[Poll] How engaged are players with the story of SL compared to previous expansions.

[Le Conceptuel]

Unmitigated trash without compare. The creators of this world are long gone and we now have authorised fan-fic full of wish fulfillment, waifu simpvalry and generally just mediocre young adult horseshit that makes the MCU writing look like high art. We have gone through a portal to an afterlife that may as well be another outland it feels so disconnected to any death stuff that came before and basically dealt with generic faction jobber horseshit waiting for Bolvar to pull a proffesor X and go "CHAMPION, RETURN TO ORIBOS FOR A SMALL CUTSCENE, BECAUSE EVERYTIME SYLVANAS ISN'T ON SCREEN THE AUDIENCE SHOULD BE ASKING 'HEY, WHERES SYLVANUS' AND HURRY!". Thats it.

Its no secret WoW has exhausted its story and they are struggling to try and invent a whole new mythology to inject life into its world running on fumes but it just feels like the worst of japanese shounen anime power tier tropes where the villains are all beaten and things should be wrapping up, but the audience is still there to be milked SO HERE IS THE NEW TIER ALL PREVIOUS TIERS WERE BELOW, THEY WERE JUST ALWAYS ABSENT TILL NOW BECAUSE REASONS. SHUT UP THO. THIS IS THE REAL BIG BADS AND THIS TIME ITS FOR REAL.

I get it. The game still makes enough money to warrant new support. But its been 17 years and every possible villain has been turned into a loot pinata. Even if the continued replacement of rpg systems with shit ripped from mobile games designed to predate on habit forming personalities in the name of retention and boosting MAU's were not a thing the story is abysmal.

Like does anyone give a single fuck about the large angry bold man? did you do anything but roll your eyes at "A RELIC OF THE FIRST ONES? ACTIVATING FOR A ....MORTAL?!?" like come on. This is sub soap opera storytelling. This is sub local game store dungeons and dragons when the DM has to wing it storytelling.

This is the worst its ever been and how can it possibly get better at this point? think back to all the quests that you did in WoW. The burnt down inn in Dustwallow Marsh, the Legend of Stalvan, Darrowshire, your order hall or just finding out a creepy little girl brought a town to ruin in drustvar. Good quests stick with you long after they are done through writing as much as gameplay.

Is there a single Shadowlands quest you will remember? even one?

and when it is left in the past for chromie time how many of you will look at shadowlands in the list of every wow expansion and go "rather than quest through wrath or mop or whatever i really just want to deal with sylvanus and the covenants again because that was just so memorable and engaging"?

Excellent, if dramatic, critique. I suppose the issue is that they simply aren't making anything made to really stick. I think the afterlife, which is a pretty huge topic in real life and in any story in which it is discussed by virtue of being the final destination of all people, concluding the entirety of someone's life and consisting the largest portion of their existence out of any part of them (an eternity is a long time! Whatever your lifespan is, you're not going to beat that.)

They should have put more effort into really making this a wham expansion. This ought to be one of the really big ones, full of more alien environments (Maldraxxus, in my mind, felt the most like a World of Warcraft-themed afterlife ought to. The others don't really fit) - they sort of wasted that on "Burning Legion, but also Scourge, with Sargeras-but-the-Lich-King-also" being the baddies and these huge afterlives being saved for leveling zones.

[Syegfryed]

I don't care about anything so, i just go on with it

Which is 100x better than BfA cause there i hated everything, it is better to not care about something that i can ignore or just gloss over than feel hate towards something i can't ignore.

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This is the worst its ever been and how can it possibly get better at this point?

i start saying that i agree with everything that you said, and how it can get better is simple

huge timeskip and going back to "our roots" no space demons sci-death shenanigans, no cosmical world annihilation treads over and over like an DBZ anime.

Rly, wow is something so rich in worldbuilding, just make small and local villains with small and local conflicts, we don't need a Titan wanting to eat our ass or make a huge total war between factions.

gnolls can rise and attack stormwind, Quilboars can attack mulgore, and the factions can fight in the barrens and stangletorn vale, those things can be epic without the necessity to make world ending threats.

i at least prefer things like that, otherwise they make the world small and uninspiring, is like staar wars with galaxies but you will see like 2 planets and is damn humans everywhere.

[Depakote]

What story?

[John Croquette]

I don't think I ever really liked a expansion's story that much, and SL hasn't ended yet. So far, it's not all that different from the average expac for me. BFA's whole plot was somehow the lowest low of all expac stories for me, making SL a tiny improvement just by being different.

The only expac story I was closest to feeling positive for, was Legion. Mainly for the artifact weapons and being able to use them. Plus, getting to be able to have a decisive confrontation with the Burning Legion. I don't think SL has really gotten to a great start like Legion had.

SL hasn't really had a hook like that to get me engaged into the story. I don't mind the covenants that much, but I wouldn't say they make me very excited to play the game. The whole angle of using the Lich King to jump start a new chunk of lore, hasn't really done for it me either. I can't help but feel the Lich King is cooler than anything I've seen from SL at the moment. They've powercreeped the Lich King with the Jailer, and he hasn't really measured up favorably so far. I suppose we're early in the expac, but my expectations are low.

I wonder at this point why WoW's expac stories haven't clicked with me. I'm not very picky when it comes to story either. I find the most interesting bits of story was when I was doing the vanilla regions. I don't think even Legion compared to that particular experience of being a starting adventurer. Maybe I just liked it when the world felt smaller and the fantasy elements felt more traditional. All the stuff about other dimensions and cosmic worlds never did it for me, starting as early as TBC.

[SkyTides]

I voted 8. I really like the concept of the zones and the lead characters there - the eternal ones. Also Sylvanas and Anduin have mainly been the ones to drive the story so far.
For me the consmic implications of shadowlands could be huge and I do enjoy the speculation on where it could go (Tyrande, First ones, Winter Queen's relation to Elune/Eonar, the Light and Void invasions of the shadowlands, Denathrius' relation to the dreadlords).
I agree with others that the other faction leaders have been uselessly boring so far.

I think the problem is just how slowly that story is unfolding, with the wait for 9.1 not helping.

[Graden]

Honestly, I couldn't care less, I find it extremely unengaging. It's the first time in a WoW expansion that I don't care at all. One of the main reasons I stopped playing.

[Aucald]

I'd probably put it around a 6, perhaps a 7, depending on how I feel on any given day. Shadowlands is to me a marked improvement over BfA, both in terms of game systems as well as story, although it still has its fair share of problems and issues in both aspects. BfA was more of a 3 all around, I didn't like the story and found a lot of the endgame content itself to be lackluster and piecemeal.

[KainneAbsolute]

It is started higher, now is 4. I thought it was an opportunity to expand the lore and build up a villain, but meh. My hope is patch 9.1

[Gurluas]

Better than BFA, worse than Legion.

[Chickat]

I like Shadowlands more than BFA as a plot, but It's a bad sign when you preferred the story of MoP over something as grand as the Shadowlands. Maybe I just like simpler stories? I voted 7. I care and I'm slightly interested, but I'm not clenching my cheeks in anticipation.

[Varodoc]

I voted 1 because, as a Void elf main, there's nothing for me in Shadowlands.

At least in BfA I had the Alliance War Campaign (featuring Magister Umbric heavily) to enjoy, and the Old God patch to look forward to (even though the fact that the Ren'dorei were shafted in favour of Anduin's boyfriend was and still is criminal).

But in Shadowlands? I feel no connection to any of these characters and realms. My Void elf doesn't fit aesthetically in any of these realms, and before you tell me "but it doesn't have to fit aesthetically!", yes it does. There's no aesthetic connection between these covenants and my Void elf, and that brings down my immersion and enjoyment of this expansion massively (I don't think that a Void elf clad in angelic armour or hippie armor makes sense, sorry). I have no doubt that if I were playing an Undead warrior I'd be having a lot of fun in Maldraxxus, or if I were playing a female Night elf hunter I'd be enjoying the time spent in Ardenweald, but I'm not playing these people.

And I have no problem with this. I felt since the beginning that I would feel disconnected from this expansion. At this point I'm simply waiting for this sideshow to be over so that we can move on to the Light and Void expansion.

[Pebrocks The Warlock]

I'm at a solid 9 for overall lore of Shadowlands. Traveling to different realms and expanding on the Cosmic side of WoW is something I've always loved, and Shadowlands is all of that.

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I voted 1 because, as a Void elf main, there's nothing for me in Shadowlands.

At least in BfA I had the Alliance War Campaign (featuring Magister Umbric heavily) to enjoy, and the Old God patch to look forward to (even though the fact that the Ren'dorei were shafted in favour of Anduin's boyfriend was and still is criminal).

But in Shadowlands? I feel no connection to any of these characters and realms. My Void elf doesn't fit aesthetically in any of these realms, and before you tell me "but it doesn't have to fit aesthetically!", yes it does. There's no aesthetic connection between these covenants and my Void elf, and that brings down my immersion and enjoyment of this expansion massively (I don't think that a Void elf clad in angelic armour or hippie armor makes sense, sorry). I have no doubt that if I were playing an Undead warrior I'd be having a lot of fun in Maldraxxus, or if I were playing a female Night elf hunter I'd be enjoying the time spent in Ardenweald, but I'm not playing these people.

And I have no problem with this. I felt since the beginning that I would feel disconnected from this expansion. At this point I'm simply waiting for this sideshow to be over so that we can move on to the Light and Void expansion.

Don't you think your obsession with Void Elves is hurting your enjoyment of WoW?

[Eggroll]

It was negative from any perspective really.

Draenei were completely missing

Trolls got shit on as per usual

Dwarves didn't exist except for the Dark Iron

Tauren got.. a human in a cow costume for a leader

Genn didn't seem to give much a fuck about getting his revenge on Sylvanas ???

Goblins thought they were finally going to get to do something and then whatever the fuck that scenario was featuring Gallywix

Fat people were introduced as a race

Orcs were yet again just cannon fodder

Pandaren????

Literally nothing happened in the story. A tree burned, A city got gassed, a great empire got deleted by Jaina, and Sylvanas team rocketed away. Those would be huge things if you thought the right characters were involved in them, but they weren't.

"A tree burned" must be the understatement of the millenium. A faction capital was destroyed by the opposite faction and most of it's citizens genocided...

Dwarves did exist. Explorer's League, Kurdran Wildhammer is on the Alliance ship with his gryphons, Magni the Speaker is all over the place.
Well, Draenei, yeah, where were they when their neighbors were barbequeued? Good question. Velen just went *poof*. Apparently he is no longer an Alliance leader.

[Houle]

Or, maybe, come up with new threats that don't necesarilly change the previous villains motivations or origins constantly

but...but...BUT THATS IMPOSSIBLEEE
(at least according to the writers and a certain type of wow fanboys)

The fact that Ol' Emma a grandma searching for her children is hanging out in Oribos is laughable

its funny as hell. after SL, the entire lore can be canned.
cause why should we care if someone dies on azeroth now? just hop over to the shadowlands and get them back (since weve seen with draka that "dead" people can can very much leave the shadowlands)

[united]

I don't even play anymore, so to say I'm unengaged would be a nice way of putting it. I really just don't give af about the "story" anymore. I just feel like they're dragging it out and milking certain characters because they can't come up with anything else.

[StationaryHawk]

"A tree burned" must be the understatement of the millenium. A faction capital was destroyed by the opposite faction and most of it's citizens genocided...

Dwarves did exist. Explorer's League, Kurdran Wildhammer is on the Alliance ship with his gryphons, Magni the Speaker is all over the place.
Well, Draenei, yeah, where were they when their neighbors were barbequeued? Good question. Velen just went *poof*. Apparently he is no longer an Alliance leader.

In Elegy, it's explained that the draenei are recovering from the Argus Campaign, and what little assistance they could provide was with the force sent to Silithus. Velen is present helping refugees, and appears later in Battle for Azeroth helping to coordinate the war effort from Stormwind Keep.

[Asrialol]

Asking people on MMO Champion about their thoughts on the story in wow? Have you not realized that most people on this forum are expert writers and that most threads has the term "bad writing" stated somewhere?

Not to forget that this forum is filled with people who hate the game, doesn't play it, but still post about it because reasons. Then there are those who hate the game, still play it, because apparently that's logical?

Polls on this forum only does one thing; make the vocal minority think they're a majority. Sure, it's entertaining, but I've also noticed people using polls like this to 'strengthen' their arguments as to why the game (that they still play???) Is bad.

[Combatbutler]

Asking people on MMO Champion about their thoughts on the story in wow? Have you not realized that most people on this forum are expert writers and that most threads has the term "bad writing" stated somewhere?

Is that supposed to be an argument? I mean if you consider the dialogue in wow to be decently written, then I feel genuinely sorry for you.

[Asrialol]

Is that supposed to be an argument? I mean if you consider the dialogue in wow to be decently written, then I feel genuinely sorry for you.

Didn't take long for someone to put words into my mouth. Imagine having over 17000 posts in the lore section, where I can only assume most of the posts are negative. Why are you so engaged in something you think is bad?

I must also note that I enjoy the fact that you seem to be incapeable of understanding that people have different views and opinions about something you hate (but love spending time on?). Just to be clear; this isn't me saying the story / writing in wow is good or bad. I'm not qualified to make an objective statement to that regard.

[Combatbutler]

Didn't take long for someone to put words into my mouth. Imagine having over 17000 posts in the lore section, where I can only assume most of the posts are negative. Why are you so engaged in something you think is bad?

Boredom, mostly. Also trashy things are fun depending on the level of stupidity.

I must also note that I enjoy the fact that you seem to be incapeable of understanding that people have different views and opinions about something you hate (but love spending time on?). Just to be clear; this isn't me saying the story / writing in wow is good or bad. I'm not qualified to make an objective statement to that regard.

Oh I know plenty of people like this story and it isn't really surprising, many people love cheap shallow entertainment.

I mean lets take a look at 90% the jailer has said this expansion

Pitiful mortal. I find your spirit... Unworthy.
A relic of the First Ones... responding to a mortal?! Impossible!
Mawsworn! Take them!
My forces are vast! Endless!
Death comes for the soul of your world! All that you see--all that you know--will be undone!
Nothing escapes the Maw.
Yield to the inevitable!
You trespass in my domain, mortal. No matter where you hide... I will find you.
The end is upon you.
An intrusion into my domain.
I... see... you!
You were to herald my coming. Instead, you defied me!
A failure. Like those who came before you!
I will claim what is mine! Death comes for you all!


I mean yeah, I can see it now top notch writing for the main villain, a well rounded interesting opponent.