The Problem with the Alliance
No, this isn’t a Blizzard bias post. Those are way overdone, and everyone is tired of them. No, this is a post about the direction of the Alliance and how, for many expansions, the Alliance have been the unaltered “Good Guys.” with zero development internally.
I am going to be upfront. I am 100% an Alliance player. I live and breathe blue and gold. Varian was, and is, my favorite character. That being said, our story is extremely boring. It has no life and us always acting as good as possible without any regard for individuality within our ranks leads to a bland story.
First thing is the massive, gaping vacuum that Varian left after his death. This was skirted over. The storyline with Anduin in Legion was fantastic, but that was only his feelings regarding the matter. The huge command and control structure of the Alliance was severed. The High King role was an EARNED one; Anduin did not inherit it. In Legion, we already see actors ignoring his orders and doing their own thing, and that. Should. Be. Something. That. Happens.
Varian was a masterful strategist, someone who earned respect through his experiences and his high mind for battle. He was an imposing man; even Garrosh, who feared nothing, feared him. His allies and his subjects loved him. Even the Night Elves, who were his senior by thousands of years, agreed with his plans and trusted him.
Boom. He’s dead. Suddenly this boy is in his place and who the fuck does this boy think he is? He’s our Prince. He isn’t king. That’s just an official title. I can’t listen to him. I surely know better than this little boy. So Genn, even though he loves Anduin like a son, ignores his orders TO NOT ENGAGE and fights Sylvanas. This is the only time this happened, when it should have happened way more. (I’m ignoring the PVP objectives in Legion, as they seemed more gameplay oriented than actual canon.)
Fast Forward to Beta for Azeroth, and we have people just…following him. Mathias Shaw, Alleria, Soldier 76. (I forget the dudes name but he shares Soldier’s voice.) These guys should be rebelling in small, tiny ways. (Putting their own spin on orders, outright ignoring Anduin’s and doing it their own way.) Let’s break it down by race.
Night Elves: This was huge. When Tyrande asked for help, Anduin didn’t give her any. I would assume the Nelves have slowly broken off, and this was the nail in the coffin. They are tired of following under this “Boy King.” And finally do their own thing. It’s their land, surely, they know better than an 18 year old.
Dwarves: I’m lumping each clan together, as they share a unified power structure in Ironforge. The Dwarves have always had the Humans back, but with Varian’s death, suddenly find themselves at a loss. Magni is back and dating a wounded world, the Dark Irons find themselves at the forefront, and the Bronzebeards and Wildhammers are just…confused. They see the Alliance is crumbling and jump ship, doing things their own way. The Dark Irons in particular would achieve their own goals in Zandalar, with Moira giving them her own orders behind Anduin’s back.
Gnomes: They just feel stepped on and downtrodden. They feel used. They have never had a command structure within the Alliance and this “King” doesn’t know left from right. Gnomes are the brains behind the Alliance with their ingenuity and they want more of a part. Not to mention, they still don’t have their city back.
Humans: Sure, Anduin may share the same blood, and his immediate subjects love him, but they love him as a prince. Not a King. Mathias Shaw has always protected him and his father, and still thinks of Anduin as the “White Pawn.” Shaw in particular would be one to break away and command SI:7 to do covert missions against the Horde to topple their power structure behind Anduins back.
Jaina is a special case. She has always seen Anduin as more of a nephew. Hell, he even called her “Aunt” in The Shattering novel. When she comes back, Anduin offers nothing to their plans, expecting her to spearhead everything, which she does. Now she’s leader of Kul Tiras, Lord Admiral, and a leader in own right once again.
Worgen: Genn loves Anduin as a son, as stated above. This being said, you cannot follow your son as a leader. He feels he knows better, even if this way of thinking hurts him. He decides to help the Night Elves. (Something I agree with. Blizzard still manages to write decent things sometimes.) His people follow Anduin, but honestly, they feel more a kinship with the Nelves who rescued them from the curse and gave them a home. (Also, that confrontation, long time ago, with Varian? Where Varian called them mongrels? Sure some would forget but lets be honest. It still stings.)
Pandas: They don’t know what to think. This Alliance is crumbling apart, breaking apart at the seams with this underbelly of boiling steam, and suddenly many members of the Tushui regret their descison so long ago.
Dreanei: This is an ancient race. They had a lot of screentime in Legion, and frankly, they mostly fall in line with the Nelves and Humans. Anduin is just too young. His orders are surface level at best.
I welcome any other thoughts, or characters, and their actions.
This segues into my next point. Anduin Wrynn himself. He is way, way, WAY too much of a Golden Child. He has no arc, no dimension, and frankly, he’s fucking boring. Anduin shouldn’t be like this. I feel Blizzard thinks that since he’s a priest, he can’t be depressed.
Anduin would suffer from so much self doubt, self-loathing, and frankly paranoia about his subjects, it would cripple him. Let’s put this into some perspective.
If Varian was still alive, Sylvanas wouldn’t have dared attack Darkshore, and even if she had for some crazy reason, the tree would be off-limits. Varian is just way too scary. Hell, she admits it in the Throne Room debacle. She cannot shut up about Varian. He just carried that much weight.
Anduin KNOWS this. He knows he cannot compare to his dad, that he fills up a dimes worth of space in this empty void his father left, and it’s just…too much. No one listens, no one believes in him. He’s just a “White Pawn.”, or a “Prince.” Or a little boy. His enemies don’t respect him. He slowly falls into this hole he dug himself, and can’t get out.
To make matters worse, he has no support structure. Genn is another leader, Velen is off in space, pretty much stuck in a chair and determined to never raise his voice again after Legion. He’s trapped and cornered in this box and it eats away at him. Anduin lashes out. He snaps at his advisors, who reel back in alarm, and broods for days on end. It’s a strange change, but people think it’s the “weight of the crown.” When its that and more. Anduin slowly drives himself insane. (Not insane like Old Gods mad. Just when a real person as a nervous breakdown and they don’t think straight. They are paranoid and sleep deprived.)
The player could be his only support structure, where Anduin asks the player a question. Hypothetical.
“Do you believe in me, Champion?”
(You are given two options.)
A)“Of course I do! You’ve done so much, I was with you in Pandaria and I’m here now!”
B)“No, I really don’t.”
Anduin scoffs if you answer A, and sighs with agreement if you answer B. He only thinks with one state of mind and can’t see any other point of view.
Anduin has the potential to be an amazing character. He could have this arc, dig himself out of the hole, command the respect of his subjects, and show some much-needed backbone. I’d like him to deal the final blow to Sylvanas.
“My father once told me, that if you want peace, you have to be willing to fight for it.”
Changing his appearance gradually would be great as well. More disheveled, a beard, a concerned Taelia. All this shit.
annaxmalina
germansingergirl
gummygunk
izzy806
