Battle for Azeroth Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Collected]

Could be. Feel like that's probably just going to happen without fanfare. Was there even fanfare when Legion moved from Alpha to Beta? I feel like that was just a big invite wave and they changed the build flag from Alpha to Beta.

True but I don't think they've ever done a Q&A to discuss alpha questions before. Unless my memory is letting me down.

[Ningjinq]

I’m still on my personal “Dark Iron and Mahgar Orcs in 8.0 prepatch” hype train.

[Mutineer]

I’m still on my personal “Dark Iron and Mahgar Orcs in 8.0 prepatch” hype train.

Hey, me too! I'd love to be able to play my Dark Iron from the outset, instead of having to wait for 8.1 or something.

[infinitemeridian]

I’m still on my personal “Dark Iron and Mahgar Orcs in 8.0 prepatch” hype train.

Unfortunately, this is looking more likely except for 8.0 and not pre-patch. I don't see how:

1) Zandalari are equivalent to Dark Irons at all
2) We can unlock zandalari in 8.0

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

True but I don't think they've ever done a Q&A to discuss alpha questions before. Unless my memory is letting me down.

I think in Legion they just said "Legion Q&A."

Though this could be an attempt to keep WoW Classic questions, and complaints about 7.3.5, out of the Q&A.

[Ningjinq]

Unfortunately, this is looking more likely except for 8.0 and not pre-patch. I don't see how:

1) Zandalari are equivalent to Dark Irons at all
2) We can unlock zandalari in 8.0

The tl;dr of my reasoning is:

The Dark Irons are already a part of the Alliance during early BFA questing (in a Zuldazar) and there is almost nowhere near enough Dark Iron content to matchup with Zandalari.

And for Draenor Orcs, it certainly seems like at minimum the AU Draenei have crossed over since they have Rangari now.

[bluspacecow]

My guess is it's just another update Q&A. Maybe announcing the next Alliance Allied Race. Game is nowhere near beta state right now. Well, Zandalar is, but Kul'tiras is still a flaming wreck where half the time water doesn't even spawn and there's still portals to the negative dimension.

The missing water is people with their Liquid Detail set to ultra. That’s like one bugged setting. Lower it and the water looks fine

[Ningjinq]

I don’t think it’s super likely, but I wouldn’t rule out a 7.3.7 theoretical patch that adds them. Using just about all the same arguments as the already released Allied Races.

[tapczan100]

How is BFA zones performance comapred to legion ones?

[Kereberus]

So WoW dev QA with Ion Hazzikostas on March 15 at 11am PDT. Think it might be safe to say that beta is gonna be announced.

Why do you say that?

[Zulkhan]

How was the Horde left out in Legion pls? Two of the Zones belong to and are entirely about Horde Races, including Suramar with the longest story driven questline.

So you're telling me you played throughout those zones thinking "I'm totally enduring Horde-focused content" an year before Blizzard announced Allied Races? Zul got nothing on you, lass.

[thunderinggolf]

I wouldn't expect beta until we have all zones and dungeons in + some testing on things like islands.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

So you're telling me you played throughout those zones thinking "I'm totally enduring Horde-focused content" an year before Blizzard announced Allied Races? Zul got nothing on you, lass.

It's pointless to argue with him IMO. While right now it seems like Alliance is lacking(I used seems to leave it open to interpation), I think to argue that the Nightborne stuff in Legion is retroactively Horde is just damn silly.

[Deleted]

So you're telling me you played throughout those zones thinking "I'm totally enduring Horde-focused content" an year before Blizzard announced Allied Races? Zul got nothing on you, lass.

Nope, but its now Horde focused. Two entire zones with big questlines are all about Horde Races. Its now simply the case.

[EbaumsTipster]

I find it hard to talk about M-Ra's "points" without insulting their character, but things don't happen "retroactively" in Warcraft that amount to any importance.

[Steampunkette]

Nope, but its now Horde focused. Two entire zones with big questlines are all about Horde Races. Its now simply the case.

If the AU Frostwolves joined the Alliance tomorrow it wouldn't retroactively make the Horde War Effort in Frostfire into an "Alliance Questing Zone" nor would it make the Horde Garrison an Alliance Garrison.

It would represent changing circumstances. Because: GASP! That's what the story is.

Nor would the Vrykul joining the alliance in 8.1 make all the Vrykul content in Northrend and Stormheim "Reotractively" Alliance content.

The argument that it does is paper thin, and it's meant to hide a greater truth about Legion: It, like Draenor and Mists before it, was an Alliance Focused Expansion.

[Magnagarde]

Legion wasn't either Horde or Alliance focused. The only thing one can argue is how they quested alongside Velen, Tyrande, Malfurion and Turalyon/Alleria, but neither of these were there as representatives of the Alliance. The truth is that the Horde didn't and still doesn't have the character cast to carry a heavy plot, such as the defeat of the Burning Legion, throughout an expansion. Velen goes with Argus, Malfurion goes with the Emerald Nightmare, Velen goes with the Kil'jaeden plot and Turalyon/Alleria go with the Army of the Light. All of this is no different than Thrall being the one to commune with the elements because that's his forte.

BfA on the other hand is the first expansion after Cataclysm based on conflict and it is once again extremely unbalanced. Balance is required in faction-based expansions, not character casts that have absolutely zero faction affiliation.

[Zulkhan]

Nope, but its now Horde focused. Two entire zones with big questlines are all about Horde Races. Its now simply the case.

Yeah but that wasn't the case when the content was relevant, which is not right now. Not to mention the Legion-specific content does not address the Highmountain/Nightborne modern allegiances at all and never will.

On the other hand, it's hard to deny that Turalyon and Alleria are some of the most iconic characters of the Alliance's past and did not really make much of a difference that they weren't fully re-aligned with the Alliance again (not to mention Velen tagging along). All in all, you felt completely out of place while playing a Horde character.

- - - Updated - - -

Legion wasn't either Horde or Alliance focused.

It was evidently leaning towards the Alliance. After years of complaints regarding the previous so-called "Horde-focused" expansions coming from a considerable part of the Alliance playerbase, suddely denying that with Legion is a bit foolish.

[Venziir]

Nope, but its now Horde focused. Two entire zones with big questlines are all about Horde Races. Its now simply the case.

Not even a little. Those races become Horde races AFTER Legion.

[Magnagarde]

It was evidently leaning towards the Alliance. After years of complaints regarding the previous so-called "Horde-focused" expansions coming from a considerable part of the Alliance playerbase, suddely denying that with Legion is a bit foolish.

The only time it leaned towards Alliance was Stormheim as that turned out to be their strategic victory; the rest is pretty much neutral and is told in a neutral way too. The major characters' cast and roster in Legion is the way it is because the Horde has no characters that could carry Legion's plot.