In World of Warcraft, important quests that are part of the story are continually removed. It’s impossible for newcomers to understand this, explains the streamer Bellular.
World of Warcraft has changed repeatedly over the years. Through dozens of content patches, there have always been new additions, improvements, and adjustments. However, sometimes content is removed without replacement. While this isn’t a big deal for some quests, it is much more significant when it comes to vital parts of the storyline.
The YouTuber and streamer Bellular, who has always discussed World of Warcraft and its story, simply cannot comprehend this. After all, he gives Blizzard credit for taking their story quite seriously – no matter how this is received by some players. The developers put thoughtful consideration into transporting a logical narrative that holds great significance for them. He says:
In a world where Blizzard takes their narrative so seriously, it feels strange. […] There is this thing where Jaina says: ‘Yes, another Maw Walker saved her’, but it just ruins everything. And this means that as a new player, you simply cannot grasp the story of the game.
With this, Bellular refers to the Torghast quest line. This could be completed in patch 9.0 and seamlessly followed the intro of Shadowlands. After all, important leaders of the Alliance and Horde – such as Baine, Thrall, Jaina, and Anduin – were captured by the Jailer and imprisoned in Torghast.
Essentially, the player was supposed to rescue them and gradually learn what Sylvanas and the Jailer were planning for Anduin – which ultimately triggers the events of patch 9.1.
But this quest line is completely missing. It hasn’t become optional so that you can choose to skip it – it simply no longer exists. This also prevents new players from logically unlocking the (rather good) cinematics in which Sylvanas debates with Anduin.
What has already been removed? Unfortunately, quite a lot over the years. Smaller quest lines aren’t as noticeable, but sometimes key pillars and important lore-centric quests have been removed.
- The “Wrathgate Finale” in Wrath of the Lich King. After the battle at the Wrathgate with the cool cinematic, there would actually be a battle in Undercity against Apothecary Putress and Lord Varimathras. In this scenario, Undercity was besieged by both Horde and Alliance. There were many exciting moments throughout, and at the end, there was almost a battle between the leaders of the Horde and Alliance.
- In Mists of Pandaria, the quest line for the legendary cloak was removed. The quest line involves Wrathion and Anduin becoming friends. Wrathion sees a vision of the world’s destruction and sends the player on a journey to collect various relics. Essentially, this is the first hint of the “Legion” expansion and explains why Wrathion ultimately contributes to Garrosh’s journey to Draenor to trigger “Warlords of Draenor”.
- In Warlords of Draenor, the legendary quest line for the ring was also removed. This involves the betrayal of Cordana Felsong and numerous sequences with Khadgar, who showcases his charm and became a beloved character in the community. The quest line spanned the entire expansion and linked important highlights of the story.
But these are all “just” quest lines from old expansions. While that is annoying, it is not of great relevance to the current storyline.
The problem is that even really important story developments from Shadowlands have already been cut.
In the pre-event, Nathanos Blightcaller was killed by Tyrande. Nathanos was Sylvanas’ subordinate. In the last patch, Tyrande hints that she has killed Nathanos, which briefly unsettles Sylvanas and evidently surprises her. The scene feels confusing – because those who did not participate in the pre-event and started with Shadowlands later do not understand why this is so significant or what Sylvanas’ brief uncertainty means.
Also, the start of patch 9.1 is confusing for players who suddenly experience a corrupted Anduin turning against the Archon. Without the Torghast quests and the associated cinematics, it simply makes little sense.
If you aren’t the kind of player who basically lives on WoWhead, then you are thinking: Why exactly is Anduin evil now and with the Archon? I’m confused.
The removal of quests made sense – because they were boring
There are indeed arguments for why the quests were removed: they were annoying. After the first playthrough, the tasks were simply boring, as they mainly involved additional runs through Torghast, which were much simpler than actual visits to the tower.
Important story was tied to dull, repetitive gameplay.
They shouldn’t have tied these key scenes of the expansion to the most boring gameplay. […] I think they really need to pull a MSQ [Main Scenario Quest] through the whole game, much like Final Fantasy XIV does, and that should be their A-Plot. Then they could be sure that they always have a solid, easy-to-follow story throughout all expansions and content.
Yet Blizzard’s abrupt approach in completely removing the quests from the game is still surprising. While they have eliminated boring sections from the gameplay, they have simultaneously removed some of the most important quests in the game.
Some people might say that it’s not important, but Blizzard seems to take their own lore very seriously. They really do. Whenever they talk about Zovaal [the Jailer], it’s as if he is the epic villain that was ever created. But the only way players can share this sentiment is if they actually tell the story properly in the game. And right now, that is not the case.
It remains to be hoped that Blizzard will learn from these mistakes in the future and ensure that story content remains playable in the next expansion – or at least optional. Because being able to grasp the story only by watching dozens of videos on YouTube is unlikely to be a fulfilling experience for most players.
What do you think about it? Let us know in the comments.
