The Queue: Monday and its questions

Welcome back to The Queue, our daily Q&A feature for all of Blizzard’s games! Have a question for the Blizzard Watch staff? Leave it in the comments!

You’ve hit the point where it would be just for fun. If you’ve acquired the portrait frame and the pet, the only reason you’d create a season 4 alt is if you want to keep playing within the context of season 4. You’re free to do as you like rather than continue hunting exclusive rewards. Admittedly, I’m not the most informed person ever when it comes to Diablo 3, and I’m not sure if the new item sets are exclusive to season 4 or if they were only added to the game at the same time as season 4. Maybe someone in the comments can fill both of us in on that.

I think crafted items having a level requirement of 91 is the thing that’ll keep them locked down to the limit of 3. Can you imagine a level 91 character in a complete set of high-end gear that’s still good at level 100? Not only would it be wild in PVE, but it’d seriously mess with PVP at those levels. I don’t expect those items to change in Warlords, but I do hope they take a different approach in Legion.

As for BOA Apexis Crystals, that’d be nice — but has that ever happened with any currency ever? I can’t think of any. Also unlikely.

Personally, I’m at the point where I’ve built enough garrisons on my alts that I don’t want another one. I don’t hate garrisons, I’ve just done that process a half-dozen times now. I’d like the ability to not concern myself with building more if I decided to play more alts before the expansion concluces, but given how closely tied the garrison is to questing…still unlikely!

You’re a barbarian! You don’t need no stinkin’ helmet. Grab some vanishing dye and bare your head to the world.

Jaina Proudmoore. She’s been in the narrative since Warcraft 3, and has been an active participant in world-altering events in Azeroth longer than characters like Varian Wrynn have been in-game. She’s been doing it since before WoW was a thing. We’ve seen her at both highs and lows. We’ve watched her be heartbroken and come to terms with it. We’ve seen her fight for peace and be betrayed in her mission over and over again. We’ve seen love, loss, victory, failure, and sacrifice. I’m not one of the people taken aback by Jaina finally snapping and saying no more to the Horde. I’ve been watching her give everything and get screwed in return for over a decade.

Whenever Blizzard shuffles her aside or offers a vague “we have plans,” I immediately feel a little sick. Because given Blizzard’s record with these things, I assume the worst is going to happen. Either they’ll kill her off, or make her a raid boss, or some other silly thing. I just want to see her story continue. If her story has to end, I’d like to see it done respectfully, and I don’t feel Blizzard has done many respectful ends for these characters.

Yes, I do. I’d even say their basic narrative is the same across their games. Warcraft 3’s story has much of the same framework as the original StarCraft and its expansion. The Queen of Blades and the Lich King are more or less the same story. The Zerg and the Scourge fulfill the same role, only one is sci-fi and one is fantasy. And the archetypes Blizzard uses almost always have roots in something else. The Draenei are bog standard demons…except good demons, see! But we still have the totally standard demons in the Eredar.