Yeah when u deliver all those night elf souls the Night Fae are basically all like ‘yeah stay like this if u like or become a glowing slug or whatever idc whatever suits you, just change when you feel like it lol’ it’s pretty fine
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Stuff connects in the same expansion in unexpected ways like
Spoilers
There's a throwaway cut to a party who lost their tank early on in the main story because the healer wasn't doing their job and I thought it was just a weird way of introducing you to the concept of the 4 member party size, but then 45 levels later that healer shows up as having lost their god damned mind and trying to resurrect the tank in an unholy necromantic ritual (and also having raised the DPS who got killed in another side mission, I just didn't recognize their name at the time) because they were actually a couple and you have to put an end to it. It's insane (in a good way).
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If you enjoyed that plotline I’d recommend checking out the Palace of the Dead, preferably after you’ve started Heavensward since there’s a couple of things that can unintentionally spoil ARR for you. Rare things, but it can happen.
It all connects and it’s really cool and I hope if Blizzard doesn’t return to the old style rule of cool storytelling they used to do then they should at least learn narrative structure. Arbiter Pelagos comes out of literally nowhere and if you stretch it, then I guess you could say it was hinted at as a possibility with the Willowblossom quest where she becomes some sort of power core.
Glad we saved them. If only other species inhabited Teldrassil. We could have helped them too. Maybe people who fled their home. Wor… Worg… ah, never mind. It probably wasn’t important.
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pretty sure elegy mentions they got evacuated first or whatever, for some reason
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So it’s confirmed that worgen are more valued than nelfoids once again =)
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yeah it’s basically golden and danuser’s favorite story thread
wholesome chungerino friendship between the alliance and horde with a bit of nelf torture prn on the side
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honestly i’d take a moon guard wiki poster over danuser’s story team for writing the story
remember when we used to be angry at them for their outlandish ideas? blood elf skyships and whatnot sound cool compared to…zereth mortis robot stuff
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I was talking about in a discord but I don’t think these people are that attached to the setting as a whole. But, rather, are more interested in leaving their mark on it qith their game of thrones S8 turn marvel influenced pulp fiction. 
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100%, i unironically think the whole teldrassil ordeal shows as much - all the material around it, the big ‘shock factor’ event with some fiction/novellas to accompany it that are a tad more graphic than the usual warcraft stuff to rub it in, and then after that quiets down a little it’s just completely forgotten about and they seem actively annoyed by it as a story thread because they don’t want to do anything with it other than the ‘big shock’ that they already did
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It was their idea of Theramore but bigger. My main take from all of this is very much what Aerilen said, but I also can’t shake the feeling they’re continuously taking the old lore and making it “bigger.” What are the First Ones if not Danuser’s “cooler, bigger Titans who could beat up Metzen’s Titans.”
They 100% didn’t think of Teldrassil very much though, they just thought it would be rly cool for promo material and were surprised when fans wanted them to elaborate further so we got a bunch of really lame stories that were written begrudgingly like the Darkshore Warfront, which is double lame because it’s also a Warfront.
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With some of the things they’ve come out and said (continuity exists to ties the hands of the creator) it already shows that they don’t much care for what came before and what is established.
Don’t get me wrong, Warcraft has never been a pillar of storytelling but it was solid. You could look at each race or zone and understand why they were in the situation they were in and how they are. You could sympathise or hold some level of empathy with them.But now?
Yeah, Windrunner wasn’t looking to be the Warchief. She didn’t want the job. But damn she was proud of being the first non-male warchief. But actually she had to be the warchief for the masterplan™ and that she never cared for the Horde, or her people at all.
It’s honestly reached the point where I just don’t even care for the main plot and the only things that vaguely interest me is whatever dregs of worldbuilding they deign to do around it.
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That’s a big true. I think Warcraft has always been best when it embraces its bombastic and fun nature. I don’t think it’s ever been good at grand narratives but it’s always been good at small microstories you’d find in zones. I think the best part about a lot of old Warcraft stories was how simple they were to follow. Simple, fun, cheesy but cool one liners are thrown around and everyone’s happier for playing it.
Like I don’t know how we’ve went from a really entertaining dark version of Arthurian legend (guy pulls out magical sword from stone, becomes king in a more twisted way) to Five Nights at First Ones where everything is an incomprehensible interconnected narrative where most of it isn’t even in game.
No wonder Denathrius is the most popular villain (and maybe character) of this expansion. He’s way closer to what we used to get. He’s evil, he’s smug, he embraces it. It was a relief from the World of Masterplans where every character has a grand, amazing plan that they just aren’t telling you but you’ll find out about it in 9.2 or 10.3 or in the eventual next novel that’s $20 plus tax.
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The turning point was when the Dev team decided to take all them cryptic old god rambles and tie them to their hard on for their dull as dishwater cosmic table.
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“Would you like some world building with your cosmic plot?”
Ah, yes!
“We’re fresh out, but here’s a retcon.”
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Wow if you like smug, card carrying villains who’re evil and proud of it then you’ll love the badguys in my events! Pls attend them they’re good I swear.
Unlike the villains who are bad but at least they’ll tell you their motives up front
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joe, it’s time to stop
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I’m a desperate man Aka, I should have stopped long ago but I reached that point and then kept going
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thank you for reminding me of the ACTUAL battle for azeroth /battle to save the world soul
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On brand, blizzard injecting a meme into the game about 3 years late to the party.
As I keep saying; american individuality and Free Will™ is the ultimate Good in warcraft and indeed other games in the franchise. Leaving the shadowlands an arbitrary but “fair” place as it was prior to Legion doesn’t work.
Ultimate good freedom, no longer forced into a cruel fate of undeath, able to choose who she…
Recognising genocide and consequences thereof is very unamerican. See argument above.
And yet it’s a plot point that souls in helpless squirrel bodies must be saved from bullies and predators that are somehow allowed to roam freely.
Unironically rather take queen funbags over robot wars.
good show
and the super version is a good series of games
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