Sylvanas/Saurfang Narrative Wrapped Up - No Gameplay Impact in Shadowlands

Beta Posted 2019/11/01 at 8:14 PM by perculia

lacking a CovenantBFA faction storyline

Will Alliance and Horde have different Leveling zones?

No. We really told the story of the Alliance and Horde in Battle for Azeroth. The focus of this expansion is everyone going to the Shadowlands to face this new danger that's being unleashed. Certainly, you'll still be playing as Alliance or Horde but it's about the heroes of both factions working together to take on the threat. The faction war is behind us.

The Covenants don't care about Horde and Alliance. There's no Horde Covenant or Alliance Covenant, players are going to choose which Covenant they align with.

What role will player choice have in the Shadowlands narrative?
You get a huge player choice with choosing a covent right away, it's a window for the expansion and obvious player choice that has both gameplay and narrative consequences.

The choice of Horde aligning with Saurfang or Sylvanas was appropriate for Battle for Azeroth, because of the themes we were involved with. We're talking about a different type of story in Shadowlands, so the choices you'll make are more personal for your character, related to customizing the things you want to unlock and the choices you make that way. It's less about specific narrative moments, but that is something which is in our back pocket if we ever decide there's an appropriate time again for a choice like that. It's something that we're certainly not afraid of.

If you are a Sylvanas loyalist, the things she said to you at Windrunner Spire were meant to wrap up that specific storyline. She's basically saying "You were with me, you made these choices, you were on the right side of it. Those choices can't save you from what's to come." So it was meant to wrap up that arc because it was not something we wanted to carry forward.

We want each expansion to tell its own story and lead into the next one, and the Shadowlands has a whole new set of mysteries to unlock and new things to figure out. If you were a loyalist before, it's not going to be something that directly impacts how your gameplay is going to shape out. It's all about getting in there, finding out about these covenants, and seeing what the cause of Sylvanas' actions were in the big picture, and who these new forces are that she's aligned herself with.

BlizzCon 2019 Contest

Every comment you leave on any BlizzCon 2019 post is entering you to win prizes like a Big Blizzard Bear. As long as you don't spam, each comment only increases your chances to win by giving you another entry. Read more here--we have several awesome prizes to give out all week.

General News

Diablo

Overwatch

World of Warcraft Panels & Announcements

Shadowlands General Info

Shadowlands Systems

Leveling

Covenants

Cosmetics and Customizations

Lore

Heroes of the Storm

Deathwing, Toys II - Mephisto's Revenge

12 3…21

Comment by evosariumI love BlizzCon 2019!Comment by LadyartemiciaKinda glad it is wrapped up and done and looking forward to what is to come.Comment by ffchroniclesNot played BfA since the end of the first raid, seeing all the news is giving me chill and come back ffs :oComment by BashcutterDamn, I was hoping our choice would carry overComment by QwagsoirI mean makes sense, it was nice they threw in the whole loyalist thing in the first place.Comment by Ashesofalarwell, glad the faction war is over, and glad the factions didn't disolve into one either, but glad to see us fighting for something moreComment by kingbeaver13kinda a shame there is no mention of a faction merge or cross faction playComment by Tribesnethat might be in the deep dive for tomorrow thoughComment by LunuxSo if the faction war is behind us, I have to wonder if there will be any cross-faction gameplay. I would have thought that kind of change would be announced already, so not sure what to think yet.Comment by dclee85I'm okay with this honestly.Comment by Aralndacan we at least have another questline with player choice? maybe like a sorting hat for which covenant we go to first or something?Comment by VerzoToo bad, I was looking forward to helping Sylvanas suck up souls into the mawComment by AstropeasInteresting! Makes sense to wrap it up though - I was totally wondering if anything else was to follow that convo.Comment by 165233This post was from a user who has deleted their account.Comment by absolissaurfang is done, but what about tyrande ... still waiting for real justice for teldrasil.Comment by kwentz87"If you are a Sylvanas loyalist, the things she said to you at Windrunner Spire were meant to wrap up that specific storyline."
I'm not a huge Sylvanas fan, but geeze that sounds like a cop out. "The choices you made in BFA really didn't matter" I guess that's the way it goes every new expansion though.Comment by Nurutikifun to see the story is wrapped up, although having small easter eggs would be niceComment by SydniI'm VERY pleased this didn't carry over.

While player choice is great, having to sequentially take characters through the expansion to see both sides, then specifically have to continue playing them next expansion to continue those stories? Not very appetizing.

If they did decide to allow it to carry over, I'd hope for a Mass Effect: Genesis type deal, where you get a brief overview and major cutscenes for each side played out to catch you up, then choose your path.Comment by BubblepieI like this story line, I was kinda over the faction war tbhComment by UtigardeGood to see Blizzard lied to us in yet another BfA interview, then.

"These choices, they have to be meaningful. The last thing we want is to have a choice that doesn't have any ramifications down the line."

12 3…21