Does Blizzard not know its own story of World of Warcraft anymore? It seems so, because there are many errors in the latest book – this frustrates lore fans.
The latest book of World of Warcraft has not even been properly released yet, but there is already criticism. Some errors can be found in the book that clash with the previously known story. Furthermore, it seems that the races of the Horde are described particularly negatively – some see parallels to racist prejudices from the real world.
Especially annoying: The book “World of Warcraft: Exploring Kalimdor” was written by one of the “story masters” at Blizzard.
What is the problem? In some early releases, readers have found numerous points of criticism. The YouTuber Bellular quotes a passage about Lake Mennar. There stood a mage academy that was used “during the War of the Ancients”. Furthermore, it is written that “[the elven mages] tried to redirect the magic away from the Dark Portal, which the Burning Legion used to attack Azeroth.”
This unfortunately makes little sense, as the Dark Portal did not exist at that time and was only built about 10,000 years later – at a location that lies on a completely different continent.
An error that the “lore master” Sean Copeland should have noticed while writing.
What other problems are there? Further passages in the book are criticized, as wowhead has compiled. There is a letter from the goblin Gazlowe. Gazlowe is an experienced builder and quite affable for a goblin – he pays his employees well and generally enjoys a good reputation. After all, he also helped to build the hero’s garrison in Draenor.
However, the letter portrays Gazlowe as arrogant and condescending towards a complete stranger – and reads more as if it would have suited the former goblin chief Gallywix better.
Also, the depiction of Zekhan, whom many may still know as “Zappy Boi,” is peculiar. He seems to be portrayed in the book as significantly uneducated and almost “primitive.” For example, he does not know what “erosion” is – completely absurd for a shaman who deals with the elements. He also seems unable to write and presumably only learned this from Lor’themar – also curious, as trolls have been able to write in most places in Azeroth for millennia.
Antisemitic prejudices are invoked: Another point that is being heavily discussed is the unpleasant portrayal of the goblins for many players. They are depicted by Zekhan with actions and descriptions that have unpleasant parallels to racist and antisemitic prejudices in the real world. Goblins, with their greed, love of money, and big noses, have long reminded many of antisemitic stereotypes against Jews.
That the goblins are also considered “water polluters” in the book, which is very close to “poisoners of wells,” creates another unpleasant parallel for some readers.
The book has been postponed again: Lastly, the official release of the book has been postponed once more by a few weeks – to January 2022. However, this is probably not due to pending corrections, as it is too late for that. The delay is likely due to the general resource bottleneck and delays in the book market exacerbated by the pandemic.
Even before the release, “Exploring Kalimdor” is under a bad sign. It’s a shame, as the predecessor “Exploring Eastern Kingdoms” was very well received by most players.
Can you understand the criticism? Or are these just minor issues that should not be taken too seriously?
