Last year I celebrated the end of 2012 by proclaiming what I would wish for several characters come the new year. Some characters received what I wanted, like Anduin surviving his experiences on Pandaria or Varian emerging successful from his Siege of Orgrimmar. Other characters didn’t quite get what I hoped – Garrosh and Jaina still seem far more troubled than they should be. I have not had the pleasure of slaughtering Malkorok myself yet, but he has fallen to the hands of others. That said, here’s a look at what I would like to see for some of our more famous characters in 2014.
For Garrosh Hellscream, I still hope he finds peace. It’s not surprising that he would still be seething after his defeat in the bowels of Orgrimmar, so for him to go out and find a new Horde makes sense. I can only hope that he has the chance to meet Grom and learn from him (although the murmurs that Grom may be the final raid boss are foreboding.) Ultimately, Garrosh’s fate in Warlords of Draenor is unclear. He is the catalyst for getting us to this quasi-new world, but what happens after has been left vague. I hope he survives to the end of the expansion, and I hope that he might learn from the failings of his father about what it really means to be Horde. I doubt that will be the case, though.
For Vol’jin, I wish him a long, calm reign as Warchief. Garrosh was lucky in that he was appointed Warchief just prior to Cataclysm, having the opportunity to appear in several leveling zones before serving as a focal point of Mists of Pandaria. Vol’jin doesn’t seem like he would have much need to travel to Draenor, so he can remain on Azeroth and rebuild the Horde in relative peace. Whereas Garrosh was seemingly everywhere, Vol’jin’s early rule seems like it will mostly happen offscreen. Frankly, after leading the charge of Razor Hill, he’s earned the break.
For Wrathion, I hope that he gets the Burning Legion invasion he is so concerned about preparing for. His strong motivation to unite everyone to save Azeroth may seem impossible given Horde and Alliance tensions, but the disparate factions have worked together to take down threats like Illidan, Arthas, and Deathwing before. When the Legion returns, it won’t take much prodding for them to unite again. (Heck, all a random human and orc need to team up is the appearance of a strange Panda.) As much as Wrathion may feel he needs to prod the citizens of Azeroth, he underestimates them; both Alliance and Horde will be ready to fight the Legion when the time comes. If Wrathion would grow up a little more, maybe he would understand that.
For Thrall, I wish him time with his family. By journeying with us back to Draenor, it isn’t clear how long he is going to be away from Aggra and his son. Hopefully, whatever insights Thrall can glean from meeting his ancestors will help him raise his young family. I have little doubt that the son of a former warchief will play a large role in the shaping of Azeroth’s future. Hopefully, it will be a bright one.
For Ji Firepaw and Aysa Cloudsinger, I wish them the opportunity to spend time with each other. Their faction allegiances may have separated them, but after Aysa was able to save Ji in the Valley of Strength, it would be nice if they could rekindle their friendship. I doubt we’ll see much of them in game, but their arc deserves a coda in a short story or referenced in a novel.
For Jaina Proudmoore, I also still wish her peace. It’s clear she now has little love for the Horde, but I can’t help but think of Slightly Impressive’s take on her dialogue during the final cinematic of Mists. Jaina is in a dark place – the sort of place characters go before becoming raid bosses. Jaina’s fall would definitely be tragic, and I’d much rather she return to her role as a bastion of sanity in the harshness of Azeroth politics. I fear things for Jaina are going to have to get worse for before they get better, though.
For Pandaria, I wish for the Vale of Eternal Blossoms to be restored (although I know it won’t happen). It was clever storytelling on Blizzard’s part that the zone name would include the word “eternal” knowing full well we would only see it pristine for about a year. Instead, it forever stands a testament to the damage and sorrows caused by our eternal war. One lone tree does not a restored vale make, but it is a sign for hope, and hope is a powerful force.
For the Warlords of Draenor, I wish they come to the quick realization that the Iron Horde is not their destiny. While Grom may have doomed the orcish race to demonic subjugation once upon a time, he became a hero with his sacrifice in defeating Mannoroth. It will be a shame to see the same character reduced to a raid boss when all is said and done. Some of the orcs were indeed evil in their past, like Gul’dan, and seem like they will maintain their ways, but others, like Kargath Bladefist or Kilrogg Deadeye, may have an interesting story to tell that might warrant redemption. Odds are we kill them all but it might be fun to see the orcish race restored to heroic glory as Garrosh watches his latest plans evaporate when his chosen army deviates from their path of destruction.
And for everyone else, I wish you a great 2014 and a Happy New Year! There’s much to look forward to, with a Diablo expansion, WoW expansion, a proper Hearthstone release, and a Heroes of the Storm beta all on the calendar. 2014 is going to be exciting!
WoW! Blurbs!
Fireworks every hour on the hour all day! Happy New Year!!! http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/12070739/Happy_New_Year-12_30_2013
Gems in WoD will be for secondary stats only – no more primary stat gems. I guess I’ll be asking Mr. Robot which secondary stats I should be chasing. https://twitter.com/Celestalon/statuses/417389000463114240
The datamined Karazhan updates were a case of Blizzard testing some tech and nothing more. Medivh should be placed outside the tower telling curious players, “Nothing to see here. Move along.” https://twitter.com/Dave_Maldo/statuses/417348048574898176
