Would you like Azshara to feature properly in 9.0

[ravenmoon]

Curious what are you thoughts on this... would you like Azshara to feature properly in 9.0 or you done with her and want something/someone entirely new propping up?

In her favour - she has history, is well known, hasn't been at the forefront, so after build up, and a first encounter, it would the first time a raid boss has come back to be a main character - i.e. an interesting twist - that beats the typical once we kill that's it.

For me, I am not satisfied with what we get concerning her both with Naz'jatar and Azshara - I think they could have done a lot more, and still should really. She is a long established antagonist that has been in the background and is a perfect candidate to properly now wage a war against.

BFA is really about the horde and the alliance war, and I think it makes far better narrative sense going to a portion of Naz'jatar now as a precourser in the midst of the faction war, that would lead to something much bigger concerning her and the that part of the start of a larger strategy concerning the void.


I think the void Lords, will make an excellent new massive enemy like the Legion was for the next few expansions.. so no, I don't want the next expansion to deal with the void - I think you need a big cosmic enemy that has lots of plots and twists along the way of dealing with it.. what iif we don't even kill Azshara in 8.2, but she is our main enemy through 9.x but then in a surpsring turn we fight alongside her in 10.x as more twists about the void come out?


Currently i'll be frank, I am tired of massive themes, being rush dealt with in one expansion - Cataclysm story and legion story were too big to be told just in this MMo - wrong format/medium and not enough time - they are stories that could have had arunnign theme through

Secondly, Dealign witht he void next expansion compeltley just seems phony.. we dealing with too many massive cosmic threats, too quickly - you have to build up, so I would say.. spend the next expansion or 2 building up the races, building up the lore, developing it, - use 9.0 with Azshara as its main focus to start introducing new bigger threats down the line.. so we don't have a case of .. all of a sudden there is so me mammoth threat yet again , that's appeared out of no where, and we all of a sudden are super Saiyan enough to destroy it, in the space of a year and half.. yay.

What We Could See in 9.0

ALL of Naz'jatar and the ruins of Zin'Azshari - 8.2 is just a portion of it, there is a massive see wall where you can see far more of the ruins, and there is almost nothing of the new naga city.


Use Atlantis in Aquaman as an inspiration - raise not the entire sunken continent to the surface.. and lotso f new lands, new naga sub-races, developments etc and p

[Arrashi]

I would love for her to appear only to get unceremoniously killed off 5 minutes later.

[Dakhath]

Can't stand Azshara, can't stand Naga. Hope we're done with both after this patch.

[Amaterasu65]

I would love for her to appear only to get unceremoniously killed off 5 minutes later.

Garrosh treatment.

[MechaCThun]

I'm in the boat of believing Azshara has enough about her to be a major featured, expansion villain à la Arthas and Deathwing.

[Beloren]

I'm in the boat of believing Azshara has enough about her to be a major featured, expansion villain à la Arthas and Deathwing.

Same, I've noticed blizzard expansions that have heavy elven focus - are usually hugely popular - look at TBC for blood elves and Legion for night elves. While we always have heavy human and orc presence no matter hte expansion, they should really consider switching that to heavy blood elven and night elven involvement regardless the expansion.

And be sure to have some elven related zone somewhere along the way.. we use to have a troll one all the time, but people like elves.

[The Professional]

Her empire feels underwhelming so far, in the past I always expected her to have a expansion cause her empire can easily be expansion material with around a billion troops.

[dunkl]

I actually think if would be cool if we started seeing story directions and inclusions that no fan could think up on their own based on familiarity, conditioning, routine, etc.

For instance, I think it would be awesome if Azshara returns to her elf form, through the breaking of curse, and her naga also revert to their elf forms, and for the first time we actually get a villain (previous villain, now reformed) join the alliance (I'm assuming alliance) allowing for the inclusion of a really cool lore character now leader of high elf race in a playable faction. Having an established in-game lore character who is, through grand story, returned to her original state (still strong but with powers brought back down to realistic range for a faction member / racial leader) and brought over to a faction, could open doors for story telling possibilities and exploration, and if noting else, expand the types of characters now part of a faction. I don't think we've ever had a bad guy turned good who joins a faction - seems there could be a lot of interesting character and story development that extends onward, with meaning, if done with purpose and intent.

I could imagine years from that moment, when visiting your capital's leaders and she is present, and you remember how she used to be a bad gay and is now part of the team, through grand storytelling and action on you and your faction's part. Would be fun to add that to the mix, I think.

[ravenmoon]

I actually think if would be cool if we started seeing story directions and inclusions that no fan could think up on their own based on familiarity, conditioning, routine, etc.

For instance, I think it would be awesome if Azshara returns to her elf form, through the breaking of curse, and her naga also revert to their elf forms, and for the first time we actually get a villain (previous villain, now reformed) join the alliance (I'm assuming alliance) allowing for the inclusion of a really cool lore character now leader of high elf race in a playable faction. Having an established in-game lore character who is, through grand story, returned to her original state (still strong but with powers brought back down to realistic range for a faction member / racial leader) and brought over to a faction, could open doors for story telling possibilities and exploration, and if noting else, expand the types of characters now part of a faction. I don't think we've ever had a bad guy turned good who joins a faction - seems there could be a lot of interesting character and story development that extends onward, with meaning, if done with purpose and intent.

I could imagine years from that moment, when visiting your capital's leaders and she is present, and you remember how she used to be a bad gay and is now part of the team, through grand storytelling and action on you and your faction's part. Would be fun to add that to the mix, I think.

I agree.. twists don't always have to be negative, they can be positive. or just different and unexpected in a way that makes that gives you something exciting or amazing.

I would find such a development intriguing, and possibly quite exciting if it gave me a cool new model of night elves, a layer of kaldorei fantasy fused with fresh tangent of new angle with the naga - ala Atlantis in Aquaman style.


What if out of this the night elves who have been depleted severly in numbers got a genuine allied race of elves of their history (after losing the nightborne to the horde). I know it's wishful thinking, but I think the night elves having a naga-elf subrace ally would be cool and could be part of a larger set of improvemntes that boost htier fortune. they'd have to be night elf calibre - so maybe touched by Elune - cos I don't see how the night elves would trust former naga - unles they showed some incredible virtue with Elune approval. It also gives a chance for their restored highborne order to take a lead and show us a bit more of kaldorei arcana.. and how they perhaps differ from their shal'dorei horde counterparts. I view the new night elven highborne like the Farondis we met in Azsuna, talented night elven mages who have returned tot he nobility the highborne had before addiction fuelled hubris and arrogance took a hold. Arcane midned and talented, but noble, revering the wilds and Elune, pro harmony - arcane wielding wonders and expertise, focused on building, discovery and excellence.. amongst them the Moonguard order is restored, and they are the ones that focus on battle, thanks to the Moonguard leaders surviing in legion, to train new arcane wielding night elves.


however the nnaga elves are a whole new culture, having some of the traits of their pre-sundering kaldorei culture and acumen, but with new things, new levels of advancements etc..


I've overdone it here, but it was just an example of what I would find exciting or get excited above.. especially if they looked like this:



I loved this concept art, especially the faces and features.. felt night elven, yet naga.. with these elves able to switch to full naga..Strategically with this sub-race part of the night elves, it gives them a high degree of sea mastery too and something different to compliment them

[Tyrathius]

Azshara should have been the main villain of BFA. This whole Sylvanas plot has been a massive waste that has done nothing but piss off both factions.

I'd be 100% okay with her being the focus of next expac personally, but I feel like people might get "Naga fatigue" so it would be better to wait a couple expacs.

[Zandalariprelate]

I actually think if would be cool if we started seeing story directions and inclusions that no fan could think up on their own based on familiarity, conditioning, routine, etc.

For instance, I think it would be awesome if Azshara returns to her elf form, through the breaking of curse, and her naga also revert to their elf forms, and for the first time we actually get a villain (previous villain, now reformed) join the alliance (I'm assuming alliance) allowing for the inclusion of a really cool lore character now leader of high elf race in a playable faction. Having an established in-game lore character who is, through grand story, returned to her original state (still strong but with powers brought back down to realistic range for a faction member / racial leader) and brought over to a faction, could open doors for story telling possibilities and exploration, and if noting else, expand the types of characters now part of a faction. I don't think we've ever had a bad guy turned good who joins a faction - seems there could be a lot of interesting character and story development that extends onward, with meaning, if done with purpose and intent.

I could imagine years from that moment, when visiting your capital's leaders and she is present, and you remember how she used to be a bad gay and is now part of the team, through grand storytelling and action on you and your faction's part. Would be fun to add that to the mix, I think.

Mmmm Azshara licking the boots of Human potential is a big No for me, now if this is more like a partnership like the zandalaris with the horde, then maybe it can work

[------------------------]

I agree.. twists don't always have to be negative, they can be positive. or just different and unexpected in a way that makes that gives you something exciting or amazing.

I would find such a development intriguing, and possibly quite exciting if it gave me a cool new model of night elves, a layer of kaldorei fantasy fused with fresh tangent of new angle with the naga - ala Atlantis in Aquaman style.


What if out of this the night elves who have been depleted severly in numbers got a genuine allied race of elves of their history (after losing the nightborne to the horde). I know it's wishful thinking, but I think the night elves having a naga-elf subrace ally would be cool and could be part of a larger set of improvemntes that boost htier fortune. they'd have to be night elf calibre - so maybe touched by Elune - cos I don't see how the night elves would trust former naga - unles they showed some incredible virtue with Elune approval. It also gives a chance for their restored highborne order to take a lead and show us a bit more of kaldorei arcana.. and how they perhaps differ from their shal'dorei horde counterparts. I view the new night elven highborne like the Farondis we met in Azsuna, talented night elven mages who have returned tot he nobility the highborne had before addiction fuelled hubris and arrogance took a hold. Arcane midned and talented, but noble, revering the wilds and Elune, pro harmony - arcane wielding wonders and expertise, focused on building, discovery and excellence.. amongst them the Moonguard order is restored, and they are the ones that focus on battle, thanks to the Moonguard leaders surviing in legion, to train new arcane wielding night elves.


however the nnaga elves are a whole new culture, having some of the traits of their pre-sundering kaldorei culture and acumen, but with new things, new levels of advancements etc..


I've overdone it here, but it was just an example of what I would find exciting or get excited above.. especially if they looked like this:



I loved this concept art, especially the faces and features.. felt night elven, yet naga.. with these elves able to switch to full naga..Strategically with this sub-race part of the night elves, it gives them a high degree of sea mastery too and something different to compliment them

That just sounds like a naga with extra steps

[Rustov]

It would be a waste to dispose of her so soon, and her fight does seem to cast doubt on us killing her here. I would be okay with her carrying over in some capacity, similar to Guldan from WoD (now there's a major lore villain who got due treatment). Even if it was just to the end of BFA, a more elegant version of Kael'thas. Say, she's betrayed by N'Zoth and storms back in the last patch for a melee a trois?

[matrix123mko]

Kael'thas and Kil'jaeden deserved better fate. I hope Azshara won't be wasted as they were.

- - - Updated - - -

Azshara should have been the main villain of BFA. This whole Sylvanas plot has been a massive waste that has done nothing but piss off both factions.

I'd be 100% okay with her being the focus of next expac personally, but I feel like people might get "Naga fatigue" so it would be better to wait a couple expacs.

BfA should have been Azshara expansion with Zul as side villain.

[Naramag]

How about Aszhara redeemed and taking her place as the night elves leader, while Tyrande looses her shit and becomes the new villain, revealing that this night warrior ritual had nothing to do with Elune but was invoking the void?

[matrix123mko]

How about Aszhara redeemed and taking her place as the night elves leader, while Tyrande looses her shit and becomes the new villain, revealing that this night warrior ritual had nothing to do with Elune but was invoking the void?

I think Azshara would prefer blood elves or nightborne to become her people.

[ravenmoon]

I think Azshara would prefer blood elves or nightborne to become her people.

Not if she were reformed or redeemed, she would be pushing the original pre-addiction ambition and destiny of the night elves, but with all her new insights.


however I don't think Azshara is the right person for that sort of thing.. if Azshara actually became that, it would be an apologetic night elf people which I wouldn't like, you'd have to make them different sufficiently to make them interesting.... and I think that would work better if a redeemed Azshara led a Naz'dorei (naga-elf) allied race, that wanted to redeem themselves, especially to the kaldorei, so really push to join them, help them, and are met with a lot of kaldorei anger, resentment, snubbery, and rejection .. but they don't give up.. determined to win them back and repay their debt.

It could work very well, would be an interesting take .. you would examine a differnet side of the kaldorei in a situation of if Azshara led them again and was now good, and how that would interplay.. those who would accept, and those who would reject. Highborne shen'dralar would be nervous and likely not want to associate with them having won the trust of their kin, and not been experts on being able to discern a persons character and heart. Druids would likely be accepting because they are kind hearted forgiving types, the sentinels and wardens, and priesthood absolutely not - the illidari wouldn't care, it would be hypocritical of them, and would find the posturing ridiculous, afterall, to complete their mission, they allied with demons as well as devouring and controlling other demons … so if the naz'dorei wanna help and are useful, it's not like the night elves can be beggars..


The priestess leadership would be two ways, if Elune agrees, they would generally be supportive, some would be of the position - we cannot afford to turn down aid nor allies, others would be - no way we can't trust them - and we could see the issue fracture the night elves... but they can use the Naz'dorei to prevent that from happening, right a compelling story of forgiveness, mending wounds etc.

[Nize]

Ever since she was tied to Nzoth, she was bound for mid-boss status.

[matrix123mko]

Ever since she was tied to Nzoth, she was bound for mid-boss status.

Deathwing.

[Mehrunes]

With 8.2 happening? Nah. It is a waste, but pulling an Azshara expansion after that would be just depreciating.