Anyone else miss being the "nameless hero"?

[Denkou]

I want something in-between. I'd like to imagine my character as an somewhat high-ranking officer, not quite the top dog. I love the whole idea of artifact weapons and the quests you have to do to obtain and upgrade them, but I think some of them have too much importance in the lore to be given to the player. Ashbringer being the main one; it seems kind of silly to imagine thousands of players running around with Ashbringers.

[Deleted]

I want something in-between. I'd like to imagine my character as an somewhat high-ranking officer, not quite the top dog. I love the whole idea of artifact weapons and the quests you have to do to obtain and upgrade them, but I think some of them have too much importance in the lore to be given to the player. Ashbringer being the main one; it seems kind of silly to imagine thousands of players running around with Ashbringers.

lore wise you are the only one running around with it though, just need to get past that i guess :/

problem i have with high ranking officer is that it is a short line before they just start making you a champion, the leaders of your faction should see you as a loyal guy, that is dedicated to what he does and is good at it, and they will give you tasks to fight big battles. But you aren't a leader figure, or inspiration, you are just a guy that's good at what he does and gets the job done where others fail. Kinda like SI:7 and such. You are important, but you aren't vital to success, your faction leaders could just send 5 guys in your place and it's fine, you just are better at it so they will send you.

[SirCowdog]

At the point we're at in the timeline of WoW and Azeroth, our heroes have gotten so absurdly powerful and well-equipped, that it should be US that's invading the Legion. I mean....stop and think about it for a second. Our hero has defeated every single threat to Azeroth, from Hogger the bandit, to Old Gods and the creators of the universe.

I'm sorry, the entire idea of being a wandering stranger, or some faceless hero just doesn't fit. We should be telling people like Khadgar, Thrall, and Varian what to do, not the other way around.

[Deleted]

At the point we're at in the timeline of WoW and Azeroth, our heroes have gotten so absurdly powerful and well-equipped, that it should be US that's invading the Legion. I mean....stop and think about it for a second. Our hero has defeated every single threat to Azeroth, from Hogger the bandit, to Old Gods and the creators of the universe.

I'm sorry, the entire idea of being a wandering stranger, or some faceless hero just doesn't fit. We should be telling people like Khadgar, Thrall, and Varian what to do, not the other way around.

And you don't see a problem with that story wise? The players power really needs to be reduced a bit and we shouldn't be leaders or inspirations. I just want to be a guy that is good at what he does, better than most. It is just starting to feel like we kill all these big enemies without any effort, that is how strong we have gotten, it doesn't feel like our character is having a tough battle anymore. I mean, how is a group of 25 people, that were just normal at one point, supposed to kill some things like archimonde. How are we tapping into all these powers that no one in the warcraft universe is aware of? It is just getting plain silly and the player his power needs to stop being seen as canon.

[A Chozo]

As the player, I like the journey of zero to hero.

But, as the character... I'll just quote the toughest Old God:
"All that you have accomplished, all that you have won, yet still you lick the boots of kings."
Yes, I obey the king, but just because I don't want to be above him. I don't have that ambition. So a in-between spot would be nice, but it needs to make sense.

In Final Fantasy XIV, you start as the zero, then turns to hero, then after a crushing, ruinous defeat, you'r back to zero again. And then, a new journey to hero... or something else.

[Deleted]

As the player, I like the journey of zero to hero.

But, as the character... I'll just quote the toughest Old God:
"All that you have accomplished, all that you have won, yet still you lick the boots of kings."
Yes, I obey the king, but just because I don't want to be above him. I don't have that ambition. So a in-between spot would be nice, but it needs to make sense.

In Final Fantasy XIV, you start as the zero, then turns to hero, then after a crushing, ruinous defeat, you'r back to zero again. And then, a new journey to hero... or something else.

we could just be part of a special task force or something, you would be a hero known to few, but you wouldn't be known by name to the masses or wouldn't be a "beacon of hope" or anything. people just know that this group that the faction leader send helped defeat the threat.

We should also use more pre battle tactics. weakening our enemy before we strike in a quest chain so it makes more sense lore wise. many of our victories were with the help of others (arthas -> tirion, deathwing -> aspects, KJ -> kalecgos,....) so instead of having to rely on all powerful allies, we should weaken our enemies instead by finding out the source of their power and fight them on our terms.

Maybe that is the issue i'm having most, that our power somehow comes from the player, instead of other ways that actually would make sense. (seriously, how are we still gaining power and no one else in the universe is getting stronger)

[OneSent]

Never really thought of this, and I have to admit, being Billy Badass all the time is boring. There's no room for error because you're obviously setup to succeed from the very beginning.

My character's story in WoW for the past few expansions has felt similar to being Rey from The Force Awakens: too good for my own good. Boring. Predictable.

[SirCowdog]

And you don't see a problem with that story wise? The players power really needs to be reduced a bit and we shouldn't be leaders or inspirations.

I'm going to stop you right there.

WHY does the player-character's power need to be reduced? Why shouldn't we be the leaders?

I just want to be a guy that is good at what he does, better than most. It is just starting to feel like we kill all these big enemies without any effort, that is how strong we have gotten, it doesn't feel like our character is having a tough battle anymore. I mean, how is a group of 25 people, that were just normal at one point, supposed to kill some things like archimonde. How are we tapping into all these powers that no one in the warcraft universe is aware of? It is just getting plain silly and the player his power needs to stop being seen as canon.

It's not silly at all. Again, I have to point to the context and the scope. In Vanilla our heroes were more or less 'normal' people who stepped up and did something extraordinary. But from then on we've progressively been exposed to all manner of magics, transformations, gained new weapons and artifacts, new spells, new environments, and new knowledge.

On top of that, you have to remember that Azeroth is not Earth. Azeroth is a world filled with magic and mythical creatures and people with astounding abilities that defy reality. In that context our heroes are even more powerful. If you want a low-fantasy game where people are just barely getting by using only human strength and skill, then WoW is probably the wrong game for you.

[Taeldorian]

Definitely miss just being the simple adventurer. It actually felt good because it made sense when doing raids, a bunch of adventurers get together to help the heroes of the world overcome the evil shit.

It also made more sense in terms of questing, because being a simple adventurer meant it was okay to receive quests that ask you to clean up dog shit, or exterminate critters. I personally loved it, and do miss it, that's probably what I miss the most from vanilla/tbc.

[feellucky]

This. By this point our achievements and all the enemies we've personally had a hand in defeating can't be ignored.

But we were just one soldier in an army of people that volunteered to bring an end to these dangers to our world. In no way did we single handedly win the day. So while NPCs might know of the groups we belong to I wouldn't expect them to know us by name. Like I know of the tuskegee airmen but I don't know any of their names. A game where everyone is the hero is lame, a game where everyone has the opportunity to be part of a heroic deed is cool though. It doesn't even make sense for all of us to be the main heroes of the game, when everyone is a hero and there's more players than npcs well what does hero even mean anymore. If everyone is a hero its just normal and not above and beyond and therefore not heroic.

[Deleted]

I'm going to stop you right there.

WHY does the player-character's power need to be reduced? Why shouldn't we be the leaders?



It's not silly at all. Again, I have to point to the context and the scope. In Vanilla our heroes were more or less 'normal' people who stepped up and did something extraordinary. But from then on we've progressively been exposed to all manner of magics, transformations, gained new weapons and artifacts, new spells, new environments, and new knowledge.

On top of that, you have to remember that Azeroth is not Earth. Azeroth is a world filled with magic and mythical creatures and people with astounding abilities that defy reality. In that context our heroes are even more powerful. If you want a low-fantasy game where people are just barely getting by using only human strength and skill, then WoW is probably the wrong game for you.

But why is no one else, except the player increasing in power? why is our enemy not exceeding us by a long shot even thought they have been fighting for 50 000s of years sometimes? At some point you would think our enemy would wonder... maybe that group of X amount of people should be dealt with and try to overpower us, but so far, we can kill conveniently everything without an issue (and yes it is without an issue, because lore wise none in our group dies, that's how good we are) Archimonde couldn't even kill 1 of us while we were killing him. This is why the players should not be part of the lore, let stand be greater heroes than uther, tirion, thrall, varian,.... we are unstoppable, and we know it. that is bad story telling.

But we were just one soldier in an army of people that volunteered to bring an end to these dangers to our world. In no way did we single handedly win the day. So while NPCs might know of the groups we belong to I wouldn't expect them to know us by name. Like I know of the tuskegee airmen but I don't know any of their names. A game where everyone is the hero is lame, a game where everyone has the opportunity to be part of a heroic deed is cool though. It doesn't even make sense for all of us to be the main heroes of the game, when everyone is a hero and there's more players than npcs well what does hero even mean anymore. If everyone is a hero its just normal and not above and beyond and therefore not heroic.

exactly, we should just be part of an army, a good one at that, but we aren't gods. We should weaken our enemies before battle or get help from appropriate npc's in the bigger battles. but we should not be winning like we are now where we are what turns the tide of battle.

[Khaza-R]

I miss being an adventurer. Because that's what I want to do in games. The story is more fun and engaging when it doesn't constantly revolve around you.

[Deleted]

we should submit this somewhere on the forums i guess... or everyone should send a suggestion in-game if they can

[Twen]

As the player, I like the journey of zero to hero.

But, as the character... I'll just quote the toughest Old God:
"All that you have accomplished, all that you have won, yet still you lick the boots of kings."
Yes, I obey the king, but just because I don't want to be above him. I don't have that ambition. So a in-between spot would be nice, but it needs to make sense.

In Final Fantasy XIV, you start as the zero, then turns to hero, then after a crushing, ruinous defeat, you'r back to zero again. And then, a new journey to hero... or something else.

As a new-ish player still working through the story of FFXIV - and it being very story-focused game indeed - thanks for that spoiler.

[Darththeo]

I miss being an adventurer. Because that's what I want to do in games. The story is more fun and engaging when it doesn't constantly revolve around you.

You can be a known adventurer, but the story doesn't need to involve around you.

WoD failed because we were the garrison leader, we were the Commander/General of our forces in Draenor, I rather be A commander rather than THE Commander and they could have done this easier in Draenor IF we got to choose where we placed our garrison, even if it was just a few zones rather than all. The other locals could be Garrison controlled by "other" commanders and we are one of a select few.

And they could have made us feel like we were one of Khadger's trusted individuals rather than his Selected Hero. Honestly, the cape at least hinted at the fact Wraithion wasn't selecting a favorite until the end. Khadger, I always felt like his chosen.

---

Now in Legion, we are THE Class Leader, and that doesn't make sense to me personality. I understand that some classes have a leader, but some don't seem to need one. Warriors are essentially for the most part soldiers of their faction/race, so they already have a leader ... why would Warriors need to group up together? Paladins have had a class faction for a while so it can make sense for them to expand to the other Paladin races to work together. Priests as well has kind of had that.

Frankly, I don't want to be a leader of Paladins or Hunters or Warlocks. In my mind, the only reason my Warlock doesn't burn everyone is that they are still useful in some respect to her. The idea of working with Warlocks for a goal just doesn't make sense. Warlocks always seem more of Me First, you can burn type of class.

I am okay with getting something like the Ashbringer, that doesn't bother me ... but the fact I am made to feel like Tirion himself chose me to replace him as wielder of the Ashbringer doesn't make sense. I don't see how they can do artifacts with class halls and not make people "special snowflakes."

[PrairieChicken]

Some degree of recognition is fine, "the Chosen One" in mmo with millions of players sounds totally absurd

[saintminya]

I'm glad to finally be recognized for my amazing achievements in game. With all that our player characters have done, it'd be absurd for that to go un-noticed.

[Deleted]

Well, that wouldn't make sense to be a nameless hero after having killed old gods, lich king, deathwing, archimonde, etc, even though I do miss being the nameless hero, it would feel weird

Eventually, that would work if we were to go in a new world whose inhabitants ignore everything about us and where everything seems tu surpass our powers, or something like that

[khalltusk]

I'm fine with how they are progressing with the story, I look at it like a journey. My Shaman doing all that work in TBC and Vanilla then my DK coming in at wrath taking over and starting a new story. Slowly working their way up. In WoD we get the nod and become the leader of the forces in Draenor.

I like that its pretty cool as its still an RPG. In RPGs you are the hero nameless or not.

[theun]

The idea of your character starting from a nothing to a grand hero is in itself not a bad idea. In fact it makes sense in story that by this point people look up to you as a great champion. But rather the issue here is that in doing so, it shows a flaw that in the way WoW tells the story of your character that in my opinion had been treading on since it's inception.

Your hero, from the beginning to now has always been, a 'Yes man'

This was not a notable issue with some when WoW was in it's early days where you were just a novice, following orders from higher ups and what not and it was a time when MMORPGs was still something relatively fresh. However, as more and more expansions come, the disconnect becomes more apparent. Despite slowly building yourself to be a hero, your character is always a blank mute guy, who always accept the quests with no option of suggesting alternatives to affect quests or giving your own input on things. The system forces you to accept fetch quests even if you are the grand champion of your class (and there are fetch quests). The game's system forces you to accept quests that involves saving or killing NPCs even if you might want to see an alternative. Your character's role in the games is always predefined. Compare this to games that came later like SW:The Old Republic or Elder Scrolls: Online. In those game you can accept quests, but you can also choose the way that he/she responds, whether he is more good or evil, 'role playing'. And the in quest themselves, you can often choose to complete a quest one way or a different way which can lead to different rewards or subsequent consequences on future quests etc The only time I really felt that your WoW character wasn't pushed into a pre-set viewpoint on things is the early factions up til WoTLK where you can gain or lose rep with. Like those furbolgs in Winterspring. You could do things for them and slowly earn their trust or just say fuck it and kill them all to reach your destination. Choosing one side over the other, getting different rewards and quests for either the Scryers or the Aldors, or the Oracles or Frenzyhearts. Hell even relatively minor things like in Grizzly Hills where in that massive tree there is a civil war between furbolgs and if you kill one tribe the other will temporarily see you as an ally. It was a minor but it was also pretty cool, it adds to role playing. And by the way I don't really see that anymore. Building rep to gain the trust of initially hostile factions and choosing one side over the other (even if this is easily undone by simply grinding rep for the other faction)
This isn't something I blame anyone on, WoW was made over a decade ago and I'm not exactly expecting them to start making dialogue wheels for your character, it's far too late for that kind of interaction now. It's just a flaw in character story telling that is only really going to get bigger the more lorewise-recognition your character gets. The fetching of items for people who should be fetching stuff for you. The kill orders that people impose on you even though as it stands right now you should be able to tell them to shut the fuck up and lay out an alternative.


TLR
You going from zero to biggest hero is not a bad thing.
You doing that throughout the whole game being a boring, muted yes-man with no way of expressing your views or give narrative changing alternatives whilst still hemlocked into sometimes doing menial tasks, on the other hand is. As is the wiping of those moments that gives us the 'RPG' elements of the game, however minute they were.