The Queue: Transmog happiness

The only way I could be happier with transmog in WoW right now is if they let me mog Fist Weapons over 2h Weapons.

This is the Queue. Let’s go.

I don’t think it’s specifically that. It’s more that what she experienced was, essentially, the ultimate violation. She didn’t merely die, she was murdered at the gates of her home after being betrayed by one of her own, and then even an honorable death protecting her people was stolen from her — she was forced to be a servant to the very being that had chosen to invade her homeland and murder her own people and then used as a pawn and tool of his further conquests because he was angry that she dared to fight back against him.  Even when she regained control of herself and reclaimed her body, it was dead — everything she was, everything she’d ever been was gone and in its place she knew only suffering.

What are we if not slaves to this torment?

Sylvanas isn’t mad because she doesn’t have a boyfriend or babies. She’s furious because she was forced to go through a trauma on a scale we can barely comprehend and had all the characteristics of being a living being twisted into what she is now. Does she have emotions? Clearly she does, but in War Crimes she describes the sensation of seeing her sister again almost as if she had a phantom limb that was suddenly twitching again — even emotions like love are warped as they’re forced through the being she is now, one that suffers constantly from its undead state.

But we see that she can be happy. Again, in War Crimes, we see that she is happy, anxious, lonely, and even loving towards her sister. She is not the same as she was, when she was alive — it’s doubtful she would be even if she somehow was returned to life, because she’s experienced so much horror. But even dead, she does feel. Sylvanas is a more complex person than her undeath, or any motivations as simple as envy for a life she no longer leads. She’s still responsible for her actions, make no mistake, but her entire being is shot through by a trauma she experienced that transcends what most of us can possibly understand.

I could spend all day talking about this, but we have other questions to discuss. Let us put it this way — Sylvanas has many reasons to be bitter.

You’re correct that your choice of follower will affect which follower quests you can get.

And considering the Blademaster’s entire people are essentially already extinct, just waiting for the current generation to die? I could see them wanting some wine.

Considering that Alex Afrasiabi himself was talking about making it easier for people to play together instead of harder at last year’s BlizzCon? I do not find it very likely at all that we’ll see four factions ala Warcraft 3. My selection for most likely to least likely outcome for the Faction Divide are as follows:

1. Nothing of substance changes. I believe this to be the most likely outcome. The Horde and Alliance are now entrenched in antagonism towards one another that cannot be easily dealt with. Two whole capital cities have been destroyed, entire populations displaced. Even if elements of the Alliance and Horde join together to battle Sylvanas — even if, as I expect might happen, Sylvanas herself finds a change of heart when N’Zoth finally rises and joins the fight against the Old God — at the end of it all, I don’t see how the Alliance and Horde move past what’s happened in Battle for Azeroth and achieve anything more than detente. You stay over there, we’ll stay over here. Perhaps we’ll see an uneasy peace and each faction dealing with its own internal problems for a while.
2. The Horde and Alliance remain, but create a new diplomatic status quo between them. I hate to constantly fall back on Star Trek as a metaphor, but consider the Klingons between the original movies (Star Trek VI, in particular) and the time period of The Next Generation. The Klingons did not join the Federation, nor were they exactly allied to the Federation — at least not until the Dominion War. But they engaged in diplomacy, sent ambassadors to each other, they talked — rather than simply resorting to warfare as they had before, they finally reached a place where, if not friends, there was a grudging respect and a willingness to live and let live. This could happen between the Horde and the Alliance. Imagine not that the two factions become friends, but rather, that they simply stop being enemies. In this set-up, perhaps players could group together for Dungeons and Raids, while PVP is preserved for those that want it and both factions willingly turn a blind eye in order to preserve the new realpolitik between them.
3. The Horde and Alliance remain, but actually form a pact of mutual benefit. Imagine if Azeroth had a United Nations. A super-organization of sorts, with not just the Horde and Alliance in attendance, but other neutral factions and un-affiliated nations such as Dalaran and the Kirin Tor, the Argent Crusade, the Cenarion Circle, the Earthen Ring, the Ebon Blade, the Shado-Pan and any more that would join. This organization wouldn’t erase faction loyalties, but it would serve as a means to avoid war between them — in essence, rather than go to war, they would take their grievances to this organization to be discussed and decided by them. And as such, players could group with players from the other side, since both would be members of this pact or assembly as well.
4. Neither faction survives Battle for Azeroth, and we either have just one faction, or none. When I say ‘either one or none’ I mean in the sense of the Horde and Alliance. Clearly factions like the ones listed above under #3 would remain, as would the individual peoples of the Horde and Alliance. But either the Horde and Alliance would join together, or they would effectively be abolished — either way, you’d never have to worry about them again. All PVP would be considered war games or blood sports with no greater loyalty than to their own personal honor and glory in combat. Orc and Human still might not get along, but it would be a more personal thing, and much less about all Orcs and all Humans.

I am completely willing to accept that I could be entirely wrong, but this is what I think we’ll see by the end of BFA/beginning of whatever’s next, in order of likelihood. If I had to bet, I’d bet on #1.

I agree.

Well, you’re not asking, but what the heck — no, she was able to raise the boat because she’s Jaina freaking Proudmoore and she’s just that powerful. Now, consider that neither Jaina freaking Proudmoore nor First Arcanist Thalyssra could teleport out of Nazjatar when Azshara decided they shouldn’t be able to do so, and it took the Heart of Azeroth itself for either of them to open a portal using the old ley line network that Azshara almost certainly knew they had access to when they opened portals back to their respective capitals.

Not only is Azshara more powerful than the former head of the Kirin Tor (a mage who was so powerful she slapped around an Archmage of the Council of Six, Aethas Sunreaver, like he was a child) or the heir to all 10,000 years of Nightborne arcane knowledge, she’s powerful enough to balk them while giving a catty speech.

I sincerely love the new transmog system changes so, so much. I can’t believe that there were so many questions about Factions and almost none about transmog.

I’m honestly a little concerned that my female characters got a bit of a raw deal here, since they can’t go the full bare chested route without a really difficult to match undergarment visible. There are enough breastplates I can work with that I’m not entirely unhappy that my main’s a lady Night Elf, but I’m definitely playing my Lightforged a lot more now.

Seriously, I’m so happy. See y’all next week.