The Queue: Special BlizzConline Wrap-Up Edition

So, now that day 2 of BlizzConline is over and we’ve all had a taste of the future, which is also a taste of the past in some cases like Diablo 2: Resurrected — consider this Queue to be a place for y’all to react as you see fit. What’s up? What are you currently going down a deep well of speculation on? We’re doing Lorewatch today, you can believe Joe and I are musing hard right about now.

Anyway, it’s the Queue. Let’s do this. I’ve got Ministry playing and I’m ready to answer some questions.

Hmm. So what you’re speculating is that the Shadowlands could be some kind of Nexus, an extradimensional realm that would allow for entities and beings to transcend their own deaths and continue in endless battle that reached out to other planes of existence? Perhaps pulled people from Sanctuary, the Koprulu sector and beyond into contact with us folks from Azeroth?

Naah, that sounds farfetched for a video game. How would you have Jim Raynor, Arthas and Deckard Cain on the same team?

I’m pretty okay with it. It means players can catch up on all the stuff she currently stocks and won’t need to hoard Stygia to pick up new things, and it means if you’ve been less than interested in the Maw up to now you won’t feel penalized when the newer, better version of the Maw drops in 9.1.

I went with the Diablo Q&A because I was assigned to cover it. We don’t do liveblogs here anymore — which, whew, my fingers would have cramped up — but we do breakouts and I felt like we got some solid Diablo Immortal and Diablo 2: Resurrected news from that panel so I was happy with it.

And now I get to watch the rest of the panels at my leisure. I really enjoy that about BlizzConline.

Dude, I’m old enough and was into Metallica far back enough that I remember when Dave Mustaine was a member. To me, Kirk Hammett is ‘the new guy’ in Metallica.

That said, Rob Trujillo is an amazing bass player. I have nothing but respect for him as a musician. I also thought Jason was great, and I don’t do the whole bass player war thing, they both did amazing for the band.

Best: That the Archon isn’t dead. I was seriously not looking forward to that.

Also best: that the Sanctuary of Domination is our next raid stop.

Worst: No Drust news. I seriously want more Drust.

Speaking as someone with a Nelf main, I don’t want to see Teldrassil rebuilt.

The way I look at it, Teldrassil was an attempt by the Night Elves to reclaim what they lost destroying Nordrassil and also a centralizing effort to be more like the other races as part of the Alliance. It was new — before the Third War, the Kaldorei didn’t have a major capital city like the Dwarves or Humans, they lived scattered throughout their lands and if any place filled that kind of central hub role for them, it was Hyjal.

With the destruction of Teldrassil and the deaths of so many of the Kaldorei, I think it’s safe to say that experiment was a failure. By centralizing their population in one spot, many innocent Kaldorei died at the Horde’s hands. Teldrassil was a target — it allowed the Horde to come and deploy all of their force in one spot, it prevented the usual Kaldorei hit and run tactics that worked so well when we drove the Horde out of Ashenvale during Battle for Azeroth.

The thousands who died on Teldrassil deserve for the Kaldorei to learn from that mistake. They’re not Humans or Dwarves, they shouldn’t try and emulate them. Having a spiritual center atop Hyjal is fine, it serves as a rallying point when we need one, but it doesn’t serve as a giant target for our enemies to come and wipe out our civilians.

So I think it might be best if the Kaldorei don’t rebuild/resettle Teldrassil. The world tree died. Let it, and our dead, rest.

I mean, yes, this a true statement and one I agree with.

Look, even I can see that man is a treasure.

Okay, that’s our special Sunday Queue for y’all. Have fun, discuss away, and remember, it’s not BlizzCon without you. Maybe in 2022 I’ll get to meet some of you again.