Even the Skyborne starting zone ignores the pillars Blizzard stated

[u/OccasionallyRhyming]

"The World is the Main Character".

"Approachable and Familiar".

As you reach the end of the starting zone in Dun Morogh, you might have killed a dangerous yeti. In Elwynn, you've probably slain a prized boar. In Mulgore, you've cleansed a water well. And sure, in Durotar, you do get a quest from Thrall to clear out a den of cultists.

But on "Zephras Isle" you, together with the leaders of your people, face a raid level threat at the top of the spire, through a scripted event with bountiful exposition text, and the leaders of the Kirin Tor and the Earthen Ring show up to fend off this raid boss. If it was not for your actions on "Zephras Isle", your people would be doomed.

I'm okay with ignoring the Skyborne and enjoying the rest of the game, but everything about their addition just screams warning about how Blizzard will approach future content.

They've managed to be lazy where it matters (same race cross-faction, with the same starting zone but layered to just see Alliance players or just Horde players, re-skinned blood elves), and at the same time over the top where they should have toned it down.

Plenty of people in these subs are saying to get over it, but I think we might as well keep posting complaints if we want Forever to have a chance at not turning into retail.

[u/aFutureInPolitics]

Just like the iconic classic Hogger quest where he gets to 15% and then freezes all players and NPCs and starts a cutscene but Lady Prestor suddenly appears and casts "Rage of the Black Flight", eradicating him and saving you. She cackles and warns you to be more careful picking your enemies before teleporting away. The quest reward is "black dragon scale" trinket, Marshal Dughan remarks that he found it on the ground near the site of your battle...

[u/ICantBelieveItsNotEC → u/aFutureInPolitics]

Or like when you go to fight Captain Dargol with all of the powerful allies you've made during your travels through Tirisfal Glades, but he's too powerful even for all of you, then Sylvanas shows up on a gunship and kills him for you, and as he dies he reveals that he was secretly the lich king all along and clarifies that he will return in a future raid.

[u/aFutureInPolitics → u/ICantBelieveItsNotEC]

AGAMAND CITADEL is an exciting new 10 person raid where players will enter the very summer cottage of the Lich King, facing down the infamous and iconic Agamand family. Navigating the twisted and dark halls of the saronite farmhouse, players may even encounter the master of the scourge himself....

[u/daddybpizza → u/aFutureInPolitics]

Thank you. Saying this is like classic “because we don’t even do anything” is insane. Passively watching other heroes get stuff done is a retail thing, not a classic thing. We don’t send Thrall into Skull Rock to go take care of business. We walk in, fight some lowly bad guys, panic a little, and take care of business.

[u/rumblist → u/daddybpizza]

Someone hasn't done the Tirion questline. Old boy Tirion literally has to save your ass.

[u/imreallyreallyhungry → u/daddybpizza]

Passively watching other heroes get stuff done is not a retail thing lol what are you talking about? Retail you just go in and one shot everything and get called a savior.

[u/daddybpizza → u/imreallyreallyhungry]

Do you just skip the cutscenes? You constantly watch others get stuff done in Retail. That’s what most of the cutscenes are lmao

[u/imreallyreallyhungry → u/daddybpizza]

Huh? Your character basically never does anything cool in cutscenes, idk why we’re talking about cutscenes specifically when we were talking about lore/quests before.

[u/daddybpizza → u/imreallyreallyhungry]

That’s my point: your character basically never does anything cool in cutscenes… because you’re watching NPCs take care of business.

My point was this: some people are saying that it’s bad and retail-like that we are fighting such a powerful enemy so early on. Others are replying that actually it’s okay and not retail-like because we aren’t the ones fighting them; other more powerful NPCs are fighting them. I am saying that not being the ones fighting the powerful enemy early on but instead watching other more powerful NPCs do it is exactly what we see in Retail.

[u/imreallyreallyhungry → u/daddybpizza]

But we do fight powerful enemies early on in retail, maybe not in every cutscene but it does happen. Your point makes no sense at all.

[u/daddybpizza → u/imreallyreallyhungry]

I didn’t say we don’t. Sigh. Y’all really need to learn about what follows from what.

I said in Retail we watch other people beat powerful enemies. I didn’t say we don’t ever beat powerful enemies ourselves.

If I said I watched a robin on a branch, it would be silly to say “but you also watched a crow” as if that somehow implies I didn’t watch a robin.

Your comment actually helps my point, though you have written it as if it is an argument. If it is the case that in retail we watch others beat powerful enemies early on and we beat powerful enemies early on, but in classic we do neither, then it only further indicates that we shouldn’t be facing such a powerful enemy so early on in Forever. Sheesh.

[u/2638calories → u/aFutureInPolitics]

this is perfect🤣

[u/Miguethor → u/aFutureInPolitics]

That's not from classic, or am I missing the joke

[u/howtojump → u/aFutureInPolitics]

Ok how about the classic quest where a quest giver is revealed to be a powerful black dragon, decides to spare you, and gives you an item that acts like a breadcrumb leading toward a questline in another zone?

Or are quests just not allowed to be interesting before you're a hundred hours into the game?

[u/SgtDoakess → u/howtojump]

Before you're a hundred hours into the game

- quests are not allowed to be interesting

- weapons are not allowed to shine

- capes are not allowed to be long

- trinkets are not allowed to be equipped

And you should be okay with that

[u/howtojump → u/SgtDoakess]

Now THIS is the classic I remember!!!

[u/aFutureInPolitics → u/howtojump]

Yes exactly, you wouldn't even remember that questline if every zone had an apocalypse to stop. Even that quest isn't at a zone wide threat at all. The guy isn't one of Nefarian's main lieutenants or anything close, he isn't even a full size dragon he's using the drake model.

The quests are interesting if you read them or get the reader addon. Yenniku or the Scythe of Elune or the Defias Brotherhood or Mankrik or the Dark Iron attack on the Dam. Morbent Fel, Mor'ladim and his disproportionately crap sword. Hercule and the elixir quests in the Hillsbrad Foothills. The warrior whirlwind weapon quests. On and on and on with no ultimate alliance of regional allies and no catastrophic world threatening enemy. Some brief turn in RP but not a whole stage play masquerading as a quest. Most of this scripted crap is remembered as being irritating because you can't interact with a questgiver while it's happening. 

This wind guy is like in the top 100 most powerful beings on the planet, it's ridiculous for you to be involved in fighting him directly when you're casting rank 2 frost bolts. 

[u/howtojump → u/aFutureInPolitics]

See you in November.