Recently I’ve been hearing that a lot of people have ideas for how zones could have changed and evolved since Cataclysm in the event of the developers deciding to update the world in both visuals and story. I thought it would be fun to make a big thread where we can get all of our ideas for how zones should be updated in one place. The premise is simple:
Every few days I will change the thread name and put up a post saying which zone we’re discussing.
This will be done alphabetically so as to not make it unfair or biased.
We will only be discussing Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor zones as they are the zones that are the most sorely in need of an update.
Zones which have had updated versions added in BfA will also be included because the mainstream, pre-level 110 versions of those zones remain the same. This goes for Tirisfal Glades as well.
Updates to the zone can involve anything from questlines to places to quests and even just generally how the lore could have advanced.
Rebuild Stromgarde. NOT as a glorified WoD garrison, but as an actual city:
New quests involve dealing with the last pests that infest the territory (trolls, defilers, wild beasts, etc.), while at the same time choosing a worthy successor to the throne (since Danath very clearly does not care about producing an heir to continue his line). I’m thinking maybe something akin to the cut High King questline for Varian from MoP, except this time you have various candidates who need to prove themselves and you decide at the end who would make for a worthy successor (with Danath’s approval, of course!). Also they could involve maybe some flashback cutscenes to the glory days of King Thoradin, showing us through a questline how he united the other tribes and founded the Empire of Arathor. Maybe you could also have a more Game of Thrones-eque questline where you help King Danath strengthen his position on the throne.
There is indeed rich lore to expand to, as was used in Legion for artifact weapons etc of how the Human Kingdoms basically originated from there.
Unfortunately, especially if Nelfs win Darkshore, I hardly see Alliance winning over Arathi as the wall bordering Hillsbrad is Forsaken Guarded as is described in Before the Storm, so the Alliance would have to reclaim all the way to Gilneas, to establish a proper Kingdom there.
Tbh I would much prefer it if they kept is as contested territory so that both factions can have quests there in continuation to the Warfront battle etc
Stromgarde is rebuild just like it is in the warfront. Change the blue color to red though. The enemies remain the same: forest trolls, ogres and remaining horde forces at Hammerfall - defilers and some random greenskins.
For the Alliance, the quests would be mainly about chasing out the Horde. Ar’gorok is in ruins, filled with defilers which you clear out in the first questine. Main npcs would be Danath as the king and Archmage Trelane of Stromgarde (he didn’t appear even in classic!). Thoras could appear, but it matters what story is planned for DKs and LK. Also, there could be some prelude to General Hath appearing, though his story would be mainly in Alterac Mountains. Maybe Syndicate forces helping you with the forsaken remnants?
The Horde questline would revolve around retreat from the zone. You make allies with Boulderfist and Witherbark, both only whispers of their former power.
And there would be some neutral quests revolving around Myzrael. Not killing her again, but she would be purified, and on your side as the quest-giver. Maybe there is some other purpose for the binding circles?
Arathi really should be a win for the Alliance causing Stromgarde to be retaken so that Arathor becomes a kingdom of the Alliance. I also agree that if it is retaken the city should get a bit of an update - things like more houses, less random recycled Draenor assets and a proper largescale castle to host the seat of power.
Northfold could be turned into a village and generally quests could involve dealing with Horde remnants as well as the Ogres, Gnolls and Trolls, foiling a plot to summon a fire elemental to wreak havoc across the land and just quests which generally see Stromgarde trying to rebuild in the wake of victory.
Horde quests could see a return to the concept that the Horde ended up being hunted in the Eastern Kingdoms. Hammerfall is the main settlement of the region and it’s constantly being harassed by the Knights of Arathor. Ar’gorok is buy and large totalled, the village at the back of the keep being all that’s left of the walled fortress as the last defence of the small gap in Thoradins Wall which the Horde are still able to access Hillsbrad through. Generally some very defensive, guerrilla quests could really work to show how the Orcs are now attempting to avoid being enslaved by humanity once more.
I am not that interested in Humans, but when a Human kingdom catches my eye, it’s usually Arathor or Stromgarde. There is something about it that I just find enormously interesting. It feels like an actual kingdom with in-depth lore that I want to explore further.
What current Arathi (not the revamped one) does really well is kind of display the current state of the zone, even though the past is the past, the remnants of it are still there, and it still serves some importance. It feels abandoned, but it’s still, somehow, relevant. I like that, and I don’t know how Blizz did that but they really nailed the Arathi Highlands in that regard.
A revamped zone should include the Battle for Stromgarde, although the absolute aftermath of it. Most military outposts are abandoned again, and I’d say that the Alliance won the warfront in lore, but that the Orcs still keep Hammerfall. Alliance players can use the zone as a way to explore the cradle of the modern Human society, as they delve in their own history perhaps, and Horde players can perhaps look back at when the Orcs were slowly being freed from internment camps. I don’t mind having a few questlines focused on Horde vs. Alliance stuff if that still goes on, but a struggle purely for resources and control, and just between the Orcs and Humans (as the Forsaken don’t really seem to involved anymore.
Danath makes it pretty clear in the warfront quotes the “Stromgarde belongs to him”, so I’m guessing he’d become king.
Anyway, this is what I’d like to see: A debilitated Stromgarde retakes the city after years of constant fighting against enemies foreign and domestic, losing soldiers they could never spare to begin with to find that they have reconquered a skeleton of Stromgarde’s former glory, as their people are now dead or scattered. They turn on the attack on the Horde and their retribution is so brutal that it starts many angry posts on how Danath wouldn’t do that and is probably a servant of N’Zoth.
Stromgarde then tries to hold on to its past fiercely as a means to not see its terrible state, and Danath obsesses over reclaiming the blade Trol’kalar, and when he does he starts killing so many trolls that he becomes Double Trollbane, joining the club of the more warlike humans of the Alliance started by Genn. Then it soon becomes clear that Danath isn’t cut to be King and that he doesn’t even want to be king anyway, which could be used to ultimately become more bitter as it is the Horde and the Undead that made it so Gallen died and he is now shackled to that throne he thought he wanted.
What will likely happen: all of Stromgarde’s people and new fancy houses will materialize out of thin air and it will be a blossoming kingdom once more as if nothing in its history had happen. Something something go get Trol’kalar back from Bolvar as the end of the main zone quest.
We’ll only see more developments to Stromgarde after this in a brief scenario quest 3 years after that will be almost consciously vague.
Stromgarde is rebuilt as the new Forsaken sister capital in the Eastern Kingdoms to accompany their Kalimdor capital of Auberdine.
Arathi is a horde-only zone now, serving as the new Forsaken starting zone (With Auberdine being the starting zone for the new Undead Kaldorei allied race).
The quests revolve around slaughtering the Alliance remnants in the area and putting the nail in the coffin of the Arathi people.
The grand finale has us slay Calia Menethil, who is leading the survivors and bringing her head to Warchief Sylvanas. Receiving a blue ring as a reward.
We now move onto Ashenvale, one of the most Night Elf themed zones you’ve ever seen. We’ve ran through it and done damage as Horde in BfA, but for questers Garrosh is still invading! What do you think will have happened to it, what it could be like now?
I’d love to see a continuation of the guerrilla style warfare of the Night Elves, fighting an oppressive occupation that is ruthless. The Warsong try to eat through the eastern side as quickly as they can cut the trees down. The eastern roads are heavily patrolled by Warsong outriders and the elves and the Alliance have to resort through their knowledge of the forests to move.
Astranaar is under Kaldorei control once more but is heavily militarized, as they find the Horde still assaulting them ruthlessly. They resist due to the strategic advantage of the location of the town in the center of a lake, their knowledge of the forest, guerrilla tactics, and also in a return to more Warcraft 3 elements due to asking for the aid of the creatures of the forest.
All I’d love to see for Ashenvale, really, is ferocity, subtlety, and wolves hunting wolves.
In the book Blizzard told that people of Astrannar were evacuated. But in game Delaryn told that many people of that city manage to escape to the forest.
Also in the book Blizzard told that Night Elves have lost Ashenvale, so that includes all Night Elves forces there are dead. But in game we had table quests where it stated that the battle still is going there. Even Astranaar is back in Night Elves hands.
So 1). Astranaar should be transformed from city in to the fortress. Some sentinels trains there. While still some part of that complex have small houses where civilians live. Horde camp up stairs near Astranaar must be removed.
Blizzard told in the book that Silverwing Sentinels autpost was destroyed. But we still have Warsong gulch in game.
So 2). Silverwing autpost should be restored, but not like it was. There should be barricades everywhere, and some dead bodies of the orcs that have failed to kill last of the Sentinels.
In other words, they have big problems, but they still exist and keep fighting.
Assuming that Night Elves will win on Darkshores.
So 3). there should be no Horde Base on the sea at the West coast. It should be destroyed. Perhaps even some event where Horde last guardians will die in heroic death.
Forsaken forces must to go back to the east part of the forest. There is a place that was taken by demons. But legion is destroyed, and there no reason to have them there.
So 4). that place should be taken by forsaken forces. There should be a new war base in forsaken style. The place is in the right colors already.
Also small Drenai camp on the borders with Ashara must be destroyed.
Also small things:
1). That volcano must be removed, and nature restored there.
2). Maestra post must stop fighting against Garrosh orcs. This post was skipped in War of the Thorns, so maybe we can even let her survive.
3). Silverwind village was recaptured which is mentioned in the book. But I do not think we should restore it. We definitely should remove old dead Nelf bodies, and also remove Garrosh orcs from there. Instead I think this is the place were the War continues. A border where 2 armies continue an active assaults.
So many arrows, dead soldiers, flames at that village.
P.S and most important thing what I want, what I think will be nice, is that All Night Elves soldiers there should be NOT Night Warriors. White eyes and old classic uniform.
Like they were not retreating in to Stormwind after War of the Thorns. That they were continue to fight all that time in those forests.
It will be cool to have some place where those Sentinels meet Night Warriors, with some arguing about who got better war skills now, between no name npc’s.
I’m not agree about Volcano. Ashenvale is a forest, and it should stay as a fores. Volcano looks like it is in the wrong place.
I see Ashenvale as a forest where battle goes between the trees. Rogue and druid/animals battles. Like in the book.
No wonder that Volcano was not mentioned in the book. )
Ashenvale is now a Horde-only zone serving as the secondary leveling area for undead night elves.
Quests here involve driving the remaining living Kaldorei in the area to extinction using plague bombs and the Val’kyr to raise them.
Guided by the dark side of Elune herself, Undead Kaldorei will establish temples to their dark goddess as they venture across the zone. Each temple granting a boon that can be swapped out at another temple.
Examples of these boons would be an undead hippogryph, letting you fly at 60% mount speed within Ashenvale, pretty neat for a level 20.
An undead nightsaber, allowing you to fight while mounted.
And the blessing of Eluna’umbra, causing shadowmoon beams to randomly strike dead living non-elite Kaldorei and raise them as Forsaken, fighting for you for one minute.
The questline ends with you slaying the Silverwing Sentinels leader and establishing a new temple in warsong gulch. Rewarding a blue weapon of choice with a unique undead Kaldorei themed appearance.
You’ll also get the first hints of a questline involving Helya as it is hinted that she is a servant of Elune’s darker aspects.
Oh and a bit of background on Eluna’umbra. The Night Warrior ritual is why Kaldorei can now be raised as Forsaken. By invoking that ritual, Tyrande unwittingly shifted Elune’s sphere to that of shadow and death, corrupting the goddess. A goddess who was already being corrupted behind the scenes (It’s why she sides with the Forsaken and allows Teldrassil to burn unopposed).
This same ‘face’ of Elune is responsible for wisps, hence death is one of her major aspects.
For the Alliance, the Night Elves are pushing out of Hyjal and Felwood and into Ashenvale again. They have lost Forest Song and Stardust Spire to the Horde but have regained most of the rest of their territory in Ashenvale. With many refugees arriving, Astranaar has grown off of the small island and the Sentinels have built a Keep where Hellscreams Watch used to stand, walls now surrounding the growing town. The Night Elves have some patrols now to ensure that their lands remain secure but a lot of their warfare is done by guerrilla, constantly sabotaging Horde resource operations and efforts to further secure the region for themselves.
Meanwhile I really like your idea for the Undead Night Elves Ahnora. I think it could be cool if the final cycle of Elune is one of death and rebirth and part of that was taking away the blessing towards the Night Elves which made them invulnerable to undeath and weakening the powers of the curse of the Worgen caused by the Scythe of Elune to the point where whilst Worgen have control over their forms, they too are vulnerable to undeath.
This could tie in well in the sense that in my vision the Horde have turned Talendris Point into a Horde outpost and have destroyed Forest Song and as a result they have managed to build a sort of iron rail like we see in Warlords of Draenor which snakes through Ashenvale, passing Splintertree Post and stopping at Silverwind Refuge which has been converted into a Dark Ranger Lodge from which the Forsaken carry out their plans to expand their ranks with Undead Kaldorei and Worgen. The rest of the Refuge has grown into a Goblin/Mag’har industrial hub, the Skunkworks being much more built up and generally the cleared area being much larger than before, even though the Night Elves have been managing to keep it at bay with the power of nature.
I think that would create some very clear battle lines and a very interesting story for the zone, that at base value the Night Elves have secured their foothold in Ashenvale once more, but the Horde have secured their foothold as well and the Night Elves who strike out against the Horde risk being caught by the Forsaken operating out of Silverwind Refuge who are intent on rebuilding the ranks of the Forsaken.
