Will Forsaken keep their aesthetic?

[EbaumsTipster]

Legion and BFA have lots of updated Night Elf assets, that will most likely be used in their future settlements.

The Forsaken have SOME new assets: mostly walls and tents, as well as their cool new ships (the flagship and the usual ship). No updates to their Wrath/Cata buildings however. The Undercity Plaguebat and their warfront armors all share the same kind of purple/pink and green jewel look with skulls on everything.

But is this going to be their aesthetic moving forward? They absolutely might take this chance to give them a squeaky clean holy Lordaeron image, which would explain their lack of new buildings or serious architecture. Or, if we're lucky, they might just be scrapping the Cata-era Tim Burton architecture and make it more like Vanilla where they're just in spooky human buildings.

It's up in the air. But damn we haven't got a new Forsaken building in forever.

Forgot to mention: of all the Forsaken assets in Darkshore, the blight wagons didn't get an update. So those are probably getting axed.

[Hellspawn]

I'm really not sure about this. Personally giving the Forsaken the Lordaeron visual identity will make no one happy. Forsaken don't want it and hardcore human alliance fans would rather have that for themselves.

Blight could be something that the new Forsaken don't do anymore, being evil and "death to the living" seems to be something they will not do anymore with Voss/Calia.
Personally I would prefer if they would stay gothic, but if Calia will be their leader, I'm not sure if anything that the undead got now will fit to them.

[StationaryHawk]

Those "spooky human buildings" were the old, rotting remnants of Lordaeron. There's no reason they'd build new structures with leaky roofs and broken windows just for the aesthetic of it. And I definitely don't want to see them move towards pretending Lordaeron is back and better than ever.

I don't think there's an issue with expanding upon the architecture we saw in Cataclysm. Just tone down the skulls a little.

[Super Dickmann]

There's unused assets from the Warfront that're Forsaken. I wouldn't put it past Blizzard to completely space the aesthetic along with the rest of the race while they're at it, but what makes me think they might make the undead into sad humans but keep their aesthetic is the treatment the Kor'kron and Garrosh-style aesthetic had afterwards. You saw this previously hostile NPC-only customization style be used heavily even afterwards and orcs got to keep that stuff. So I wouldn't be surprised to see the Forsaken keeping the cracked mask, greeting you with Victory for Sylvanas and wearing their Warfront-era gear while tirelessly striving to protect the living.

Tim Burton gothic look > Ruined Human buildings > Scourge (Undercity).

[EbaumsTipster]

There's unused assets from the Warfront that're Forsaken. I wouldn't put it past Blizzard to completely space the aesthetic along with the rest of the race while they're at it, but what makes me think they might make the undead into sad humans but keep their aesthetic is the treatment the Kor'kron and Garrosh-style aesthetic had afterwards. You saw this previously hostile NPC-only customization style be used heavily even afterwards and orcs got to keep that stuff. So I wouldn't be surprised to see the Forsaken keeping the cracked mask, greeting you with Victory for Sylvanas and wearing their Warfront-era gear while tirelessly striving to protect the living.

I actually think the voice lines are in for a rework. Forsaken is obvious, but things like the Belves telling you to remember that one time the Sunwell was out have aged and could use a touch up. Or they could just axe a couple Forsaken lines but I can see them swooping in and delivering a new batch next time we're on Azeroth.

As for the mask flag it actually got a clever revamp: the three arrows went down to one on Darkshore. While this is likely a nod to Sylvanas ditching her sisters it's still Sylvanas oriented, but they'll probably keep it around as the one reminder of her post-SL.

[Super Dickmann]

I actually think the voice lines are in for a rework. Forsaken is obvious, but things like the Belves telling you to remember that one time the Sunwell was out have aged and could use a touch up. Or they could just axe a couple Forsaken lines but I can see them swooping in and delivering a new batch next time we're on Azeroth.

As for the mask flag it actually got a clever revamp: the three arrows went down to one on Darkshore. While this is likely a nod to Sylvanas ditching her sisters it's still Sylvanas oriented, but they'll probably keep it around as the one reminder of her post-SL.

The change of the flag to represent the break with her bond with her sisters is actually a nice touch if intentional. In general I love the Darkshore warfront appearances, they're a great modernization of the Forsaken aesthetic. But if Blizzard didn't change the voice lines for 15 years I don't see them doing it now. Even if every time a Blood Elf merchant I'm trying to sell crap too tells me that he wishes death on all who oppose him I get a bit confused.

[Varodoc]

I imagine they'd want to change their crest, since Sylvanas betrayed them and made it clear she does not care and never cared about the Forsaken.

[Razion]

Their buildings should be as rotting and as dead as they are, but also Gothic.

It was such a triumph of the original game that the rotting and dead human buildings still could feel homey, like the inn at Brill, even if it wasn't supposed to be. I do like that the Forsaken got their own style in Wrath/Cata, but the purples I always found pretty bright for them and like, it'd be nice if we could somehow marry the old style of the buildings being run down and the new Gothic style for some kind of Gothic buildings with rotting wood, broken windows and such.

Reasons being: The Forsaken don't have the same needs of the living. Living in the run-down buildings was appropriate because they wouldn't mind the state of disrepair, but living in constant reminder of the past was probably pretty painful so it kind of made sense they were eventually replaced - but I wouldn't expect them to be maintained.

In terms of architecture I'd like to see, there were undead churches like at old Light's Hope and Duskwood that were run-down and dilapidated but we never saw new ones built in the Gothic style. I think during Wrath/Cata it would've been pretty cool to see ones that had worshiped the Dark Lady with Dark Clerics all inside and everything. We kind of got a hint of what that might have looked like in Legion with the Shadow portion of the Priest Order Hall where there were just all these dark candles and everything. I thought that was kind of cool.

Also I hope whatever inns they make in the future keep the coffins they've always had. Because coffins are awesome.

[Soon-TM]

I hope whatever inns they make in the future keep the coffins they've always had. Because coffins are awesome.

Of course they are. What better place to give your cold, dangling bones a well deserved rest, than a big, comfy coffin?

Also, playing in a *censored* BC server, I loved that belf in The Sepulchre who welcomes his fellow countrymen/women commenting on how weird it is to see a dilapidated tomb turned into an inn. A small, but brilliant touch!

[Feanoro]

Legion and BFA have lots of updated Night Elf assets, that will most likely be used in their future settlements.

Imagine thinking the Night Elves will get anything but more kicks to the balls.

[Rend Blackhand]

I'd love to see a switch to lordaeron based aesthetic but be ruins to show they are still undead and to cause maximum butthurt to alliance players who really think play starting zones and cities will ever be changed to different factions.

[Skytotem]

I'd love to see a switch to lordaeron based aesthetic but be ruins to show they are still undead and to cause maximum butthurt to alliance players who really think play starting zones and cities will ever be changed to different factions.

Eh, not really PRACTICAL to have buildings that are falling apart all the time, I agree their old aesthetic had more charm but they can't live out of old alliance towns forever.

The Wotlk and Cata stuff was alright but they could stand to have it tweaked over time, less overt 'plague' and more creative mad science.

Also, am I the only one who thinks that Saurok would make good 'muscle' for the Forsaken?

They LOVE living in nasty slimy environs, judging by the Isle of Thunder ones at least. I can totally see some of them chilling in gutters and pipes around Forsaken towns and helping them gather reagents, they don't have many scruples unlike a lot of other monstrous races like Orcs and such.

[SNES-1990]

I would like Forsaken to embrace their Lordaeron heritage. I hope their heritage armor reflects their human beginnings, complete with a Lordaeron banner for the back.


Unfortunately Chris Robinson seems dead set on strict colour themes for everything.

[EbaumsTipster]

I would like Forsaken to embrace their Lordaeron heritage. I hope their heritage armor reflects their human beginnings, complete with a Lordaeron banner for the back.

If the Blood Elf heritage armor has to do with their heritage as Blood Elves and not as Thalassians, then 100% they will have the Forsaken armor be about being Forsaken instead of a Lordaeronian.

[Skytotem]

I would like Forsaken to embrace their Lordaeron heritage. I hope their heritage armor reflects their human beginnings, complete with a Lordaeron banner for the back.


Unfortunately Chris Robinson seems dead set on strict colour themes for everything.

I really think that'd be a bad direction for them, Forsaken need to move on and make something new out of their next life, not dress themselves up as if nothing happened.

[Feanoro]

I really think that'd be a bad direction for them, Forsaken need to move on and make something new out of their next life, not dress themselves up as if nothing happened.

Why start now? Post ICC, the writers clearly have no clue what to do with them, not that one-note "revenge for undeath!" was much better.

[Rexosaurus]

I'd think that the biggest shift that we'd possibly see is a turn towards some kind of dark fantasy baroque style via Calia Menethil. As much as I've disliked the Forsaken being shoehorned into the Horde, and the direction that they took them in, it would be weird for Blizzard to alienate all of the players that play them by turning them into some group of holy zombies that live in a shining silver city.

[Broken Fox]

I imagine they'd want to change their crest, since Sylvanas betrayed them and made it clear she does not care and never cared about the Forsaken.

But shes still our mom

[omeomorfismo]

damn, if blizz did one thing right in this expansion was the warfront loadscreen. that glorious plague-spreaders advance is the forsaken aesthetic.
its better if they dont touch even this one <.<

[Super Dickmann]

But shes still our mom

The Forsaken dealing with their abandonment issues by immediately glomping onto a mother figure with a bigger rack is quite Freudian now that you mention it.