So you’re telling me the Horde might get to tear apart humans and not be the narrative punching-bags for doing so?
Sign me up.
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According to Wiki, it seems Arathor existed for over 1k years, during which time central authority was gradualy becoming weaker, while other cities were slowly becoming more and more independent and developing their own culture. The final end to the Empire was when the Arathi descendants left Strom and founded Stormwind. Strom was then transformed into Stromguard by those who remained.
Not sure to which extend it can be compared to the trolls, but if these new Arathi are related somehow to the old ones, I don’t find it that far stretched for calling their leader emperor. Since Anduin Lothar was supposed to be last descendant of Thoradin and know there is another, it offers a chance to politically shake the factions. This emperor could try to reassert authority over the Kingdoms, which themselves could be divided between those supporting union or independence. While it would be mostly Alliance internal arc, Horde have Forsaken who are mostly Lordaeronians so it could involve them aswell greatly.
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So long as they don’t pull an Eternal Empire from SWTOR.
Cos… JFC that was a mess.
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They should pull the Seanchan from Wheel of Time and return to take back the lands that are rightfully theirs. Would be fun to fight them and could prove to be an interesting story beat for both Alliance and Horde, with Gilneas, Stromgarde and Lordaeron being threatened by this hostile empire. And it would get rid of the waves of Scarlets appearing out of nowhere issue since the Arathi could actually just appear out of “nowhere” again and again after being defeated because their empire is overseas.
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Plot twist: The oversea Arathor Empire knows about us all the time and is actively funding the Scarlets since Balnazzar was offed.
What do you mean, it’s clear as day. The Emperor’s backup Empire, in case the Empire failed, except the Empire never failed, and he now also fights the Empire, which is his own empire, using his Backup Empire. He is also an eldritch entity that wants to eat the galaxy.
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I´d actually kinda love this, infiltrators from Arathor organizing people of Stormwind and Stromgarde to join Scarlet Crusade, providing them with resources to make sure the region isn´t too stable while Arathor prepares its forces.
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This new development, the whole “Arathi Empire on the other side of the planet” thing, feels like a dumb reaction to people’s desire for a morally grey Alliance. It seems like an attempt to try and give people what they were asking for, without a willingness to commit to giving them what they truly want.
We have so many organisations and characters that already exist that could be turned into morally grey zealots, there’s no need to invent a whole new prosperous half-elven empire on the other side of the world and test the limits of our immersion in order to introduce non-Scarlet fanatics.
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Basicly every zone with a Horde and Alliance base.
Horde: massive fortress, fully build and furnished.
Alliance: here’s a few tents lol, dont need walls.
If this new Arathi Empire is actually anatagonistic, it will only increase the feeling i get that Blizzard actively don’t like painting the Alliance narratives in a negative light. There’s a lot that can be said about that, eh.
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Can you give a few examples of this?
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I think it’s really important to once again state that nothing is implying so far that they’re the next big evil faction, this is entirely headcanon that people are projecting. From every encounter (which, while limited) on the alpha so far shows them as our allies who are very grateful for our help. They’re waging a very reasonable war against the nerubians, and aren’t out to subjugate the world.
They aren’t the epic Scarlet wet dream yet. Hyping them up as such in your mind will form expectations, and if they’re not met, people will use that as fuel to rage on the forums next. Unrealistic expectations are premeditated resentment.
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Though it’s not in the alpha, there is an entire dungeon that seems to be built around an adversarial faction of the Arathi. We don’t have all of the information, but framing them as entirely benevolent at this point is as unwise as framing them as entirely malicious.
But I personally suspect that this distant empire is not going to be a force for good. That would just strike me as a very peculiar narrative decision to make.
Sounds like the sequel trilogy lmao
Also I am not entirely sold on this new hidden Arathor Empire on the otherside of the world, I suppose I could warm up to it.
But remove the overabundance of Half-Elves. if the Eastern Kingdoms don’t have that many Half-Elves, while literally almost all the Thalassian Elves of Azeroth lived there, I cannot understand how a handfull of Elves and a bunch of Humans could turn everyone into Half-Elves. Also I suppose those High Elves and Human Magi should’ve been able to portal home, so why did everyone loose contact with each other?
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Isn’t it usually the other way around with the Horde dwelling in mud huts and the Alliance building a fortress, or, from MoP onwards, both popping up with castles?
A Void cult that’s rising among the Arathi has been mentioned as the villains of the zone, yes. Their leader is called Aelric who betrays the Arathi for Xal’atath.
If that’s the route they’ll eventually take, then so be it. As it stands we ally with the Arathi who are fighting literal Old God spawn and a Void cult loyal to Xal’atath. If there’s going to be content around them actually being a lesser of two evils, so be it.
But so far nothing implies that and people need to stop making them out as such prematurely and then use that as the basis for other writing decisions they’re upset about.
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Bonuspoints if they too start bringing in warbeasts from other timelines.
People do be eager to present them as Scarlet Crusade 2.0 but actually stronk.
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“If”, Telaryn. If. 
it just comes across as looking for reasons to be upset at this point
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I don’t know man, after Blizzard’s recent track record i think it’s fair to be apprehensive about something appearing out of the back end of nowhere that actually has some far reaching implications. As Elenthas ranted about earlier.
Don’t think it’s a sin to be apprehensive about an Empire spawning out of thin air and what it’s role is going to be going forwards.