Is it time to scrap the Alliance and Horde?

[boots1991]

With the end of BFA, came the end of all out war between the factions.
Thorough Shadowlands we cast out faction affiliation away for covenants, all the races fought a common yet terribly implemented foe.
In Dragonflight we will set out as explorers and support the flights. The conflict has passed and data mined npc's show that the divide between factions is healing slowly.

While many want to see the Alliance positioned as the bad guy of an expansion for once. It would just be a rehash of the Horde civil war during Garrosh's era.
In the end the faction divide seems only to serve PvP.

I admit that having an Orc or Forsaken walk through Stormwind safely would be unlikely, as would a Human or Night elf walking through the Undercity.
However the factions let Death Knights, Warlocks and all other kind of shady individuals wander around the capitals as long as they are considered "Heroes" (Our player characters).
We even have situations like the Dwarfs. Ironforge has the Dark Iron walking thought the city once more.

My solution - Allow player characters to join any faction. As champions (or whatever) the prestige should overrule old grievances.
To make PvP situations work in the story line. Borrow from the idea of FFXIV Free Company's. Merc forces that fight over points of interest works better than trying to explain why the Horde and Alliance still fight in many of the battlegrounds.

Preferably Dragonflight will continue to mend the divide between factions and allow for a new era.
Another Faction conflict would just be more of the same.

[Nymrohd]

I'd rather it had been done organically with the factions actually being dissolved because something happened that made it make sense.

[OwenBurton]

With the end of BFA, came the end of all out war between the factions.
Thorough Shadowlands we cast out faction affiliation away for covenants, all the races fought a common yet terribly implemented foe.
In Dragonflight we will set out as explorers and support the flights. The conflict has passed and data mined npc's show that the divide between factions is healing slowly.

While many want to see the Alliance positioned as the bad guy of an expansion for once. It would just be a rehash of the Horde civil war during Garrosh's era.
In the end the faction divide seems only to serve PvP.

I admit that having an Orc or Forsaken walk through Stormwind safely would be unlikely, as would a Human or Night elf walking through the Undercity.
However the factions let Death Knights, Warlocks and all other kind of shady individuals wander around the capitals as long as they are considered "Heroes" (Our player characters).
We even have situations like the Dwarfs. Ironforge has the Dark Iron walking thought the city once more.

My solution - Allow player characters to join any faction. As champions (or whatever) the prestige should overrule old grievances.
To make PvP situations work in the story line. Borrow from the idea of FFXIV Free Company's. Merc forces that fight over points of interest works better than trying to explain why the Horde and Alliance still fight in many of the battlegrounds.

Preferably Dragonflight will continue to mend the divide between factions and allow for a new era.
Another Faction conflict would just be more of the same.

I'm not sure whether they will add yet another faction conflict in the future...I feel so conflicted, I kind of liked the faction war, it was invigorating and interesting sometimes, but I am also tired of its repetitive nature.

[Kithelle]

I don't get where you're getting this "end to all out war"?

All it takes is the writers to write another war...so until they come out and say there will absolutely positively never ever in a million years be another war between the horde and alliance, a war is only a keystroke away. Especially when Turalyon, someone who has almost always known the horde as villains is in charge, anything is possible.

[Oneirophobia]

I'm not sure whether they will add yet another faction conflict in the future...I feel so conflicted, I kind of liked the faction war, it was invigorating and interesting sometimes, but I am also tired of its repetitive nature.

They've only tried making conflicts between the factions via "current leader goes bananas", I think if they continue to do that I won't be at all interested. If they go in different directions (like simply having actions by one faction misinterpreted or manipulated by bad actors) then I SUPPOSE I'd be down for it.

At this stage, though, the faction conflict only serves as a barrier between players who would otherwise probably benefit from being able to play with one another. We have far too many of these barriers to begin with, and none of them have been addressed by Blizzard beyond slapping a way-above-market-price on them and selling the solutions as a service.

- - - Updated - - -

I don't get where you're getting this "end to all out war"?

All it takes is the writers to write another war...so until they come out and say there will absolutely positively never ever in a million years be another war between the horde and alliance, a war is only a keystroke away. Especially when Turalyon, someone who has almost always known the horde as villains is in charge, anything is possible.

Definitely, Turalyon is the next "And then he just went CRAZY due to [external force]!" At least this time there is foreshadowing for this event, as opposed to an island appearing out of some fog resulting in a sudden yet insatiable desire for bloody world conquest, or a random evil version of Mr. Clean exploding through the lore's wall Kool-aid man style and a leader (renown for their intellect, of course) immediately buying into his painfully obvious scheme that would otherwise fail to convince even the dumbest of orc peons.

- - - Updated - - -

I'd rather it had been done organically with the factions actually being dissolved because something happened that made it make sense.

I feel like we're at that point. There is no warchief any longer, all the bad actors have been dealt with. All we need is for Turalyon not to go full crusader and we should be okay. I have a bad feeling they retired Anduin "Peacey-McPeace Face" Wrynn so they could shoehorn conflict back into the story via Turalyon & Alleria though. Having said that, he is predominately riled up by demons, undead and the void, two of which are featured more predominantly on the Alliance now (I assume night elves are still considered the OG Demon Hunters?). Somehow, the Horde ended up more druidy and shaman based (just via racial composition) with a touch of devoutly light worshipping elves. So we might be okay? Especially if Calia can convince Turalyon the Forsaken aren't the Scourge (for realsies this time... lol) and that she intends to light-wash them all if he can just be patient.

Maybe the conflict doesn't even involve the Horde directly, maybe Turalyon just starts getting on the Demon Hunter and Void Elves' cases about their magic schools and the Horde just ends up assisting Alliance renegades at their request against their oppressive "LIGHT ONLY" government.

[Berkilak]

No. The Alliance and the Horde are integral components of this setting.

That being said, I would explore making things a little more complex than red vs. blue. Have the Night Elves pull out of the Alliance entirely, and put them on friendly terms with the Tauren and Nightbourne. Let the Horde kick out the Undead entirely (would have been great when Sylvanas went rogue). Have Silvermoon City go entirely neutral. And so on.

As long as gameplay isn't restricted, go wild with faction relations. Let the Orcs and Nightbourne form differing relationships with other factions, rather than both subscribing to the overly simplistic red vs. blue. Let these cultures be narratively unique.

[Khaza-R]

Very unlikely only because its pretty much become a part of their brand identity for WarCraft.

[Kharli]

what khaza-r said, also because it's kinda hard coded into the game sadly. so they would have to re-write the entire gamecode, which would just result in a new game

[Villager720]

Faction identity is still important to many players - and the factions are defined by their races.
Remove the racial/faction requirements and you erode the factions even more than they have done to this point. And I think the dev's are a similar mind based on their comments around cross-faction grouping.

I know I'm personally against it.

[Lochton]

Nah, we still need the factions, way too soon to scrap it, especially since you have a leader on Alliance now who doesn't support complete peace.

[Desperado82]

After the events of BFA, and how the Horde supported outright genocide, including a good portion of the playerbase, if this forum is anything to go by, it wouldn't make sense for the factions to be completely abolished. What would protect the former Alliance races from just being liquidated as undesirables by their former Horde neighbors?

[tromage2]

NO!, stop the crappy lovecraft BS.
We dont want Gnomes and other stupid races in Horde cities.

My solution:
Make lovecraft servers where Alliance and Horde players can go on flowerpicking quests together so that we dont get these discussions anymore.
And make Warcraft server where we have factions fighting each other and the bigger threat at the same time.

[Aucald]

NO!, stop the crappy lovecraft BS.
We dont want Gnomes and other stupid races in Horde cities.

My solution:
Make lovecraft servers where Alliance and Horde players can go on flowerpicking quests together so that we dont get these discussions anymore.
And make Warcraft server where we have factions fighting each other and the bigger threat at the same time.

While I also don't think the factions in WoW should be scrapped, why does this notion automatically equate to "lovecraft?" The war between the factions isn't the only cause for overall conflict, bloodshed, and violence in the Warcraft universe, after all. You can have plenty of conflict with aggressors both terrestrial and cosmic, without said conflict needing to always arise from the Alliance and Horde continually butting heads.

[Sableye]

I think you'd have to build a game from scratch around the concept of flexible allegances. WoW has flirted with it since like TBC with the Scryers v Aldor

[Daedius]

Horde vs Alliance has long been so forced in this game despite both factions having worked together consistently against a bigger threat...

[tromage2]

I think you'd have to build a game from scratch around the concept of flexible allegances. WoW has flirted with it since like TBC with the Scryers v Aldor

Idd,

Make another game called lovecraft so that we get ride of these people.

Horde vs Alliance has long been so forced in this game despite both factions having worked together consistently against a bigger threat...

Its forced that they work together make no sense when you see the history over the last 40 years.
Horde burned the Night Elf population like 3 years ago.... Now you ask them to work together???..???
Alliance killed the Zandalari king like 3 years ago..... Now you ask them to work together???..???
And these are just two races in recent events i can make a very very long list and all alive have seen and experienced these events normally it takes generations to overcome these things.

[Lorgran]

Use WM to differenciate between player choice.
WM ON = Horde vs Alliance, full out war
WM OFF = Horde <3 Alliance, cooperation in world

Basically what is there today, just improve on it. Groups for raids/pvp/m+ workable in both settings, as it's instanced content anyway.

[Sableye]

Idd,

Make another game called lovecraft so that we get ride of these people.



Its forced that they work together make no sense when you see the history over the last 40 years.
Horde burned the Night Elf population like 3 years ago.... Now you ask them to work together???..???
Alliance killed the Zandalari king like 3 years ago..... Now you ask them to work together???..???
And these are just two races in recent events i can make a very very long list and all alive have seen and experienced these events normally it takes generations to overcome these things.

if you're starting from scratch, take a note from the other mmo's and make factions less rigid, make the heroes mercs like they really are, and other QOL improvements that can be baked in up front

[Cynical Asshole]

I would be fine with making the factions be based on ideologies rather than race.

You'd still have Alliance and Horde but any race can be any faction, and the faction conflict is only about honor vs. pragmatism, order vs. chaos.

You'd be able to switch factions in-game after a long quest chain and rep grind that you would have to do every time you want to switch.

[Biomega]

I was always in favor of reshuffling the factions. Maybe the inevitable Light vs. Void showdown allowing people to choose a side, or something.

But now that they're basically just going for cross-faction play on all levels, that's become a moot point. No need to have a creative solution, if the mechanical problems go away through cross-faction play.