Originally Posted by
Mace
Let me hear what your version of a not too distant future might look like after a timeskip of about 5-10 years from BFA events.
How The World Might Look If 10.0 Had a Timeskip
In the new Warcraft time jump, the races are far more autonomous than before. And have much improved. This is blizzards way of showing the improvements each of the races have gotten, some ofc have more than others, but that's because they've suffered a lot more.
Alliance Races
The night elves are alliance only in name, they help EK group with nothing, and don't ask for any help - they are focused on rebuilding (Highborne focus on civilization and progress, Druids on restoring nature and balance/harmony, Priests still govern making sure everything holds together and the NElves don't go off course. However they all watch global affairs closely, making sure they are never caught off guard and are prepared.
The alliance is core humans, void/high elves, dwarves, gnomes - Worgen and Draenei are different. Worgen are largely focused in Gilneas issues, Dranei are everyone's friends but generally busy with making a new life for themselves. Dwarven culture is greatly changed, Titan discoveries and Magni's role as speaker have changed Dwarven religion, Azeroth is worshipped as well as the other Titans. Golganeth has the biggest following, though it's not as religious as you might think - (think patron deity).
The Horde Races
The horde don't have a core. The trolls similar to the night elves are fairly autonomous, Zandalari leadership strengthens over most of the Troll tribes but the Darkspear still live and work closely with the orcs, and the Tauren are tight with them, the blood elves stick to themselves as do the Nightborne though the two work together a lot. They are small but they do well by themselves. The Farondis got restored, they are friendly with the Nightborne and with the Darnassians, but they have more interaction with the both the Fangfire Worgen (NElf worgen group from the Emerald dream allied race based in Val'Sharah) and Nightborne - faction loyalty is not a strong factor on the isles. Both the horde and alliance were not like they were in BFA - with races sworn to their side and drafted in, So the guys on the island pretty much continue life as normal without much interference from anyone. The blood elves do visit Suramar a lot though, but so do night elves some of which are friendly with the Nightborne but not aligned to the horde. The Highmountain Tauren get along very well with new Fangfire worgen. Scuffles with the Vrykul in Stormheim still continue. The Vrykul love a fight.
With the war at least 7 years in the past (possibly 10) everyone's been doing their thing. No major conflicts or escalations, no one wants to start one. New zones will have a zonal quests.
Lordaeron
Lordaeron is back, it has living and undead humans in it. It is a neutral hub city for both alliance and horde with leadership open to both, similar to how Dalaran became, the horde and alliance are more political parties the populace tend to vote it's governing officials on. Much of the former Alterac nation, Hillsbrad,Silverpine, eastern WPL. Forsaken capital is in Northrend now, they got ICC, While the Deosolate council are horde aligned, again that doesn't mean much, the Lich King rules and he isn't aligned to any faction - the dynamic is with some complexity.
Illidari
Illidari tend to work with their respective races.. night elf ones with night elf in NElf areas, blood elf ones with blood el areas incl ones in Outland, broken ones with broken, naga with naga etc. They fulfil their duty watching amongst the races of Azeroth and do so by having camps, HQs in many major race capitals - with BElf ones in most horde areas, NElf ones in most alliance areas, although their biggest bases are in NElf lands and BElf lands. They have recruited new members from other races to train as demon hunters - the mortality rate is much higher on other races, the elven members often joined after fresh great tragedies induced by demons, which produced the hatred and motivation to destroy the demons like no other and their magical blood made them naturally good at handling. Both the magic and the resolve to push though played huge roles in their success rates, very few individuals from other races have that degree fo demon hate to make it, especially with the Legion gone, but some do.
Draenei
Draenei have rebuilt a version of Auchindouin on Blood myst isle and a new city where the exodar (now in the air was), it looks so futuristic.
Gnomes and Goblins
Gnomeragan is saved, and looks very Gnomish, Gnomes build biggest tunnel between Mechagon and Gnomeragan for trains. now, Kezan and Undermine (2 Goblin cities) have also been cleared and revealed, Goblins have sky scrapers and a lot of pollution.
Gilneas
Gilneas is back in Gilnean Worgen hands, while friendly with the night elves, they don't see much of each other being on opposite sides of the world, and unlike the Fangfire worgen (Night elf worgen) who can all enter the dream (only Gilnean worgen druids trained for it can), it tends to be the Fangfire seeing night elves a lot more often - I mean they live in Val'shsarh, so obviously. Gilneans now includes part of Silverpine and Hillsbrad.
Lightforge Draenei - built an Auchindouin replica where the Dalaran Crater once was, this becomes their home
Orgrimmar & Central Kalimdor
Orgrimmar is a thriving city, it looks big, many more buildings and much of the Durotar peninsula is now urbanised, many more from Outland now live on Azeroth, While the horde capital, Orgrimmar has become perhaps the world's first truly global city. You find all races there now, not just horde ones, it's a huge trade centre - at the heart of moving/drigving the economy are ofc goblins. While alliance races are fewer there, most of the human survivors moved there. The orcs and night elves came to an agreement. The druids, led by Hammul, developed a forestry farm program in the Fertile growth (previously Barrens) zone, harnessing wood. The night elves declared Ashenvale a nature reserve with wood cutting/harvesting without permission, etc
Crossroads is the 2nd largest city on Kalimdor - it doesn't have the elven beauty of Eldre'thalas or New Elundis on Hyjal, but it's massive, and a hodge podge of various different architectures. Orcish homes, Tauren ones, Goblin ones, Human ones
. Theramor is an undead city on Kalimdor, (they're not all in Northrend) and the Farakki signed up with the horde in Tanaris. More Tauren settlements in 1k needles and Stonetalon where they mix with night elves.
Small Human pockets still exist in places like Fort Triumph, so to are dwarves, but they are much friendlier with horde races who they depend on for trade etc.
Northern Eastern Kingdoms
Much of EPL and WPL are restored, but high elves and void elves alongside humans dominate that region. The Thalassian picked up druidism (advanced Botany (they prefer to call it) and helped restore most of it. Large high elf populations still exist in Dalaran and Stormwind - Dalaran has been in the former EPL/WPL working on restoration.
Silvermoon is totally rebuilt, and still predominantly sin'dorei but has become an ideological warzone - more at the end.
Night Elves
Night elves, are now crazy about regrowth (druids) and Development (Highborne led) - they harness their power fully, to protect their lands from ever being at the mercy of other races and to make sure they're race and civilization recover into a power house. It is not a drive for an empire, but rather that the places they call home will be restored and secure.
Amongst the night elves, the druids seek to regrow all the forests lost and heal lands, the Highborne lead efforts focused on restoring the ruins and as much of kaldorei civilization as possible. Highborne do not have the respect they took for granted in the pre-sundering era, so they are very focused on trying to prove they are the high calling they were once believed as. They engage with the rest of the world, and are known for having high standards almost as if "we'll teach you how to live the right way" They do this from their centre in Eldre'thalas - they rule western and northern Feralas spilling into much of desolace, but unlike Hyjal, they're far more engaged with the world, trade etc, and serve as the defacto night elf civilization on Kalimdor - while Hyjal is full of researchers, and is more considered a sacred capital - the Highborne study and utilise the Well, the druids the nature and the emerald dream through the tree, and a new Cathedral to Elune and primary HQ of the Order of Elune is built there. The Cathedral of Eternal night is the broken isle chapter, Nightborne and Val'Sharah priests that moved south operate it there - Elunites do pilgrimage to Hyjal, though it is mostly night elven. However CoEN has Nightborne, Fangfire worgen, Void elf races involved.
How the Various Night Elven Races/Groups look in 10.0
A new night elf grand Holy capital is on Mount Hyjal. It's the best location if you're going to build fully for the night elvs - but if you're not, it's the broken isles. Hyjal has the Well of Eternity, the Tree, the wild gods. Build a great city, and a temple, and there is lots of forest for miles around - it can serve as the central hub for the kaldorei moving forward.
•Highborne will have their all capital in Eldre'thalas [Alliance]
•Nightborne in Suramar [Horde]
•nazdorei in New Zin'Azshari - Nazjatar [TBD - but likely alliance, could be both]
•Fangfire Worgen (NElf one) - Shal'anir Val'Sharah [Alliance]
•Darnassian Capital - Hyjal
Hyjal capital would actually involve druid culture too amongst priest and Highborne. Yes Highborne will have a huge presence due to the well, druids because of the wild gods and trees, and Priests will have a temple built. And no, no tree city, Nordrassil and the surrounding forest is the tree portion, architecture is pre-sundering but full of nature and life as all aspects meet.
The capital on Hyjal, New Elundis, is not your typical city, sure, trade happens etc, but access is mostly through portal and with permission. There are very strict rules of behaviour and contect, and many no-go areas for visitors. The well of Eternity sacred to the night elves is there and is the frontier of arcane research and development, while the nature wild gods so revered by the night elven druids also reside there as a land deeply connected with nature. the restord forests are huge wild lands, but you can often see wild gods visiting the city, and the massive tree in the centre hosts many unique life forms as a gateway between the dream and the present.
To Spice Things Up - Shadowlands restored many a genocide
For population booms - you can credit Shadowlands for reversing many a genocide. Biggest beneficiaries are Night elves, Gnomes, High elves, Humans. Farondis and Ravencrest find themselves lucky beneficiaries by intervention of Elune. The orc and draenei booms come from Outland folk moving into Azeroth,
Thalassians
Silvermoon and Quel'thalas become a hotzone mess. The return of many of the fallen high elves as created a war of ideals, with half agreeing with the sin'dorei philosophy of going forward and half agreeing with the original Quel'dorei mandate. One thing they agree on is they're not killing each other. Eversong woods and Silvermoon tend to be blood elf dominated, while Ghostlands and former EPL tend to be high elf dominated. Ghostlands is healed, the Thalassians have a second city in the now restored EPL - but it is far from simple, there are disagreements all the time
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Your Input and Your Prediction of the Future
Population increase from Shadowlands is the most effective and realistic way of replenishing the nations, explaining and giving the boosts you need to many of these areas, it also creates many interesting situations and ofc some former heroes returned. I haven't done all zones ofc. e.g. Dark Irons and Black Rock orcs? What would that look like?
So, which ever group or race interests you, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the potential future in a time skip if it happened. Where do you think