Killing off the Horde and their heroes
Ketsumei of Bleeding Hollow makes a pretty good point on the forums: we're killing off Horde heroes, and Alliance are getting a pass. Actually, the Horde heroes point isn't quite a valid one-- yes, we've taken down Kael'thas, Rend Blackhand, and eventually Zul'jin, but we've also killed off Emperor Thaurissian, the Architect of Stormwind (many, many times), and Mekgineer Thermaplugg, not to mention that eventually we'll be killing the number one figure in Alliance lore, Arthas himself. Oh, and some lady named Katrana Prestor, usually found sitting on the left hand of the throne in Stormwind, has been killed as well. But it's true that more instances, especially raid instances, are featuring the deaths of Horde races rather than Alliance races. Especially in the endgame, we're fighting Trolls, Orcs and Blood Elves, not Humans and Draenei.So what's with the imbalance? This Horde-heavy enemies list is actually a very recent thing-- Scarlet Monastery is full of Humans, as are the Deadmines, and BRD is full of Dwarves. But as we've headed to Outland, the Burning Legion seems to have a thing for recruiting Blood Elves and Orcs, and Zul'Aman will bring about the death of many, many Trolls. Far many more Horde cries of death are being heard lately, and that's just racist.
There's only one thing for it-- as players suggest, we should be allowed to kill a corrupted Malfurion Stormrage in the Emerald Dream expansion. No arguing now-- let's say he's gone insane from fighting the Nightmare and he's got to be put down. We need an instance full of Night Elves to kill over and over again. Oh, and while we're at it, let's have Arthas bring Uther back as a Scourge, and kill him, too! And what's the King of Stormwind up to-- isn't time he died, too?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor, Raiding, Lore, Bosses, NPCs






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
For the Pie Jul 24th 2007 4:00PM
Don't forget, we need to kill gnomes..all of them.
Heraclea Jul 24th 2007 4:05PM
There are others. Of course, Archimonde is an Eredar, but the distinction between him and the Draenei is somewhat elusive. The expansion also added a mission that has Alliance rescuing Thrall, who apparently has a fetish for human women. I'm not at all sure that it's as one sided as all that.
RogueJedi86 Jul 24th 2007 4:06PM
Lest you forget Kargath Bladefist, once a great leader of the Old Horde, now holed up in Shattered Halls. More Horde leaders for the killing.
Thus further proving that the Horde, like it or not, are still considered the bad guys. Just be glad we Alliance haven't declared the Tauren evil yet, or we'll soon kill him in a dark hole in the ground too.
And isn't Arthas the Lich King, closer to the Forsaken than the Humans in current form?
Angael Jul 24th 2007 7:53PM
@2
Me too... strange
Urthona Jul 24th 2007 4:21PM
Uhm, speaking of Tauren, aside from the random NPC "cultist" in BFD or "torturer" in BRD, there aren't ANY cattle being killed.
I have hopes for the Grimtotems discovering Titanic rune-based biotechnology in Uldum though.
Dah Cheet Jul 24th 2007 4:29PM
Everyone's a little bit racist....
Sylythn Jul 24th 2007 4:51PM
@5 - Except us warlocks...we want to kill everyone! :)
Coherent Jul 24th 2007 4:32PM
Killing a corrupted Malfurion Stormrage would kinda be losing a great plot opportunity for Illidan to say "LOL@URFACE" to him because of all his moralizing about Illidan becoming corrupted and banishing him and stuff.
We need an in-game cutscene where Malfurion realizes how badly he treated Illidan when he banished him because now Malfurion's corrupted too and he damn sure empathizes more with his brother now than he did before!
Gabby Jul 24th 2007 4:35PM
Edwin Vancleef of the Stonemasons
Exarch Maladaar
Celebras the Cursed
Arcanist Doan
Herod
High Inquisitor Fairbanks
High Inquisitor Whitemane
Houndmaster Loksey
Interrogator Vishas
Scarlet Commander Mograine
Darkmaster Gandling
Doctor Theolen Krastinov
Instructor Malicia
Jandice Barov
Lady Illucia Barov
Lord Alexei Barov
Lorekeeper Polkelt
Marduk Blackpool
Ras Frostwhisper
Archivist Galford
Baron Riverdare
Baroness Anastari
Cannon Master Willey
Fras Siabi
Hearthsinger Forresten
Jarien
Magistrate Barthilas
Maleki the Pallid
Malor the Zealous
Postmaster MalOWN!
Commander Sarannis
High Botanist Freywinn
Nethermancer Sepethrea
Pathanleon the calculator
Bazil Thredd
Bruegal Ironknuckle
Dextren Ward
Kam Deepfury
Lady Anacondra
Lord Cobrahn
Lord Pythas
Lord Serpentis
Heigan the Unclean
Noth the Plaguebringer
Gothik the Harvester
Thane Korth'azz
Lady Blaumeux
Sir Zeliek
Highlord Mograine the Ashbringer
Instructor Razuvious
Kel'Thuzad
Lord Illidan Stormrage
Prince Kael'thas
This is an incomplete list, but I think the point is clear, to anyone thinking the Horde is the only group that has it's villains... you're dead wrong.
PS. Technically, Kael'thas is not a Horde Hero, he's Alliance. Race does not equate faction, else those High Elves in Alliance cities are clearly spies.
tynk Jul 25th 2007 6:41PM
I want to see a skewed gnome faction running a manufacturing plant attempting to create a world destroyer that we get to enter as a 25 man raid dungeon.
Zotiko Jul 24th 2007 4:43PM
You can't actually *kill* a night elf. You see, we all have the 'feign death' skill due to our large population of hunters.
This is MTV and you just got feigned.
Dracula Jones Jul 24th 2007 4:46PM
Old Horde WERE bad guys. That's why they're seen as bad guys still, especially in Outland where the remnants are still under demonic control. What few Alliance-related figures and factions that have become bad guys are killable. Dark Iron Dwarves, Defias Brotherhood, Leper Gnomes, Scarlet Crusade..
Playable orcs, trolls, and undead are members of factions that are rare exceptions to the rest of their basically evil races. Not a lot of that going on on the Alliance side.
Mordiceius Jul 24th 2007 4:53PM
The point I was trying to make is if you look at all the RAIDS they are all either horde races or neutral factions. I'm tired of killing orcs, undead, blood elves and trolls in all my raids. When will I see night elves, draenei, tauren, dwarves, humans and gnomes that need a good kililng in raids?
Mordiceius Jul 24th 2007 4:54PM
(Btw, this is Ketsumei)
RogueJedi86 Jul 24th 2007 5:05PM
Draenei are in a lot of Outland instances as demonic minions of Illidan and the Burning Legion. Dwarves are the primary villains of the Blackrock Mountain, in the lower area instances anyways.
We need some evil Tauren though. I've probably killed less Tauren than I have of any other race.
mcm Jul 24th 2007 5:10PM
The Eredar just happened to find Draenor before they found Azeroth, and sent Mannoroth to corrupt the Orcs. That's not an "alliance-good, horde-evil" thing, that an "alliance were just lucky" thing. If the Eredar had taken that left turn at Albuquerque and bumped into Azeroth first, the Hellfire Citadel would be filled with frothing, red-skinned humans. :)
But really, what fate is more honorable? To stay true to your people, stand strong, and go down fighting, like Zul'jin? Or to be dominated and turned against your own people, like Arthas or even Sylvanas? Illidan is kinda a wash - he was mistreated and driven away by his own people, and wasn't really dominated, but willingly defected.
I'm alliance and have a gnome alt, so I kinda like the little guys - I can't get on the kill-all-gnomes bandwagon. But the leper gnomes creep me out, so I say they're fair game. And those uppity, world-tree-building, summersault-jumping, shadowmelding, improved-corpse-run-having nightelves can kiss my butt! We haven't had an instance full of them to kill since WC - bring one on! >:)
JJ Jul 24th 2007 5:19PM
I love playing Horde, and I have perpetual arguments with some of my RL friends that they are NOT evil. However, the fact of the matter is that orcs in particular WERE evil: they were allied with, controlled, and corrupted by the Burning Legion. Naturally, you're going to have a lot of orc bad guys.
And if we're counting the trolls of Zul'Aman as a Horde race (despite the fact that those trolls were never allied with the Darkspears), then Illidan, the biggest boss in the game yet, should count as a member of an alliance race. And what about Kharazan?? True, you never fight Medivh himself, but that show is really all ABOUT Medivh. Why aren't we talking about him? If you want to get picky, both Naga and Eredar could even be argued as alliance races.
It's just silly to expect that there will always be a perfect balance between horde- and alliance-races in the instance/raid bosses, so naturally sometimes the scales will tip. Not a single boss has been introduced that doesn't obviously fall out of pre-established lore, and I heavily object to the idea of twisting the game inside out just to convince some of these players that their faction isn't being targetted. Sorry guys, if you choose Horde, accepting the unsavory parts of your history is part of the bargain.
Frankly, after playing both Horde and Alliance, I am REALLY sick of hearing Horde players whine. Yeah, there are advantages and disadvantages to both sides. For one thing, Horde have got it MADE when it comes to zep towers (as opposed to Alliance boat docks), and the Alliance first aid quest is a pain in the butt compared to the Horde's. Yeah, minor things, but no more minor than "waa!! allies get to have sprite darter pets and we don't!"
Burgdorn Jul 24th 2007 5:19PM
The point that you made was that in Outlands/Draenor/orc and Draenei homelands/ area where demons come too really doesn't have a story line deep threaded in human mischief. To go about saying that we should be killing them instead of horde characters that are no longer part of the horde is ludicrous. Also Illidan as much as we hate to admit it is by all knowledge a part demon part nightelf. In a way your killing an alliance character to.
I avoided that thread because I felt it's argument was mute and mostly just spam to the fire. Lore wise outland just doesn't have enough alliance forces to make a whole instance too viable. We also have to remember any undead warlord we kill has something of a connection with the alliance as it is their falling out that brought the undead to us.
RogueJedi86 Jul 24th 2007 5:30PM
Well the Naga and Illidan can't really be argued as part Alliance anymore. They've been greatly mutated, to no longer resemble their original Night Elf forms, especially the Naga. I'll give you the Eredar, since they're just dark red, like the Fel Orcs, though technically the Eredar came first.
But the Fel Orcs and Orcs of today are the same, just skin color. Hell, it was said that the Orcs' skin turned green due to Demonic taint/influence, so the player race Orcs still carry the very visible mark of their evil past that shows them as once-villains.
Eldiablohijo Jul 24th 2007 5:46PM
I'm horde and don't personally care about killing horde races in instances, and i'll stick along those lines for the rest of the duration of the game.
The only thing i'd like to see is Gnome Punting.. The day blizzard impliments this i'll be a happy man.