With 2015 upon us, it’s time to look forward to the new year and what I wish would happen for some of the major lore characters.
For Thrall, I wish the safety of his whole family. I was concerned about how much time he would get to spend with them, but now that Aggra is (unwisely) with him, he’s put his child’s parents directly in harm’s way. At least he gets to spend time with his own parents. Aggra may have teased Durotan that Thrall thinks of him like a father, but I think before Warlords of Draenor is done we’ll get our full-on family reunion that we’ve been waiting for; where Thrall and Durotan acknowledge their true bond.
For Grommash Hellscream, I wish he would find the peace his son was denied, but we know that won’t happen. Grommash’s bloodthirst will see him as our opposition until the end of this expansion, which is ironic because denying his thirst and not drinking the demon blood is what set him on this path. Its not clear if he ever understood that Garrosh was his son from our timeline, and it seems that Grom’s dedication to the conquering Draenor and then Azeroth leaves little room for familial bonds. Whenever his final confrontation with Thrall happens, its going to be devastating, if only because I expect yet another callback to the Warcraft III cinematic.
For Khadgar, I wish him success in leading the mission on Draenor. It still seems as though not everything is as it should be with him, as he is now clean-shaven and seems quite spry for someone who should be as (artificially) aged as he is. The fact that he keeps transforming into a raven and is wielding Atiesh suggest that he has learned some of his old master’s spells, but given that his old master was possessed by Sargeras, who knows what else he may have picked up? If not for the Khadgar model being updated in Outland’s Shattrath, I would suspect that this was the Alternate-Khadgar (possibly possessed by Alt-Sargeras) come to our timeline to wreak havoc, and it may well be that the old model was updated simply because all humans were, but for now, I can overlook all these incongruities and take the wizard at face value.
For Wrathion, I wish he would appear in Warlords. Admiral Taylor’s journal references the Dragon Prince appearing at his garrison shortly before it is sacked, so we know he is around. Then again, it might be fun to spend an expansion or two loosely following his exploits second-hand before we run into him as a villain of significance. Whatever happens, he must face Anduin again before we slay him. I’m impressed with how Blizzard was able to build that relationship over a few short scenes in Mists of Pandaria only to have Wrathion betray everyone at the end of War Crimes. Anduin tends to show compassion towards everyone, but Wrathion may be one character who not only deserves none but will use any leniency provided as a weapon. Their confrontation is going to be intriguing.
For Azuka Bladefury, I wish that she would realize that she’s working for the losing team. The Garrison Campaign Quest “Warlord’s Council” shows her anointed as the newest Warlord of the Iron Horde, and seemingly moving into Grom’s favor at the expense of Blackhand. Given that we know that Blackhand is a boss in the Blackrock Foundry, it would seem to suggest that Azuka’s role in the Iron Horde will only grow. It is nice that Blizzard is promoting a female Warlord (and doing so in a way that is not as ham-fisted as sending Aggra to Draenor), and after encountering her several times in Nagrand she’s going to earn her place as a boss fight at some point. However, for her sake, she should realize that the conquest of the Iron Horde is wrong, and it’s never too late to ally with the Frostwolves and defend Draenor. Then again, I would have said all the same about Zaela, and her fate at the end of Upper Blackrock Spire resolved that.
For Ariok, I hope he survives his sacrifice in Tanaan. I fully expect that he did, and that we’ll find him (in whatever hulk-orc form he has taken) once that zone is opened to us. I don’t look forward to being given a quest to return with bad news to Eitrigg.
For Lantressor of the Blade, I hope he can get out of everyone’s mines and enjoy some fresh air.
For Varian and Vol’jin, I hope they can maintain the peace that seems to exist between the two factions (outside of Ashran). I doubt we’ll get to see more of Vol’jin’s new regime while we remain on Draenor, but I expect that these two leaders should make some diplomatic headway in our absence.
For Draenor, I hope the planet can stay together. I have a bad feeling that one of the subtle themes this expansion is that history has a way of repeating itself – with events echoing our history, like Grommash slaying Mannoroth with one swing of Gorehowl, or Orgrim Doomhammer turning on Blackhand (although failing in his efforts.) For many of the orcs and Draenai, this is literally a second chance at some events, and while many characters are looking to prevent disaster from occuring, signs are that the Burning Legion is going to intensify its efforts (with Archimonde possibly on his way instead of Kil’jaeden.) The last time we faced Archimonde, the Night Elves had to sacrifice their immortality and the Well of Eternity to let the wisps blow him up. This time, without such a power source, we may need to sacrifice a planet. It would be a shame if Draenor was destroyed again, but as long as the Legion looms, the planet is very much in peril.
For the rest of the Warlords, I wish they drop plenty of loot as we raid and slay them throughout the year.
And for everyone else, I wish a Happy and Healthy 2015!
WoW! Blurbs!
New Year, New Hotfixes! http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/16561637/603-hotfixes-january-5-12-19-2014
Blizzard has extended the 10 year anniversary by one week since the event ended earlier in game than planned. Everyone gets another week to run Molten Core and not have the enchant or pet drop! http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/15699483688
