One of the features of World of Warcraft that really pulled me into the game was the seamless transition between zones. I had just stopped playing Final Fantasy XI, which had a dismal loading time between zones and really made the world feel disconnected. There was no way all of those zones would fit together on a world map. WoW's seamless transition between zones offered a great level of immersion. The few loading screens were either from crossing continents, which felt justified with a picture of a world map, or for instanced dungeons. Going through a portal and getting instanced really felt like I was being removed from the world and placed elsewhere; if I looked out onto Silverpine from Shadowfang Keep, I couldn't see other players or even monsters wandering the world like I would if I was outside. It made instances where you observe the outside world, like Scholomance (or recently Oculus or Utgarde Keep), a little confusing at times until I reminded myself I was still in Azeroth.
Fast forward to the release of Burning Crusade. I was ecstatic to play a Blood Elf, but one thing that took me out of the game was zoning between Quel'thalas and the rest of the world. The transporter to Undercity and portals into Silvermoon weren't a big deal since they took some time to load anyway, but simply walking into Eastern Plaguelands requiring a loading screen to go from the new "Burning Crusade instance" to the Eastern Kingdoms seemed unacceptable. Additionally, for players in the Draenei and Blood Elf cities and starting zones, player arrows on the minimap showed up when players were in other Burning Crusade lands, like Outland, but not nearby in Eastern Plaguelands! I was convinced it was one of the reasons by beloved Silvermoon city wasn't more popular and why I spent so little time there, even compared to the Undercity.
This got me thinking forward to Cataclysm. With flying mounts now allowed in Azeroth, unless Wintergrasp-like flying restrictions are put in place, most of the world is going to have to be one big chunk of an instance. Blizzard will have to make sure that the Ghostlands border with Eastern Kingdoms is ironed out and remove the instancing restriction. Acherus will probably now be accessible to non-Death Knight players. The Draenei areas will likely be brought into the fold as well. Some areas like the Echo Isles and other distant zones may not have to be accessible by flying mount to the main continents.
The implications of this are interesting. The Burning Crusade starting zones were instanced because they wanted the new starting quests to be exclusive to people who bought the expansion to sell more games. In addition, Jewelcrafting, the new profession at the time, only had starting trainers in Silvermoon and the Exodar, so players had to have Burning Crusade to train for it. The question that now arises is: what will happen to this Burning Crusade exclusive content? Will owners of only original WoW now be able to train in Jewelcrafting and do the Blood Elf and Draenei quests, and even maybe make Blood Elf and Draenei characters?
Perhaps Burning Crusade, and maybe even Wrath or Cataclysm, will be rolled into the original WoW. The start-up cost to get into WoW is getting price prohibitive for getting new players, and players starting anew will already be experiencing the new post-cataclysm world. These new players would be "free riders" on the Cataclysm content, so why not include all the expansions, at least through Wrath, to new players? If they are getting the content anyway and it entices them to stay longer, they will make more money on subscriptions from enticing players to stay anyway.
What do you think? Is it time to roll all of the old games together?
Proverb is a twice-weekly column discussing the lore of Warcraft. It is spoiler heavy for all Warcraft games, novels, and other media. Comment on this post or send a tweet to @Heartbourne and let us know what you would like to see in future columns!
Statue of Alleria Windrunner in Stormwind
If you have not done so already, be sure to read part 1!
"May my sisters realize their full potential, the name Windrunner known as result of their deeds." - Alleria Windrunner
After many losing battles, the Horde grew more and more desperate. While the Alliance Expedition was successful in recovering the Book of Medivh, the orcish warlocks continued to open portals to new worlds, and this reckless act began to tear Draenor apart. Much of the Alliance Expedition quickly shut the Dark Portal with the Book of Medivh while they remained in Draenor. The few heroes that remained in Draenor, including Alleria, Turalyon, and Khadgar, leapt into the Twisting Nether as Draenor was engulfed in its final fiery cataclysm. They eventually returned to the planet's remains, now known as Draenor. Alleria nor Turalyon have been seen since and while presumed alive, it is not certain. Their son, Arator, ventured into the Outlands when the Dark Portal was recently reopened by Lord Kazzak and the Alliance and Horde pursued Illidan. He talks of seeking his father, but makes no mention of wanting to find Alleria. It could be that Alleria shunned him after his birth, as half-elves are looked down upon. This would also explain why he is never discussed in the lore, even when Alleria and Turalyon's relationship is explored in detail. Khadgar lamented their absence with his wish in the Dalaran fountain.
Sylvanas locked in thought (fanart)
During the third war and the destruction of Quel'thalas (see the previous Proverb post), Sylvanas was killed defending Silvermoon from the Scourge. Arthas raised her as a banshee, and she eventually returned to her body. She retained her ranger skills and added to them her new skills in necromancy. This style of combat led to the future rise of Dark Rangers.
After the Burning Legion's defeat at the Battle for Mount Hyjal, Sylvanas was free from the control of Arthas and Ner'zhul, and struck up deals with the Dreadlord Varimathas to retake as much control of the local undead in Lordaeron as possible. Her new faction of undead became known as the Forsaken, and she became their queen, known as the Dark Lady. She vows vengeance on Arthas and will stop at nothing until he is dead. She was instrumental in bringing the blood elves into the Horde; she reached out to the blood elves and even stationed troops in the Ghostlands to assist them before they official joined the Horde.
With Alleria missing and Sylvanas killed and reanimated, Vereesa is the only remaining known "living" Windrunner sister. When Kael'thas defected to the blood elves, Vereesa was with Rhonin and stayed a high elf. However, one of her cousins, Zendarin Windrunner (who turned to blood elf), allied with the Black Dragonflight, specifically Sintharia, with the intention of helping them create the Twilight Dragonflight, which may have been a great source of magic for him to feed upon. As a non-dragon, he could wield the Demon Soul. He kidnapped Vereesa's children, Galadin and Giramar, as he believed half-elves to have the potential to wield great power. Vereesa recovered her children, killed Zendarin, and destroyed the Demon Soul. Vereesa continues to despise the blood elves, and leads the Silver Covenant, which opposes the admission of blood elves into the Kirin Tor (see previous Proverb post).
Blood elf players can recover the necklace that Alleria gave to Sylvanas in a low level quest. Upon returning it to her, she states that, "You thought this would amuse me? Do you think I long for a time before I was the queen of the Forsaken? Like you, it means nothing to me, and Alleria Windrunner is a long dead memory!" and sings the old folk song Lament of the Highborne, revised to lament the fall of Quel'thalas to the Scourge and the state of the blood elves:
Anar'alah, Anar'alah belore
Sin'dorei
Shindu fallah na
Sin'dorei
Anar'alah
Shindu Sin'dorei
Shindu fallah na
Sin'dorei
Anar'alah belore
Shindu Sin'dorei
Shindu fallah na
Sin'dorei
Anar'alah belore
Belore
By the light, by the light of the sun
Children of the blood
Our enemies are breaking through
Children of the blood
By the light
Failing children of the blood
They are breaking through
O' children of the blood
By the light of the sun
Failing children of the blood
They are breaking through
O' children of the blood
By the light of the sun
The sun
Sylvanas' wish in the Dalaran fountain from long ago reads: "I hope my sisters and I can grow up and get married together." This coin appears to be very old.
With the destruction of Arthas imminent in patch 3.3, I wonder what role Sylvanas will play. No one wants Arthas dead more than her, and with all the work put into her model and voice as of late, I can't imagine she will stay in the Undercity during his defeat. After Arthas' death and the Cataclysm, I wonder what goals she will hold. Vereesa will likely stay in Dalaran, and we have heard that Northrend will not be heavily affected by the Cataclysm, so I doubt her role will largely change. Alleria is still missing, and it is possible she will reveal herself at some point. However, it may be that she traveled to some other world via the portals in Outland and will show up in a future expansion that explores some demon world.
What do you think? Which is your favorite of the sisters, and what will their future hold?
Proverb is a twice-weekly column discussing the lore of Warcraft. It is spoiler heavy for all Warcraft games, novels, and other media. Comment on this post or send a tweet to @Heartbourne and let us know what you would like to see in future columns!
Sylvanas Windrunner, Dark Ranger
The Windrunner sisters are the three most prominent members of the high elf Windrunner family. The eldest sister, Alleria, has been missing since she ventured into Draenor (now known as Outland) during the Second War. The youngest sister, Vereesa, is currently the leader of the Silver Covenant and wife to Rhonin (leader of the Kirin Tor), and the middle sister, Sylvanas, was raised as a banshee by Arthas and currently leads the Forsaken (the undead faction allied with the Horde). The sisters were very close and have a tragic history.
The Windrunner family resided in Windrunner Spire in Eversong Forest, currently known as the Ghostlands. During the Second War, King Anasterian Sunstrider sent Alleria Windrunner and a small group of high elven rangers to aid the Alliance. Alleria was one of the greatest elven rangers and her skills were invaluable to the Alliance. Alleria had quickly gained a strong distaste for the orcs and was one of the few high elves who believed that they would be a threat to the high elves and not just the humans. She devoted her rangers to the Alliance during her excursion to join the Alliance at Southshore.
Vereesa Windrunner
Meanwhile, Vereesa Windrunner was tasked with escorting the human mage Rhonin to the port of Hasic. They had some strange encounters along the way that led them to the Battle of Grim Batol. The details of their journey can be read in the novel Day of the Dragon.
The Second War was brutal. The Horde managed to push as far north as the borders of Quel'thalas. Sylvanas discovered jungle trolls burning the forests and attacking her rangers, which she quickly terminated. Sylvanas got word from Alleria that there was a massive army of orcs headed their way, and this was quickly relayed to Anasterian. It was at this point that Anasterian admitted that the trolls were involved with the orcs and he fully dedicated the high elves to the cause of the Alliance and defeat of the Horde. Alleria and the Alliance quickly returned to defend Silvermoon. Alleria fought along sight her sister Sylvanas and their good friend Lor'themar Theron. Sylvanas was perhaps the most skilled ranger of the high elves, hence her position of Ranger-General of Quel'thalas. The high elves repelled the invasion of the Horde, but it was at a great loss, especially to the Windrunners. Eighteen of their kind died, including Lirath Windrunner, younger brother to the sisters. On that day, Alleria's hatred of the orcs intensified, and she would forever view them as savage beasts that must be exterminated at all costs. Her despair led her into the arms of the Paladin Turalyon, with whom she likely had an affair.
Shortly after, the iconic battle of Grim Batol occured. Vereesa Windrunner was instrumental in freeing the dragon queen Alexstrasza and draining of the power of the Demon Soul, which was enchanted by the Dragon Aspects so that it could never be used by dragonkind again. This was the turning point of the Second War, and the orcs began to be rounded up and placed into the internment camps.
Statue of Alleria Windrunner in Stormwind
Following the Second War, Anasterian and the high elves would have little to do with the Alliance. Vereesa and Rhonin were tasked with touring the various nation of the Alliance and reminding the nations to stay together, as there would be threats besides the orcs in the future. The pair fell in love, and eventually had twins, Galadin and Giramar. Half elven child births often fail, as do twins, and as such their healthy arrival into the world was viewed as very fortunate.
The Alliance sent military forces through the Dark Portal to Draenor to retrieve the Book of Medivh to seal the Dark Portal once and for all, as well as stop the orcs from opening portals into new worlds to continue their bloodthirsty campaign. Alleria and her rangers continued their own mission to exterminate the orcs.
It is unclear as to precisely when Alleria gave birth to her and Turalyon's son, Arator. It seems to be retconned, and the current story is that Arator was already a child when the Alliance ventured through the Dark Portal. Before departing, Alleria split the necklace she inherited from her parents into three pieces, and sent a piece of it to each of her sisters. She kept the emerald for herself and sent the ruby to Vereesa, while she sent Sylvannas the sapphire.
Continue on to part 2!
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One of the features of World of Warcraft that really pulled me into the game was the seamless transition between zones. I had just stopped playing Final Fantasy XI, which had a dismal loading time between zones and really made the world feel disconnected. There was no way all of those zones would fit together on a world map. WoW's seamless transition between zones offered a great level of immersion. The few loading screens were either from crossing continents, which felt justified with a picture of a world map, or for instanced dungeons. Going through a portal and getting instanced really felt like I was being removed from the world and placed elsewhere; if I looked out onto Silverpine from Shadowfang Keep, I couldn't see other players or even monsters wandering the world like I would if I was outside. It made instances where you observe the outside world, like Scholomance (or recently Oculus or Utgarde Keep), a little confusing at times until I reminded myself I was still in Azeroth.
Fast forward to the release of Burning Crusade. I was ecstatic to play a Blood Elf, but one thing that took me out of the game was zoning between Quel'thalas and the rest of the world. The transporter to Undercity and portals into Silvermoon weren't a big deal since they took some time to load anyway, but simply walking into Eastern Plaguelands requiring a loading screen to go from the new "Burning Crusade instance" to the Eastern Kingdoms seemed unacceptable. Additionally, for players in the Draenei and Blood Elf cities and starting zones, player arrows on the minimap showed up when players were in other Burning Crusade lands, like Outland, but not nearby in Eastern Plaguelands! I was convinced it was one of the reasons by beloved Silvermoon city wasn't more popular and why I spent so little time there, even compared to the Undercity.
This got me thinking forward to Cataclysm. With flying mounts now allowed in Azeroth, unless Wintergrasp-like flying restrictions are put in place, most of the world is going to have to be one big chunk of an instance. Blizzard will have to make sure that the Ghostlands border with Eastern Kingdoms is ironed out and remove the instancing restriction. Acherus will probably now be accessible to non-Death Knight players. The Draenei areas will likely be brought into the fold as well. Some areas like the Echo Isles and other distant zones may not have to be accessible by flying mount to the main continents.
The implications of this are interesting. The Burning Crusade starting zones were instanced because they wanted the new starting quests to be exclusive to people who bought the expansion to sell more games. In addition, Jewelcrafting, the new profession at the time, only had starting trainers in Silvermoon and the Exodar, so players had to have Burning Crusade to train for it. The question that now arises is: what will happen to this Burning Crusade exclusive content? Will owners of only original WoW now be able to train in Jewelcrafting and do the Blood Elf and Draenei quests, and even maybe make Blood Elf and Draenei characters?
Perhaps Burning Crusade, and maybe even Wrath or Cataclysm, will be rolled into the original WoW. The start-up cost to get into WoW is getting price prohibitive for getting new players, and players starting anew will already be experiencing the new post-cataclysm world. These new players would be "free riders" on the Cataclysm content, so why not include all the expansions, at least through Wrath, to new players? If they are getting the content anyway and it entices them to stay longer, they will make more money on subscriptions from enticing players to stay anyway.
What do you think? Is it time to roll all of the old games together?
