Or even all of it? Can you be a Tauren or Orc, or Zandalari that doesn’t care one bit about the horde or even hates it?
Lorewise is this viable? is it even popular?
If you play horde, I would like to know if you actually like the faction, don’t care about the faction or hate it.
Are you more interested in your race than the faction? I have a sneaky suspicion that most people who get into the story are far more interested in their race than their faction, but this is hidden and not easy to prove.
I think its race first then class, then faction for story people and for most people its class first, then race then faction. But let me hear your thoughts.
Of course you can, pretty much half the leaders of the Horde do not actually care about the Horde. Most notably Gallywix, Lor’themar and Thalyssra are in the Horde because they have nowhere else to go (or so they think, apparently simply being neutral is taboo), not because they believe in the ideals of the Horde, which right now are the ideals of Sylvanas, as she is the Horde. There are also leaders like Mayla who are useless but don’t strike me as being loyal to the Horde.
The Horde has always been an instrument, a tool, nothing more, and a Blood Elf certainly wouldn’t love the Horde more than their own people.
My observation is that the majority of Horde posters seem to be more interested in the ideal of the Horde rather than the individual races, while the opposite appears to be true for the Alliance, who seem more interested in whatever race they personally like the most than they are in the Alliance as a whole.
Not saying that either side is superior to the other, or that my observations are objectively true, or that you won’t find racial fans in the Horde/faction fans in the Alliance. This is just what I’ve personally noticed.
From an in-character perspective though, the Horde has always been an alliance of convenience between a large number of disparate cultures and peoples that frequently have little in common, brought together by their desire to survive and the belief that they would have no place in a world dominated by the Alliance. Although some races might have some common ground, the Horde is ultimately born from pragmatism, not any similarities that they might share.
Ofc you can.
Your identity is more than those immediately around you.
Individuality can exist within a crowd.
In fact, individuality is essential to the strength of the Horde
Forsaken players (in my opinion), tend to be more about their race. In fact, most of the EK Horde players seem more focused on their own than on the Horde concept as a whole.
Kalimdor Horde players are more cohesive regarding the Horde concept and more prone to this “For the Horde” mindset.
Thats the picture i’ve had throughout the years.
Allied races vary. And the sample regarding playerbase isn’t as representative as i’d like to form an opinion regarding how their players feel about this faction.
Curiously enough, i think that the opposite happens with the Alliance: Night elves and Draenei players are more about their own race rather than about the faction.
That’s a good point, but there are also tons of players who choose the Horde because of their esthetics and races rather than their ideals. But if you look at the Story forum here, most of us are more concerned with the Horde’s ideals, yes.
As for the Alliance part, I think Wimbert once made a thread about that but that’s on the old forums.
I’d say the same about the Alliance of Lordaeron though… sure, Humans were willing to formally work together but it took an outside thread to actually create that incentive. And even then, it remained a game of politics.
Tauren are by far my favourite race, and I love the way they developed themselves… they even got some more interesting lore during Cata. But I care about the Horde as well, or the potential it has… it’s a shame most of that is out the window by now, with Sylvanas, Garrosh, and the past crimes of some races such as the Orcs, but… oh well, I liked the initial idea of Thrall’s Horde.
I think it is because Warcraft 3 sets up Humans, Dwarfs and Gnomes as well as Orcs, Trolls and Tauren very tightly.
It does depend on the race I think on both sides, but some races from both in-game and outside influences from other media makes them groups more naturally.
I feel that most Kaldorei RPers prefer their race over the Alliance. But thats more because of the fact that the Kaldorei, to me, feel far away from the Alliance in general.
I suppose same could be said about Blood Elves and perhaps Nightborne. But I must admit that I think Blood Elves players feel more connected to the Horde then Night Elves do to the Alliance.
As for your main question; Just because you’re an Orc that doesn’t mean you have to be a part of the Horde. I am fairly certain their are alot of neutral or unaffiliated Orc’s, Taurens, etc around. Kinda like the Grimtotem Tauren, who held no love for the Horde? Or that Orcish Pirate in Freehold, who is clearly not a Horde-member and probably wouldn’t blink twice if it got wiped off the face of Azeroth!
I agree with this statement! As I said above, its most obvious in the Kaldorei-fans, in my opinion!
I disagree with this, as I feel Blood Elves(NPC and PC-wise) have more of a feeling of unity with the Horde in general then the Kaldorei(and Worgen, Draenei, Void Elves) have with the Alliance.
Gnomes weren’t in Warcraft III, though… You had Dwarves and Humans with some High Elves… D:
To be fair, I belief that Taurens are, at the moment, the only race that can make the War stop. Baine has proved(even if the Horde hates him for it, because “Muh Alliance interference”) to be a friend to both the Horde and Alliance…
And he is one of the few characters who actually thinks in the long game, and I firmly belief that he knows that Sylvanas next goal is the living races of the Horde, should the Alliance fall. (You can already see it with the Orcish Mushroom zombies in Drustvar!).
Flip Lor’themar Theron and all other leaders who will take up arms when the Alliance is gone, Sylvanas Army has been raised from the bodies of all death Alliance soldiers and then think they can stand to up to her. The time to fight her is now, not later! D:
Wasn’t it later changed that the second half of the mortar team was a Gnome? But regardless Gnomes are just small Humans and plenty of people still see this as a connection.
I just think it is normal for near enough every fantasy setting to have Humans Dwarfs and Gnomes/hobbits (or whatever term they used) to being on the same side and close which rubs off on WoW. Altho’ there are plenty of other races which goes against the typical trope but w/e.
Personally I’m invested in faction and race equally for the most part. But where faction is concerned I’m motivated more out of hatered for the Alliance than love for what’s left of the Horde.
Currently races. There once was a time where I was attracted in game by what the summaries, cinematics, etc. told me the Horde was; a band of survivors together against imperialistic nations (please, don’t start a debate on that. It’s how the Horde was presented, end of it)
Those days are gone. Now I dislike the Alliance as a faction, cannot be bothered to care for the Horde apart from vague moments of “oh for hell sake, seriously?” and only like races.
(Can’t wait for the end of the faction war, goodness.)
You can have both. I’m not saying you -should- have both, and it would be heartbreaking to have both. He doesn’t hate the other Horde races, even the Forsaken, who look like the very people who ravaged his homeland, he doesn’t especially -hate- the Alliance, especially the Draenei, whose people did his such a massive favour, which indirectly meant that his infant children now can grow up without being crazed mana-vampires, but can just have a normal childhood, like any one year old kids, a little giggly bundle of joy, or the Gnomes, with whom his dealings have always been solid, professional, cold, but sensible, He used to be a Horde Patriot. He still is. Just not Sylvanas’ view of the Horde, or rather not the view of the Horde he has seen. Teldrassil? He led his fliers to rescue children from burning to death or drowning. Undercity? They tried to airlift people from the Blighting. In both situations they saved some, but not all…some…too few…He has and will oppose War Crimes by either Faction, something that has gotten him in trouble with both Horde and Alliance.
He is that middle ground. Neither Traitor nor Rebel, but he will not -Stand- for the Actions the Horde takes, and the punishments for refusing lay heavier and heavier upon his shoulders, because he will not let any other shoulder them. Not when he can.
Ofc you can. Do it if it fits your community RP/individualistic RP sense. Hivemind - or anything similar of the like is just bad.
But in context of keeping this out of character… rather that wierdly jumping between the two as a strange personality I never really understood to be used in this forum, it’s all about what your character would do because its your character.
I wish I could love the Horde again. I really do. But the Horde I want will never exist. Blizzard’s storytelling is too character focused for it and the characters that they choose to focus on are unlikable scum.
I’d rather be evil than have my faction tear itself apart every other expansion over some hypocritical sense of ‘honor’ and our Warchief turning on us. Being totally evil isn’t ideal, but it’d be better than this identity crisis plot.
So yeah, the only solace I can take is that at least we’re not Alliance. Because as much as I despise the Horde’s leadership, I despise the Alliance from the ground up, in terms of themes, races and characters.
What do you mean, It’s always been character-focused. Warcraft III revolved around a small cast of characters like Arthas, Jaina, and Thrall. It’s been like that since forever.
