Argent Crusade and the player Paladin

[Beej]

Whats up with the Argent Crusade? We the player paladin become the Highlord. Doesn't that like make us sort of a neutral player? How much land does the Argent Crusade have? Am I sovereign leader? We own land, and have a military. I mean I think the player Paladin is in command of a very powerful army in of itself with the Argent Crusade.

The whole Battle For Azeroth and the player Paladin being the head of the Argent Crusade is... confusing. A sovereign leader (?) such as the Highlord of the Argent Crusade really shouldn't even be in this nonsense with the Alliance vs Horde.

Seems to be a plot hole unless I'm missing something.

[Lothaeryn]

Honestly wondered that myself, the Argent Crusade got reformed back into the Silver Hand, and then... nothing, theres no mention of the aftermath of legion what happened to any of the order halls.

Is the Hand working to reclaim Stratholme like the Argent Crusade was? did it even succeed? Is Hearthglen technically now the player characters since you were promoted to Highlord of the Hand and Tirion is dead? I know the Blood Knights and Sunwalkers left after Legion, but its up in arms about what the Silver Hand even does now.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Argent Crusade kinda fell off of the face of the earth after WotLK. They were formed as THE definitive faction to save Azeroth from existential threats, and yet they didn't show up to fight Deathwing. They didn't show up to fight the Sha. They only get a small cameo in the Legion intro instance where it is casually said that "oh yeah, this massive organization that had thousands of volunteers and vast resources from donors? They were inexplicably wiped out offscreen on the Broken Shore."

[Netherspark]

I think you mean Silver Hand?

This has not been addressed by Blizzard, and probably never will. If the Silver Hand shows up again in the future they'll likely be lead by an NPC.

[Frinata]

Not all who are in the Argent Crusade are Paladins

Just like not all paladins are in the Argent Crusade.

It's weird to think about, given the goals and the foundings of the Argent Crusade, but it was a merging of two orders. The Argent Dawn, a neutral faction dedicated to wiping out the Scourge, and other such evils (Though it's primarily the Scourge), and the Order of the Silver Hand, the Alliance's Paladin order.

There are/were plenty of members of the Argent Dawn who weren't Paladins, or even Alliance, such as an Orc, and an Undead.

Therefore, you as the Highlord don't technicly rule over the Argent Crusade, as Tirion did. You rule over the Paladins, whose order hall shared a base with the Argent Crusade.

There's a fundamental difference between the two, not much, but it's there.

[Unholyground]

You can damn well bet they will show up in the Shadowlands expansion.

[Thage]

The Argent Crusade/Silver Hand is in the same limbo the Vindicaar and Ancients were in. If you expect internal consistency from a company that treats the phrase like a four-letter word, you're going to be sorely disappointed.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

The Argent Crusade/Silver Hand is in the same limbo the Vindicaar and Ancients were in. If you expect internal consistency from a company that treats the phrase like a four-letter word, you're going to be sorely disappointed.

^

Rarely do factions and characters persist across the entirety of WoW. Most have their story begin and end in the zone or expansion they were introduced in. We haven't heard anything about the Defias Brotherhood since the revamped Deadmines... after they were presumably wiped out in vanilla, so who knows if they were even defeated. The Shado-Pan fell off the face of the earth after MoP. Actually, Pandaren as a whole have kinda fallen off of the face of the earth. The Huojin and Tushui never appear in the story after the level 10 intro quest. It feels like certain allied races like the Nightborne have made more appearances in the story of BFA than the Tushui and Huojin have ever done since their introduction seven years ago, which is disappointing. Dalaran only shows up when Blizzard remembers that it exists, and so on.

[Feanoro]

^

Rarely do factions and characters persist across the entirety of WoW. Most have their story begin and end in the zone or expansion they were introduced in. We haven't heard anything about the Defias Brotherhood since the revamped Deadmines... after they were presumably wiped out in vanilla, so who knows if they were even defeated. The Shado-Pan fell off the face of the earth after MoP. Actually, Pandaren as a whole have kinda fallen off of the face of the earth. The Huojin and Tushui never appear in the story after the level 10 intro quest. It feels like certain allied races like the Nightborne have made more appearances in the story of BFA than the Tushui and Huojin have ever done since their introduction seven years ago, which is disappointing. Dalaran only shows up when Blizzard remembers that it exists, and so on.

That's what happens when your drunken, jolly pandas offend the beloved Chinese market.

[Rozz]

I think it can play out similar to Jaina, Thrall, Malfurion, and Khadgar.

You serve your immediate group, but you're allowed to assist your mother race/faction during times of need. I'm still trying to map out the logic of how races post-Legion fit into the orderhall stuff. The continuity is dizzying.

[Thage]

^

Rarely do factions and characters persist across the entirety of WoW. Most have their story begin and end in the zone or expansion they were introduced in. We haven't heard anything about the Defias Brotherhood since the revamped Deadmines... after they were presumably wiped out in vanilla, so who knows if they were even defeated. The Shado-Pan fell off the face of the earth after MoP. Actually, Pandaren as a whole have kinda fallen off of the face of the earth. The Huojin and Tushui never appear in the story after the level 10 intro quest. It feels like certain allied races like the Nightborne have made more appearances in the story of BFA than the Tushui and Huojin have ever done since their introduction seven years ago, which is disappointing. Dalaran only shows up when Blizzard remembers that it exists, and so on.

Quick side note, while it's minor, Aysa, Ji, and the Tushui and Huojin do rally together to secure Thunder Bluff while Baine recovers after you do the scenario to rescue him. But it's telling that's the most Blizz has had them do since War Crimes.

[Andonais]

Silver Hand is with Turalyon in Arathi so they are back where they belong with the Alliance.

[Destinas]

The Argent Crusade was mostly absorbed into the reformed Silver Hand in Legion. Not all members of the Argent Crusade were paladins - some were priests, warriors, or even hunters. Those people went on to join the other orders, like the Conclave. Otherwise, the Argent Crusade may not exist by itself at all anymore, depending on what happened to the Silver Hand after Legion. The most that we've heard is that Liadrin and the Blood Knights left the Silver Hand when she's encountered in Arathi.

The player isn't neutral in the end. They are put into whatever situation is relevant at the moment. Remember, every other player was part of an order for their class - Paladins weren't unique in that at all. Warlocks became the leader of the Council of Black Harvest. Rogues joined the council of Shadows in the Uncrowned. Druids became an Archdruid of the Dreamgrove - a branch of the Cenarion Circle. No player is neutral in BfA, representing their factions instead of their Order Halls.

Chances are we'll see any number of those orders again when they're relevant again.