So... Zandalari will be allied with the Horde now?

[Darkguyver2020]

On paper, this new development seems like a really egregious retcon.

After the Cataclysm devastated their island, the Prophet Zul banded together the scattered troll tribes into one empire and have been trying to conquer Azeroth. Vol'jin and his Darkspear were the first to rebel against this and assisted both the Horde AND the Alliance to quell their uprising in the rebuilt Zul'Aman and Zul'Gurub.
The Zandalari returned again on Pandaria where they helped resurrect Lei Shen. That too took the combined efforts of Jaina Proudmoore and Lor'themar Theron's forces to stop them as well as the Mogu empire.

Now you expect me to believe that they will be willing to be chummy with the Horde after their combined forces killed so many of their kin? And where is the Prophet Zul while this is happening? Is this a different faction of Zandalari while Zul is leading a band of renegades elsewhere that need to be dealt with?

So many questions and I'm not finding any answers.

[The Stormbringer]

The whole Zandalar continent is about helping them and winning their aid to join the Horde. Maybe wait until you see it to judge?

[Edlarel]

If only they had a storyline to tell us about how this all came about. Hell, such a task could even require an expansion's worth of information to make sure we understand why they join us...

[Darkguyver2020]

Just saying, it better be a damn good reason to essentially undo two expansions worth of story involving fighting against the Zandalari.

[Aucald]

Vol'jin is apparently very important to BfA, his spirit or his influence is probably a key part of Rastakhan and the Zandalari granting the Horde a place in Zuldazar. It's just an olive branch, though; the Horde will have to earn their keep as the expansion content rolls on.

[Austilias]

I imagine ol' Vol'jin's voodoo spirit will have been busy convincing them to join the Horde while we were saving the world.

[Ryon21]

At the beginning of WoW the Zandalari were a neutral faction but after the Cataclysm, the Prophet Zul convinced the Zandalari King to reunite all the troll and conquer the world. I have always assumed that the bad influence was Zul while Rastakhan was just a king worried about its people. So its not that strange that they would join the Horde. I see more the Battle for Azeroth like a Cold War were the world will be divided between Alliance and Horde and in time the minor factions will join them (But not all of course).

[Deleted]

Now you expect me to believe that they will be willing to be chummy with the Horde after their combined forces killed so many of their kin?

Yes, because they will help them, probably even rescue them from the brink of death. The Horde will be their saviours. Zul might appear at a later point with some renegade Zandalari and be a villain and oppose Rastakhan.

[Volitar]

Just saying, it better be a damn good reason to essentially undo two expansions worth of story involving fighting against the Zandalari.

Blizzard just retcons whatever they want to make whatever they want fit, my advice is just not to care so much and go with the flow. Atleast now we have cool looking male Troll models.

[Qualia]

So many questions and I'm not finding any answers.

Why are you so hastily assume that it might be an egregious retcon, then? At the moment, we are still - presumably - a good 6-10 months away from the expansion, depends on Blizzard's pace. It's fair that most of the plots shouldn't be revealed by now.

However, you provided one of the possible explanation yourself. "Is this a different faction of Zandalari while Zul is leading a band of renegades elsewhere that need to be dealt with?". Yes, it could be the case. Going by Blizzcon, we do know that this Zandalari is led by King Rastakhan instead of Prophet Zul. Last time during MoP, we were told that King Rastakhan is still on his throne at Zandalar when the land broke in two and empire started sliding into the sea due to Deathwing. At that time, peasants and warriors were flocking to Zul who could help them while Rastakhan sat idle. It wouldn't be strange for the Zandalari to split into different factions now, one led by Zul (whereabouts unknown), and one led by Rastakhan on Zandalar, maybe one or two more other factions even. The one we've been fighting against were all led by Zul, and the one the Horde is going to meet with is the other. Rastakhan faction might not care that much about the fate of the ones ran away with Zul instead of sticking through thick and thin with their king, and thus they wouldn't held much of a grudge against us.

[Vireye]

Why are you so hastily assume that it might be an egregious retcon, then? At the moment, we are still - presumably - a good 6-10 months away from the expansion, depends on Blizzard's pace. It's fair that most of the plots shouldn't be revealed by now.

However, you provided one of the possible explanation yourself. "Is this a different faction of Zandalari while Zul is leading a band of renegades elsewhere that need to be dealt with?". Yes, it could be the case. Going by Blizzcon, we do know that this Zandalari is led by King Rastakhan instead of Prophet Zul. Last time during MoP, we were told that King Rastakhan is still on his throne at Zandalar when the land broke in two and empire started sliding into the sea due to Deathwing. At that time, peasants and warriors were flocking to Zul who could help them while Rastakhan sat idle. It wouldn't be strange for the Zandalari to split into different factions now, one led by Zul (whereabouts unknown), and one led by Rastakhan on Zandalar. The one we've been fighting against were all led by Zul, and the one the Horde is going to meet with is the other.

That's exactly what I expect. Rastakhan gave Zul a ship and told him to take his followers and leave. That's what he did, and those are the Zandalari we fought in Cataclysm and in MoP.

There's no retcon needed here. And I expect that this will also be repeated in the questchain to unlock the Zandalari so that anyone who missed it the first time around will understand it.

[KrakHed]

So, with the Uldir crap we've seen, what are the chances that Trolls were the result of some attempt by the Titans to reverse engineer Old Gods and their minions?

[Megas Elekmatos]

I just hope this means we will finally see King Rastakhan in game. Not just as a vision. Hyped!

[KrakHed]

I just hope this means we will finally see King Rastakhan in game. Not just as a vision. Hyped!

We will. Anyhow, we should remember that Zul and Rastakhan aren't technically enemies at all. Zul was pleading for Rastakhan to hear him out. We just think he must be evil for reasons.

It's entirely possible that Zul himself will be one of our contacts to get the Horde interested in recruiting the Zandalar.

[Megas Elekmatos]

We will. Anyhow, we should remember that Zul and Rastakhan aren't technically enemies at all. Zul was pleading for Rastakhan to hear him out. We just think he must be evil for reasons.

It's entirely possible that Zul himself will be one of our contacts to get the Horde interested in recruiting the Zandalar.

I completely agree. I never thought Rastakhan was to begin with. Sometimes threat of extinction drives you to things. Sometimes actions are misinterpreted. I just hope his introduction is EPIC.

[WolfRider]

Zandalari, the real ones that have a straight stand (not the creepy prophet Zul and his kin who are Forest Trolls living at the bottom of the Zandalar mountain) were neutrals because they never wanted to seek conquest. So this time they'll have to engage the battle for Azeroth. The Zandalari we saw in MoP are Prophet Zul followers or allowed to follow him by King Rastakhan when the Cataclysm happened.

Prophet Zul is the enemy, for 2 reasons: he's whispered by Old Gods (who gave him the visions that he told to King Rastakhan) and he's worshipping Hakkar the Soulflayer (or in someway he wants to use its power), a thing that is forbidden by Zandalari.

[Golden Yak]

Hell, it's about time.

/Tychus

[KrakHed]

Prophet Zul is the enemy, for 2 reasons: he's whispered by Old Gods (who gave him the visions that he told to King Rastakhan) and he's worshipping Hakkar the Soulflayer (or in someway he wants to use its power), a thing that is forbidden by Zandalari.

Zul was a well known prophet. His visions weren't necessarily anything to do with the Old Gods, and turned out to be accurate. It wasn't a power grab on his part or anything. He went to Rastakhan and Rastakhan didn't listen.

[WolfRider]

Zul was a well known prophet. His visions weren't necessarily anything to do with the Old Gods, and turned out to be accurate. It wasn't a power grab on his part or anything. He went to Rastakhan and Rastakhan didn't listen.

I read a lot of informations about Zul, and he wasn't a famous prophet. In fact, he's named the Dark Prophet because everytime he went to speak to Rastakhan, it was about dark visions. Visions about the Cataclysm and naga invasions. Zul asked Rastakhan to leave Zandalar, gather the Troll tribes and conquer a new land. Rastakhan didn't want to do that, so he allowed Zul to leave with a bunch of Zandalar warriors to find a new land. When the Cataclysm happened, some Zandalari feared that Zul was right, so Rastakhan allowed them to join Zul. Then Zul gathered Troll tribes on his own and later he tried to resurect Lei Shen.

Who caused the Cataclysm? Deathwing when he damaged the piller of the world in Deepholm. Who told him to do that? N'Zoth.

N"Zoth planned that from a long time, so he pushed visions of what he wanted to Zul.

[KrakHed]

I read a lot of informations about Zul, and he wasn't a famous prophet.

No. He's literally one of the most respected prophets of the Zandalari, and isn't even the only Dark Prophet. His job is literally to foretell disasters. He's been doing this for long enough to have earned a reputation for it. So yes, Zul is famous and well-respected for accurately prophesying disasters. He was known for doing so ever since he was a child. He's actually portrayed quite sympathetically in Mists of Pandaria, as being the one Troll willing to act to try to save his people.

Among the Zanchuli Council are many priests and mages of incredible power and forbidden knowledge. One of the most respected of these is Zul. Even as a child his dark and terrible visions had come true down to the last horrifying detail. He commanded fear and respect as one of the dark prophets: seers capable of witnessing great tragedies before they came to pass.

https://wow.gamepedia.com/The_Dark_Prophet_Zul