Yeah, Blizzard has been playing a very dangerous game lately by adding nuance to races that were previously quest fodder. The more they do this the more it negatively recontextualizes old content and draws attention to the other “mongrel races” they haven’t given this treatment to.
They’re denying themselves future options and dismantling the foundation the game was built on.
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Takes like this usually comes from people angry at the fact they can’t kill monster coded races in masses anymore without feeling bad about it. They did it for Trolls and Orcs before and the additude never changed.
They are doing it, cause those connections were already being made, When you make something like wc3 which humanises monster races, you really can’t put that genie back in the bottle, once one monster can be seen as human then they all can be
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I can’t refute that point. But I will point out that no one was sobbing for the gnolls, furbolgs and kobolds back in the day outside of jokes. Hell Blizzard even had their whole “Save the Murlocs” campaign during Wrath as a joke.
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Oh no, people were, there were whole threads
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It is a matter of opinion, because I love it!!
Even Tolkien shied away from the idea that Orcs are wholly irredeemable. The lesson of WC 3 was that even the Horde had good people willing to stand up and fight for their world.
I never liked the idea that races in fantasy and in video games are wholly just one thing.
It makes sense that as we adventure, we run into the few people who dislike the status quo, especially when it is in our interest to help them.
Most evil factions that are dominated by a cult leader dissolve when the leader is taken out. The Kobold story is really simple and understandable - the Candle King is a bully with assorted toughs being his enforcers. We meet some kobold who just want to live in peace, instead of being driven like chattel.
I prefer that races are treated as a group of individuals, not some hive mind that must be culled without a second thought.
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The community is garbage.
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ARUE MY BELOVED MENTIONED
My favourite thing about the kobolds now is that we were given context on why they are so keen on keeping their candles. Well, we made a kobold friend and dethroned an evil tyrant, all in a day of work.
People mentioned murlocs together with kobolds and gnolls. Are murlocs actually sentient? Like… Capable of thought in the same manner of gnolls and quillboar? I’ll never forget that bronze drangonflight quest with the murloc alternate world, I was wheezing so hard with Finvanas Windrunner.
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And of course, Kevinos is the hunter pet, as it should be
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There were always good and bad Nerubians. They’ve had a sympathetic backstory as far back as Warcraft 3. There were friendly ones in Wrath. It really isn’t a surprise that Blizzard went with having both good and evil nerubians again.
Heck, Anub’arak himself always seemed like a relatively decent guy who was making the best of a bad situation.
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Anub’Arak was dealt a horrible hand and was done dirty. My homeboy deserved better.
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There was supposed to be a whole Nerubian zone/raid in WotLK that probably would have had some friendlies in it. They probably just dusted off those plans.
Wouldn’t be the first time. Warzones were actually a concept that came straight from vanilla. Hillsbrad Foothills was meant to be one.
Nerubians were always gray since the only reason we fought them they were undead. Even back in WOTLK, maybe even before, the alive ones fought alongside us and asked for our aid.
Kobolds are their own thing. Idk, some tribes can be friendly.
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This is an issue WoW has managed to sidestep often by leaning on the use of clans, tribes, kingdoms, and any other term for the various factions that divide a race.
Are the Bartogs all evil? Of course not! They are a unique and beautiful people, as worthy of respect and dignity as any other!
Are the Bartogs of clan Zarkog all evil? Yes. Slaughter them like pigs.
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Sympathetic? Yes, but it doesnt mean they were also not evil, warcraft 3’s manual made sure to mention they were evil and Sinister:
Yet, as the Lich King extended his influence over the land, a lone, shadowy empire stood against his power. The ancient, subterranean kingdom of Azjol-Nerub, which had been founded by a race of sinister humanoid spiders, sent their elite warrior-guard to attack Icecrown and end the Lich King’s mad bid for dominance. Much to his frustration, Ner’zhul found that the evil Nerubians were immune to not only the plague, but to his telepathic domination as well.
Also correct me if i’m wrong, kobolds have never been the aggressors. We’ve attacked them due to them taking up homes in abandoned minds. Maybe a tribe slips up and attacks someone
Yes Kobolds attack us when we invade their home but from the stories we’ve seen, they’re happy to live and let live while making candles.
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Kobolds are lorewise agressive to the point they always attacked us whenever we came near them. The reason they are no longer aggressive is more due to gameplay rather then lore and that all of the older zone enemies became passive to make it easier for new players.
Actually when the Nigh Elves send you on those Firbolg culling quests, it’s often with an ovetone of regret.
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Yep, I think most Furbolg culling was due to them being way too susceptible to local corruption in the wake of the Hyjal invasion.
That and the “They’re all hopped up on Fire water” quests, which I would not say aged great.
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