Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Nymrohd]

It makes sense to me in light of the predicament of the Dragonflights and their Aspects post-Cata when they expended their power to destroy Deathwing. The Oathstones sound like a means for them to power up once more, restoring at least a degree of their former might in order to combat the many enemies that seem to be at their door during this expansion.

The issue is the formulaic and uninspired story. Each flight has a special thing, go capture it! Each the kind of plot you write for your campaign when you are twelve. I know cause I DID write that plot back then

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Blizzard has a thing for making us collect precisely 5 weird mcguffins.
First the Pillars, then the Sigils, now the Oathstones.

Sadly the latter 2 are not nearly as interesting as the Pillars.

Less of a weird thing and more of a writer's crutch.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

The issue is the formulaic and uninspired story. Each flight has a special thing, go capture it! Each the kind of plot you write for your campaign when you are twelve. I know cause I DID write that plot back then

I think maybe you are being a bit dramatic about this. Good grief

[Nymrohd]

I think maybe you are being a bit dramatic about this. Good grief

I just find it a poor way to write a story. Especially when you've done it several times in a row. I also don't know where you are reading the drama. It's fair criticism.

[Aucald]

The issue is the formulaic and uninspired story. Each flight has a special thing, go capture it! Each the kind of plot you write for your campaign when you are twelve. I know cause I DID write that plot back then.

It's a pretty basic fantasy staple, sure; although this is less about "capturing" and more about restoration and re-empowerment. It's also a good way to create essential goals in a video game context, where you want a series of challenges and plot points to be overcome by engaging with the game systems. I'm just saying that aside from the perhaps tired MacGuffin meme, that the Dragonflights would have such an object of power to restore them is consistent with their story as previously told.

[Nymrohd]

that the Dragonflights would have such an object of power to restore them is consistent with their story as previously told.

It is? How so? Has anything similar been shown in the past regarding the flights?

[Aucald]

It is? How so? Has anything similar been shown in the past regarding the flights?

The original Aspects were empowered via a Titanic device of some kind, one employed by Keeper Tyr in the events of Dawn of the Aspects. We also know that the Titans are all about redundancies, such as the Pillars of Creation that the Pantheon left as an encapsulation of their own power for later use on Azeroth. In this regard, it makes sense that the Aspects would have a similar type of failsafe in case they were needed once more, and the Oathstones essentially represent that - they're basically Pillars of Creation oriented more to the Aspects and stored in a location that is more or less all about dragonkind as a whole.

They're obviously new to the story, but their existence is pretty easy to intuit based on the prior actions of the Titans and their penchant for redundancy and storing power in objects for later use.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

It is? How so? Has anything similar been shown in the past regarding the flights?

The demon soul feels like it falls into that category given that they were able to store part of there power into it, them being stronger in the past but having there own personal demon souls as a sort of inheritance in case they ever died wouldn’t be to far fetched.

[Nymrohd]

The original Aspects were empowered via a Titanic device of some kind, one employed by Keeper Tyr in the events of Dawn of the Aspects. We also know that the Titans are all about redundancies, such as the Pillars of Creation that the Pantheon left as an encapsulation of their own power for later use on Azeroth. In this regard, it makes sense that the Aspects would have a similar type of failsafe in case they were needed once more, and the Oathstones essentially represent that - they're basically Pillars of Creation oriented more to the Aspects and stored in a location that is more or less all about dragonkind as a whole.

They're obviously new to the story, but their existence is pretty easy to intuit based on the prior actions of the Titans and their penchant for redundancy and storing power in objects for later use.

Eh this is just seeing a pattern and calling it logical just because it is a pattern. We HAVE seen what it takes to empower an Aspect, at no point did the Blue flight need the Azure Oathstone to do it. It doesn't even seem like the Oathstones, like the Pillars or the Sigils, are the center of the story, they just happen to be around.

[Xilurm]

I hope they don't end up killing Alexstrasza or something like that.

[Kiivar86]

I hope they don't end up killing Alexstrasza or something like that.

Ysera's death didn't even take, I doubt she's in any real danger either.

Nozdormu's on the chopping block at some point though, and Sabellian feels likely too (much as I hate that).

[Aucald]

Eh this is just seeing a pattern and calling it logical just because it is a pattern. We HAVE seen what it takes to empower an Aspect, at no point did the Blue flight need the Azure Oathstone to do it. It doesn't even seem like the Oathstones, like the Pillars or the Sigils, are the center of the story, they just happen to be around.

Patterns, by their nature, posit a predictable (and therefore logical) progression. The Oathstones didn't empower the original Aspects, but they appear to be symbolic of that empowerment (by virtue of representing the Aspect's oath to their purpose), and fortunately able to re-empower to some degree. Both the Pillars and Covenant Sigils were pretty central to their expansion's story, as well - moving the plot forward in most cases, as well as comprising a significant part of the overall story arc.

The Aspects re-empowering themselves to some degree, recommitting to their previous roles as Azeroth's stewards, is going to be a pretty significant movement in the story as well, even if other things are going on.

[Makabreska]

I hope they don't end up killing Alexstrasza or something like that.

We need her to go evil and raid boss to complete our Aspect Bingo card.

[Nymrohd]

Patterns, by their nature, posit a predictable (and therefore logical) progression. The Oathstones didn't empower the original Aspects, but they appear to be symbolic of that empowerment (by virtue of representing the Aspect's oath to their purpose), and fortunately able to re-empower to some degree. Both the Pillars and Covenant Sigils were pretty central to their expansion's story, as well - moving the plot forward in most cases, as well as comprising a significant part of the overall story arc.

The Aspects re-empowering themselves to some degree, recommitting to their previous roles as Azeroth's stewards, is going to be a pretty significant movement in the story as well, even if other things are going on.

Look, you want to excuse poor writing because they added a cheap McGuffin instead of actually showing the Aspects doing something for Azeroth (and not for themselves, their house and their flights). Have fun. Like the first zone has us reempower the Ruby lifestone yet the one who actually pulls all the work is not even Alex, it's Sabellian.

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We need her to go evil and raid boss to complete our Aspect Bingo card.

Maybe Murozond can pull out Aszartsxela from some AU for us to kill. (Did I inverse that right?)

[Alanar]

Don't get baited, this is what this guy only talks about.

Ye, better not, but some are really pushing it sorry.

[Aucald]

Look, you want to excuse poor writing because they added a cheap McGuffin instead of actually showing the Aspects doing something for Azeroth (and not for themselves, their house and their flights). Have fun. Like the first zone has us reempower the Ruby lifestone yet the one who actually pulls all the work is not even Alex, it's Sabellian.

I'm actually saying it's not "poor writing," as it's exceedingly early to really make that pronouncement in my opinion. The idea of Oathstones is consistent, and the mechanism within RPG-type video games is pretty common. Whether or not the story element is done well within the greater story arc remains to be seen - you appear to have come to what I'd say is a pretty hasty prejudgment, though.

[Hitei]

Eh this is just seeing a pattern and calling it logical just because it is a pattern. We HAVE seen what it takes to empower an Aspect, at no point did the Blue flight need the Azure Oathstone to do it. It doesn't even seem like the Oathstones, like the Pillars or the Sigils, are the center of the story, they just happen to be around.

The Blue flight didn't attempt their empowerment after the power of the Aspect was exhausted killing Deathwing.

[Makabreska]

I came to realize how random Malygos going evil in WotLK was, and how wasteful, on top of that. He got like the shortest end of the stick from all the Aspects in terms of development.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

I mean Domain of Magic.. Magic kind of fucked everything in your life.. Said Magic was abused by Mortals and Immortals.. You snap and wage war against those you believe fucked your life up and then you die because Plot Armor heroes show up when they activate cocaine magic concentrator.

To be honest if anything the fact he didn't snap sooner is actually more impressive.

(Also since Shadow Wing is recanonized, there's a reason why he didn't snap sooner.)

[Villager720]

I mean Domain of Magic.. Magic kind of fucked everything in your life.. Said Magic was abused by Mortals and Immortals.. You snap and wage war against those you believe fucked your life up and then you die because Plot Armor heroes show up when they activate cocaine magic concentrator.

To be honest if anything the fact he didn't snap sooner is actually more impressive.

(Also since Shadow Wing is recanonized, there's a reason why he didn't snap sooner.)

Yeah, to be honest he wasn’t wrong. Mortals using magic often fees like it causes more problems than it fixes.

[Nymrohd]

Yeah, to be honest he wasn’t wrong. Mortals using magic often fees like it causes more problems than it fixes.

It's not like Dragons using magic are any better though. He wasn't fixing anything.