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  1. #1

    Can the Alliance carry its own storyline?

    The Horde has proven that it doesn't need the Alliance to develop lore, we saw that with Garrosh's conflict with Thrall/Saurfang during and before Wrath, His ascendance and turbulence as Warchief, Thrall departure and journey in Cataclysm, the internal Horde struggle and now with the Revolution led by Vol'jin. Alliance contribution to that lore has been very minimal and rarely if ever pivotal.

    Alliance on the other hand has never shined on it's own. When Varian returned/introduced he was immediately thrusted into a conflict with the Horde, we barely even saw him get acclimated with the leaders and workings of the Alliance. When Malfurion returned he was completely overshadowed by Thrall and Cenarius, he got next to no fanfare in Darnassus about his much awaited return or him possibly taking a leadership role in the Alliance. Even Anduin the future of the Alliance, his main storyline is peace with Horde.

    The storyline of the human cities suffering from famine and chronic food shortages was dropped midway, the Gnomes reclaiming Gnomergon hasn't paid off, the Dwarves and their internal conflict never got the attention it warranted. Countless other storylines like Maiev feud with the Night Elf establishment, Dranei in general.

    The question is does Blizz not think the Alliance can have an interesting enough storyline that doesn't involve the Horde somehow? and if so are they right?

  2. #2
    Deleted
    Well, a big percentage of WoW villains is made of ex-members of the Alliance or directly tied with Alliance races (Onyxia, Ragnaros, Nefarian, Kel'Thuzad, Kael'thas, Illidan, Arthas, Azshara... ). Lets also not forget that no Horde race is directly tied to the Titans, except the Blood Elves. So a big, big chunk of Warcraft history comes from the Alliance.

  3. #3
    That's more background concept than actual storyline, and the villains aren't ever presented as an internal threat but as a global one.

  4. #4
    stop pointing fingers at Blizzard and start to point at yourselves. Horde seem to be way more easy to develop because most of our players enjoy ANYTHING that is thrown at us. If SoO was the other way around we would see Alliance players in bulk protesting about "needing help from Horde" or how biased Blizzard to let Horde "march into Stormwind" or how they look weak when Horde "let them live".

    Horde ENJOY, Alliance COMPLAIN. You will never EVER have fun as we do as long as you keep this EMO attitude of crying so everyone "know" how rejected and misunderstood you "are".

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Buu View Post
    stop pointing fingers at Blizzard and start to point at yourselves. Horde seem to be way more easy to develop because most of our players enjoy ANYTHING that is thrown at us. If SoO was the other way around we would see Alliance players in bulk protesting about "needing help from Horde" or how biased Blizzard to let Horde "march into Stormwind" or how they look weak when Horde "let them live".

    Horde ENJOY, Alliance COMPLAIN. You will never EVER have fun as we do as long as you keep this EMO attitude of crying so everyone "know" how rejected and misunderstood you "are".
    Herpaderr it's the Alliance's fault they don't do anything spontaneous or dangerous or remotely interesting since TBC. It definitely is the Alliance's fault, they have control over the story. And it definitely isn't Blizzard's failure, because they don't have control over the story. I think you forget very easily when Varian was being a warmongering hothead how many Alliance were assuming they'd have to depose of him and the Dwarven Council would have to rule the Alliance. The Alliance are complaining because Garrosh and Varian did a bodyswap at the beginning of MoP, both characters are acting out of character, and it's unpleasant to know that it was made this way so that the Horde don't have to feel like they're the bad guys when trying to kill their own Warchief.

  6. #6
    Night elfs and Draenei had lots of potential, but they killed it all of with Illidan and the rest of Burning Crusade. Maiev has been just as emo as Sylvanas has been in WoW, so she is a dead character to me.

    The rest of the races either have terrible leaders or the entire race is meaningless.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Buu View Post
    Horde ENJOY, Alliance COMPLAIN. You will never EVER have fun as we do as long as you keep this EMO attitude of crying so everyone "know" how rejected and misunderstood you "are".
    You are complaining now.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Nadiru View Post
    Herpaderr it's the Alliance's fault they don't do anything spontaneous or dangerous or remotely interesting since TBC. It definitely is the Alliance's fault, they have control over the story. And it definitely isn't Blizzard's failure, because they don't have control over the story. I think you forget very easily when Varian was being a warmongering hothead how many Alliance were assuming they'd have to depose of him and the Dwarven Council would have to rule the Alliance. The Alliance are complaining because Garrosh and Varian did a bodyswap at the beginning of MoP, both characters are acting out of character, and it's unpleasant to know that it was made this way so that the Horde don't have to feel like they're the bad guys when trying to kill their own Warchief.
    HERPADERP, It's your fault that you don't have pleasure with your faction. DEERRRRRP. Nothing else.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jinx16 View Post
    You are complaining now.
    Yeah... I totally blamed Blizzard for it, right? Cry baby!!!!

  9. #9
    Stood in the Fire anisadora's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stannis View Post
    Well, a big percentage of WoW villains is made of ex-members of the Alliance or directly tied with Alliance races (Onyxia, Ragnaros, Nefarian, Kel'Thuzad, Kael'thas, Illidan, Arthas, Azshara... ). Lets also not forget that no Horde race is directly tied to the Titans, except the Blood Elves. So a big, big chunk of Warcraft history comes from the Alliance.
    Hey now, we can't have it both ways. You can't say Arthas is alliance, if Loredaeron is strictly horde (seeing as how all the forsaken are the original lordaeron members).

  10. #10
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Stannis View Post
    Well, a big percentage of WoW villains is made of ex-members of the Alliance or directly tied with Alliance races (Onyxia, Ragnaros, Nefarian, Kel'Thuzad, Kael'thas, Illidan, Arthas, Azshara... ). Lets also not forget that no Horde race is directly tied to the Titans, except the Blood Elves. So a big, big chunk of Warcraft history comes from the Alliance.
    Actually most of wow's villains are more directly tied to the Horde than anything else. Onyxia, Nefarian, Illidan, and Azshara were never alliance members. Arthas gave up his crown to tear it all down, Kel Thuzard did the same, Kaelthas left the alliance when Garithos let his people die in the name of humanity, even Staghelm and Bendictus left the alliance and committed their acts under another banner.

    Contrast that with Horde villains, how many Orc raid bosses we have had over the years fighting the Dark Horde of Rend Blackhand, the fel Horde of Illidan's, vamithras, Putress and all the others. Nearly all the Horde villains did so under the banner of their faction or race and proclaimed to be serving it when we cut them down. So the Horde always takes the blame for their crimes, hence the alliance outrage that they will walk away from orgrimmar without vengeance.

  11. #11
    The Undying Slowpoke is a Gamer's Avatar
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    Ever since BC the Alliance storyline has only existed through the prism of the Horde. Even in Mop if you removed Garrosh the Alliance loses their whole story.

    So no, the Alliance cannot have their own story.
    FFXIV - Maduin (Dynamis DC)

  12. #12
    Elemental Lord Sierra85's Avatar
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    alliance has an untapped reservoir of storylines to tap into. Worgen characters, Draeni, the list goes on.

    After so much horde focus i am sure we will see some interesting Alliance development in the next few expansions.
    Hi

  13. #13
    The horde has had 2 massive storylines. Thrall and Garrosh. Alliance had Arthas (Unquestionably the biggest storyline to ever exist in the warcraft universe). The problem is that the horde's two big storylines were back to back and the Alliance feels left out. I think they just need to realize that they have had much more of an impact on Azeroth than the horde have.

  14. #14
    The Undying Slowpoke is a Gamer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mokoshne View Post
    alliance has an untapped reservoir of storylines to tap into. Worgen characters, Draeni, the list goes on.

    After so much horde focus i am sure we will see some interesting Alliance development in the next few expansions.
    So long as the Alliance exists only as the anti-horde they will never have those stories explored. The Alliance needs to be seen as a real faction again, and that won't happen so long as the writers are unchanged.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by moveth View Post
    The horde has had 2 massive storylines. Thrall and Garrosh. Alliance had Arthas (Unquestionably the biggest storyline to ever exist in the warcraft universe). The problem is that the horde's two big storylines were back to back and the Alliance feels left out. I think they just need to realize that they have had much more of an impact on Azeroth than the horde have.
    I understand Arthas was big, but hes also dead. Thrall isnt dead. So what story will carry the alliance through WoW and into Warcraft 4?
    FFXIV - Maduin (Dynamis DC)

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Mokoshne View Post
    alliance has an untapped reservoir of storylines to tap into. Worgen characters, Draeni, the list goes on.

    After so much horde focus i am sure we will see some interesting Alliance development in the next few expansions.
    The devs have been telling us that for as long as people have been bitching about storyline bias.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Buu View Post
    stop pointing fingers at Blizzard and start to point at yourselves. Horde seem to be way more easy to develop because most of our players enjoy ANYTHING that is thrown at us. If SoO was the other way around we would see Alliance players in bulk protesting about "needing help from Horde" or how biased Blizzard to let Horde "march into Stormwind" or how they look weak when Horde "let them live".

    Horde ENJOY, Alliance COMPLAIN. You will never EVER have fun as we do as long as you keep this EMO attitude of crying so everyone "know" how rejected and misunderstood you "are".
    Non-constructive nerd rage really doesn't contribute to the discussion at all.
    I would love to have nice things in game but the game is just too hard for me to earn them in.

    Don't worry friend, let us go to the Blizzard store!

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    Your in the wrong because ... you haven't been smart

  17. #17
    I think we can safely disregard Buu's opinion here...


    Alliance have plenty of storylines that can be developed further and have the potential to be great.
    -Gnomes actually reclaiming Gnomeregan. (have the dungeon be a Caverns of Time thing if you must)
    -Political intrigue with the Dwarves. Which they're killing by making Moira a good guy.
    -The Worgen and their place in the world. This was explored a tiny bit (The Den in Felwood; Worgen as Sentinel commanders), but was soon abandoned.
    -The Schism of the Light: it can be generally believe that the Light the humans and dwarves worship, and the Light the Draenei worship is the same entity, but both are approached from a different angle. Does this cause conflict? What does the revelation that Naaru are a thing mean to the priests of Stormwind? All interesting plot hooks, but left completely untouched.


    It's not that there's no potential for interesting Alliance storylines. The problem is Blizzard doesn't *do* anything with that potential.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Lynneiah View Post
    I think we can safely disregard Buu's opinion here...


    Alliance have plenty of storylines that can be developed further and have the potential to be great.
    -Gnomes actually reclaiming Gnomeregan. (have the dungeon be a Caverns of Time thing if you must)
    -Political intrigue with the Dwarves. Which they're killing by making Moira a good guy.
    -The Worgen and their place in the world. This was explored a tiny bit (The Den in Felwood; Worgen as Sentinel commanders), but was soon abandoned.
    -The Schism of the Light: it can be generally believe that the Light the humans and dwarves worship, and the Light the Draenei worship is the same entity, but both are approached from a different angle. Does this cause conflict? What does the revelation that Naaru are a thing mean to the priests of Stormwind? All interesting plot hooks, but left completely untouched.


    It's not that there's no potential for interesting Alliance storylines. The problem is Blizzard doesn't *do* anything with that potential.
    I think these are all good ideas. Stromgarde and Kul' Tiras could also make interesting Alliance content. Also the big one we have been waiting for: lets send a bloody rescue mission after Turalyon and Alleria.

  19. #19
    The draenei def need more story, like i need an excuse to play my female holy pally more

    Quote Originally Posted by Simulatio View Post
    A handful of people nut-busting about it on various forums does not equal popularity, and popularity does not equal good design.

  20. #20
    I think the things that would have to happen to make an Alliance-centric storyline that's really compelling would probably get booed off the stage by Alliance players. To wit -- a storyline about a racially-infused political dispute for control of the Horde is a Horde-biased storyline. And a storyline about a racially-infused political dispute for control of the Alliance would probably also be a Horde-biased storyline.

    I don't think they've ruined the Dwarven situation with Moira -- she didn't put on a white hat in "Blood in the Snow", she just seized upon a moment to show up the Bronzebeards and Wildhammers in the eyes of Ironforge's most vital ally.

    A religious schism over the Light has potential, but... well, I doubt Blizzard has the stomach for a storyline that would cut so close to IRL bones with their player bases. Even with the Blood Elves where it basically is going on right now lorewise, with Liadrin out preaching the Light with marginal success, it's all very background. A dogmatic conflict between the Azerothian flavor of Light-worship and the Draenei would be quite fascinating and would certainly be a good way to involve every race -- because it has to touch upon the differences between Worgen and Human, and the Night Elves are always ready to take offense at any suggestion that Elune isn't the pimp goddess of all things.

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