Unpopular Opinion: BfA is the most unnatural expansion

[Techno-Druid]

By that I mean, it just feels like BfA is the most forced expansion with the least natural progression. With TBC and Wrath (while both suffering a little from the 'bring back iconic character to turn into villian' thing that Blizzard does) were seeded with WC3 with Illidan and his allies taking Outland and Arthas merging with the Lich King and sitting upon the frozen throne. With Cataclysm it was somewhat unexpected but we had known of Deathwing being a threat and the faction war taking place during the expansion was carried over from Wrath and into MoP, which while also pretty random, didn't exactly feel unrealistic either. Two international powerhouses warring in the remote regions of the sea and discovering a landmass.

Garrosh carried over much of his progression from MoP and even Cata before into WoD and the presence of the Burning Legion, Gul'dan and Khadgar (imo) seeded the way for Legion.

With BfA, there never really seems to be an indication that there was this massive war brewing. Sure, the Broken Shore divided the faction leaders, but everyone else basically said fuck that and joined together to fight the Legion. Even a few faction leaders like Velen, Malfurion, Tyrande and Liadrin (a secondary leader but still a leader) embraced neutrality. The only possible indication that there was a potential for a faction war was Stormheim and even then, I think most people took that as a beef between Greymane and Slyvanas more than a faction thing.

I feel like I will get shit for this, but I just feel like the transition could have been done a lot better.

[Dangg]

'Unpopular opinion'.... yeah right

[Magnagarde]

Feels pretty natural to me. Tons of stuff since Cataclysm lead up to this. In truth, I felt like everything was unnatural about the two factions being forced to work together after so much bad blood.

[Torto]

It would have felt unnatural if Baine or Saurfang had been made warchief. Once Sylvanas was made horde leader war was inevitable.

[Cyanu]

By that I mean, it just feels like BfA is the most forced expansion with the least natural progression. With TBC and Wrath (while both suffering a little from the 'bring back iconic character to turn into villian' thing that Blizzard does) were seeded with WC3 with Illidan and his allies taking Outland and Arthas merging with the Lich King and sitting upon the frozen throne. With Cataclysm it was somewhat unexpected but we had known of Deathwing being a threat and the faction war taking place during the expansion was carried over from Wrath and into MoP, which while also pretty random, didn't exactly feel unrealistic either. Two international powerhouses warring in the remote regions of the sea and discovering a landmass.

Garrosh carried over much of his progression from MoP and even Cata before into WoD and the presence of the Burning Legion, Gul'dan and Khadgar (imo) seeded the way for Legion.

With BfA, there never really seems to be an indication that there was this massive war brewing. Sure, the Broken Shore divided the faction leaders, but everyone else basically said fuck that and joined together to fight the Legion. Even a few faction leaders like Velen, Malfurion, Tyrande and Liadrin (a secondary leader but still a leader) embraced neutrality. The only possible indication that there was a potential for a faction war was Stormheim and even then, I think most people took that as a beef between Greymane and Slyvanas more than a faction thing.

I feel like I will get shit for this, but I just feel like the transition could have been done a lot better.

i don't see why

tbc/wotlk: no connection at all, they just happened

Cataclysm pretty much came out of nowhere: after we defeated the lich king we learned that the elements are in turmoil and some big bad ancient dragon intends to burn the world

MoP: pretty similar, after killing the dragon we stumbled upon a new continent while Garrosh was becoming increasingly dangerous

WoD: just lol at this one, alternate universe, time travelling, non-sense story, just lol...

Legion: things got straight here, not only it was the most relevant xpac (dealing with the greatest known threat for azeroth) but for all it's crap WoD managed to set up the story for the final showdown with the Burning Legion

BfA: imo it flowed pretty naturally with Legion's aftermath, we discovered a new resource that revolutionizes warfare and as in the real world trusting the other side with it would be impossible, therefore both factions moved to ensure access to azerite while hoping to prevent each other from collecting it, as it became pretty clear that there will be war, both tried to make alliances and that's where the new continents come in, so far so good imo

to make this short, imo only legion and bfa actually came with the flow, every other xpac came out of the blue

[Utigarde]

Lol, no expansion is more unnatural than TBC. We're going to Outland! Uh, because there's demons we forgot about. We're killing Illidan. Uh, cause we suddenly all don't like him and he's suddenly a tyrant. Oh, Kael's evil now! Uh, because he's serving the people that caused the destruction of his home.

Nice try though.

[Varodoc]

Aside from the fact that Legion ended with the miserable fool Sargeras stabbing the very soul of this world, and the incompetent Khadgar even saying that Sargeras' blow has done far more than just wounding the world, since it also shattered the hope of unity. Plus this will clearly be a void expansion, and Lady Alleria Windrunner, first mortal in the history of the cosmos to successfully defy the shadows' whispers, was featured prominently in Legion, specifically in Shadows of Argus.

[Zandalariprelate]

i don't see why

tbc/wotlk: no connection at all, they just happened

Cataclysm pretty much came out of nowhere: after we defeated the lich king we learned that the elements are in turmoil and some big bad ancient dragon intends to burn the world

MoP: pretty similar, after killing the dragon we stumbled upon a new continent while Garrosh was becoming increasingly dangerous

WoD: just lol at this one, alternate universe, time travelling, non-sense story, just lol...

Legion: things got straight here, not only it was the most relevant xpac (dealing with the greatest known threat for azeroth) but for all it's crap WoD managed to set up the story for the final showdown with the Burning Legion

BfA: imo it flowed pretty naturally with Legion's aftermath, we discovered a new resource that revolutionizes warfare and as in the real world trusting the other side with it would be impossible, therefore both factions moved to ensure access to azerite while hoping to prevent each other from collecting it, as it became pretty clear that there will be war, both tried to make alliances and that's where the new continents come in, so far so good imo

to make this short, imo only legion and bfa actually came with the flow, every other xpac came out of the blue

I am partly agree with you, bc, lk and cata were launched in the same format of those action tv shows with the villain of the week/season but it seem they learned the lection and since mop they are starting to build connections with the consecuences of the previous expansion

[sillag]

sylvanas having enough beef with the night elves to blow up teldrassil unprovoked is the most forced thing wow has ever seen. im pretty sure she has never interacted with a night elf before.

if the story was being allowed to progress naturally she would at least have gone after genn or stormwind. but we are being forcefed faction war shit this time and it just gets everywhere all over everything

[huth]

sylvanas having enough beef with the night elves to blow up teldrassil unprovoked is the most forced thing wow has ever seen. im pretty sure she has never interacted with a night elf before.

It wasn't about the Night Elves. Teldrassil was the target she could bring her army to bear on.

[Super Dickmann]

The unnatural part was that the peace lasted this long.

[Feanoro]

Lol, no expansion is more unnatural than TBC. We're going to Outland! Uh, because there's demons we forgot about. We're killing Illidan. Uh, cause we suddenly all don't like him and he's suddenly a tyrant. Oh, Kael's evil now! Uh, because he's serving the people that caused the destruction of his home.

Nice try though.

Then you don't know how TBC went. It was a continuation of the story end of TFT's Alliance campaign, where KJ had appeared to Illidan and made it clear he couldn't hide in Outland, and Illidan starts building an army to eventually invade Azeroth and destroy the Lich King.

The Battle for the Dark Portal kicked it off, with demons swarming through, and since the Portal was being watched for what should be obvious reasons, everyone responded. Oddly enough, a demon invasion is cause for concern. Once Alliance and Horde pushed through the Portal, we saw that simply beating back the demons wasn't going to cut it. Both sides learned more of what was going on, especially once they reached Shattrath, and the push to stop Illidan was perfectly understandable. On one hand, he's seemingly working for the Legion again (remember, this is before the Legion expansion whitewashed him into a Hot Topic shopping misunderstood hero), and on the other, we have no guarantee his army would politely travel to Northrend, destroy the Lich King, then go home for tea and biscuits.

TBC didn't have cinematics and arrays of books like BFA, trying to make up for pure shit in-game story telling, it was assumed back then players would actually pay attention, and read quest and NPC text.

[Deleted]

Easiest solution to this would have been to have the Allaince make Genn 'High King' or an equilivet position. Then build on the whole Strormhiem crap thought-out the expansion. With two warmongers at the respective heads of their factions and an expansion of bad blood between the factions it would make alot more sense.

Also actually have anduin have to earn the position

[Feanoro]

Also actually have anduin have to earn the position

Amen to this.

[Super Dickmann]

Easiest solution to this would have been to have the Allaince make Genn 'High King' or an equilivet position. Then build on the whole Strormhiem crap thought-out the expansion. With two warmongers at the respective heads of their factions and an expansion of bad blood between the factions it would make alot more sense.

Also actually have anduin have to earn the position

This opinion is correct. Genn should've been High King as the most senior human leader and an actual veteran of the Second War against the Horde. Failing that, he should not just be meekly standing by while Anduin acts like a pansy but lead the charge. If Alliance had struck first at UC, the entire expansion would have been massively improved. The Horde wouldn't be as mustache-twirling and the Alliance wouldn't be entirely reactive pansies incapable of harming another creature in god's kingdom.

[viridian-716]

Story/lore this is a very smooth transition/continuation of the Legion events. Content and zones is a culture shock but its no different than Cata-to-MoP.

[baskev]

By that I mean, it just feels like BfA is the most forced expansion with the least natural progression. With TBC and Wrath (while both suffering a little from the 'bring back iconic character to turn into villian' thing that Blizzard does) were seeded with WC3 with Illidan and his allies taking Outland and Arthas merging with the Lich King and sitting upon the frozen throne. With Cataclysm it was somewhat unexpected but we had known of Deathwing being a threat and the faction war taking place during the expansion was carried over from Wrath and into MoP, which while also pretty random, didn't exactly feel unrealistic either. Two international powerhouses warring in the remote regions of the sea and discovering a landmass.

Garrosh carried over much of his progression from MoP and even Cata before into WoD and the presence of the Burning Legion, Gul'dan and Khadgar (imo) seeded the way for Legion.

With BfA, there never really seems to be an indication that there was this massive war brewing. Sure, the Broken Shore divided the faction leaders, but everyone else basically said fuck that and joined together to fight the Legion. Even a few faction leaders like Velen, Malfurion, Tyrande and Liadrin (a secondary leader but still a leader) embraced neutrality. The only possible indication that there was a potential for a faction war was Stormheim and even then, I think most people took that as a beef between Greymane and Slyvanas more than a faction thing.

I feel like I will get shit for this, but I just feel like the transition could have been done a lot better.

I think its the popular opinion.

Yeah....the whole thing, everything ( okay not EVERYTHING). But a lot of it feels forced, unbalance , not done etc etc..

It feels like they where only half way there, when they launched BFA.

[micwini]

We kill Legion boss > Stabs planet > planet bleeds valuable and powerful resource > 2 factions with a tense temporary truce fight over it > leader of one faction takes preventive measures > All out war.

I think what past expansions have done was the trannsitions between them (MoP > WoD > Legion > BFA). Those were much more logical than lets say TBC > Wrath or Wrath > Cata.

[XDurionX]

It's okay if you don't like BfA, you don't have to invent weird reasons.

[Feanoro]

Story/lore this is a very smooth transition/continuation of the Legion events.

If you ignore all the "why would the druids, shamans, paladins, class orders, etc etc suddenly agree with this war?" sure.