I get if it is a particular magical weapon with special properties but honestly i dont see why nameless alliance troops still look like european knights while guns should really be more commonplace at this point, same for the horde.
Gnomes, dwarves and goblins have been a part of their respective factions for a good long while now- so what gives?
Im not bringing up the draenei here because they’re more or less a special case but once the mechagnomes join one of the factions there’s really no excuse for not upgrading.
It can be pretty easily assumed that the metals used in the armour is able to withstand bullets to an extent. Consider mithril and thorium, for instance, both metals that are in most fantasy settings very durable and capable of mitigating impact to a large extent. Now consider that we were using those metals waaay back in Vanilla, and have now encountered many other metals that more than likely somewhat tougher.
Gameplay mechanics also do not necessarily equal lore. Look at the rifles the dwarves used in the BfA cinematic compared to the ones we run around with in game.
Magic is the equalizer here. The gunship attacking the Broken Shore had a ton of guns and cannons on it, but what brought down the Fel Reaver attacking it? A magic sword to the dead.
That’s what happens when you ramp up technology too much in a story. Magic can always keep up because it’s unrealistic by nature, but swords are just an older, outdated technology. The setting’s always going to seem weird regarding melee weapons and it’s going to stay that way.
Basic answer is super natural metals and enchantment equalize the field with ranged weaponry. A gun is only an effective weapon when it can stop the enemy before they reach you. When you need skill and training to be deadly with a gun its no longer the equalizer it is in the real world.
What I haven’t been able to get, ever since the events leading up to this expansion, is why are orcs suddenly using swords? Axes not good enough for them anymore?
Indeed, this is more the issue of the writers just becoming too excited and not thinking about the logical consequences of introducing technology without limitations into their story.
A good example of someone who managed to do it (mostly) right would have to be Warhammer Fantasy, where the main world was essentially in an early pike and shot era of technology; and the more grandiose technology such as airships and helicopters were largely only poorly understood relics or jealously hoarded by factions with obscene traditions that slowed their technological development to a crawl.
To be fair, Blizzard did a decent job at around the Warcraft 3 era in handling the technology; with humans and dwarves largely revolving around early gunpowder and cannons; with gnome & goblin tech being far too volatile, unreliable and small to become mainstream.
That is, before their writers threw any restraint to the wind…
I would say it is because thr writters want yo oreach how technology is bad given the iron horde was very advanced but there are the gnomes but blizz firgets them most of the tinr so technology bad magic good is the lesson
The obvious answer is that Blizzard wants it both ways until they start telling stories, and then warriors are just the worst basic trash. Unless it’s Varian Wrynn, anyway.
It’s a very common compromise in modern fiction to portray “Futuristic” technology as inherently good but “Industrial” technology as bad. This lets you have your hooray-for-nature Ents-attacking-Isengard moment without having to fully commit to being a dirty hippy.
Honestly how war works in this world is really puzzling. In Lordaeron we see siege towers and shield walls. But then super tanks wander in from Warhammer 40k. Additionally much ado was made about the vaunted Kul Tiran and Zandalari fleets but it seems the Horde and Alliance already mastered submarines and aircraft carriers so - not sure what galleons and triremes are bringing to the party.
The answer is of course something something magic as the Zandalari ships which wouldn’t look out of place in the Peloponnesian War have ballista bolts that have the efficacy of javelin rockets.
