12/11/2018 17:17Posted by Durlan<span class="truncated">...</span>
This.
it is seriously becoming annoying at this point to be frank.
Isn't that a bit hypocritical coming from both of you who have crtiqued the story and decesions yourselves in many areas. Why come out with this now? Because you don't agree with the reasons why someone is being disheartened by the story telling?
Do you not want better story telling? Whether people are confused about what's happening or not, they feel the way they feel, and there is a reason, it's a pretty large sentiment too out there, everyone having their gripes.
It's one thing not to like how things go lore wise, it's another thing when the lore itself changes, or it forgets a certain aspect. I fell in love with a magical night elven race, and the wonder of their arcane and long vigil eras, a star focused group, a titanic race, cool, badass, full of magic, wonder, badass female amazonian type warriors - i thought were cool, druids who woke up trees, talked to animals and grew breathtaking forests, arcane wielders who reached a phenomenal height with magic, and built great and breathtaking cities and landscapes with arcane and nature magic 10,000 years ago, and some of htem surviving and getting redeemed from the arrogance and addiction that plagued them. Edgy, badass demon hunters, at the top of their game, tattooed, and pretty on the ball about a lot of things, having the beautiful contrast of a noble heart fighting even to the extent he would allow his beautiful body to be corrupt with that vile, foul but powerful magic - not to lord it over people and dominate them by force - but to destroy the greatest evil that ravaged their people, destroyed all that was beautiful and good, saving them and their world.
I mean, everywhere i looked was an incredible people - gifted in the arcane, gifted in nature magic, and wielding fel - to heights greater than any other race (that's their main strong suit - other races have incredible strengths in other areas and amazing exploits, these are the night elves'), knowing an actual Goddess and not afraid to act and call upon her (and yes goddess can be personified as female), and being so resolute in their resolve they would go 10,000 years without using magic or rebuilding the beauty they once had to protect the world from the demons and make sure they would do everything in their power even if it meant normal life, happy life, growing and blossoming was infinitely on pause.
A group described as a titanic race, written to defeat the great legion, not once, but twice, first time sacrificing their arcane power, second time their nature power, and being successful. When I saw the sentinels deal with the orcs they met in WC3, I was like wow! These guys are no joke, they're serious, not the soft elf you see, and i was amazed that they certainly had a soft side within their community, but when it came to serious threats, they were no -nonsense, dangerous and ruthless, quick to act, no hesistation, fierce and even savage in that. I loved it. Look at the garb of the druids, sentinels and nightborne - the war gear, it has a primal vibe to it despite their great age, degree of learning and civilization - such a contrast.
And what did i get in wow? lots of neglect - insight into druid lore for classic - then nothing relevant and very minor token showings for druids until Cataclysm, where a little progress was made with the sentinels and highborne...but..but..but, night elves not written with respect, but trashed in Cataclysm, no attempt to properly show them like they're described, till 12 years after classic's release... 12 years ... till the Legion expansion, which they again get abandoned only half way through (a rag tag half of 7.1, then out of the picture in 7.2 and nowhere to be seen in 7.3)
The list goes on as listed in the first post, if they didn't come out with Legion, i'd just have stopped playing altogether, and if it wasn't for the 8.1 changes to darkshore, i'd not have renewed my subscription.
But even with those, there are all the other glaring issues, when they sit down and use human heroes instead of more appropriate ones of another race for the job. I mean no problem with Turalyon or Khadgar, but couldn't another non-velen draenei hero be there with him or a night elven highborne take over from khadgar for some of the stuff that directly related to elves in Legion (like meeting the Demon Hunters out of the vault, introducing us to Azsuna and Suramar). Thalyssra actually running from Jaina in the Stormwind escape implying she can't take her on (a 10k+ year old night elven arcanist who didn't stop using the arcane). Tyrande and the order of Elune, awol completely for the broken shore and Cathedral of Eternal night.
You see, it is not that night elves got beaten or even kicked out of Kalimdor that's bad. I understand that is part of the story, and stories can have lows, even though i think it was over picking on the night elves after all they'd made them go through - it is that the night elves don't get any highs - they go from all that wonderful stuff sold to us in WC3, and WotA trilogy, then in the novels Stormrage/Wolfheart/Illidan - and then strip them of all the really amazing stuff, almost re-writing them, and when they hit them hard, where is the lift up? Where is the highs they get that match the degree of low or surpass the degree of low?
Blood elves lose the sunwell, they not only get it back, but get back empowered and infused with light energy as well. Night elves lose their entire civilizaiton, lose their Well of eternity, lose their immortality, lose , lose, lose - lands, World tree, forest, lives - what they get back? Where are the new lands, or new well ? or new world tree or better world to make up? Vol'jin dies, i bet he becomes a Loa god, Sylvanas loses warchief? I bet she becomes something close to lich queen,
AND YES. NIGHT ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES SUFFERING FROM THIS - but that mere fact tells you something is bad with the story.
Night elves show up in cataclysm, they are trashed by horde, out magicked by the horde, out archered by the horde, out forested by the horde, it's not that they had to lose stuff, it's how they lost it - they are written like muppets, silly, weak, not bright at all, and little father christmas elves not able to pull anything off.
The night elves in the novel, would have been damn hard to beat, and successful because they were greatly overwhelmed but they would have made the horde pay dearly , very dearly - i mean horde rogues out stealthing a druid in his own forest, like really?
Oh but its hard to write a race when they're so powerful ? Don't see any problems with orcs or humans the OP'd little f***s, the comic hero writers seem to be able to pull off amazing and incredible groups quite well, despite their extraordinary powers, so it's not like it can't be done.