How much attention to detail is put into WoW Midnight is quite impressive. Particularly, one NPC stands out clearly.
World of Warcraft Midnight places, more than previous expansions, great emphasis on immersion and story. There are continually opportunities to speak longer with NPCs, ask questions, or use special dialogue options that only exist because you belong to a specific race or class.
The NPC that probably has the most effort and love put into it is Tul’amar – a very special Draenei that you can meet in the Twisting Nether.
Who is Tul’amar? Tul’amar, the Twice-Cursed, belongs to the Nether Envoys. This is a group of Draenei that originally lived on Argus as Eredar until the world was taken over by the Legion. She fled together with the other Eredar and the Naaru’s spaceship. But while the beings now known as “Draenei” traveled from one world to another to escape the Legion, there were always incidents where the spaceship had to take off quickly. In the process, some Draenei were left behind on worlds – just like Tul’amar and her people.
Now Tul’amar and her people are in the Twisting Nether because they were taken there.
Tul’amar, the Thrice-Cursed – a side-quest NPC with a lot of story
What makes Tul’amar so special? The entire quest line surrounding Tul’amar is filled with numerous dialogues that change depending on class and race:
- If you are a Draenei yourself, you can converse with her and her companions in your native language [Draenei] as normal. Other races receive only a few meaningful words and mostly many gestures.
- Warlocks and Demon Hunters can also speak with her in [Eredun], which is the language of demons – as she speaks it too. They receive entirely different texts and also get different responses.
- If you are playing a Draenei and have chosen the Man’ari adaptations – such as a red skin – then there are even more different dialogues.
A lot of attention to detail has been given here, like you usually find only in larger RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3.
What is most interesting is how much she reveals about her home. She talks about a previously unmentioned planet, how her fight against the Legion unfolded there, how the Nether Envoys even had deserter demons among their ranks, and how Sayaad – that is, Succubi and Incubi – teach their ritual folk sport Jed’hin.
The quest line ends with Tul’amar leading her people back through the portal to their “new, old” homeland – but she stays behind to destroy the portal anchor and thus prevent the Domanaar and Astral beings of the Twisting Nether from ever finding them again. Afterwards, her name also changes. From “Tul’amar, the Twice-Cursed” she becomes “Tul’amar, the Thrice-Cursed.”
An additional great detail is that you can still talk to Tul’amar after the quest line – she is located in Decimus’ camp. You can not only ask her about the plans for the future but also interact with her. If you hug her (/hug), there is a reaction depending on the race. As a Draenei, she thanks you in your native language and enjoys it. With other races, she remains silent but returns the hug cautiously.
Of course, this level of detail is not possible with all NPCs – the effort would be too great. But so much love for detail simply shows how much passion is invested in Midnight and how many thoughts have gone into side quests as well.
Are there other NPCs of this kind? Yes. In the past, Blizzard has repeatedly incorporated some NPCs that interact with the character in various ways. They either have a lot of dialogues to read or respond to emotes – even in Shadowlands, there was the plague inventor Marileth. He also – a little clumsily – accepted his student (at least he believes so). He too was happy about a hug and returned it.
In general, the overall atmosphere of World of Warcraft Midnight leaves a good impression. Accordingly, our first impression after the first few days was also positive, as we came to the conclusion: World of Warcraft Midnight is on a really good path.
