Allied races in World of Warcraft are not for everyone. We reveal why the new playable races are not good for Azeroth.
The allied races are one of the major features of Battle for Azeroth. Some of the new species can already be played in World of Warcraft. While many fans welcome the newfound diversity through fresh faces and new body shapes, others view the multitude of new species critically. In this column, I would like to explain why I do not like the allied races.
The illogicality in the quests
Blizzard has taken the easy route with the implementation of the allied races. Instead of providing each new race with its own starting area, there is just a short introductory scenario that explains the reasons for how and why the allied races join the Horde or Alliance.
But that is by no means enough. The scenario does not replace the starting areas. The starting areas were there to get a “feel” for the respective people. Those who had completed the Emerald Dream and the Ghostlands knew what made blood elves unique. Those who left Elwynn and Westfall understood the problems of humans.
With void elves, this is not the case. The scenario reveals that the elves have been changed by the void and thanks to Alleria’s training, they are somehow “under control” – for the moment.
Sure, one could say, “They are just blood elves who have been influenced by the void, lol” and would thus be partially correct. But is that enough? Is that sufficient to get a feel for the race? I think not. A few more quest chains would have been exciting.
- How exactly do the permanent whispers of the void affect them?
- What happens when a void elf gives in to the whispers? Is there even any danger?
- Are there also the Driven among the void elves?
- What about the hunger for magic of the void elves, who are now cut off from the Sunwell?
All of this is not or only inadequately addressed. And all this makes the void elves a great mystery to me, as I cannot understand how they could be brought into the Alliance so easily.
There are also small blunders that I find disturbing. When I am questing with a Lightforged Draenei in the Shattered Realm and the quest giver says to me, “I have seen hundreds of Lightforged Draenei like you,” that is a huge load of nonsense. When the night elves in Suramar tell my nightborne how much they despise all nightborne, I also feel strangely.
Of course, it would be a huge effort to investigate all old quests for such issues, but these are small errors in the game that spoil the fun and immersion.
Aesthetics and Lore – Is this still “my” Alliance?
While I can get along well with the Lightforged Draenei and Dark Iron Dwarves in the Alliance, I find the implementation of void elves on the Alliance side to be “difficult.” More difficult than Death Knights or Demons were. Stormwind and generally the Alliance are shaped by the Light (or comparably subjective “good” entities like Elune).
The lore explanation for why the void elves are now in the Alliance – even though they are dealing with powers that want to end all existence – is more than inadequate. “Yes, they were just banished and we need all the help we can get” is not a reason that I can accept. The void is the stark opposite of the Light and it is precisely the Light that has helped the humans and the kingdom of Stormwind so often that I cannot understand the inclusion of this race. The reason seems to be “Yes, the Alliance also needs sexy blood elf models, then everyone will be happy” – I am not.
Especially on an RP server, this leads to conflicts. This can also lead to exciting RP events, where there is a sermon against void elves followed by an angry mob, but in the long run, void elves are more of a nuisance. At many times, nearly half of the role players in Stormwind are void elves.
The Vulpera are a similar topic. Even though I will now upset many fans who have been looking forward to these cute characters: I cannot stand these creatures. I sincerely hope that they do not become an allied race. If I have to see the little fox things running through the streets of Stormwind, any thought of a “serious” Alliance will probably be dead for me.
I even find it hard to name logical reasons, apart from aesthetics. But if a little Vulpera were to come toward me in the streets of Stormwind, I would not know how to react in RP. WoW is already a rather colorful fantasy world. It does not necessarily need to become even more colorful.
The sheer power of the allied races
But apart from aesthetics, which can certainly be debated, the allied races bring along entirely different things. Especially the Lightforged Draenei (Alliance) and the Nightborne (Horde) possess unique powers that can influence the outcome of the war in an instant.
- The Vindicaar of the Lightforged Draenei: The Vindicaar is the only currently functioning spaceship in orbit around Azeroth. The weapons of the Vindicaar were capable of blowing up entire Legion outposts. Such power, firing from orbit onto Azeroth, could quickly defeat the Horde.
- The time magic of the Nightborne: The Nightborne have mastered time magic. They can not only accelerate or slow down entire areas but also reverse time within a certain frame. This basically allows any action to be undone and a new outcome to be chosen. A power that decides wars.
Whether these two powers will really come into play is of course questionable. Perhaps there is a plausible lore explanation for why the Vindicaar is running out of fuel or why the Nightborne have lost their magic. If this is simply accepted in silence, it is ridiculous.
What do you think about the allied races in World of Warcraft? Do you like the new species? Or do you also have concerns about how this is developing?
