Sylvanas and her Banshee sisters plus the Forsaken loyal to her goal of ending all life.
The joined forces of the former Horde and Alliance, who decided to put a new page and try to create a world where everyone can live in, though having to defend themself against the other two factions.
Tyrande and her Nightelves, so consumed by hatred that they basically go back to their WC3 ways where they see everyone who is not a Nightelve as a threat that has to be killed…
That would be my guesses here…
Even though I still hope for a neutral druid faction, who tries to minimize the damage all the useless fighting has on Azeroth and her children…
Tyrande is probably not going to be a villain since she’s still presented as quite stabile in Darkshore quests for Alliance. Her “being consumed with vengeance” is probably just a handwave of why she wasn’t at the battle before Orgrimmar, because it’d be inconvenient for Anduin’s instant peace plot.
I mean, if she was “consumed with vengance” and wanted to destroy Sylvanas and the Horde, why WOULDN’T she be at Orgrimmar? That’s where Sylvanas is. The Sentinels have already attacked it before. It’s like how Genn is off attacking the side entrance, and Admiral Rogers is nowhere to be found in the entirety of BFA - the writers are too lazy to actually involve them in the plot, because they want Anduin to declare peace and everybody to instantly obey.
Anduin Jaine and their horde friends have obviously decided we are all going to be one faction.
If more factions arise from this (like Tyrande wanting revenge) then it won’t be a playable faction. If players are on her faction, her faction can never truly lose and we will be in another perpetual state of war-peace-war-peace-war-peace.
We will fight villains, but we will no longer be able to be part of them no more.
And with all the counting factions, I mean, are you all forgetting about the neutral factions around Azeroth? It was never just Horde and Alliance, right? The neutral ones just never got in anyone’s way.
In the best case scenario future factions will work like the Aldor and the Scryers, or the Oracles and Frenzyheart (or Saurufang and Sylvanas).
That way the players can join a faction (say druids trying to save nature in a zone or Venture Co. trying to exploit it in this zone) for the story line of an area but are free to play together in the rest of the game.
That question has been in mind also.
Thanks for creating this thread Mynostro.
I will be honest, that’s what I wish for.
Tired of useless faction wars that ended up with none happy by the end.
Unfortunatelly, I think it’s not going to happen.
Everything will be back to be the same again.
This cinematic, was very clear for me, nothing will change.
I see it as someting that a much older Anduin will look back in his distant past, like his father death.
Both wielded Shalamayne, both yelled “For Azeroth !”, both got destroyed, one by Gul’Dan the other by Sylvanas.
To be honest I loved this cinematic, since it clarifies much of Activision Blizzard stance regarding the Horde and the Alliance.
My honest opinion the Alliance is fortunate to have such a young king willing to learn, and forgive, it’s a rare trait in Warcraft.
Most of the characters are usually blind by hatred.
Anduin is the guarantee that what ever confict that arrises between the Horde and the Alliance, will always be justified.
Sad news for the Horde.
What are we fighting for, asked Anduin.
Saurfang answer laid in Zekhan and Jaina: Azeroth.
Anduin:
“Right now there’s only two forces in our world, that matter, one bent on harming our world.”
Saurfang:
“And one that will protect her.”
Right now there’s a huge sword in Azeroth and a Old God on the lose.
My gess:
When ever there’s a dark force that threatens Azeroth the Horde and Alliance will fight together.
But unfortunatelly both sides are doomed to fight each other for Azeroth, because as Zekhan stated his home is Azeroth and so is Jaina home, none will go anywhere.
Honor is for idealist young people like Zekhan, people old enough like Saurfang stopped believing it, perhaps long time ago.
Peace, unfortunatelly, is a ideal Anduin believes, but he’s too young as well.
The Horde is doomed to be shackled by the chains of the past, we couldn’t fill the chasm between the Horde and the Alliance, if we labored a 1000 years, that’s what Saurfang said.
Meaning perhaps Sylvanas was right when she stated to Saurfang this lines:
“I believe the exiles of Gilneas will never forgive the Horde for driving them away. I believe the living humans of Lordaeron think it is blasphemy that my people still hold their city. I believe the ancient divide between our allies in Silvermoon and their kin in Darnassus is not easily mended.” There was a smile on Sylvanas’s face. It was not a pleasant one. “I believe the Darkspear tribe hasn’t forgotten who drove them from their islands,” she continued. “I believe every orc your age remembers being imprisoned for years in filthy camps, wallowing in despair and surviving on human scraps. I believe every human remembers the tales of the terrible Horde that caused so much destruction in its first invasion, and I believe they blame every orc for that, no matter what your people have done to redeem yourselves. And I remember very well that I and my first Forsaken were once loyal Alliance citizens. We died for that banner, and our reward was to be hunted as vermin. I believe that there will be no permanent peace with the Alliance—not unless we win it on the battlefield on our terms. And believing that, answer this, Saurfang: what use is delaying the inevitable?”By the spirits, she is cold."
She was wrong in doing it the way she did it.
None wants to fight a war of annihilation and none wants to fight to end life in Azeroth, but everyone is entitled to fight for their home and unfortunately, Azeroth is everyone’s home.
And that’s why the Night Elves didn’t got their revenge.
That’s another chapter, as Genn vengeance for Liam’s death and Gilneas.
It looked to me like sylvanas just said “screw you all” to us. I don’t think she will be in any faction again anytime soon, much less leading one.
I also don’t think this game even needs factions, they felt artificial from the beginning.
And night elves going back to their wc3 ways would mean their soldiers all retreat into the forest while the druids all go to sleep, not very exciting for a player chracter.
Story wise it would make sense for the races of the Horde to join the Alliance. Unlike the Horde all the Alliance is an agreement to help each other out militarily with a central leader commanding overall forces. Each nation operates independently, has its own leader, cultural identity and is not subordinate to a single imperial figure like a Warchief.
With now no Warchief in place, a Horde that is probably militarily, financially and resourcefully exhausted it would sort of make sense.
However how that would then work gameplay wise would be difficult. Especially with the entire game designed around two factions.
There is no faction rework coming. You’ll probably be able to group up with anyone you want, and if you want to kill the other faction, just turn on warmode. Really, reworking or straight up deleting the factions would be far too much work for what little it would bring.
besides it being alot of work, it also would make no sense. The cinematic clearly showed there were plenty of loyalists still in oggrimar, not every horde and alliance will just happily get along yet
Similar on the Alliance side. When you speak to Genn on the ship in Boralus and click on “Stay a while and listen”, both he and Shaw seem to expect that problems with the Horde will come back again.