the Harronir but I don’t know what’s happening without EA.
I wouldn’t say telling alliance players to write off an entire expansion ahead of time would be good, either. Even if personally I don’t see it happening because “uniting the elven tribes” inherently means high and void elf stuff too.
It will be communicated to them in subtle ways like having an Alliance leader on the key art but given smaller focus and only really existing as token representation.
Of course the High Elves and Void Elves can be present in that aspect of Midnight’s story, but their focus should never overshadow the Blood Elves.
The only way that would happen is if Sylvanas returns.
Which to be fair, I’d say is a solid-ish possibility. But Xal’atath’s nemesis is clearly set up to be Alleria and there’s no way in hell she wouldn’t stay relevant in a three-expansion-long story about the void. It’s hard for me to imagine the blood elves being that important if they’re not relevant for the first third of a story.
I will laugh myself to death if we wind up with an expansion where the alliance is reduced to a bit part.