Thrall's return to the Horde and more lore from San Diego Comic-Con
by Mathew McCurley 
Jul 23rd 2011 at 8:00PM
Metzen might have spilled the beans on what we can expect from BlizzCon this year, including some big revelations about the Horde and Thrall's place in it. Around the 51-minute mark of the panel, Metzen muses about how awesome it has been, growing the Warcraft story from its simple beginnings as an RTS and getting to flesh out the world. At one point, Metzen says, "One day, come on, your Warchief is coming back. Right? There's more with Thrall," and emphatically mentions BlizzCon, indicating Blizzard has much to announce on the subject.
Not only that, but Metzen responded to what many people consider a Blizzard bias toward the Horde with the announcement that the next big book in the Warcraft universe will be written by Christie Golden and focus on Jaina Proudmoore. Wolfheart, the next novel by Richard A. Knaak, is also going to focus heavily on the Alliance, according to Metzen. After listening to Metzen's emphatic discussion of the upcoming novel, it appears that it will forever alter Jaina in earth-shattering ways. Metzen even calls it "badass."
Check out the GameSpot video of the Blizzard SDCC 2011 WoW, StarCraft, and Diablo Swag Show panel for the entire, hour-long discussion. The meaty lore bits start about halfway in. Metzen loves Thrall, and his utter adoration of the character and his story just seeps through every word he utters. We may dance around with the Mary Sue comments, but I think it's pretty cool that he loves his character so much.
Now, what will that mean for Garrosh, baddest dude on Kalimdor? Saurfang's old position? Voluntarily leaving politics because politics are awful, and just wanting to run around bashing in people's faces? I bet we'll know by BlizzCon.
Check out the GameSpot SDCC panel video over at BlizzPlanet.
The news is already rolling out for the upcoming WoW Patch 4.2! Preview the new Firelands raid, marvel at the new legendary staff, and get the inside scoop on new quest hubs -- plus new tier 12 armor!
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 7)
totemdeath Jul 23rd 2011 11:17PM
Thrall: I'm back. Garrosh hs been vanquished back to Northrend, and I've set everything right with the other members of the Horde. I now proclaim myself Warchief of the Horde once again:
Aggra: You ain't warchief. WE are warchief!
blancester Jul 24th 2011 12:04AM
@Deryja
Damn you Deryja.
AudreyR Jul 24th 2011 1:02AM
I really hope Campfire remembers all those turkeys I fed him when he becomes Warchief. Kept him from starving while he was exiled.
Jarvish Jul 24th 2011 6:16AM
This does it! I'm faction transferring all my chars to horde...
Dreyja Jul 24th 2011 3:28PM
@blancester - Thanks? :)
Blayze Jul 24th 2011 6:13PM
"Go'el, when will you learn that you cannot lead the Horde alone?"
"Says the woman who was created purely to serve as my baby cannon."
Throm Jul 23rd 2011 8:22PM
Oh boy. Jaina. Whoo.
400 pages of 'THE HORDE ARE THE GOOD GUYS, SRSLY YOU GUYS THEY DON'T MEAN IT WHEN THEY MURDER YOU, YOU GUYS' followed by another few hundred pages of her sobbing.
Fun fun fun.
shatto.a Jul 23rd 2011 8:27PM
My Horde brothers and sisters could say the same about you Alliance pig-dogs.
llcjay2003 Jul 23rd 2011 8:28PM
Awesome.
Arrohon Jul 23rd 2011 8:57PM
Yes, because her Horde friends Thrall and Baine are diabolical. You know how Alliance and Horde team up at Mt. Hyjal to kick some demon ass? THAT'S what she wants. That event alone shows that it is possible for the Horde and Alliance to settle their differences and work together for a common cause. Read Rise of the Horde. It shows how the different orc clans have different customs and traditions but when it comes down to it they have more in common that different (paraphrased from Ner'zhul actually). Jaina sees that the Horde and the Alliance are similar.
jomoru Jul 23rd 2011 9:23PM
Nothing shows her love for the Horde like the fact that its her forces in the Southern barrens comiting Warcrimes.
I can see hitting the Orcs, or the Forsaken.. but the Tauren? Did you just not want to to have moral highground?
Throm Jul 23rd 2011 10:23PM
Jomoru, if I take the moral high ground, that's time that could be spent murdering Hordies.
But seriously, after the Tauren joined the Orcs and Gobbies in the destruction of Ashenvale, they don't get to complain about attacks on them.
Amaxe Jul 23rd 2011 8:23PM
I'd be interested to get something on Jaina... it's a glaring failure on the part of Blizz to entirely ignore her for Cataclysm.
I'd be wary of the misinterpretations on Thrall though. They went through a lot to try to establish him as beyond the Horde and working for the good of all Azeroth. I can't see them doing that unless they're doing a retcon...
...so in other words, I can see them doing that ;-).
As for the comment of writing another book from the perspective of the Alliance, I do have to say that doesn't disprove a Horde bias. Writing good plots for the Alliance, letting us take place in the war in Twilight Highlands, letting main Alliance characters (as opposed to Alliance races which are part of other factions) play an important role with some good quests... that's how Blizz can show me they aren't biased to the Horde
Arrohon Jul 23rd 2011 9:03PM
The thing is that Thrall tries to be diplomatic. His ideal world is where the Alliance and Horde can live together peacefully if not allies. Also, you really can't save the world from destruction for only one group. When you save it you're saving it for everyone on the world. He can better help defend the world currently as a shaman and that is what he's doing. It's not too much to expect that he'll take back his mantle as warchief once his work as a shaman is no longer needed.
Revnah Jul 24th 2011 5:28AM
This, a hundred times this.
About Jaina: It's sad that so many people just associate Jaina with sobbing, after all she's done. She was seriously under- and misrepresented in the last two expansions. Bout time she got to kick some ass again :-)
Xabidar Jul 23rd 2011 8:24PM
Christie Golden writing about Jaina? I like how she was portrayed in "The Shattering", so this sounds promising. Jaina's character has been floundering as of late and she's been strangely absent from most of Cataclysm. It seems like Blizzard doesn't know what they want to with her. Advancements of any kind in her story are greatly welcomed.
Amaxe Jul 23rd 2011 8:33PM
She also handled Jaina well in Arthas I thought.
Hurbster Jul 23rd 2011 8:23PM
Coming soon - Garrosh in the WoW spin off 'Fightin' around the World'.
Yeah that would be something to Crowe about.
Hogleg Jul 23rd 2011 11:30PM
actually, If it was me writing it, you may not be far off. It's obvious Garrosh bleeds horde red, and its also obvious that even though hes a giant prick, we've at least seen him develop into OUR giant prick.
I can see him as a real PVP boss, if they were ever to implement such things beyond the AV generic kill the boss thing.
I can also see him end up back in outland next expansion, being the head orc in the efforts to run things out there. I can't see him being under someone's thumb happily (read; willingly).
I can see him and sylvanias genuinely getting into it.
I can see a lot of uses for a very devoted, fairly capable BAMF.
Likewise if he is not the warchief, I don't think whomever the warchief is would suffer any delusions that Garrosh was "Their man." He always has been very clearly his own man, even rising through the ranks. That was part of the reason thrall pushed to elevate him...he couldn't trust him to always listen to advice, but the flipside is that he knew garrosh wouldn't end up anyone's pawn.
Im not entirely sure why he wanted the polarization...I don't buy the whole explanation so far...personally I'm wondering if he sees a bigger threat behind the scenes somewhere that benefits from a lapse in hostilities, and the lesser of the two evils is to allow the horde and alliance to duke it out. If that were the case, the horde would need a leader strong enough to keep it from crumbling. There the question is whether garrosh would be willing to give up his station, and how he would react to being used.
Xantenise Jul 23rd 2011 8:25PM
"After listening to Metzen's emphatic discussion of the upcoming novel, it appears that it will forever alter Jaina in earth-shattering ways. Metzen even calls it "bad ass.""
... Am I the only one who thinks this does not bode well?