Cortyn from MeinMMO has spent some time in Bastion, a new area from WoW Shadowlands. The first impression apparently deceived.
I’ll put it directly: Out of all Shadowlands areas, Bastion made the most boring impression on me right away. Already at BlizzCon I thought to myself: “Angel beings, small Moonkins, and lots of holy nonsense… no thanks, I don’t want that. Next pls.”
Consequently, I was also quite disappointed that in the alpha of the next expansion of World of Warcraft the area Bastion was among the first that were playable. Now I have gone through part of the story and must say: Okay, it’s definitely cooler than I assumed.
Spoiler warning: The article contains some spoilers about the story of Bastion, but the resolution of the plot and major twists are not discussed.
Bastion serves as the starting area in Shadowlands for all players. After the intro, we land here and meet the Kyrians – the blue humanoids we already know from the trailer. They are also one of the possible covenants in Shadowlands. Some of them already have wings and are “ascended”.
Clichéd beginning, interesting development
The questline begins a bit clichéd, just as I imagined: The Kyrians look at our past and are deeply impressed by everything we have experienced in our world Azeroth. However, Azeroth is just one of countless worlds from which souls arrive in Bastion. For the Shadowlands are not only the realm of the dead of Azeroth, but of all known worlds. Therefore, we also encounter many souls that we cannot assign to any known race.
However, it gets exciting already after the first quests, at least in terms of content. For it is soon suggested – at least subliminally – that the noble Kyrians are also quite arrogant and consider themselves more or less the crown of creation. Thus, we are sent off to annihilate the local flora and fauna to get the last Anima from the creatures that live there. And for what? So that the blacksmith can fire up her forge and work again. Just like that.
Shortly after, one embarks on the path of the Aspirants. These are Kyrians who are to be prepared for ascension and thus must undergo a series of tests. These include both mental and physical trials. Basically nothing really new – the typical “Who wants to be a strong fighter must train” story.
At least that’s what I thought.
However, it becomes really interesting only when one accompanies the Aspirants to one of their last trials. There, they must not only confront their memories but also detach themselves from these. The angelic beings “extract” the strong memories from the Aspirants, which then must be destroyed.
At the latest, I found that the story took quite a dark twist. For taking away all significant memories from a being frees them in a way, but simultaneously destroys what makes a personality and character in the first place. I couldn’t help but think of parallels to the disease Alzheimer’s, which is certainly one of the worst diseases. Who wants to lose all memories? All the experiences that one has gathered throughout life?
Whoever still has memories is evil
Consequently, I found it quite cool to see that some Aspirants fail this mission. Confronted with their memories, many choose to keep these and turn their backs on the normal Kyrian procedure.
Kyrians who deviate from the path and are consumed by doubt are henceforth called “Forsaken”. They are actually accommodated in a special place because doubt spreads rapidly and can literally infect other Kyrians. This somewhat reminds one of the Sha from Mists of Pandaria, but fits quite well into this oh-so-holy world.
What now sounds like a lot is still just the beginning of the quest area. I haven’t even uncovered half the map yet. But if the story continues to develop so well, then I have to significantly rethink my initial opinion about Bastion. Especially since I have already discovered the spirit of a certain human Paladin…
What I want to say is: If someone feels bored by the “holy and monotonous look” of Bastion right away, they should give the area a bit more time – for story fans it will be worth it.
