Suramar - Truly epic, hoping for an Epic tale!

[Mace]

Just been there in the Court of Stars, breath taking place. I really hope they don't let this be another Skywall, so amazing, yet used only for one expansion and only in an instance, no major use beyond raid/instance. It is such an epic city, centrally tied to the Elves, the only remainder of the once great Empire, it deserves to play an Epic role for the future and re-building of the Elven races, and they need to gain some of their mojo that has seemed missing throughout WoW, since WC3 actually.

So, I'm hoping we can actually win it back for the Elves! See night elf, highborne, high elf/blood elf, nightborne rebels/nightfallen freedom fighters all finally unite under this city and maybe even have it as the main base of operations possible for the Thal'dranath campaign? Like Sunwell and the Shattari - but with a post raid phase that will be full city and quest hub to launch from.

An Epic Tale!
It would be an epic tale, the culmination of elven involvement and central role in the motivation and galvanisation of their race to thwart the legion this 3rd time round. Elves united in a new Elven united NPC faction made up of our night elves, our high elves, our blood elves, nightfallen and nightborne - united to drive this city back.

It's been really well done, Blizzards best city art work to date, and I didn't think anything would beat Skywall in Cata. But seeing this, THIS ! you are struck with the sense of wonder that really makes you believe the narrative when it said the Elven civilization was the zenith point of Azeroth, the golden age, that no other has come close. Mordent Evenshade remarks in Darnassus that the wonders of this age pale in comparison that of the past. You see what he means.

It is significant for an epic Elven tale to be written, we haven't really had one night elf centred, encompassing their whole society past and present in wow's existence, had the druids in Hyjal but that was it. and no fist bump moments or them coming to light like before.

But this - this is the sort of setting that would tug at the heart strings of any elf - Suramar, thought lost to the seas, forgotten by all but a few ancients alive, only tales to younger generations of Elves. a faded memory, now there, not partially ruined, not crumbling but in the splendour of an age gone by. What sort of reaction does this produce.

All of a sudden, night elves remember what they really lost, highborne and non-highborne alike, the profound sense of what the legion really took, the magic the non-highborne gave up, the years of living in the forest not rebuilding society, constant vigil, no rest, war and horror, then losing their immortality, - it's like it was the last straw, this visage, this city in the flesh, and they remember they were once very great, but for the demons who came and messed it all up, destroying the great forests and cities and the millions -
Suramar for the ancient night elves brings both the joy and the pain back. Enough! The life and determination that will fill them..

no, they will not have this lost to them, not this, not the Broken Isles, not Azeroth, not anything. The Legion must be destroyed, gone and very petty seeming now are the animosities against demon hunters, or highborne or non-highborne or blood elves or high elves, they seem small compared to what they stand to lose if the legion wins, and what they stand to win if all elves unite once more for the first time since pre-Legion.

and so the Night elves lead, gathering the different elven groups - and we have a new NPC faction.

The Younger Night Elves:
They only heard of it in tales of horror, that taught of the errors of pride, a thing they should have been ashamed of, magic running in their blood yet forbidden to touch, lest a horror return. But the horror did return, and yet more was lost, magic returned in the returned highborne, but what could it do that druidism couldn't, mages of the alliance had struggled like any in the 3rd war.

Now enter Suramar, so this was what Elves could do when nature, arcane and divine worked together in unison, and learning was at its peak, this was what the Elves had and were shaping the world when horror and nightmare entered. The elves were very great together, and now after losing so much, these demon filth have returned to take every thing away, no, this time they would not be permitted, they will fight.

The High Elves and The Blood Elves:
Quel'thalas seemed a paradise, measured against the excuse for civilization the younger race lived in, yet it was brought to its knees. The Ancients returned, although they never experienced the exile, their ancestors spoke of the group that expelled them for wanting to do nothing but continue, bathed in power yet refusing to use it, admiration and fear turned to contempt and disdain, they chose to live animals, yet they were capable of so much more, why won't they use what they have, why did they cow away from rebuilding? What was so important that they didn't restore.

Then they behold Suramar - and the extent of exactly how much was lost, forest and city how it use to be, the heavy price, the shame, and now the demons, the ones responsible for all of this. The ones that fractured the elven people and robbed them of their legacy. Contempt for the ancestors fades with understanding in the light of the scope of what was lost, high elf contempt for the Illidari Demon hunters numbed and replaced with grudging respect for those who sacrificed everything to eliminate the evil of the legion. Blood elves face fresh again with teh prospect of greatness ruined and lost again even put aside power plays against their kin, No! All must unite.

I havne't seen much of our night elves (save for the druids), hardly anything of our blood elves, nothing of the high elves where the elven groups should be the stars of this expansion. Maybe they lead us in the final offensive against Gul'dan uniting under this new npc faction, then later on the same city, their new capital, from where they send us to the last zone.

Nightfallen and Nightborne:
Those that called to us for aid, who reached out, and who we worked with, the moment the likes of Tyrande, Mordant Evenshade, Alleria Windrunner, Malfurion see what has become of their relatives and friends, the desire to save as many nightborne from the clutches of Gul'dan who threatened them, give them hope that they are not isolated like they were misled to believe, and remove the traitors. No way would the legion claim this last bastion of the glory of the Elves, nor will they have Azeroth.

The nightborne and night fallen have helped us in the zone quests, they are all to happy to once more be one people again. They will form the bulk of the populace of the city once rescued. AFterall, the night elves and Blood elves are still part of the Alliance/Horde racially, though now many have become this new nation faction. We help out, but still stay with the horde/alliance because the rest of the work is not done. But the new group aim to rebuild the broken isles and the restore the lost kingdom of the elves.

Conclusion:
In truth, the Elves are fired up now, it took Sargeras to sway the Queen, and to their credit her group was in the vast minority, they fought - unlike the Eredar, who the resistors were instead in the vast minority. Yet the Queen controlled the well, and the might of the Legion on their side, yet the Elves united the planet, and saved the day. But it cost them, very dearly, for 10,000 years they would not rebuild, and not use magic, those that did, would instead hide in their cities or new lands content to stay hidden, they won, Azeroth was saved, but they were broken.

I'm so pleased they did this so well, I was so disappointed with Azshara's palace in Cata, it did not look at all like the wonder the narratives had spoken about.

initially I thought the ruins of Nar'thalas was what they giving, and I was also saddened, thinking, no, it should be much better, they do such amazing work on cities, they should go all out for this.

I'm so pleased I was wrong, this really lives up to it. And this is why I feel it needs a special role and theme thrusting into the future.

Suramar shows all elves, Night elves, blood elves, high elves, highborne shen'drelar a glimpse of what could have been if not for the Legion, and it also gives them hope of what could still be, afterall, it's just a matter of repair and rebuild, and they have the knowledge in the ancients/ Since elves thrive on beauty, I think this should push them over the edge and past their differences, not all of them ofc, but certainly for the remainder of legion, and permanently for large enough group to work together.

I hope they make more of it in the story, I'm tired of the story not always living up to the breathtaking scope of the art. Breathtaking art, breathtaking story. Legion is very dark, this can be at least a light of hope, and maybe the start of turning tide for Azeroth. The elves have come alive again, and remind the world that the need to build a world worth protecting.

[TyrianFC]

Skywall, so amazing, yet used only for one expansion and only in an instance, no major use beyond raid/instance

Yeah - all the Skywall art was vastly underused and super beautiful. I agree that hopefully Suramar doesnt suffer the same fate.

[DarthMonk79]

I could see the Blood Elves desiring it, the Night Elves not so much. They have that fear of what happened when magic was used, also they've gotten so used to the world of nature, being in a city might be hard for them. Why not make it the new home for blood elves with some neutral zones for other elves/factions. Sorta like Shattrath, but less open and just have the far bank be available to all elves, thus allowing the alliance, yet the majesty and grand city be Belves new home.

[Hey There Guys its Metro]

It wont suffer the same fate, Suramar is a zone, a dungeon set, and the main raid of the first tier.
Already 100x better than Skywall.
Regardless, I wouldn't expect it to go beyond that.
Its a city, after all. You don't expect the city to start moving around like Dalaran just so we can keep the art style right?

[Mace]

I could see the Blood Elves desiring it, the Night Elves not so much. They have that fear of what happened when magic was used, also they've gotten so used to the world of nature, being in a city might be hard for them. Why not make it the new home for blood elves with some neutral zones for other elves/factions. Sorta like Shattrath, but less open and just have the far bank be available to all elves, thus allowing the alliance, yet the majesty and grand city be Belves new home.

oh they could weave it that way, but it would be underwhelming, and very unusal, ignoble and not in character of the sort of people the elves are described as. THe night elves would probably be the most pumped from this, afterall the blood elves had gotten a renewed sense of purpose in TBC this is why you view them differently, the story of hope for them has been told, the night elves have just been really struggling and Suramar is just the sort of place that reminds them of what they were once, what they could be again. But it's potential is enough to touch all the elven groups greatly. The biggest change would be on the night elves. Here is how:

Suramar and the way it was before was soo long ago, a very faded memory, you remember, but it's so distant you barely recall, it's buried in great grief, despair and shame, you don't want to remember it, so you conditionally forget, everything that reminds you of that age, you bury, and keep buried for 10,000 years, it's far too painful, and you have job to do, a world to defend.

You live in the forests, abandon civilization - because that's the past, it's never coming back, you villify much of what you once had too, even though much of it was good, because of the devastation that came as a result of the Queen's betrayal, marring the memory of all you held dear, a beautiful world, a beautiful civilziasion, things that people today wouldn't even dream of but now jaded and remembered as bad through the lens of grief and sorrow.

You have to appreciate the toll something like takes, the trauma of the first Legion invasion, the horror it would have borne down on the Elves, it helps you understand the elven civil conflict that has ensued since - it broke an insperable people. And now 10,000 years, losing more than gaining, living for the world and not for your people, sacrificed your magic, your civilization, then faithfully committing to an eternal vigil, then losing your immortality after it all 10k years later post numerous conflicts, you're on the brink, a cataclysm recently hit, it was all you could do to survive, highborne returned, at that point you even go "might as well start using magic again, what little is left", it would help etc, but this is a grim world.

Think walking dead, level but it's gone on for 10,000 years - this is night elves post apocalypse war with the vesitges of corruption and the demonic constnatly popping up and the potential return of the threat keeping you constantly moving, never building. This is post apocalypse for you and modern civilization by the standards of other races like humans/dwarves/trolls/gnomes etc is like living in the sticks to you, but you've long since put aside grieving over that, forgotten about your previous life, former civilization, buried it in hate for your folly, you pride which caused this mess.

This is the state of mind generally speaking the ancient night elf and to a lesser extent the younger ones and some of the highborne even high elves too, worn down, hanging on, despite all your power, strength, intelligent, magical apititude your spirits are very low, it's survival mode.

Then, Suramar - hidden, once gone forever, now revealed, all those defenses of anger, shame, grief that you had buried the memories under are all stripped away, the cruel taunt of the very greatness used to stoke shame for 10,000 years also gone as you behold something you never thought you would ever lay eyes on, something you thought totally lost, never to be regained, the image of which you had forgotten... and there it is, in its beauty, it's majesty - OMG!! You remember -- it wasn't bad at all, it was amazing. You and your people did great works, and much good for Azeroth. You remember it wasn't misguided and wrong it was amazing, it was very good, an amazing thing going...and now it's here, it's still here. It wasn't all completely lost. Do you know what that means? It wasn't all lost.

OMG! You remember, what was worth saving, fighting for more than revenge or vengeance. It survived, and it thrived, society operating as it use to, what could have been if there was no legion. Hope, faith, zeal flood your heart, pride but not vanity. There it is, what the world today never saw or knew could exist, not all lost.

Now you really feel it, the scope of what the legion robbed from you, but despair wouldn't fill your heart now, no, it's rage, Zeal, determination, they are back and this thriving remainder of your greatness, of how things could be again, if this could surivve and be, then everything that remains can be rebuilt, i mean seeing this brings real hope - in this light the squabbles that split the elves seem like nothing, hope's back in the picture. And the ancient enemy, is back..wants to take it all away again for a second time,

NO! not this time, it's enough to fight them for revenge or to stay alive, or to protect the world, you fight them for hope, to rebuild again, to make Azeroth the beautiful paradise you had once done. Shame and disdain, remorse at yourself undone in the light of the possibility of what could be. A hope to live, to fix it all, the tools, the expertise, the people - but this obstacle remains.

The ancient enemy. No way are you going to sit down and let them win, it's like the strength of youth returns, becasue this is what you remember from your youth All that steely resolve and duty that endured for 10,000 years is now given the fire of zeal and hope of life to partner. .. well elves have never been more dangeorus, - this would be a zeal unlike ever before, this would surpass the fulfillment of the watch in the 3rd war, the return they had been guarding against a war of preservation only.. this would certainly fulfil the first one which caught them totally unprepared, had them in shock and horror.. not this time though. This time they have the fire of love and hope, renewed identity, remembering who they are - this is to add to their courage and their steely resolve.

THis is why I expect them to truly awaken here, like a second awakening - it's the potential to be a re-defining moment for the elves, all elves, and the night elves in particular a great revival.

You can write an epic tale to touch anybody's heart, milllennia of loss, valiantly carrying on, hanging in there, all manner of problems, but steely doing your job, on the brink and then this, the spark that re-ignites the fire. That's what Suramar should be doing to the elves. And night elves most of all.

Remember these are Elves - they are highborne and non-highborne but they are elves, now you can see them shine for a change in Warcraft after 12 years of been battered and bruised. For a change.

[Drewbacca]

Geez, dude. Brevity is a good thing.

[SoulSoBreezy]

It wont suffer the same fate, Suramar is a zone, a dungeon set, and the main raid of the first tier.
Already 100x better than Skywall.
Regardless, I wouldn't expect it to go beyond that.
Its a city, after all. You don't expect the city to start moving around like Dalaran just so we can keep the art style right?

Yeah; lorewise, that's the only intact ancient NE-like city.
Here's to hoping that future world design uses the same or greater efforts as Legion. The terrain is incredibly well thought out.

[ro9ue]

Some screenshots I took of Suramar/Tomb if you're interested :P

http://imgur.com/a/afaP8

[Etselion]

Some screenshots I took of Suramar/Tomb if you're interested :P

http://imgur.com/a/afaP8

The elf city seems pretty empty (no mobs, npcs,players).

Its a quest hub, or all that is the instanced dungeon and raid?

[ro9ue]

The elf city seems pretty empty.

Its a quest hub, or all that is the instanced dungeon and raid?

It's empty because I used my DH to Double Jump/Glide my way to the top of Suramar and I probably wasn't supposed to be there lol.

[sykoex]

Some screenshots I took of Suramar/Tomb if you're interested :P

http://imgur.com/a/afaP8

Wow that looks incredible. First time seeing this zone. Is this something coming in a future patch like Tanaan?

[LazarusLong]

Wow that looks incredible. First time seeing this zone. Is this something coming in a future patch like Tanaan?

No, its a current max level zone with starter raid.

[Gaidax]

Yes it's pretty great indeed, huge city, biggest in WoW so far and some fun quests there, but Court Of Stars is really annoying, it was nice first and second time around, but I can see it being avoided like plague in general due to all the RP in the way, like that spy part is really annoying to do after a while.

[Mace]

- - - Updated - - -

Geez, dude. Brevity is a good thing.

too true, I don't think DarthMonk79 was seeing the full potential of this, so I tried to show an example of what it might be going into the head of a night elf. Blizzard uses very powerful themes and very strong descriptions of the history of the elves, the events of the shattering, it's a world changing, people defining events, something like Suramar atually being around after being lost for so long, like it is, holds great significance to all elves, but none more than the very ancients who've lived in it, tasted and had it robbed from them. Their people broken, but they fought, to survive, to save the rest of the world - but the scars would run deep, deep enough to send them into a crazy though very selfless 10k year long vigil - thought everything was lost, now to find out it wasn't?

The hope this would stir, the fire it would stir, it all of a sudden becomes much more than fending of an enemy for preservation and vengeance, but the power of remebering their real identity, self (discovering if a younger night elf or a high or blood elf) etc, would be awoken and tied to this. They'd be motivated in ways their nightborne kin who've lived in the splendor for so long would not be able to be, and be the galvanising hope to them to mount up a rebellion against the new masters.

And so the tale should be spun accordingly - a masterpiece of art like that requires a masterpiece of story to bring out its full potential - something deep, and a great change, but this time one of hope that we haven't seen before, not seen the elves, in particular the night elves hopeful, nor have seen the elves come together either - it would need an awesome setting with deep meanings tied to their ancient golden past. And this has the potential to be such a focal point to weave another great story - Afterall we've had the legion come and destroy and theraten destruction - lets have the Elves find themselves again with new purpose and life and light in their eyes. This time they would fight all out, to save both the city unscathed and annhilate the evil of the legions.

If I could show this in a movie, i would show the elves eye glow steadily diminish after the 3rd war, but brighten to a blaze in the wake of Suramar's discovery. Just for effect.

[Gamevizier]

ermm you guys do realize that Darnassus is a new city and not just some random NE ruins right? Fandral grew Teldrassil after the events of Warcraft 3.

IMO they should replace Darnassus city art with Suramar. that would give me more reasons to go there and spend some time in the NE capital...well that and some portals + pvp vendors.

[Mace]

I don't think so, I'd lvoe them to rebuild old night elf ruins, and maybe build other cities -- but to be honest, night elves just need to fix old stuff. Repair the ruins of other towns and cities , start with the rest of SUramar, like Falanar, fix up Narthalas in Azsuna, fix up the Broken Shore, fix up Eversong Woods Ghostlands, Fix up Dire Maul - some amazing ruins in Desolace, Feralas and Ashenvale.

Azshara is lost to the goblins - for now, although I think the return of Kezan could probably fixx that issue, but it's a big place, realistically there is room for both.

Darnassus, was planted and grown in 4 short years, it was the Night Elven vigil groups first attempt at rebuilding for the first time in 10,000 years - so kinda baby stepsm, and it was built with only the nature wing in operation, the highborne did not return till the Cataclysm nearly 10 years later. With the highborne back, they would have both the arcane and nature working in uniosn like the old days.. but I don't think they would have much heart in it, memories too painful, Well of Eternity under lock and key.

but enter Suramar, it would remind them of what they were once, what all elves could do together, and it won't be just a night elf and highborne thing, it would be a high elf and blood elf thing too and nightborne, remember they are all elves, and some of that group were alive and probably helped in the original building of the place.

It's the heart and courage Suramar brings that I could see potentially motivating and really firing them up, I keep saying it's one thing to be motivated by payback and survival, but the real fire comes in hope. Something to live for, not just merely survive lost in a by gone age nobody but you remember and you can only tell your children and their generations off. IT wasn't all lost, One remains, thirving, in tact, bringing a well spring of hope and a future to fight for.. not a future of skulking around in a crumbling city (eldre'thalas) or self inflicted penance and duty to everyone else but yourself (long vigil) or a secluded idyllic private retreat home (Quel'thalas - with modesty) - no this can speak of so much more.

With nightwell, sunwell and well of eternity, lessons learnt from the past, new hope - the Elves original mandate of not just protecting the world but making it beautiful and seeing it flourish is back on track - at least tha'ts what it would be to them. And it's okay to be that distinguised.

I'm tired of so many ruins all the time, it's a delight to seee Suramar, and i for one wish we saw much more fixed stuff. or had a chance to fix it.

[Kuntantee]

Can we get a TLR for your forum role play?

[ls-]

Can we get a TLR for your forum role play?

Preach made a video on Suramar. It actually looks good.

And once again, blizz can't please all everyone at once, even in comments to the video there are people who say "fuck this RPG shit", lel...

[Kellorion]

Aye, it looks like Darnassus and Quel'thalas had a hot date in SMV(AU). Very awesome.

[DarthMonk79]

- - - Updated - - -



too true, I don't think DarthMonk79 was seeing the full potential of this, so I tried to show an example of what it might be going into the head of a night elf. Blizzard uses very powerful themes and very strong descriptions of the history of the elves, the events of the shattering, it's a world changing, people defining events, something like Suramar atually being around after being lost for so long, like it is, holds great significance to all elves, but none more than the very ancients who've lived in it, tasted and had it robbed from them. Their people broken, but they fought, to survive, to save the rest of the world - but the scars would run deep, deep enough to send them into a crazy though very selfless 10k year long vigil - thought everything was lost, now to find out it wasn't?

The hope this would stir, the fire it would stir, it all of a sudden becomes much more than fending of an enemy for preservation and vengeance, but the power of remebering their real identity, self (discovering if a younger night elf or a high or blood elf) etc, would be awoken and tied to this. They'd be motivated in ways their nightborne kin who've lived in the splendor for so long would not be able to be, and be the galvanising hope to them to mount up a rebellion against the new masters.

And so the tale should be spun accordingly - a masterpiece of art like that requires a masterpiece of story to bring out its full potential - something deep, and a great change, but this time one of hope that we haven't seen before, not seen the elves, in particular the night elves hopeful, nor have seen the elves come together either - it would need an awesome setting with deep meanings tied to their ancient golden past. And this has the potential to be such a focal point to weave another great story - Afterall we've had the legion come and destroy and theraten destruction - lets have the Elves find themselves again with new purpose and life and light in their eyes. This time they would fight all out, to save both the city unscathed and annhilate the evil of the legions.

If I could show this in a movie, i would show the elves eye glow steadily diminish after the 3rd war, but brighten to a blaze in the wake of Suramar's discovery. Just for effect.

Not saying its a bad thing, its beautiful and they can hopefully do a lot with it. I'm just saying looking at the Leadership of the NElves. Its a priestess and a druid, both of which remember the original war. They fear/hate the thought of Arcane magic coming back. Yes you can now play a mage as a NElf but I've always considered them rebels. They barely tolerate the few highborne amongst them. So do you go back to the birthright and majestic original capital of your people, a people that have drastically changed over the centuries, or do you stay in your tree, maybe even make a 2nd hub where the Druid Order Hall is or even after the World Tree there is cleansed.