Faction Loyalty

Its an interesting question, I imagine you will get as many differing answers as people answering it, but I do like me these sort of questions, that are interesting and not bickering.

I play both. I always have. Waaaay back in the Dawns of WoW I played Alliance exclusively, but then I came up with a concept I really wanted to Roleplay with, that you just…couldn’t do on Alliance for reasons that will hopefully become apparent in my answer to your second question. Originally, Brigs here was going to be a Wildhammer Dwarf, and his Guild Gryphonriders, not Dragonhawk riders…

Its the concept. I had two things in mind when I made the character. I wanted them to be an aerial ace of their nation, and I wanted them to be like the Red Baron. An absolute patriot, who honours a worthy foe, but I needed something more than that. World War I was basically a land grab. Germany wasn’t ‘evil’, it was the ‘enemy’ (That isn’t me having a pop at Germany or calling Germans Evil, I have been there several times, and never found a more polite, hospitable and openly friendly people, I’m just trying to give context) World War II however, was, whilst from the average German soldier, just doing their duty, from the cold, dispassionate eyes of history, was them enabling a horrifically cruel, tyrannic regime reviled so much to this day, that I cannot even type their name on this forum without Blizzard censoring it.

And that’s what I wanted.
I wanted to play a character who is a genuinely good person, but working for an bad cause. I wanted to play a character who is absolutely implacable in aerial battle, and will shoot you down, whatever the cost, but the instant you have taken silk (Started parachuting to earth) will orbit you, make sure you land safely, offer medical attention if you have not, and whilst taking you prisoner, assuring you that you will not be tortured, but are his guest, and will live to see your friends and loved ones again.

It drives some Alliance people mental on Argent Dawn. Massive ferocity, dropping fire on people, then so insufferably ‘nice’ when the foe is vanquished. That’s what I wanted. Good people fighting for a Bad cause.

I presume you mean In Character? I mean Out of character I obviously don’t, I pretty much have an even split when it comes to characters.
In Character? No, Not Really.
Brigante doesn’t especially hate humans. He’s never going to be a fan of Jaina, and obviously he hated Arthas, but everyone did, but your average human footsoldier? Nope, not got a grudge. Remember he -was- and Alliance Dragonhawk rider for about 1,300 years.
Dwarves? No grudge there at all. Respect to the Wildhammer for their flying ability, but no grudge.
Gnomes? No grudge, he feels their pain, he too had to watch his land be invaded by an implacable foe, have to fight kith and kin who had ‘changed’, and lost his city. He has been lucky, the Blood Elves got half their city back…
He actually sees Gnomes as a force for good, on Azeroth.
Draenei. No Grudge. He was Shattered Sun Offensive, and fought on Quel’danas alongside Draenei, a Vindicator saving his life when he was shot down close to the Sunwell PLateau. There is an Alliance flier, character name Tibserai, a Draenei, in the skies they will try to kill each other, with absolute fury, she is a known ‘target’ for Brigante’s Escadrille (Squadron, aka the rest of the guild) but on the ground, in a neutral Booty Bay bar, they will quite happily drink together and chatter away like old friends.

Only Alliance he hates are the Silver Covenant, because he lost friends at Dalaran. And that’s just the Silver Covenent, not High Elves in general.

Good question…

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Stormwind*

For the rest, yes.

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I will still beat my drum regarding the fact that Gilneas was lost, then not returned to its owners despite the Alliance “winning” the war.

I would love to see how a certain other race in a similar position would react if such a thing happened to them.

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Because they don’t want to update it, they would have to waste time making a new zone and they were kind of busy creating the cringefest that was W :rofl: D.

I was speaking of neglection in terms of story depth and overall racial/factional development.

As unsatisfying as their story has certainly been, we do have quite an approximate idea regarding the cultural and racial foundations of two of the three currently playable human kingdoms.
At least compared with how shallow Mulgore Tauren, Darkspear, Gnome,…and Stormwind lore, have it.

The basis for a good narrative (when Blizzard feels like doing such) at least is there.

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Oh, you won’t get any argument from me on that account. We are in agreement.

Actually those are two questions for me

I play Horde

I favor Alliance lore-wise but gameplay-wise Horde all the way

I play Horde because I like Undead, I was human before, it was boring and Undead was my fav race. My main should reflect me. I also meet more people on Horde and I think the playerbase overall is way cooler, also Ally is majority on our server in Warmode (you should know that yourself), I feel being the one who defends his people is the preferable choice for me.

As for Alliance, I dont like things Sylvanas is doing lot of the time but I don’t think Alliance puppets are legitimate replacement for her either. I also think Ally has been rather, less agressive in the lore. Though Horde of course has its moments. But I’ve been Ally most of my game time and getting used to something is only natural.

I don’t hate anyone. It’s not about being green, violet or wearing blue/red banner, it’s about who what does. It really depends on the person and what he does. Either way the factions don’t really emulate anything, they’re just groups of people who got together to survive.

Uhhh you are playing reskinned Horde race…

I dont hate them but if I do it’s the people who have honor level 8 or 9 and think they rule WPvP just because there is more of them attacking at once.

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oh well this is the simple “equality” made by blizzard. Goblins lost their Island to evil dragon, worgen lost their city to evil undead/racist orcs. Everything is “identical”…

Really? I had absolutely no problem, if Alliance would get UC back, or earth quake would destroy TB, or a fire would burn OG… One or two permanent main hubs (not the expansion flavoured ones) are absolutely enough.

Every change in a static game is good, IF it is done right.

Just imagine, if the alliance would exile the Horde out of OG after SoO and the Horde would conquer it back one Expansion later. It would make all the conclusion much better for the alliance, and the Horde would get the revenge, lets say, in 9.X.

Much better then the unworthy “please dear Voi’Jin do not do evil things again, Ok? In Love Varian.”

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Is it? Because goblins got a zone and a capital. Gilneans are squatting around Stormwind and Darnassus.

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Thats why I used the quotes.

But do we need it? I would prefer one bigger, better developed main city for majority of races then all the Goblin capitals, Dark Spear Islands, Gnomerigans who no one needs gameplay wise.

Technically you are playing reskinned human…

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That’s the direction Blizzard is taking at the moment. Separate racial identities are suffering enough as it is without forcing all the races to squat in Stormwind and Orgrimmar.

I can’t really enjoy this direction.

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Undead have very different body model from humans but ok

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Forsaken are skeletons. Everyone is playing an over-skinned Forsaken.

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Does this mean that you are a sparkle forsaken? :thinking:

#BlizzardPlan2020

Whether we enjoy it or not, is irrelevant. It is what they have decided to do and are reinforcing with every major patch cycle. Expect more capitals to go under before the consolidation is complete.

And I am extremely disappointed every time I start a new Blood elf toon or a Space goat to see how empty their “capitals” are.

This is why I loved the Type of Dalaran Hub. Not the neutrality, no. The feeling of the crowded streets, Traders that actually had real customers trying to get a chance to sell something (well this is the imaginary part of trying to find a trader under an Tauren on a mammoth).

Meanwhile in Silvermoon, the tailor Sorim Lightsong tells his wife and his 5 children, that today they have to drink so much they can before they share the last bread and go sleep. As he has not sold a single Robe this week the last silver is gone, and the inflation caused by the Army of the Champions of Azeroth has used up his saved.
Later in the night he and his wife cry of pure despair thinking the children can not hear them.

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But do we really need so many cities when they stay empty all the time in favor of new hubs and/or Dalaran?

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I actually wouldn’t mind the idea that the Alliance and Horde have one central hub serving as the main capital city for their faction. However: Stormwind and Orgrimmar are simply too low quality when it comes to visual design and they’re both too much ‘generic orc city’ and ‘generic human city’. They’re not fantastic* enough.

An Alliance capital city should be a metropolis. A giant and powerful city, and just entering through the gates should give you the idea and the feeling that in this city dozens of different races live and work together. United by their ideals, hopes, dreams etc.

The architecture can be general purpose, but it should be fantastic. Maybe something like several small hovering islands serving as study areas for the mages, mana crystals to supply the city with energy. On the one side you have the industries of gnomes, dwarves and Gilneans, while on the other side you enter the idyllic district of the night elves. Moon wells, houses surrounded by plants (or within trees), and treants walking the streets. Meanwhile in a back district (similar to the embassy area in Stormwind) you have an area where knights and paladins of humanity study and train.

*Examples for fantastic cities:

https://bit.ly/2LYMbSg

https://riot.com/2YaKs2p

https://riot.com/2SkrHo0

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Meta speaking? No
Lorewise speaking? Hell yes. Every race needs a stronghold and some land to claim their own, as all do have territory in the narrative.

We don’t need fully functional capitols from a gaming standpoint.
But we need settlements for the playable races from a narrative standpoint.
I’d be fine if they left a single Horde and Alliance capitol…but left the rest bustling with NPCs like Bilgewater Harbour, Suramar, or most of Boralus.

The only way I’d accept a race not having a relevant stronghold to call their own, is if Blizzard manages to portray or create a truly nomadic faction.
As things are at the moment, none are. So they all need a noteworthy settlement.

But that was Stormwind back in Classic, No? Before Shattrath, before Dalaran, before Suramar, before Boralus. It was that one city that was breathtaking to witness for the first time, and inside that city every race of the Alliance had their little unique district (as opposed to now where there is a chaotic situation in which there are elves and allied races everywhere).

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