Will the factions change? Should they?

[Mestalis]

It seems evident that if a significant faction shift were ever to occur (which it may not), during or immediately following the life-cycle of BfA would be the time, and it seems like the community can feel that.

Personally my favorite theory is Alliance with current races, Horde with current races, and a new third Undead faction with undead models for every race, and the option to change faction from Alliance or Horde to Undead.

Another popular one seems to be a shift from Alliance vs. Horde to Light vs. Void with a choice to be made by the player.

Maybe we'll eventually have some version of both.

Regardless, do you believe the race/factions balance will change significantly as a result of BfA, and do you believe they should? Why?

[Temp name]

They're not going to re-shuffle what races are friendly to each other. Can you imagine the shitstorm they'd cause for literally forcing people to buy a faction change to keep playing with their friends/guilds?

[Broken Fox]

It'll be Horde and Alliance til the day the game shuts down.

[Torto]

I'd love to see the factions become light vs void, and you can choose which faction to join after you complete BfA. But it won't happen, they are locked into Alliance vs Horde in perpetuity.

[Mestalis]

I very much doubt that the two-faction system will change in anything else but lore.
I'd guess there's just too much old core code that is designed around two factions - this includes the worldDB where zones are flagged. They'd also have to create a new 1-10 intro for new players and modify most quests to work with three factions.

Shuffling races/factions would just result in lot of forced transfers - and they'd probably have to offer everyone free service for that. Can't see them offering freebies like that.

All of this says "too much effort, not enough ROI". Remember that in WoW - gameplay is #1, the story/lore is always built around the gameplay, not the other way around. This is how it's always been in WoW, that's why lot of the story is told outside the game.

I don't think anything that close to the core of the game will change.

I believe that the appeal of playing as an undead version of any race, in a faction of all undead, would be enough of an appeal to the player-base that people would put in the extra effort to be a part of it. They could gate the selection of the third faction by level, add no new starting zones, and require everyone who wants to play the undead faction to first choose a living race of the horde or alliance, that would then die and join the undead, presumably at lvl 120. All of the assets could be new, and when you become an undead, your character could essentially be transferred on the back end at no cost to the player.

I don't think that they can afford to play up the faction war to this degree and for it to not result in anything. The Alliance or Horde can't be the clear victor and loser without half of the players being upset about it. Disrupting the faction war with another catastrophe that everyone has to join together to defeat, would lead to people feeling let down by the hype. I think a shift to the factions is their only legitimate option for a resolution to what they've been pushing. I think it's the only original/unexpected option left.

[Omedon]

I think one of the driving forces behind BFA having the theme it does is to give the hardline “you can’t even talk to them” barriers and the lore that motivates them one last hurrah before WoW gets with modern MMO expectations and simply lifts the faction divide on a purely mechanical front. No third faction, no disbandment or merging: Baine becomes warchief, Calia Menethil rules the forsaken (repackaged as the loyal subjects of the kingdom of Lordaeron), alliance and horde coexist and the devs get out of ever dividing their PVE efforts this extremely ever again. Leveling game remains as is, every race still belongs to one faction, but the factions *as gameplay limitations between players* dissolve once and for all. It’s a multipurpose bandaids for competitive content racial/factional imbalance, and honestly... there is literally no reason to limit players this way.

More than a “war expansion,” BFA is a faction identity expansion, which is exactly what’s needed to draw a line of personality between the factions instead of defining them as “we war with the other guys.” There is so much more to both factions than that, and that’s what BFA is about: What does it mean to be alliance/horde above and beyond warring with the other side?

[Broken Fox]

I think one of the driving forces behind BFA having the theme it does is to give the hardline “you can’t even talk to them” barriers and the lore that motivates them one last hurrah before WoW gets with modern MMO expectations and simply lifts the faction divide on a purely mechanical front. No third faction, no disbandment or merging: Baine becomes warchief, Calia Menethil rules the forsaken (repackaged as the loyal subjects of the kingdom of Lordaeron), alliance and horde coexist and the devs get out of ever dividing their PVE efforts this extremely ever again. Leveling game remains as is, every race still belongs to one faction, but the factions *as gameplay limitations between players* dissolve once and for all. It’s a multipurpose bandaids for competitive content racial/factional imbalance, and honestly... there is literally no reason to limit players this way.

More than a “war expansion,” BFA is a faction identity expansion, which is exactly what’s needed to draw a line of personality between the factions instead of defining them as “we war with the other guys.” There is so much more to both factions than that, and that’s what BFA is about: What does it mean to be alliance/horde above and beyond warring with the other side?

Wow. I couldn't think of a more boring fate for the game.

[Mestalis]

I think one of the driving forces behind BFA having the theme it does is to give the hardline “you can’t even talk to them” barriers and the lore that motivates them one last hurrah before WoW gets with modern MMO expectations and simply lifts the faction divide on a purely mechanical front. No third faction, no disbandment or merging: Baine becomes warchief, Calia Menethil rules the forsaken (repackaged as the loyal subjects of the kingdom of Lordaeron), alliance and horde coexist and the devs get out of ever dividing their PVE efforts this extremely ever again. Leveling game remains as is, every race still belongs to one faction, but the factions *as gameplay limitations between players* dissolve once and for all. It’s a multipurpose bandaids for competitive content racial/factional imbalance, and honestly... there is literally no reason to limit players this way.

More than a “war expansion,” BFA is a faction identity expansion, which is exactly what’s needed to draw a line of personality between the factions instead of defining them as “we war with the other guys.” There is so much more to both factions than that, and that’s what BFA is about: What does it mean to be alliance/horde above and beyond warring with the other side?

I would consider that a major faction change, and if done well, I think I would love that. Without having to create two completely different questing experiences, they could turn instead to diversity of quests among races, classes, and professions.

[BlakeArt]

This expansion show very well the limitations of storytelling Blizzard can do with 2 locked factions. I don't ever think that gameplaywise it will be changed, do you even imagine what it would mean to change that ? Another solution and that the resolution of this new conflict lift the restriction in game and allows players to play with both faction wich would be pretty easy to do but It would complicate storytelling ever more since there is no turning back ever from that.

I think an evolution is needed in a way or another. I don't think it will come because it would require adamantium ballz from Blizzard to face the inevitable shitstorm that would follow, no matter what they do. But, god, I wish.

[Omedon]

This expansion show very well the limitations of storytelling Blizzard can do with 2 locked factions. I don't ever think that gameplaywise it will be changed, do you even imagine what it would mean to change that ? Another solution and that the resolution of this new conflict lift the restriction in game and allows players to play with both faction wich would be pretty easy to do but It would complicate storytelling ever more since there is no turning back ever from that.

I think an evolution is needed in a way or another. I don't think it will come because it would require adamantium ballz from Blizzard to face the inevitable shitstorm that would follow, no matter what they do. But, god, I wish.

Would it really be a shitstorm, or at least one worth listening to if it was something done hand in hand with communities, and thus completely optional?

Think about it: Allow community owners to flip a switch to go faction agnostic. People that want that join those communities, people that don’t stick to their faction-locked guild.

I could see automated LFX queues going faction agnostic because, be real, if you’re queueing LFD or LFR, you’re there for gear, quests and numbers, not deep faction immersion.

Guilds that are super serious about being faction loyalists never have to invite anyone from the other faction. Optionality is key.

[Deleted]

I would LOVE it if the factions become just points of view, and any race can choose to be a part of any faction.

[Omedon]

This is assuming that the story elements steer the direction and design choices of the game. I don't think they do or have ever done. (Ref: https://twitter.com/Ghostcrawler/sta...50714209394688). The WoW team simply doesn't think in these terms - they build the story around the general theme and gameplay.

They have people who make sure the lore stays somewhat consistent - but just because something happened in one expac story, doesn't mean they will refactor the core code elements of the game.

I'd like to be wrong about this, because it would be cool if the story was the lead design factor. But I don't think so.

Honestly, I believe any potential change to race/faction mechanics, particularly limitations, would be motivated entirely by gameplay, future proofing and community-proofing the product. The weirdass story we are seeing is motivated and in place purely to pave the way for WoW to be a more modernly player-connective, efficiently designed game going forward.

The factions are an important part of the Warcraft brand and world, but this hardline divide, as a series of limitations, is terrible for the game’s longevity. Some form of faction wall softening must happen eventually as a future proofing move in an aging game and genre.

[Omedon]

Well yeah, I could see them removing the faction limit in grouping so you can play with your friends regardless of faction (grouping being done through Battle Net list instead of ingame name/faction/server). At that point, maybe they could add third "story faction" because it wouldn't affect gameplay. But that needs to happen first, as the mechanics stand currently, I don't see them adding a third faction.

Definitely don’t think we will ever see a third faction to the level of substance of the alliance and horde, and I do think that every race will continue to thematically belong to one side or the other for the purposes of various mechanics (PvP armor sets, for example) and quest access.

Also, just throwing this in here... but my scribe can see the opposite faction’s reputation contract recipes in his inscription UI. No source is listed, but they’re there. Just sayin.

[Soon-TM]

I'd like to see both factions collapsing by the end of B4A due to internal conflicts. After all, this X-Pac is supposedly paving the way for a full-fledged Old Gods expansion in 9.0, and Old Gods are known for their proficiency in stirring the pot. Nothing better for them than having both factions severely weakened, if not disbanded.

In 9.0 you should be able to desert your faction, and even joining the opposite one with a fully revamped questing. But I doubt old, lazy Blizz would ever do that.

[Wild]

I'd like to see both factions collapsing by the end of B4A due to internal conflicts. After all, this X-Pac is supposedly paving the way for a full-fledged Old Gods expansion in 9.0, and Old Gods are known for their proficiency in stirring the pot. Nothing better for them than having both factions severely weakened, if not disbanded.

In 9.0 you should be able to desert your faction, and even joining the opposite one with a fully revamped questing. But I doubt old, lazy Blizz would ever do that.

That sounds really interesting! WoW could need a complete change of the factions. Maybe even new factions would arise, or horde and alliance would unite to become one strong faction to fight against the new evil!

[Broken Fox]

Well I hope they continue to be “lazy” cause the day I see Alliance chilling in Orgrimmar is the day I quit lmao

[Chaosweaver]

Wow. I couldn't think of a more boring fate for the game.

And the thing is, people are actually asking for exactly what that guy suggested. They want washed up "I would never do anything to hurt anyone" characters like literally every Alliance character aside from Jaina and Greymane and some Horde characters like current Saurfang and Baine in charge.

Why the hell are people asking for peace and tree hugging in a world of Warcraft? We literally need Sylvanas right now because if it wasn't for her and the cool guys in Blizzard who actually know we need a war to keep the game alive, we wouldn't even have a f***ing expansion. If Greymane becomes king, we would have an all out war and it would be absolutely awesome, we don't need boring and peace loving faction leaders.

ANYONE who wants the two buddies Baine and Anduin as faction leaders basically wants the game to end in a happy ending where the Horde and the Alliance lived happily ever after. This player base desperately needs more testosterone.

[Devilyaki]

If anything I can see them getting ride of factions, no more factions imbalances then..

[Lord Pebbleton]

The conflict between the two factions is at times so forced that you could bet it's gonna stick around till the end of WoW. And I don't mind it to be honest.

[beanman12345]

They gotta stay the same, way too many people are attached to their characters, and new fractions would tear friendships and bonds people have made over the years. and they aren't gonna force people to change their characters into races they don't want to be in, just to stay with their friends.