I know this post won’t reach everyone in the realm, but I’d like to throw it out here anyway. Please bear with me for a moment!
I’m a huge fan of Shattrath (and Outland in general, tbf), but I’ve found it very difficult to find roleplaying opportunities there. It’s very out of the way, it wouldn’t be very fitting for every type of character, and so on…
That said, I’ve been thinking for several months now whether to try and inject some life into the place or not, inspired by the success of hubs such as Stromgarde’s and Dalaran’s.
I was wondering if there are others with similar thoughts and whether they’d be interested in joining forces to create something cool there.
Aside from an informative Discord (without general chats and such, simply providing a platform for people to post about events/adventures), I’ve been thinking of giving the place a fun little optional narrative to explore (hint: ethereals).
Is this something that could be interesting to you or your guild?
You have a good location with space for interaction, but said location is located on unstable grounds, with the story of Outland crumbling more and more, lore wise it is meant to be even smaller in size now than in The Burning Crusade.
As well, the ability to travel there is simple for all, but ICly, it is one of those locations where some may ponder if it is a location they would see their character visiting often. Outland in general, isn’t utlized for that many events, but there are a few big ones a year.
I am not fond of Shattrath myself, but I am just one individual, and I cannot answer for others in interest, but it is a good initiative to dip your toe into the sea to see if others might bite on to the idea as well.
You’re right! It is not an easy location to turn into a hub.
I do think the story of a crumbling Outland is what makes it a very interesting location, though. Some explorers or scavengers might want to grab what they can, knowing it’d be otherwise lost forever.
It could also be good for more unorthodox concepts and with man’ari added, even they could go there (it wouldn’t be the first time friendly demons are there).
My Scryer has been waiting for this, as have I! The crumbling of Outland is very intriguing concept to play around with, and I’ve toyed with the concept of organizing something that draws inspiration from Douglas Adams’ the Restaurant at the End of the Universe - and Shattrath could be just that, couldn’t it? The waning electric lights of a struggling motel in otherwise crumbling planet, slowly being surrounded by void itself.
Shattrath is of the few places where friendly demons (well - less than openly villainous demons) can move about in the Lower City and conduct their business. As such I’m all for it, as the Exodar is a ghost town more often than not.
Outland itself is also very compelling world on its own, and the peoples living there seem determined to weather the future crisis of it all crumbling to bits. Initiatives looking into slowing or even putting an end to such decay would, in a way, be quite interesting as well.
Some might say there is another phase, free of said mobs…
While myself or my guild mostly use Outland for events, it would be nice if there was more life there. Having a hub in Shattrath would be a nice addition.
I think that can be arranged! As some have said, there are a lot of compelling hooks that could be used to bring people over to Shattrath. From general curiosity about Outland’s state (and a desire to try to fix it?), to treasure hunting, or perhaps finding new contacts from unexpected corners (I’m sure man’ari might have some new resources or knowledge to share)…
Shattrath is the hub of trade for anything and everything otherworldly and exotic, too. Besides motivations of grander causes, there’s always the option of people who are there because it is the place to be if you are some degree of shady, or interested in goods you’d otherwise have no way to get. It’s also the perfect place for the kind of character that simply wants to disconnect from Azeroth.
It’s certainly not a place where ‘everyone’ could be without an excuse, but there’s no need to grind such an interestingly unique venue to a fine flavorless paste, especially when most of the characters that could find themselves in Shattrath have no other hub that could be more fitting.
As somebody trawling through TBC content (and rather enjoying it) I’ve spent a lot of time in Outland/Shattrath recently and the place is criminally underrated.
The best way to bring life to the area would be to run some kind of campaign. It doesn’t have to be anything hugely complex, just a story-based campaign with weekly or biweekly events following a nice narrative around Outland.
Either that, or you could try and run something in the vein of tavern/village hours once in a blue moon to draw some random RP and random characters to the city.
What about a Cantina in the Lower City? Similar to the ones in Star Wars which attract all sorts of races. That would fit the Lower City vibe, and Outland.
There is a portal in Stormwind and Orgrimmar connecting to Shattrah - perhaps use that ‘pocket portal’ as a justification for how characters can get there. The portal is open for official business, but it allows outlaws, outcasts and others a means of passage to slip through.
The World’s End Tavern is a great place in Shattrath, and it has the stage! Could be used for fun things (when there aren’t NPCs performing on it, ahem).
I’m happy to see all the interest, though, and wanted to ask if there’s anyone who’d like to help with setting up some of these events.
If you’re interested, please don’t hesitate to add me on Discord: foxesz
Not sure if it’s still a relevant factor because I think people have kind of hopped off the man’ari hype train, but I do recall there being some interest from folk with man’ari characters to actually have something of a “safe” place to exist within - as safe as somewhere like Shattrath can be, at least.
I have several characters that are based in Outland so I would definitely love this! I especially think the different sections of the city provide a lot of variety of scene and crowd.
