Cataclysm Speculation: Why Garrosh Will Be Loved and Why Greymane Will Be Hated

发布者 Skreeran

Alright, let's start with the Horde...

We know that Garrosh is becoming Warchief, and we know that Cairne is going away. How do we know Cairne is going away? Many reasons... Most of Cairne's quests are being given equivalents from Baine, his son. His Children's week quest, Cairne's Hoofprint is being replaced by the quest Garrosh's Autograph.

Now...

Up until now, Garrosh has been designed to be hated. This is just logic. If Blizzard wanted us to love him, they would have made him like Saurfang or Thrall, easy to love characters. Instead, he's being an%$#hole, starting crap up at the Theramore meeting, picking fights with Thrall, insulting our favorite High Overlord, attacking King Varian nearly unprovoked at a diplomatic meeting of common interest, continuing to insult the Alliance at the Tournament, etc.

The point is, up until now, he's been designed to be hated.

Now...

In Cataclysm, we know he's becoming Warchief. We also know that he is going to change. How do we know this? Simple: Blizzard won't stop telling us. As you can see in the Garrosh's Autograph quest, Garrosh is being set up to be some sort of grand hero of the Horde. Now, this could be propoganda, but think about it... Every indicator says that Blizzard wants Garrosh to be a hero in Cataclysm. There is a problem if the Horde hates it's Warchief. Blizzard clearly wants us to love him. Garrosh was brought in after TBC to stir up conflict. However, up until now, the Horde really didn't have a reason. The Alliance did, with the Forsaken: Human testing, the Wrathgate, Sylvanas' goals of genocide, etc., but the Horde's reason was basically “War is awesome, let's do that.”

No, that may be fine and dandy for some people, but not for most. Look at any forum, any medium of Warcraft discussion, and you'll find that 9 out of 10 Horde players disagree with Garrosh. If we are to follow him into a war, we need a good reason. Blizzard wants war, and they need to provide a reason for it. This is where Cairne comes in.

Now, the original leak said that Cairne was going to be murdered by Garrosh or his henchmen. This fits perfectly into the original “hate Garrosh” model, but not into the new “great hero of the Horde” model.

Instead, imagine this: What is Cairne was killed by the Alliance?

That would be the perfect way to get people behind Garrosh. Up until now, that only reason the Horde has had to go to war was basically just King Varian attacking Thrall and declaring war. We know Thrall is captured by the Alliance at some point and released by the goblins, but that's hardly the same as the Alliance “losing” Bolvar and the Broken Front. As I've said before, to make up for the Broken Front (which was appalling), either the Horde has to do something REALLY good, or the Alliance has to do something REALLY bad. Killing the Horde's most peaceful leader is perfect. Then there's the same need for justice that causes the Alliance to want to fight. Horde players can get behind Garrosh when he says “this will not stand!” and they'll start to agree with their Warchief. Garrosh will seem like some great hero because he's fighting to avenge the death of one of the Horde's most lovable heroes. I doubt King Varian would be directly responsible, however, as he's being set up to be a hero of the Alliance, and that would make Alliance players dislike him. Instead, it would have to be someone else, like SI:7 or some other leader...

And this is where my Alliance theories comes in...

Alright, Blizzard wants us to like Varian. Alliance players (many, at least) haven't been liking him because of what they perceive as warmongering. They say he's too racist, too extreme...

Now...

The Horde, so far, has had a dark faction in their ranks. Horde players have essentially had to defend the Forsaken's every action to make them seem even slightly reasonable. The Forsaken engage in human testing of chemical weapons, abusing of animals, attacking farming villages, betrayal, Sylvanas' intention for genocide, and all around cruelty. They are a dark faction. They are easy for the Alliance to hate. Even some among the Horde hate them. The Alliance has no such faction. It seems to me that for both sides to be on even moral ground (especially after the Wrathgate), the Alliance will need a dark faction as well.

Let's look at what we know of Genn Greymane. He's the leader of Gilneas, and wants what's best for his people above everyone else. He's told off Terenas and in Beyond the Dark Portal he was a rival of Varian. In that book, Varian used logic to calmly make a point to Genn. In addition, Genn support the wholesale massacre of the orcs after the Second War.

Why is this relevant?

As I said, Varian is currently the subject of hate because of how intolerant he is of the Horde. I think that Blizzard wants to make people love him and accept him as a leader again. That is why they set up the Saurfang/Varian bit in Icecrown Citadel. They are sowing the seeds of a more moderate leader. What do I think they'll do next? I think that they'll set up Genn to be even more aggressive against the Horde, to the point of being genocidal. This will allow Varian to come off as a moderate and tolerant leader while also providing the Alliance with a “dark faction” for the Horde to hate and fear.

Ultimately, both the Alliance and Horde will end up loving, or at least tolerating, the leaders that Blizzard has set up.

发布者 Orranis

I don't have the stamina to get crit by wall of text at the moment, but what I take from it is that Garrosh will become somewhat good (Though still a bit of a warmonger), and Cairne might be killed by Alliance, causing more warmongering. I could totally see this happen, as well as the fact that I found the hint at a sunwell like lore-patch interesting.

发布者 Patty

发布者 Skreeran

~~cool story, bro.~~

I don't want to like Garrosh. :(

I'd rather Cairne die peacefully of old age, or honourably in battle, than some poncy Alliance spy sticking an arrow in his back when he's not looking.But what better reason to go to war with the Alliance, then? I may not like the idea of war, but if we have to I'd at least like a legitimate reason.

发布者 Morec0

I don't know much about the Worgen starting zones, but I think Greymane's changed.

When you first create your character, Greymane stops one of his nobles - Lord something or another - from killing the player. When the Lord states that is is protical Greymane replies with something along the lines of: "Was it protical for those who stayed behind in Gilneas City to die while we made it to safety? I do not think so."

What I see from this is that Greymane's changed. He thought his nation was untouchable, and now that he seems to have been proven wrong I think his ego has been poped and he's a much more... mild character.

No doubt he'll still hate the orcs, but I think that he's not the egotistical maniac that he was in the second war.

发布者 Skreeran

He never hated his own people.

The ones he was a %$#hole to were all the ones who were outside: Terenas, Lothar, Varian, the orcs, etc.

发布者 Patty

But what better reason to go to war with the Alliance, then? I may not like the idea of war, but if we have to I'd at least like a legitimate reason.But I don't want the war. If war happens, I want people from both sides to be to blame, so that fanboys can see what things are like from both sides.

发布者 Morec0

True, but be seemed to be the kind of person what would follow protical, even with his own people. The way I read what he said just gave me the impression of a kinder person.

发布者 Skreeran

True, but be seemed to be the kind of person what would follow protical, even with his own people. The way I read what he said just gave me the impression of a kinder person.I'm sure he'll be kind to his own people.

That doesn't stop him from being even more aggressive than Varian against the Horde, thereby making Varian look more moderate and saving his image.