The Faction War: Should it be Continued?

[lazypeon100]

So, I lurk the lore related forums here and I've noticed a trend over the years of some players being tired of the whole "Horde versus Alliance" story.

My qustion is this, do you think the faction war should continue from a story perspective? Or do you think things are better off without it? How come for whatever you answer, I'm genuinely curious.

Personally, I would like the faction war to keep going. I always picture my orc hunter as a Horde Loyalist, and as an orcish raider (I like world pvp a lot and used to attack alliance cities a bunch). I like the points of contention between the two factions from a story perspective and I enjoy how they find different ways of solving their issues.

The con to this? Some of the situations to keep the faction war often feels forced. In addition, with world destroying threats, it often makes more sense for alliance and horde to work together, rather than against each other.

I think a good middle ground should be more focus on the different factions that make up each faction. Blood Elves are still Horde. But some of their best lore came from MoP ehen they had rising tensions in the Horde, as an example.

[huth]

No. Not as a major faction war, anyway. Horde and Alliance warring against one another makes little sense at this point. Border scuffles and semi-independent factions fighting one another like in the battlegrounds, sure, but not the Horde or Alliance as a whole against each other.

Besides, we're constantly beset by outside forces. There's hardly any time for it anyway. Having Horde and Alliance at each others throats while the entire continent/world/universe is at stake is beyond stupid.

[Deleted]

when we deal with Azshara/ N'zoth/ Void Gods and whatever else, I really REALLY hope we go back to the old style world of WARcraft...

You know... like in the old times where we rode across the sea to invade The Crossroads with the forces of the Alliance !
Or when we bashed skulls of our enemies for the glory of the Horde !
I'm starting to miss those times. I really do. Maybe when we deal with all the evil stuff in the universe, we can once again be just a travelling adventurers.

I really enjoyed Mists of Pandaria story, especially in Landfall (5.1) because the game almost felt like the old times. Good old Alliance vs Horde. Maybe I'm just getting sick of all the gods/demigods, titans, spaceships we constantly fighting...

Just let me chop off some orc heads already god damn it !!!

[lazypeon100]

No. Not as a major faction war, anyway. Horde and Alliance warring against one another makes little sense at this point. Border scuffles and semi-independent factions fighting one another like in the battlegrounds, sure, but not the Horde or Alliance as a whole against each other.

Besides, we're constantly beset by outside forces. There's hardly any time for it anyway. Having Horde and Alliance at each others throats while the entire continent/world/universe is at stake is beyond stupid.

I get that completely. But the cost of that seeing old hatreds just suddenly disappear for most of these characters that go neutral, there doesn't seem to be much of any conflict going on against two factions that have been enemies for decades.

Again, I think the best way to handle it would be a bigger focus on the individual nations that make up the different factions. Maybe the Orcs still cling to their hatred of humans while the Tauren try to see past old rivalries and work with one another?

Perhaps the Humans could try to start a conflict specific to the Forsaken yet try to reforge ties with other member factions of the Horde?

I think that would be a good way of keep a "faction war" or at least faction related disputes front and center without it detracting entirely from world destroying threat #35.

[derpkitteh]

"teehee WARcraft! war in warcraft!"

fuck off, goddammit. we're fighting fucking existential wars every fucking year, that's your goddamned war.

no, the faction war shouldn't continue. it's a load of shit, and it always will be.

[lazypeon100]

"teehee WARcraft! war in warcraft!"

fuck off, goddammit. we're fighting fucking existential wars every fucking year, that's your goddamned war.

no, the faction war shouldn't continue. it's a load of shit, and it always will be.

To be fair, the faction war has been the core of warcraft / where it started for years now.

I don't think it's unreasonable for people to want to see it still in some fashion, whether that be an overt focus or maybe just adding a bit more nuance to it.

[tikcol]

Horde vs Alliance > Power rangers vs big bad darkness

[Shampro]

Cold wars here and there, sure, it being the center of attention? No, it'd be shallow with all that we've freaking done together. I'm saving Alliance faction leaders right fucking now dammit. Fucking Vareesa is talking to me in world quests, are you serious?

It also usually leads to one of the factions getting shafted one way or another, which doesn't feel good at all. Mainly because they usually paint one side as the ''right'' side at the end. No, I don't think they can handle it well it at this point, and it literally makes me shiver to think what else they'll do to stomp more leaders, specially on the Horde side, good lord.

Cold wars and small skirmishes maybe, story driving force? Nope.

[Deleted]

Yes, this is world of WARcraft. Screw these Alliance pigs.

Besides, the Horde has a score to settle. The Alliance got to win the war and siege the enemy capital, it's only fair we return the favour eventually. Or it's the most extreme Alliance bias there has ever been.

[Skoll Shorties]

I quite enjoy the faction war. And I also enjoy the neutrality between both sides. Mists of Pandaria may have wrapped this up but I do believe there are some stories to still tell between the two factions. Even if it doesn't evolve into a war like before at the very least there will still be a conflict between the two sides. I myself really enjoyed Stormheim this expansion and have thus far detested the "Class Only" story that they've been doing.

So yes, I want to see the return of the Faction Conflict between the Alliance and Horde. There's a reason Mists of Pandaria has become my favorite expansion and the Faction vs Faction was one of those reasons.

[lazypeon100]

Yes, this is world of WARcraft. Screw these Alliance pigs.

Besides, the Horde has a score to settle. The Alliance got to win the war and siege the enemy capital, it's only fair we return the favour eventually. Or it's the most extreme Alliance bias there has ever been.

Eh, I personally don't mind when things aren't exactly fair. There is still war in warcraft even without the faction war, I just think that going back to its roots in some form or another (per my suggestion, or perhaps one of the other suggestions in this thread) would be good. I dislike that so many characters just seemingly become totally neutral and have no hard feelings against orcs that slaughtered their people, or humans that completely misunderstood their entire race, etc.

It feels really weird honestly. I do think there are some legitimate points from those who don't want the faction war (focusing on H v A makes little sense when literal gods are trying to kill the planet).

[Gaidax]

What war lol? We, glorious and mighty Alliance can destroy those silly Horde peasants at moment's notice, just like when we waltzed into Undercity and Orgrimmar and trashed these when they got too cheeky there.

It ain't no war, more like Horde mosquitoes being occasional annoyance.

[Rend Blackhand]

Horde vs Alliance is the core of Warcraft.

It would be like removing the Jedi and Sith from Star Wars.

[lazypeon100]

What war lol? We, glorious and mighty Alliance can destroy those silly Horde peasants at moment's notice, just like when we waltzed into Undercity and Orgrimmar and trashed these when they got too cheeky there.

It ain't no war, more like Horde mosquitoes being occasional annoyance.

Pah! How quickly you forget the destruction of southshore, a war the Horde won! Or how about Theramore, still in ruins is it not?

We will see your homes burned and pillaged to the ground! Lok'tar Ogar!

/rp off.

I actually like seeing stuff like that, but it becomes harder to feel attached to that lately because we keep drifting further and further away from the old hatreds.

[Arrashi]

Depends what you mean. Actual conflict ? Hell yeah. The "random horde leader becomes insane" thing ? It can go to hell.

[Florena]

To be fair, the faction war has been the core of warcraft / where it started for years now.

I don't think it's unreasonable for people to want to see it still in some fashion, whether that be an overt focus or maybe just adding a bit more nuance to it.

No. It was the core of wc 1 and 2. 3 was about working together against the legion. Wow has included faction conflict but it hasn't been the core of wow no matter how much people say it is.

Even the big conflict in Cata and MoP ended with the alliance and playable horde faction united vs garrosh.

[Jastall]

Horde vs Alliance > Power rangers vs big bad darkness

Except Blizzard's character writing is so bad that, at this point, Power Rangers vs Big Bad has more depth and sense to it than Horde vs Alliance.

Plus, faction wars make 0 sense when I then turn around and do the bidding of Dadgar, Velen and Vereesa.

[huth]

It's not the writing, it's the games format. They can't give either side much.

To be fair, the faction war has been the core of warcraft / where it started for years now.

I don't think it's unreasonable for people to want to see it still in some fashion, whether that be an overt focus or maybe just adding a bit more nuance to it.

Frankly, just the format of the game makes it inherently unfullfilling, since neither side can ever get any decisive victories. Even SoO ultimately ended with little change to the status quo.

No. It was the core of wc 1 and 2. 3 was about working together against the legion. Wow has included faction conflict but it hasn't been the core of wow no matter how much people say it is.

People should also remember that at this point, the post WC3 area is longer than WC1-WC3. WarCraft hasn't been primarily about Horde vs. Alliance for the majority of its existence. Even in MoP it was just a side story that quickly got overtaken by Horde and Alliance vs. Garrosh.

[lazypeon100]

Depends what you mean. Actual conflict ? Hell yeah. The "random horde leader becomes insane" thing ? It can go to hell.

I would prefer the former.

[Otimus]

The faction war makes absolutely no sense, because we pretty much always work together in every god damned expansion. It's just flat out dumb that we get collective amnesia and go back to being bitter enemies.

It's pretty clear that it's only there for game reasons, and is just shoehorned in otherwise. It's pretty clear that's what Warcraft 3, in the end, was building up to.