What was the point of siding with Sylvanas in BFA?

[Beastiel]

it was a bone thrown at you and it was only put in to get people to shut up

This. It's not an illusion of choice, it's an actual choice. The fact that it didn't mean a whole lot by the end of it isn't really relevant. It was there to address the complaints of "why would my Tauren druid side with sylvanas" and "why do I have to blindly follow along?"

[Alanar]

This. It's not an illusion of choice, it's an actual choice. The fact that it didn't mean a whole lot by the end of it isn't really relevant. It was there to address the complaints of "why would my Tauren druid side with sylvanas" and "why do I have to blindly follow along?"

Its a shame the reception wasnt great tho and people wanted to have some sort of outcome or a reason.

Doesnt matter what blizz intention was tbh and I am not sure if anything you said was written in a blue post, cus the forums are full of know it alls, but one thing I do know is that the execution was terrible.

[Kithelle]

What was the point of introducing branching in BFA war campaign questline if the choices don't have any impact and all we got in the end is Garrosh 2.0?
Did I miss something here? Was something scrapped out of the game or just not completed at all?
I don't see any suitable conslusion for those who chose to side with Sylvanas, and now with Nathanos' death there surely be none coming.

Were you honestly expecting it to be any different? Did you really think there would be any other conclusion to that story line than her betraying you? What were you hoping for...that she would sweep you off your feet for a escape to Windrunner manor?

The writing was on the wall...has been for years. The Devs were just nice enough to give players a alternative...if there was any doubt in your mind that it wouldn't end the same no matter which path was chosen I think that was on you.

[Gorsameth]

The problem with offering fake choices is that players complain once they discover the choice is fake.

Tho I'll hold of judgement for now since I think Sylvanas doesn't really feature in the Shadowlands in 9.0. They might do a callback to the choice in some content added later (like when the Sylvanas raid is released).

[Accendor]

Every single one who followed Sylvanas renounced her. Geya'rah wouldn't be in the Council if she didn't renounce her. Same for Theron, Thalyssra, etc.

If you don't renounce her, you end up like this:



At which point you'd demand Blizzard a refund for deleting your character.

I never said they did not renounce her, but what happens here is that the culprit gets to decide if he is guilty or not and that's a big issue.

[Xilurm]

Well I dont hate her or want her dead, so you're at fault in that assumption.

And what is a "cuck"? Im not up to speed on all the twitch-lingo people use.

Jokes on you, I don't watch twitch much and I hate anything involved with the twitch chat.

Well that's on you really. I don't know why people are expecting bioware (old bioware) levels of storytelling but at the same time it's not like any of you didn't know what a person Sylvanas is.

I stand by what I said tho. I think it fits really nicely how it plays out. Why would the loyalists get anything special when she literally calls everyone "nothing". A means to an end.

[Baneto]

Jokes on you, I don't watch twitch much and I hate anything involved with the twitch chat.

Well that's on you really. I don't know why people are expecting bioware (old bioware) levels of storytelling but at the same time it's not like any of you didn't know what a person Sylvanas is.

I stand by what I said tho. I think it fits really nicely how it plays out. Why would the loyalists get anything special when she literally calls everyone "nothing". A means to an end.

What joke?

I think its clear why, the story hasnt played out yet so we dont know wether or not there will be any 'loyalist rewards'.

(not expecting anything but Im hoping for a mount or something cool)

[Varodoc]

What joke?

I think its clear why, the story hasnt played out yet so we dont know wether or not there will be any 'loyalist rewards'.

(not expecting anything but Im hoping for a mount or something cool)

There won't be any. Blizzzard already said at Blizzcon they don't plan to expand the Loyalist questline. It was a questline purely related to the Fourth War. The Fourth War is over.

[Xilurm]

What joke?

I think its clear why, the story hasnt played out yet so we dont know wether or not there will be any 'loyalist rewards'.

(not expecting anything but Im hoping for a mount or something cool)

Well imagine the backlash if something like that happened.

[Sencha]

You sided with Sylvanas. You were given that choice many times.

And you were forsaken by her, like literally 99% of every other creature who remained loyal to her (she will betray Nathanos too).

That is a suitable conclusion. Next time do not side with a genocidal psycho, because those kind of leaders do not tend to care about their subjects.

lol first answer is a triggered Sylvanas hater.

The question was about the impact of choosing one side instead of the other.

[Varodoc]

lol first answer is a triggered Sylvanas hater.

The question was about the impact of choosing one side instead of the other.

"Triggered Sylvanas hater" for pointing out the fact that following a genocidal psycho never ends well for their loyalists? Someone else is triggered here.

I know what the question is, I already explained thoroughly how that choice was impactful, but I can already tell you don't argue in good faith.

[Haidaes]

From an RPG PoV:
Letting the player express themselves in any way to influence how the story plays out is kind of one of the most basic things if you want a remotely competent RPG. In that regard it's a good thing and actually laudable that Blizzard put it in. Afterall it's a choice, to express yourself. In any somewhat decent RPG you can also make bad choices, some enjoy RPing as retards afterall (1 int builds in fallout, low int/wisdom in DnD, etc) and the loyalist path was pretty much just that. Afterall it is obvious to anyone who payed even a little bit ot attention that Sylvanas doesn't give a flying fuck about anything but herself, so you have only yourself to blame that you got thrown away as is typical for the character. The biggest gripe should be that there were no consequences for your actions and your character should have faced severe punishment for ratting out everyone to a maniac, especially after that maniac unleashed an old god.

From a gameplay PoV:
It's obviously entirely meaningless. You just did the same stuff everyone else did but this isn't swotor with personal story options. This an entirely linear game where half the ingame events get later retconned in a book to be retconned a couple years later in the game again. So of course there was never going to be any other outcome than the general one the overarching story follows.

[erifwodahs]

You do not need to start with logic in this discussion. ALL the horde were Sylvanas loyalists (except very few rebels) and yet non of them were put in chains.

Not all the Horde. "Very few rebels" were a substantial force from different horde races and Alliance joined to help us too. Not even all undead were Sylvanas loyalists.
It's like saying people who did not vote are Trump supporters. No. They just did not vote.

[Baneto]

Well imagine the backlash if something like that happened.

Well that would be the fruit of your meaningful choice right there.

[det]

Basically a "cosmetic" choice, nothing more.

Maybe somebody here can think through the consequences of actual choices. I mean....after the constant complaining how even the discrepancies between covenants will 100% lead to ppl being excluded from content, imagine a choice where you suddenly are possibly shunned by your faction

[erifwodahs]

Basically a "cosmetic" choice, nothing more.

Maybe somebody here can think through the consequences of actual choices. I mean....after the constant complaining how even the discrepancies between covenants will 100% lead to ppl being excluded from content, imagine a choice where you suddenly are possibly shunned by your faction

Covenants will lead to way less exclusion from content than mage tower did or class halls did. AND WAY less exclusion than BfA Faction questing

[Lothal]

Varodoc isn't missing the point lmao. People who sided with Sylvanas are. The point is that you got cucked like literally everyone who believed in her. And no I'm not joking. That's literally the point.

Giving you the same ending as everyone makes you upset doesn't it? The kinda upset you'd get if you got betrayed. Well congrats, you did. You fell for it.

PS: Atleast now you too have a reason to hate her and to want her dead. It's all falling into place.

I agree with this, this in itself is an outcome. The lore is obvious - you had to renounce her. It is no longer possible to be loyal to her, unless you kill yourself to feed the Jailer.

[huth]

This ! I agree with everything Nynax is saying.

It was quite obvious that this branching narrative was added very late in the developement of the expansion, maybe even when it was already live, and was made in reaction to players asking the possibility to side with Sylvanas. Since it wasn't really planned from the start, they couldn't flesh it out more, but it's a first step in more branching narrative.

AFAIR, they actually flat-out said so. Can't remember where, though, but i think that was somewhen between 8.1 and 8.2.

This. It's not an illusion of choice, it's an actual choice. The fact that it didn't mean a whole lot by the end of it isn't really relevant. It was there to address the complaints of "why would my Tauren druid side with sylvanas" and "why do I have to blindly follow along?"

Other way around. Siding with Sylvanas was the added option, not the other part. The ending makes it pretty clear the "canon" route is opposing her all along.

The problem with offering fake choices is that players complain once they discover the choice is fake.

Tho I'll hold of judgement for now since I think Sylvanas doesn't really feature in the Shadowlands in 9.0. They might do a callback to the choice in some content added later (like when the Sylvanas raid is released).

Which is kinda silly since that was pretty much known from the start, so they're mostly complaining about themselves. Blizzard never made much of a secret out of the choice not really affecting anything, and the game isn't set up to support branching storylines like that.

[det]

Covenants will lead to way less exclusion from content than mage tower did or class halls did. AND WAY less exclusion than BfA Faction questing

Well, the "exclusion" thingy is not my claim...just something that keeps coming up. Not least in a way of some posters regularly thinking "Oh..we didn't have some controversy over covenants for a week, let me make a thread and fire up this forum" (or so it seems)

[Kazlofski]

Sucks that loyalists are forced to kill Nathanos anyways.