I don’t blame the players.
Most people play on one side only. And don’t know anything about the other side’s quest chains and what they did.
So naturally, if you’re an alliance player who just helped nightbourne and suddenly see them joining horde, without knowing why, it would seem weird.
I don’t have an issue with NB joining horde at all.
I don’t think it’s really jarring that MGs join Alliance. As has been stated, Erazmin wanted to unite Gnomekind under a beneficent ruler following his father’s death, it makes sense they’d go with Alliance. Overspark is just one Gnome after all.
Also let’s not pretend Gazlowe was there out of the goodness of his own heart. It’s pretty obvious when you’re heading to Mechagon on Horde that he’s in it for the tech and potential profit. His whole “ummm, yeeaaah! you can count us in too!” makes it abundantly clear that the Greasemonkeys only valued the Mechagnomes as far their opportunities to supply tech goes. They were being exploited by both factions to a degree. The difference is Overspark was a lone individual whom contrasts heavily with the presentation of Mekkatorque communicated to the MGs by the OG gnomes in Rustbolt, whereas the Greasemonkeys appear to follow Gazlowe’s lead in their entirety.
Still, I wouldn’t have been completely opposed to the notion of neutral mechagnomes. After all they have more in common with goblins than their OG brethren do, given their disposition for scrapping, working with “whatever is around” and some of them (the junkers, Bondo’s lot) being quite gnarly. This said on the whole they still have more common ground and heritage with their OG cousins.
It seems that all of the allied races rely on leaders being irrational or wanting a certain thing even though naturally it would be a betrayal of their morality.
I would have to disagree with LFD, but even then I would have thought they’d be mopping up the legion remants, which could potentially become even more destructive as they fight to fill the power vacuum made by us, well, tearing the heart out of their command structure. But even then they are still the AR with the most motivation for joining one faction imo.
It would be one thing if the lore built up for NB joining the alliance and the writers then just did an awkward turn to explain NB going horde.
The reality is a different thing however, since the lore always pointed towards them going horde if they had to choose.
IMO though allied races should have been for both factions just like pandaren. Most of the AR started out as neutral races and the faction-specific ones could have simply been more customization options for the OG race (dwarves and KT humans for example)
They may be on the horde, but it isn’t their “rightful” place, nor is it the “rightful” place of the Blood elves.
But for all the things they’ve done in game, both Blood elf and Nightborne deserve to be on the horde, and they can stay there.
I have far more respect for the courage of the High elves and the decision of the Highborne and void elves to ally with their right minded people on the alliance (i.e. the Night elves and High elves). My highest respect goes for the Darnassian Kaldorei - the true elven stars, who opposed the Legion from the get go, whose efforts resulted in its first ever defeat, who bravely even set aside their very powerful and loved magic for as long as 10k years to keep the demons away, (you don’t realise what a sacrifice that was to a kaldorei) then sacrificed their immortality and lives again to prevent the second invasion succeeding.
Since then they’ve been stalwart defenders of life and what’s right, they chose mercy and acceptance when the Shen’dralar Highborne, now free of corruption and addiction were prepared to play ball and do the right thing. Accepted them back for who they are, and let them lead the way on kaldorei magical affairs like in pre-sundering times, trusting their kin, in an extraordinary act of reconciliation.
Continued risking and spending their lives to save us, extended mercy to the very orcs who had rampaged across their homes in Cataclysm on blood crazed conquest, yet supported mercy and a war tribunal. When Azeroth was under threat by the iron horde, the Night elves sent representatives, mages, druids, priests, the Warden Cordanna.
They fought valiantly against the Legion’s final assault, stepped in and did all they could to save their former city and kin who’d become Nightborne due to over addiction, risking their lives again for the same people who had sealed up their mutual home city leaving them to die at the hands of the demons in the first war, refusing to lend the power of the newly created nightwell, but these guys stepped in anyway to help their former kin and former home city - and how do the Nightborne repay that sacrifice, jump into bed with the elves and faction who hate them and very nearly totally wiped them out.
They’ve been grossly going from one hardship and stress to another, they haven’t had a break, always giving of themselves. And when the alliance wouldn’t send soldiers to help reclaim Darkshore against the very horde army that had nearly wiped their faction out, they still sent soldiers to help in the War against Dazar’alor
Makes me wonder if blizzard realised how incredible they’ve made this guys and whether they realise how much hardship they’ve written them through - they’re due a massive windfall and as fan, Suramar is one of the least things they can do, Nightborne and horde don’t deserve it - let the original citizens return, let them get their immortality back, let them get powerful using their Well of Eternity and World tree - let it be up and up for the Night elves now.
You can have the Nightborne who chose to follow people like the Sin’dorei and the Forsaken, not even holding council or enquiring of their bros, or consider the impact such a relationship and affliation would have on not just the Darnassian faction but the other racial kaldorei like the valewalkers, Dreamers and priests from Val’Sharah who’d been helping them and the Moonguard. Because Tyrande wasn’t fawning over them, and didn’t approach them as quickly as Liadrin to ask for allegiance - they made such a monumental decision. Pffft
Yeh, for making such decision, the Nightborne deserve the horde, and they don’t deserve to be comfortable in Suramar again while those who’ve paid the price for 10k years and are still paying, are out homeless after doing everything to save, help and keep the world safe.
If there is any justice, the least the Shal’dorei can do is welcome the Darnassians back home regardless of what the horde say, the very lest, and if they refuse, they should lose Suramar.
It’s the choice they should have made - can you imagine, the very same Night elves from your city, are brave enough to go out take on Azshara and the Legion.
You’ve created a powerful new arcane source, could be a huge asset since the Queen has locked up access to the Well from all but those in the Palace, but you refuse to join them, effectively leaving them to die . Instead of doing the right thing and giving it all, you choose to turtle in. They instead pull off the impossible, but at great cost.
They lose everything, meanwhile your shield is up, effectively preventing them from returning home , they have to live in a shattered world, but worse, they now can’t use the very arcane magic that could have let them rebuild IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE RETURN OF THE LEGION.
The kaldorei’s sacrficie of magic and comforts, is what keeps the world and the bubbled Suramar safe from the Legion for 10k years, 10k years without comforts of the golden age, magic, 10k years of constant patrols, vigilant fights against demonic satyrs, rogue mages dangerously flouting with magic and risking the legion discovering the well and having access.
AFter all that, you open your city to the Legion no less, and your very kin, who’s brave actions and 10k year long life of sacrifice, hardship etc, return to help their former city, risking their lives again, and Suramar is saved - ofc they should have joined the alliance, but no, instead they choose to ally with a group that is open about their hate for your very kin, who’ve twiced saved you.
Not only that, your reasoning is "Tyrande hasn’t showed up " and “Some helped reluctantly” - choosing such allies that have poised themselves as enemies of all kaldorei, meaning even the none-Darnassians like the Valwalker, Dreamer Val’sharan druids and Val’sahran priests that helped, and Moonguard would be alienated. Just because you had the hots for Lor’themar and Liadrin was smiling with honey words? And that same faction then descends to wipe out your own kin, who haven’t attacked them, who’ve not long ago fought together against the final legion assault and who’s forces make way to Siiithus to help heal the world
Then your precious blood elves, are marching gleefully on that genocidal rampage, happy to gut total civilizans, full of hatred - 0 nobility , and you still okay about saying horde. You mean not a single Nightborne feels they’ve made the wrong choice?
Not a single Nightborne feels that they owe the Darnassian faction of Night elves, now homeless a lot more than a cold shoulder?
Is this the so-called nobility of the Nightborne? With their current stance, choices and behaviour, with no reprieve in sight, they don’t deserve Suramar, let them be in exile for a few years, let them go through a fraction of the hardships the Darnassians had to endure. I say kick them out and let them go to Silvermoon with the blood elves they love so much.
I would be fine with sharing Suramar with Nightborne only if there were Nightborne brave enough and noble enough to do the right thing and stand up for the Night elves, otherwise I would say they should lose Suramar and go bunk in Silvermoon they clearly seem to like so much.
Let those who’ve really suffered and really endured hardship, millennia of giving their lives, sacrificing their magic, their comforts, their immortality, giving every waking moment to patrols, guarding, prevention of evil, and sleeping moments to work to restore the world. Let them have Suramar.
Let every other elf who was willing to join and work with the Darnassians be welcome, every elf who was willing to offer a helping hand be welcome - as for the rest, shame on them. Just SHAME on them.
A tear dropped. I mourn for the night elves and the treatment they got from these clueless, biased writers /devs
You’ve literally just said this huge waffle on the other thread.
So I’m not going to even entertain reading this again.
What a heart wrenching piece, one of the best I’ve read, I’ve changed my mind, Nightborne don’t belong on the Alliance, you are 100% horde, they don’t deserve to be. prior to 7.3.5, they did, and should have gone there, but in light of everything that happened… Choosing horde, they are where they belong, and no, they don’t deserve to have Suramar
They are an incredible race, whether empowered or greatly weakened, they really deserve first place amongst the race.
You shouldn’t support the Nightborne after reading this.
I support the Horde Elves throughout.
Alliance Elves can go back taking orders from an 18 year old
You can’t seriously believe that after all that’s happened? How can you have respect for Nightborne and Blood elves? Do you have no sense of justice - or are you just so blinded by “ooo shiny” you can’t see the ugliness beneath the skin?
If you want to take orders from an 18 year old, you go right ahead.
I’ll take the corpse queen, any day and that’s saying something about how I view the Alliance leadership.
Omg, have you gone INSANE? You’d rather that witch who was fine and gleeful about nearly wiping out an entire people group… and one who’ve laid down what these guys have done? Just because Anduin leads the alliance?
This is insanity - what is happening to Europe and the West today, have people lost their minds and all sense of right and wrong?
Calm down, it’s a bloody game.
I fail to see how Nightborne joining the Horde, influences today’s society. Except to those who are most obsessed over this very bland topic, which shouldn’t even be news since it’s been a thing for 2 years.
And I hate Anduin and Sylvanas, but at least the Horde Elves kept their identities in tact, whereas Night Elves are nothing more than Human servants, growing pumpkins in the Stormwind back-gardens.
This is fiction. We can support the total desruction of the Night Elves and the Alliance in this game and still be vehemently opposed to any kind of authoritarianism in real life.
HEY!
He’s 20. And I’M the one who does the anduin bashing around here, but not in the wrathion/baine way.
More Anduin-bashing, means we have a point.
Let’s join forces and drive the point home.
It’s not that it influences todays society, its that you are actually fine about how things have gone, and would rather have a witch like Sylvanas, knowing what she’s done and how she thinks than Anduin just because he is 18 years old.
It’s also incredible that on seeing what the night elves have gone through you would still support the Nightborne over them… if I were a Nightborne, I’d be banging on Thalyssra’s door and telling her we’ve got to help, SCREW the horde, we’ve got to call them home - the city has more than enough room after the losses in Legion, they’re are kin, they’ve sacrificed and gone far above and beyond, we can’t do nothing.
And if she fails to comply, I’d be banging on every nightborne’s door, maybe the likes of Ly’leth Lunastre and others would.
I would not be coming on in character, trying to dis the night elves and distance or dissociate them from their original home. Even if I had to stay horde, I’d go to the blood elves, look, I like you and I’m grateful for all your help, but I have to help them too, and I won’t turn a blind eye, you have a choice to support me or stand aside, but don’t get in my way.
Night Elves get lectured about how to fight, by Humans.
I’m embarrassed for you.
So betray the Blood Elves - the ones who actually relate to the Nightborne plight the best.
Perhaps you should be exiled from Suramar, where you can waste away to being withered. That suits me.
You missed one major thing in your post.
After 10k years of practicing magic, maybe the Kaldorei do not WANT to go back to Suramar. It’s a reminder of the mistakes their past once wrough on the world, and the hieghts of arrogance that nearly cost everyone. Their culture has evolved, they are no longer urban elves.
You make it sound as if the Kaldorei have given up magic “just because” rather than because they believe rightfully they needed to, and now the danger is gone, they’re itching to go back to their opulent lifestyles in the city. I don’t think so.
And given this is the case, why on earth would they risk another war with the horde to take a city off the Nightborne (who have as much right to it), for what, to spite them? That doesn’t sound very noble minded.
The kaldorei now have a culture focused on Elune and nature. The question of whether they deserve Suramar is completely irrelevant and the very idea they’re all itching to overindulge on arcane magic again is laughable, and completely undermines the depth of their story in redefining themselves following their collapse as the world’s superpower. If you have them go back to being arcane superpowers, going straight back to their cities 1) Nightborne are now pointless and 2) All of their previous lore regarding embracing nature and such is hollow and meaningless because the two lifestyles are completely at odds with each other (hence why the highborne ended up being seperated from the rest in the first place and why nelf and belf don’t get along).