The Queue: Leaving on a Jet Plane
by Alex Ziebart 
Oct 19th 2011 at 11:00AM
As you read this, I'm most likely on a plane to Anaheim. Well, no, probably not, because I know you guys. Most of you are reading this the very second the post goes live, and if that's the case, then I'm still sitting at my desk in Milwaukee staring angrily at the high wind warning that has been issued in my area. The beginning of my flight is going to be fun.
@rjwii asked:
Will the alliance become the dominant faction this expansion?
I've been trying to think of a kind way to say hell no, and the best I could come up with was a regular no. I don't expect that will happen. As an Alliance player, I have come to terms with the fact that we're likely to be the whipping boys forever. At no point in World of Warcraft has the Alliance been dominant, and the Alliance's victories are not victories so much as they are isolated events in which the Horde does not completely slaughter the Alliance. Blizzard does not really grasp how to write the Alliance at war. Blizzard is very good at writing the Horde at war, however. Notice how in Twilight Highlands, the #1 zone featuring the war between the Horde and the Alliance in Cataclysm, is a completely one-sided slaughter. The Horde is lok'tar-ogaring all over the place and rocking the Alliance's face in. The Alliance is busy holding a wedding.
I think Varian Wrynn embodies this somewhat. Blizzard is very much about the Horde and how they wage wars. It's into that so much that it gave the Alliance their king back, but they turned him into an Orc first. I don't dislike Varian Wrynn, but he's certainly not a bastion of humanity. He's Lo'gosh. He's the Ghost Wolf. The Alliance doesn't need a Ghost Wolf; the Alliance doesn't need an Orc in charge. The Alliance needs another Lion of Stormwind, but we're not going to get that.
Do I hope I'm wrong? Yes, absolutely. Swamp of Sorrows does have Joanna Blueheart, so at least one of the quest designers at Blizzard grasps how the Alliance rolls. If they can use her as their basis for Alliance warfare, we could have a great thing. Joanna is alone in her example, though. Things look ... bleak.
Andre asked:
Does the sword drop from the Horseman or the bag?
The bag!
Bellajtok asked:
So what do you guys unrealistically want from the next expansion? In other words, what's on your magical wishlist?
I want player/guild housing with a tremendous spread of decorative options that you can acquire and achieve in sub-raid content. Five-mans and solo are fair game. It would serve as a way to advance your character (or your guild) when you're at the level cap, and I think World of Warcraft desperately needs to get back into giving players something to work toward at the level cap that isn't just inflating your ilevel. Archaeology attempted to do this, but just grinding out fragments is not particularly compelling.
I think it would be incredibly fun to hunt down trophies, statues, armor racks, rugs, and so on to pimp your pad. I was on the fence about player housing for years, but after Cataclysm, I desperately long for something I can really strive toward on level-capped characters that isn't simply Blizzard pushing me back toward raiding. The Burning Crusade had a large amount of content like that, I feel. Wrath didn't have much and Cataclysm had even less.
Terrant asked:
What kind of parents name their kid Kel'Thuzad?
His name is actually Kelly Julius Thuzad, but since Kelly is a girl's name, he shortened it to Kel'Thuzad.
@peterchristy asked:
What are you most looking forward to at BlizzCon? Least?
I'm most looking forward to the WoW Insider meetup. Really, I am! BlizzCon is great and I'm excited about any WoW news that happens to come out of it, but the meetup is just unrivaled in the excitement department. We plan this thing off and on all year long, and September and October is when the planning comes together and coalesces into something real. We're all excited to hit the ground in Anaheim, prep our venue, and rock out with our fans and friends. I imagine it's how Blizzard feels about BlizzCon itself, except BlizzCon is a heckuva lot bigger.
What am I looking forward to the least? The lines. You always do a lot of standing in line at conventions, but BlizzCon is extra bad about it. All of the vendors are crammed into such a cramped space, and lines grow to be so long that all of the lines start wrapping around unrelated booths and intersecting with each other, and it gets to the point where you're not even sure you're in the right line anymore.
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW Insider crew is here with The Queue, our daily Q&A column. Leave your questions in the comments, and we'll do our best to answer 'em!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 14)
MattKrotzer Oct 19th 2011 11:06AM
Alex et al: Have a safe trip and take lots of pictures!
The Dewd Oct 19th 2011 11:21AM
If Cutaia shows up, make sure someone gets a picture of him, posing with a papaya. ;)
Mortenebra Oct 19th 2011 12:22PM
Whoever's taking that picture of Cutaia please make sure that he is not, in fact, a disembodied head.
MattKrotzer Oct 19th 2011 12:23PM
I'd totally crop whatever picture I took to be JUST a disembodied head and a papaya.
Natsumi Oct 19th 2011 1:17PM
Also, please make sure he's not wearing that bikini again.
Charlie Oct 19th 2011 2:21PM
Yah take pictures of cutia because he's wearing my face on his shirt lol
Pyromelter Oct 19th 2011 2:40PM
I'm going to do my best to get down there, and if I see cutaia, I'll punch him in the arm I mean I'll get a buddy-pic with him.
john verry Oct 19th 2011 11:07AM
Can wait to see what all the wowinsider staff has to say about this years blizzcon as the announcements come out!! Have fun over there
Brock Oct 19th 2011 11:07AM
I'm not sure I even remember how the Alliance rolls. They haven't seemed interesting since Warcraft 2, in which they were completely awesome. Now days they seem to just be full of bad pop culture references. Like the first 20 something levels where you follow around the CSI team.
MattKrotzer Oct 19th 2011 11:16AM
Followed immediately by Rambo...
Sure, it's amusing, but from a story perspective, Alliance has nothing to speak of. Even the things that DID happen, like Magni being turned to rock, and the Council of the Three Hammers... there's the briefest of mentions in questing, and then nothing... (Unless it's in the Burning Steppes... I haven't quested through there yet.) But it seems like there should definitely be some big friction going on with the Dark Irons and Ironforge proper, especially with what's been going on at Blackwing Descent.
ravyncat Oct 19th 2011 11:30AM
On the other hand, if you level on Kalimdor you actually see more important things.
The Teldrassil quests explain what happened to Fandrel--which is nice. You see the destruction of Auberdine and how the Night Elves are coping. You see the increased tension in Ashenvale and the immediate attacks from the Horde.
It is better story telling and lasts longer than one play through in my opinion.
I did Red Ridge once and that was enough.
loop_not_defined Oct 19th 2011 12:16PM
I dunno. Westfall only had 3 or 4 CSI moments, and it struck me as just a side-joke to the actual story: the resurgence of the Defias Brotherhood. Westfall was not, in fact, one giant CSI joke (although it did get old after the first time).
Redridge was definitely all Rambo, though. Except maybe for some pig-gut-collecting. At least I think pig guts were involved.
Mortenebra Oct 19th 2011 12:31PM
Rambo (or Keeshan, as he's called on Azeroth) returns in Burning Steppes, I think.
Seeing the conflict in the Barrens from the Alliance-side, however, gives me a lot of conflict as a mainly Horde player. It shows that Garrosh isn't the only one who's interested in pushing for more. It made my self-righteous "WHY TAURAJO?!" sentiment deflate a little.
But I guess it all depends on your definition of "awesome" and "interesting."
The Dewd Oct 19th 2011 12:32PM
Burning steps is (sorry for the spoilers, Krotzer), just a continuation of Redridge. I won't go into the details but it actually works due to the proximity and, in a sense, fits well. I found it interesting but if you haven't done Redridge it would be confusing.
jealouspirate Oct 19th 2011 1:06PM
"They haven't seemed interesting since Warcraft 2"
Exactly. And, not so coincidently, Warcraft 3 is when Metzen started taking over in the story department, and he certainly makes no secret of how much he loves the Horde. Maybe he's not all to blame, but I think it's a big part of the story there.
Blayze Oct 19th 2011 2:17PM
He's probably the reason we got a redemption retcon spearheaded by Thrall and Grom, rather than just a resurgence of the Old Horde for another assault. Ironically, Warcraft 3 and its (at the time) unique take on orcs for the genre was probably what cemented his position, which means his prior success with the Horde in that game is the cause of the storytelling disasters we have today with the Alliance.
Pyromelter Oct 19th 2011 2:44PM
I'll tell you how the Alliance rolls. They don't give a F about classes. They roll like Tyrande, shooting magic arrows, casting Starfall, cleaving like a warrior, spamming moonfire. They roll like Arthas, killing zombies and not asking any questions, telling it like it is.
More hunter/druid/warrior combos that kick ass, take names, and shoot-first-and-don't-bother-asking-questions. That's how the Alliance rolls. (Or how it should if blizzard wants to make them any kind of cool again. We love Boba Fett, we don't like the pompous captain who's ship gets taken out by one ion cannon blast and watches as the Rebels escape Hoth.)
Brock Oct 19th 2011 6:17PM
@Pyromelter If only that were the case in WoW. Gone are those type of heroes. I don't even think I can say Tyrande is a shadow of what she used to be. I love how Alex refers to Varian as being orcified in order to make him interesting. That is exactly how I felt.
Jamie Oct 19th 2011 11:07AM
So I guess if we do get Pandaren as a playable race & as a neutral/available to both sides. Would this be the first step toward a neutrality for players as a whole?
I know it doesn't seem to be WoW's style but neutrality is everywhere from the groups like the Argent Crusade to my character being Neutral with Gilneas joining the Alliance.
The whole concept really seems like one step away.
TimR Oct 19th 2011 11:18AM
I think it would be kind of cool if there was some sort of internal rift in the Pandaren community, with some joining the Horde and some the Alliance. You share a starting area, but depending on which faction you choose your initial quest line is different.