The last chapter of the 9.1 campaign is upon us. Its name is obviously meant to tease us. During the last chapters we created new sigils, and the Primus already announced that all the covenants would be meeting in Korthia.
Usually I would be pretty sure that this means that explains what we are going to do next, even if it’s just following the Jailer to some First Ones stuff. But we are talking about the guys who gave us a “No Nore Lies” cinematic that explained nothing at all, so what do I know.
So, last chance to speculate and be wrong, before we find out in 1 day from wowhead or 1,5 days by ourselves. So go forth and share your pessimism, optimism, or opportunism.
We’re getting ready to take the fight to the Jailer!
The Primus reveals that Sylvanas holds some important information and only the redeemed Sylvanas can lead the charge. We bimble assembling her memories and then realise she is not so bad after all. She and Tyrande share a moment, Tyrande admits she was wrong to withold forgiveness.
The Primus sends us off to make another McGuffin and our covenant leaders give us a nice shiney transmog.
I figured we’d get more of this conversation between Sylvanas and Anduin at some point, because their previous conversation was cut up short. But so is this! And I certainly didn’t expect it now. And for what? It doesn’t really reveal much and it’s a weird way to end the story of the patch.
I expected more action. More foreshadowing of what is to come in terms of the journey.
I mean, the philosophical discussion between Sylvanas and Anduin is good for helping drive home the story message, but I don’t think it’s beneficial to cut it up in so many pieces and just serve players with minor clips that don’t do much on their own.
I’m also disappointed that the compass seemingly just functions as a video recorder for Thrall, Jaina, and Bolvar. I was pretty deep into a theory that it was a symbol of hope left behind for Sylvanas by Anduin. But apparently it’s just a video recorder??
And it’s so short! I don’t get that. If they want to tell the story primarily through cutscenes, then cool, but why not have substantial ones then? How did we go from Saurfang in full CGI to this 1:28 minute affair?!
Not a fan of this one. Bad note to end the patch on. Meh.
From what I’ve read there’s some dialogue and such afterward, and another cutscene, that adds a bit more lore and story context, and some of my points of criticism are amended… a bit. A tiny bit.
I don’t mind the story reveals being predictable surprises - that’s fine. Not everything has to be a huge plot twist. It’s cool if the square peg goes into the square hole.
I just wanted…more. It doesn’t feel like Blizzard are using the opportunity to get me excited for what’s to come.
It might be better tomorrow when I play it myself. Spoilers are bad, but still… It’s a flimsy cutscene. The other ones were dope. There’s rewatch value to Sylvanas vs. Tyrande or Elune or whatever. But not this one. It’s forgettable. Just spoken dialogue.
Yes. It’s not a problem if the square peg goes into the square hole. It is a problem if it takes 6 months and multiple attempts to get it there. Especially while there are a few other holes with obvious pegs waiting. And if the toys in question don’t even feel like mine.
Given the last info, I’d say that stakes are high on the Primus becoming the new Arbiter.
For the rest…more of the “Meh”.
I’ll probably peace out for greener pastures until we have new content.
Blizzard really had some bad timing with the whole lawsuit thing that halted the work on new content.
Somehow, they managed to combine a completely uninteresting and disappointing narrative, with what seems to be yet another content drought that may still match the pacing of 9.0
What kind of explanation you need? I think people are focusing on wrong stuff. It’s like, do you have explanation why Sylvannas is doing things she is doing except the usual superficial “she is evil” as answer? No, you don’t. That is why you anticipate to see what happens next and not “Nothing is explained so writting is crap” thing that people just love to spout.
Beside, I think that 9.1 cinematic was absolutely great.
Really, I don’t care that there was no content. I had just hoped for a more thorough exposition dump. I don’t need cinematics or cutscenes for that, I don’t even need it voiced, but at this point the addon just needs a list of explanations.
What are Sylvanas’ motives?
What does the Jailer want/why was he banished?
Why did the Arbiter stop working?
What’s happening on Azeroth while we are away?
Why did they engineer battle for Azeroth relevant?
What the heck is that sepulcher-thingie we are trying to go?
Why were our faction leaders even abducted in the first place?
Why do the sigils exist at all?`
And so on.
Most of these can have easy answers. I’m even okay with stupid answers. But I’m not okay with no answers anymore. And the point to reveal these secrets slowly ingame has past. I just want the pure info now.
You have no grounds to invalidate other people’s interest here, sorry.
And if I don’t? Because, you know, I don’t. I just want it to end.
If you can’t enjoy a shoddily crafted piece of narrative, you are focussing on the wrong things? That’s a hell of a stupid thing to say. Sure, you can enjoy stupid things. But it’s not a fault if you don’t. And it’s the creators’ responsibility to satsify their audience, not the audience’s responsibility to enjoy whatever they are fed.
Here, your example: “What’s happening on Azeroth while we are away?”.
You will know that in next expansion or something like that because right now, plot is not placed on Azeroth but what we do in Shadowlands, is to protect Azeroth. What else do you want?
Here, another example “We don’t know nothing about sigils!”.
The sigils (sometimes capitalized as Sigils and occasionally referred to as covenant sigils) are five objects that were long ago given to each of the Eternal Ones of the Shadowlands as symbols of their covenants’ purpose. The Eternal One Zovaal saw them as keys to forbidden knowledge and tried to claim them by force, leading his siblings to banish him to the Maw and make him its Jailer.
Ages later, with the Shadowlands in disarray, the Jailer once again began working to claim the sigils. If he obtained all five, nothing would stop him from reaching the mysterious Sepulcher.
So, Zovaal is misusing the purpose of sigils. This is enough unless there is a good spot to make a quest or side stories to know more what has all happened “ages ago”. That is still not part of the main plot and can be worked on later but currently - completely irrelevant.
That is not bad writing, that is not problem of the game. It’s like you are trying to read a book or watch a TV show and you go “This is crap” because you want to explore parts that creators did not intend for you to see (yet). That is just ridiculous.
…to know if we’re protecting Azeroth, or if Azeroth is being overrun by hordes of undead would be nice, for example. Considering that we were threatened with global catastrophe if the Scourge ever broke free, that sounds like a fair question to me. Not the only question I have, but an obvious one that could easily be answered.
…and we don’t. “The sigils are symbols!” means nothing at all. And that Zovaal is “misusing” them doesn’t help us one bit in understanding what they are.
It’s what motivates the main plot. How am I supposed to care about anything going on there, if I don’t understand it? The 9.1 plot is essentally “The bad guy needs some things I never heard of, to go somehwere I never heard of, to do something to reality I don’t understand. But they tell me it’s very bad, so I guess I’ll try to stop him.”. I don’t have any information to understand the Jailer, I don’t have information to understand the eternals, I have no information to understand the threat that’s being posed, I don’t understand how exactly it relates to the suff at home I care about… but I’m still supposed to care? And I am supposed to care now and not in a year when I might finally understand what actually happened? Something is wrong here.
