Yea Ebyssian, yea!
Alright normally I just roll with the weird stuff Blizzard does but this? This actually makes me angry.They have built up Wrathion to be the black aspect since Cataclysm. He was the only uncorrupted black dragon. He was a symbol of hope for an entire species. He worked to cleanse Azeroth of threats, including his own kind, working as the Earthwarder even when he didn't hold that title. In the rogue storyline he is directly assisting the efforts to kill Deathwing, as he is not yet old enough or powerful enough to do it himself but he knows the threat needs to be taken care of. In MoP he tries to play both sides to end up with a world united enough to fend off threats (terrible methods from OUR viewpoint, yes, but he was still Doing Things To Try And Protect Azeroth). He gets a cameo in WoD, and then a brief hint at his behind the scenes activities in the Deaths of Chromie questline/expansion feature. In BfA he comes to the fore again and helps kill N'zoth, freeing the entire black flight from his corruption. He even takes implied responsibility for the voidwing dragon you could get from the end of that raid, entrusting you with its care since you seem interested and he knows you to be trustworthy.Ebyssian... has none of this. To be clear, I like Ebyssian. This isn't about me hating Ebyssian. But he has not been developed for this in the story. This hasn't been led up to for him like it has for Wrathion. He was only introduced in legion. He was raised by tauren, and knows tauren culture. He hasn't expressed any real desire to lead. He has been an excellent diplomat and advisor for millennia without moving for a leadership role. He doesn't have the experience leading dragons that Sabellian has. He doesn't have titan-artifact-given knowledge or experience with dealing with threats to Azeroth with the mortals that Wrathion has. He certainly doesn't have the build up that Wrathion has.It's also especially annoying to me given that the questline that introduces Ebyssian's dragonhood in Highmountain was originally leaked as a questline with Wrathion finding hidden black dragon eggs, but I suppose that's just a side note.I just can't believe that after all of this build up for Wrathion, after introducing a real contender for the position with Sabellian (new ways vs old ways, young and involved vs old and experienced, etc), after all of the story and gameplay involvement in that binary choice, they've gone and decided to give it to Ebyssian in the end. That isn't a "shocking twist", it's bad writing. It's shoehorning in a character who doesn't have the writing buildup or the motivation. It's erasing all of the lead-in and all the work that's been done to get Wrathion to this point. This isn't some "oh yay we can all be friends now, those two grumpy boys need to work on themselves while the chill one leads" moment. It's spitting in the face of all the character development Wrathion has managed, and all he could continue to get. Even if Sabellian had ended up aspect, that would've at least had decent build up and basis, and lead to further development with Wrathion as he goes through being bitter about it and then resigned/accepting and then working on being a Better Leader and maybe planning to usurp Sabellian at a later date (possibly centuries or millennia from now, when the player characters are long dead, even). This is just... nothing. No payout. A complete flop at the end of a marathon of storyline.And it isn't even necessary! Aspects have majordomos. A majordomo is functionally what Ebyssian has BEEN to the leader of the Highmountain tribe for basically his entire life. What the writing leads best to in my mind is Wrathion winning in the Wrathion vs Sabellian choice, and Wrathion making Ebyssian his majordomo. Ebyssian helped with taking out N'zoth. Ebyssian has age and wisdom and calm where Wrathion can be young and impetuous. He would be an excellent advisor for Wrathion, and be made key to the black dragonflight, without ruining all the work put into where the story was already going. There's not even a rule that aspects can only have one majordomo, as far as I'm aware, so Wrathion could've had a moment of growth as well and made both Ebyssian and Sabellian majordomos to his aspect. Or he could've acknowledged Sabellian in some other fashion. There are so many options that don't sideline Ebyssian that also don't ruin multiple expansions worth of buildup and writing with a face-first FLOP.It can't even be that oh, Blizzard wants Wrathion to still hang out with players and have adventures. Kalec has been flight leader/aspect for ages, and he showed up for the N'zoth campaign and quested with us for an entire zone in Dragonflight, just for his most recent adventures. There's zero reason that Wrathion couldn't do the same. Beyond that example, Alexstraza and Ysera have both gone on adventures with players before, and even Nozdormu, the most distant of the sane aspects, Gets Involved.I really hope that they reconsider this and this doesn't end up in live. It legitimately ruins so much of my investment in this expansions storyline. It's a poorly made, poorly done choice, which completely ruins all the lead up prior to it.
Meh, I liked Wrathion more but maybe it's better like this. Ebyssian gets to sit in Veldrakken and do nothing while Wrathion will keep interacting with players and being around for future expansions story lines.
Wrathion is also only like a pre-teen and even in Dragon Years, that's not enough life experience to lead your people effectively. We've seen it over and over, and over again hammering the point home that Wrathion's arc is "You did the math but man are you bad at math" because he executes his plans and they always go off the rails or nearly get us all killed in a way that's way too rushed. Wrathion has big ideas, ambition, and I believe his intentions are pure but, that doesn't make for a great leader. Sabellian is it's own can of worms but really, Wrathion was never ready to lead by virtue he lacks true experience. Theory and execution have proven to be his biggest gap in skill. He's gotten better with every single failure however, he's growing up.But he's not there yet.
While Sebellian and Wrathion were fighting it out I kinda felt Ebyssian would be better leader. After being force fed his ascension throughout the caverns, it feels very milktoast. Yes he is the most levelheaded and “glue” of the 3 but like we hear from the black dragons talking to him, he hid with the moose while the other 2 did things. Guess that is how things go forward, the other 2 stooges will do everything while Ebyssian stays out of it.
EBYSEEIAN FOR ASPECT!
Out of all the 3, that's the one that makes more sense. And I laugh at people still bickering it to be either of the other 2. - Ebyssian is one of the older ones, remembers Deathwing AND Neltharion - He's the only one that looked upon ALL of Neltharion's Legacy and members, including his Dracthyrs (the other two mainly cared for their own 'faction') - He's the only one between the two that the other 2 could speak without getting into fights (he mostly served to end them). - The fact we mainly came to know Him only in Legion, doesn't remove his importance in the Lore, specially in that Flight's one. Each had their part in the lore, of what we (players) know, since The Burning Crusade expansion, maybe, with Sabellian and his faction in Draenor/Outland, then Wrathion as a whelp, growing up throughout a couple expansions, with some epic questlines and whatnot. - Leadership isn't just 'Strength', its a myriad of things one must endure and/or have, but mainly, the skill to understand different points of view and aggregate all, for the best of all, and with more selflessness as possible. - Sometimes 'good' leaderships come from people that don't seem to want it, or, at least, won't too eager or attached to the idea of getting and then keeping it.And both his visage (Tauren, well, Highmountain Tauren and Merithra's (Night Elven), the two new 'soon-to-be' Aspects represent both factions (Horde and Alliance), in a way. Only Sabellian could come closer, in experience, to become Aspect. We (the players) know Wrathion's story a bit better, as it came since Cataclysm maybe, a lot of expansions, but sum EVERYTHING up, if you don't see that he is too reckless in decisions (a thing a LEADER should learn no to have, that comes from many years, decades, centuries, millenia, of experience, a thing he doesn't have).Sabellian is a great fit for a General, and Wrathion as an advisor (my bet as to their now future roles in the Black Dragonflight's stories). Eventually Wrathion could become an Aspect, but he is still too 'young' (in Dragon's PoV) and reckless, and must learn more. People tend to make the mistake in comparing "Leaders" with "Chiefs", there's even a metaphor (or meme) where the former is the one at the head of the group pulling the wagon with the ropes, while the latter is the one ATOP the Wagon yelling those 'beneath' him to 'pull the rope harder' (sometimes with a whip in hand).If you've been playing the expansion since the beginning up to this point, neither Sabellian nor Wrathion fit the mantle of 'Leadership' of the WHOLE dragonflight. Picture, out of all 3, which one has the guts to deal with all the differences, and, more importantly, agregate, and even the odds between them. One step back, look it all, then take two, three... more steps ahead.
At least it wasn't Adamantia. Seriously I thought they were going to bring her in last second so to give us another girl boss.
The perfect ending. I'm excited at the future of the black dragonflight.
all that build up for Wrathion....fine, let ebyssian be the Aspect, lets hope he does not have a repeat of deathwing.