Category: In Game Musings

I hate Warmode. Not conceptually. Just actually. I hate that there I quests I can get in not Warmode that require Warmode. I hate that I have to weed through “WM ON” groups while looking to get in a group for a rare or to farm. I hate that there always seem to be more WM ON groupd than wm off groups. I hate that I can’t just toggle WM on and join a group. I hate that if I have WM on and a friend in WM off needs help, I have to toggle off WM. But then toggling it back on after requires going way out of my way. Two weeks later, I still haven’t remeberer/bothered to toggle it back on. I hate that when summoning people for raid, there have to be two people in the same made doing the summoning. But most of all, I hate not being able to see guildies out and about, or waiting outside raid.

Asset reuse isn’t a bad thing. It’s even a good thing. But, I hate it when they reuse icon assets.

I love it when they reuse zones. I love that where we have been and what we have done matters. I love seeing what became of the places we visited. I love that they are efficiently using assets that already exist in a meaningful way.

Vulpera are reskinned goblins, you say? Ok, awesome.

Oh that mount? It’s just a reskinned blah blah blah. Yeah, maybe, but it dresses up pretty and that’s what matters to me.

But icons. The point of an icon is to let you know visually and quickly what a thing is, what button to push, what to sell, what to keep, and what to use in a recipe. When they are the same, the point is lost.

So here’s some rampant speculation:

Vol’jin is dying and says that the loa granted him clarity, a vision, they whisper a name. He then tells Sylvanas that she must step out of the shadows and be Warchief. Never does he actually say that the name that they whispered was Sylvanas Windrunner or that he had to make her Warchief, we assume this, Baine assumes this, Baine tells the ghost of Vol’jin this….and Vol’jin doesn’t remember.

• I was just listening to Lore Watch Episode 98: Are we living in the End Time? and something struck me. They made the argument that Sylvanas is neither alive nor dead, that she is outside that cycle. Is it possible that the name that they whispered was not Sylvanas? But Vol’jin knows that Sylvanas’ unique state will give her an advantage in the battle to come and so he makes her Warchief. He doesn’t remember who told him to make her Warchief because it didn’t happen. A few lines strike me:
  • “you must come out of the shadows and lead.”
  • “Da memory be denied me by da Shadows, da Shadows dat be coming for ya”
  • “I was expecting to see (…) any of the loa, dere was a presence, something moving in the Shadows”

• So Vol’jin dies, goes to the land of the dead, the Shadowlands, but is then returned in spirit. Someone or something kicked him back to us.
• When we go with Vol’jin on that lovely quest to try to figure out who told him (allegedly) to make Sylvanas Warchief, we talk to Bwonsamdi, The Lich King (version Bolvar.2) , and Eyir.
• Both Bwonsamdi and the Lich King mention that Sylvanas upsets the balance of life and death.
• The Lich King tells Vol’jin that he has been altered, that he is neither undead nor damned – a bit like Sylvanas, no?
• Vol’jin is a Shadow Hunter, a fact mentioned by Eyir who implies that the whisperer and the force that booted Vol’jin from the Shadowlands might not be the same, but will say no more.
• Vol’jin plans to keep searching for answers and says, “If dere be new enemies gatherin’ in da shadows den I best be hunting dem…before dey be hunting us.”
• When we return Voljin’s ashes to Bwonsamdi he says a couple of super interesting things. He indicates that Vol’jin’s spirit is missing. He states:
  • “The boss ain’t gonna like dis…”
  • “Ol’ Bwonsamdi not be losing a spirit since…”
• So, who is Bwonsamdi’s boss? Who rules the loa of death?
• Whose spirit did Bwonsamdi lose before? Sylvanas?
• If the loa did whisper the name “Windrunner,” what if Vol’jin assumed it was Sylvanas because she was there. What if they meant…another? <Emperor voice>There is another Windrunner…

TL;DR: Don’t take everything at face value. The truth lies in the shadows.

Resources:

Lore Watch Episode 98: Are we living in the End Time?

This is in response to some of the ugliness that has gone down in the community regarding the state of the war between the factions.

• At this point, this expansion is about taking sides. Truthfully, this is not may favorite, but it is the story that Blizzard is telling. We often get the impression that we live in Azeroth and we do what we want, but in reality it is a game and we have to abide by parameters set in place by its creator.
• I am not the first to point this out and I will not be the last: it is World of Warcraft, not World of Sit on the Fence-craft. I have both Horde and Alliance characters and I am fully capable of playing from the perspective of whoever I logged in on. I will play one and later hop on the other to see the story from the other side.
• Blizzard gets to tell the story. Not you. Not me. If you don’t like the way the story is going, you have two choices: stay on for the ride, or bail. Blizzard’s storytelling team is as good as its ever been. I am very excited to see where they go with this. I trust them to tell me an amazing story. Buckle up, this ride is just starting.
• I’ve seen a bunch of people complaining about those ads – you know, the IRL ones where people who play Horde and people who play Alliance can’t associate. Here is the thing. We are going to get the most out of this expansion if we pick a side and go with it. Blizzard expects us to be grown up enough to realize that a game is a game and an ad is an ad.
• If we are going to ride this ride, we need to hop off our fences and declare allegiance. If you declare for one side and your friend declares for the other, awesome. There is no need to be mean to them. There is no need to cold shoulder them. You know why? Because it’s a game. A wise man said, “Don’t be mean, don’t ever be mean, because remember, no matter where you go, there you are.”
• What was Buckaroo saying? He was saying don’t do something you’ll regret. Enjoy your friends. Enjoy the game. Declare your allegiance, but keep the animosity in game. IRL be happy that you have friends to share this magnificent experience with.

TL;DR: For the Horde!!