"Why are Night elf Fans so Angry"

[Micâh-moon-guard]

Thank you for understanding my and others frustrations regarding worgen representation in this game. I’m glad there are people like you, skarm, benedikt who truly get where I’m coming from

[Drahliana-earthen-ring (Drahliana)]

@Kagehiro-zuljin

Micah is entirely justified in resenting the game spending every ounce of effort running from that werewolf fantasy instead of leaning into it. Players didn’t roll Worgen because they wanted to be humans with a skin condition anymore than Forsaken players did. It is what distinguishes the race.

The werewolf fantasy is that of being a mindless carnivorous beast that attacks anyone it encounters whether enemy or loved one. I doubt that they’ve even heard of White Wolf’s sole exception to this rule.

[Micâh-moon-guard]

@Drahliana-earthen-ring

I doubt that they’ve even heard of White Wolf’s sole exception to this rule.

I assume you’re referring the book series called the The Drenai Saga?

[Drahliana-earthen-ring (Drahliana)]

@Micâh-moon-guard

I assume you’re referring the book series called the The Drenai Saga?

I’m referring to the late lamented company that had the Storyteller Series of roleplaying games where the characters are the classic monsters, i.e. vampires, mummies, werewolves, mages, restless dead and faeries, plus a few sub games which features Frankenstein type monsters and the Humans who hunted them all.

[Kagehiro-zuljin]

I don’t think remaining in Worgen form vs. not is the hangup here—it is that the werewolf kingdom has turned into just more humans over time. Wanting their ferocious aspects and internal struggle to be part of the package again isn’t some outlandish ask, it is just a plea to get back what they were in Cata. Similar to the rest of the game and races at large, it is fundamentally just a plea for the game to remember they exist.

[Dreadmoore-wyrmrest-accord (Dreadmoore)]

@Kagehiro-zuljin

I don’t think remaining in Worgen form vs. not is the hangup here—it is that the werewolf kingdom has turned into just more humans over time. Wanting their ferocious aspects and internal struggle to be part of the package again isn’t some outlandish ask, it is just a plea to get back what they were in Cata. Similar to the rest of the game and races at large, it is fundamentally just a plea for the game to remember they exist

One of the core archetypes of the werewolf trope is that it isn’t some happy go lucky blessing.
It is a curse.
Sometimes it is used for good ends.
Others, not so much.

[Kagehiro-zuljin]

Exactly. Worgen and Forsaken mirror one another a lot in many ways, which is what made them great rivals. That cursed existence is a central theme—ignore or discard that and you are left with humans with skin conditions.

[Smallioz-kromcrush]

@Kagehiro-zuljin

you are left with humans with skin conditions

Isn’t that true for almost every race in wow now days?
Maybe these writers just can’t write different races… or at least it takes a unified writing and creative direction that doesn’t exist in wow so everybody just does their thing. Which is usually conflicting mess with nobody brave enough to push for something unique.

[Ninh-draka (Ninh)]

@Smallioz-kromcrush

or at least it takes a unified writing and creative direction that doesn’t exist in wow so everybody just does their thing.

Probably this, can’t imagine Blizzard has actual style guides on the cultures of different races at this point.

[Kagehiro-zuljin]

Yep. WoW was very good at racial identity early on. I don’t think it is that hard to manage. I would wager the problem stems more from current team’s obsession with character driven (ruination) stories over setting stories. They just need to understand the World is the main character like the creators did.

Zone quests and storylines, newly introduced cultures, etc. are all handled pretty well. If they channeled that energy into supporting the existing setting they could re-center that initial experience regarding faction identity.

[Micâh-moon-guard]

I guess for me, the frustrating part is that there are people, those who play either horde or alliance, or both, who just flat out refuse to see the issues we constantly bring up and how things are portrayed in game regarding the worgen. We aren’t making this stuff up to have a pity part, and it’s nice that you and others see the problem for what it is, a problem.

[Kagehiro-zuljin]

I find it very easy to grasp that, as someone with grievances re: factions and races aplenty, others are experiencing similar frustrations. Current story delivery methods do not serve the playerbase very well. Arguing over who has it worse doesn’t really solve or accomplish anything.

[Reynal-moon-guard]

@Kagehiro-zuljin

it is that the werewolf kingdom has turned into just more humans over time.

That’s the problem right there. Expect it’s the opposite really. Gilneas was a human kingdom to begin with (obviously), but they had the chance to fully transform it to a werewolf kingdom. And yet they didn’t.

A large portion of the population remains unafflicted. I swear, there are more Gilnean human NPC’s than Worgen, during, as well as after their starting zone.

I don’t know why, it seems that Blizzard does not want to follow this path. The most recent example is the Worgen heritage questline. It’s very unfortunate.

Gilneans should be the darkest Alliance elite force. Cursed humans that would struggle to maintain control. Savage werewolves that wouldn’t hesitate to even offer their blood to non-Gilnean humans in order to crush their foes, like they did during the Silverpine questline.

[Kagehiro-zuljin]

Stuff that like requires the rest of the setting not to disintegrate on Anduin’s narrative singularity aura.

[Smallioz-kromcrush]

Him and Sylvanas are like neutron stars that bend everything around them.

[Kagehiro-zuljin]

Both out of the picture for now. But I’m sure (and welcome being proven wrong) that they will just slot in a new cast and write it in the exact same way.