The Escapist Presents: Chronicles of Cataclysm: A New Hope for Gnomes and Trolls

[samsonguy920]

While I am glad that the Trolls and gnomes are finally getting their own home cities and starting points, I feel a little upset that they are the echo isles and gnomergan.

Yes they had already previously belonged to the Trolls and Gnomes repectively, but just look at their location on the maps! They are literally RIGHT NEXT to Orgrammar and Ironforge! Tell me, WHO in their right mind, would visit a city that is literally right on the doorstep of an already more established city?

I think the two races should have ventured away from ironforge and orgrammar, maybe settle on some islands that appeared to the west of desolate with the appearance of deathwing. The two could live in close proximity to one another, have their own battleground against one another, and just generally bring the two forgotten races closer together.

Tell me, honestly. After the initial "wow!" factor wears off, will any of you even bother going to gnomergan or the echo isles again? I find it rather unlikely. You will probably just go to ironforge and Orgrammar like you usually do, as the majority of players will be their, and you will already know your way around enough to traverse the whole place with your eyes closed.


How the heck the echo isles are even big enough to house an entire city baffles me.

I kinda agree with you there. In fact the Darkspears aren't even from the Echoes originally, as they are actually exiles out of Stranglethorn Vale that followed Thrall to Kalimdor when the Scourge hit the fan in WC3. But considering STV is in for some serious damage ala Deathwing, I can see the trolls being content with just going back to their second home.
The gnomes on the other hand herald their origin from Gnomeregan, although there is rumor that they are a spinoff from the dwarves and therefore could legitimately call Ironforge their home. But they did build Gnomeregan with their own hands, and when you put that kind of work into something, you want to keep it. Besides there really isn't anywhere else to go short of sailing off the edges of the map(which I look forward to that occuring one day). Grim Batol is still held by the red dragonwing, and even though the Wildhammers are returning to Ironforge they are sure to not want the "kickballs" occupying their exile home of Aerie Peak.
But with there being a playable goblin faction appearing, I would love to see some pvp battles between goblin and gnome armies. This fight has been long in the making!
Either case, it is a step in improvement. Both trolls and gnomes have had a strong alliance with their respective partners long before the current Alliance and Horde was even conceived. It is only fair they stick around as neighbors after losing their squatter status. Grosh is either going to learn that he has to get along with the rest of the Horde, or someone will dispatch him soon enough.
As to those wondering about Alliance drama, you should take note that the reigning leader of Ironforge is going to be a Dark Iron. Or at least she lays claim to being the larger voice over the Wildhammer and Bronzebeard reps. Then there is the mystery on why the Night Elves would want to have anything to do with cursed beings such as the Worgen. Come Burning Crusade I never felt the Blood Elves wanted much to do with the Horde except as an alliance of convenience. We may very well have that on the Alliance side with the Worgen. Don't let your guard down.

 

[samsonguy920]

And its funny that my favorite characters don't come back..., that being

Spoiler

Illidan, Grom Hellscream, Orgrim Doomhammer, technically Alleria

*Shrugs*

The first, like Deathwing, may turn out to be too stubborn to die especially with the Lich King out of the way.
The second lives on in his son. Dad was hot tempered even when he was cured of the curse. Of course that made him all the more vulnerable to relapsing.
The third lives on in memory alongside a certain Paladin who did his best to train a young Prince to know the best values in life and combat. They represented the true spirit of their factions, and what their people should have aspired to become.
The fourth's fate remains to be seen. With the Lich King down, pretty much securing Azeroth from the Burning Legion mostly for the time being, things may change over in Outland forcing her to surface.

 

[Moriarty]

Voljin isn't the only one having problems with the new warchief.

When playing the forsaken questline in silverpine forest, you witness a similar conversation between Sylvanas and Garrosh, altough Sylvanas limits herself to mocking the new warchief and disguises her threats more.

 

[Tonimata]

Meh, I play un-dead, so it doesn't affect me in the slightest...

Unless of course it means the gnomes I stab and the cannibalize will be happier because they got their own story. Then I'm glad they do

 

[xxcloud417xx]

This will probs make me roll a Gnome just to see the start zone... but I still hate the little bastards.

I'm happy about the Troll zone though, especially since my plan in Cata is to start a Troll Druid.

Voljin isn't the only one having problems with the new warchief.

When playing the forsaken questline in silverpine forest, you witness a similar conversation between Sylvanas and Garrosh, altough Sylvanas limits herself to mocking the new warchief and disguises her threats more.

No you're right, and the Tauren leader got killed by Garrosh too! This should be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[AngelicSven]

I don't really play WoW anymore but I am a fan of it's lore.
I'm interested in this 'Garrosh v.s Everyone else' conflict.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

Dammit stop making me want to play this game!

 

[sunpop]

I always backed saurfang you know that orc who can cleave the world in half.

 

[timeadept]

Huh, very interesting, but still won't play it, but interesting nonetheless. It's always exciting to see what the Warcraft Universe is up to.

Now, you don't have to answer, but is it just me or does NOBODY actually Die? those with big-names from the series, I mean? I wouldn't be surprised if the Heroes of WCII randomly show up at one point...*suddenly bumps into a few of them appearing in WoW in the wiki* ....what.

They killed illidin didn't they? now the lichking, Arthas, and even malygos. They may not be faction leaders but these are some pretty big names in wow lore. But yeah, it seems like nobody anyone is really attached to has died (sept i kinda liked illidin as a character), I haven't been paying attention so i don't know where thrall got off to but i do know he is still alive.

*EDIT*
someone mentioned something in an earlier post about illidin possibly not being dead, if i'm wrong someone mind telling me? i'm curious to know what happened to that bastard. Though i do remember killing him in the raid on the Black Temple.

 

[Optimystic]

While I am glad that the Trolls and gnomes are finally getting their own home cities and starting points, I feel a little upset that they are the echo isles and gnomergan.

Yes they had already previously belonged to the Trolls and Gnomes repectively, but just look at their location on the maps! They are literally RIGHT NEXT to Orgrammar and Ironforge! Tell me, WHO in their right mind, would visit a city that is literally right on the doorstep of an already more established city?

Sure they're next to each other now, but won't the Cataclysm push them a ways apart?
Besides, Silvermoon is next door to Undercity (mostly) and Exodar is next door to Teldrassil, and that hasn't stopped people from visiting both.

 

[TheBaron87]

So many ............. unnatural ........... pauses between .............. words.

They killed illidin didn't they? now the lichking, Arthas, and even malygos.

But yeah, it seems like nobody anyone is really attached to has died

lolwut. Really ticks me off that they're doing so much major plot through the MMO. MMOs are great for being a sandbox, not so much for telling a story.

So if Warcraft 4 ever rolls out, who, exactly will be the ones that killed Illidan, Arthas, etc.?

 

[funkygibbing]

WC4 main menu > Import > WOW character as new Hero ?

 

[Moriarty]

snip.

No you're right, and the Tauren leader got killed by Garrosh too! This should be interesting to see how it plays out.

Nah, Garrosh didn't really kill him, he just defeated him in a duel and Cairne died soon after this. People first assumed it was Garrosh which led him fleeing from Thunder Bluff, but actually it was Magatha Grimmtotem using poison to kill the injured Cairne.

 

[tamerman]

*snip*

I kinda agree with you there. In fact the Darkspears aren't even from the Echoes originally, as they are actually exiles out of Stranglethorn Vale that followed Thrall to Kalimdor when the Scourge hit the fan in WC3. But considering STV is in for some serious damage ala Deathwing, I can see the trolls being content with just going back to their second home.
The gnomes on the other hand herald their origin from Gnomeregan, although there is rumor that they are a spinoff from the dwarves and therefore could legitimately call Ironforge their home. But they did build Gnomeregan with their own hands, and when you put that kind of work into something, you want to keep it. Besides there really isn't anywhere else to go short of sailing off the edges of the map(which I look forward to that occuring one day). Grim Batol is still held by the red dragonwing, and even though the Wildhammers are returning to Ironforge they are sure to not want the "kickballs" occupying their exile home of Aerie Peak.
But with there being a playable goblin faction appearing, I would love to see some pvp battles between goblin and gnome armies. This fight has been long in the making!
Either case, it is a step in improvement. Both trolls and gnomes have had a strong alliance with their respective partners long before the current Alliance and Horde was even conceived. It is only fair they stick around as neighbors after losing their squatter status. Grosh is either going to learn that he has to get along with the rest of the Horde, or someone will dispatch him soon enough.
As to those wondering about Alliance drama, you should take note that the reigning leader of Ironforge is going to be a Dark Iron. Or at least she lays claim to being the larger voice over the Wildhammer and Bronzebeard reps. Then there is the mystery on why the Night Elves would want to have anything to do with cursed beings such as the Worgen. Come Burning Crusade I never felt the Blood Elves wanted much to do with the Horde except as an alliance of convenience. We may very well have that on the Alliance side with the Worgen. Don't let your guard down.

Actually the Trolls were exiled from Stranglethorn by the other Jungle trolls a few hundred/thousand years ago. they then moved to an island near the maelstrom, were they met the orcish horde as thy fled the eastern kingdoms and were seeking shelter form the storm. there?s an entire mini-campaign of it in frozen throne.

also: the Worgen were originally summoned by Elune to help fight off demons in Felwood. the night elves must feel some connection to these human-breed Worgen and feel responsible for their curse.

also also: didn?t you play wrath of the litch king? Gnomes were originally robots made by the titans, same way the Dwarves were originally Earthen.

really with the exception of Dranei who are aliens, the night elves are the only alliance race NOT artificially made.

While I am glad that the Trolls and gnomes are finally getting their own home cities and starting points, I feel a little upset that they are the echo isles and gnomergan.

Yes they had already previously belonged to the Trolls and Gnomes repectively, but just look at their location on the maps! They are literally RIGHT NEXT to Orgrammar and Ironforge! Tell me, WHO in their right mind, would visit a city that is literally right on the doorstep of an already more established city?

Sure they're next to each other now, but won't the Cataclysm push them a ways apart?
Besides, Silvermoon is next door to Undercity (mostly) and Exodar is next door to Teldrassil, and that hasn't stopped people from visiting both.

i dont think so, as far as i can tell they are staying in relatively the same place.

and Silvermoon and Exodar had entire landmasses made for them, walking from Silvermoon to undercity would take a very long time. same goes for Exodar (albit on a lesser scale) whereas the gnomes and Trolls would only need to walk for five minutes to reach orgrammar/ironforge.

 

[Optimystic]

Sure they're next to each other now, but won't the Cataclysm push them a ways apart?
Besides, Silvermoon is next door to Undercity (mostly) and Exodar is next door to Teldrassil, and that hasn't stopped people from visiting both.

i dont think so, as far as i can tell they are staying in relatively the same place.

and Silvermoon and Exodar had entire landmasses made for them, walking from Silvermoon to undercity would take a very long time. same goes for Exodar (albit on a lesser scale) whereas the gnomes and Trolls would only need to walk for five minutes to reach orgrammar/ironforge.

It's not as far as you make it sound. Undercity and Silvermoon are connected by that warp-gem thingy, and Exodar/Teldrassil have a boat. In fact, I daresay it takes less time to go from Undercity to Silvermoon than it does from Gnomeragan to Ironforge as a result. (Without mounts anyway.)

 

[samsonguy920]

Actually the Trolls were exiled from Stranglethorn by the other Jungle trolls a few hundred/thousand years ago. they then moved to an island near the maelstrom, were they met the orcish horde as thy fled the eastern kingdoms and were seeking shelter form the storm. there?s an entire mini-campaign of it in frozen throne.

also: the Worgen were originally summoned by Elune to help fight off demons in Felwood. the night elves must feel some connection to these human-breed Worgen and feel responsible for their curse.

also also: didn't you play wrath of the lich king? Gnomes were originally robots made by the titans, same way the Dwarves were originally Earthen.

really with the exception of Dranei who are aliens, the night elves are the only alliance race NOT artificially made.

Sadly my budget hasn't justified getting WotLK, mostly through me not having enough game time to get any toon high enough. Outland can be the pits to get through. But that is info I did not know about the gnomes, but still fits in my figuring. Thanks for the factoid.
You left out humans in your figuring of artificial races, as far as I can tell they seem to just appear out of nowhere some time after the first war with the Burning Legion. I swear I can remember coming across a book in-game hinting at their origin but never came across it again. Most I can remember is the Tribe of Arathor coming in to rescue the High Elves from the Trolls. I need to peruse the WoWWiki some more. Good info there.
Either case it seems to be agreed that the Trolls were first, and the Night Elves evolved from the Trolls through their being near the Well of Eternity. I would call that a natural creation all the same, though, if a bit magical. The Orcs are all natural as well, migrating to Draenor and then to Azeroth from there. Then the Draenei are themselves natural, although their race has been split quite a bit as the Night Elves have. Kel'thuzad was Draenei, given power by Sargeras and thus made into a Demon. But that is getting off the point you were trying to make. It's a tangled web that can take a long time to list out, but it would seem all the races of Azeroth have had their origin told except the Humans. Where did they come from? Did they split from the Trolls as the Night Elves did, or an even crazier thought, are they split from the High Elves? Something to consider given the resemblance that is there, and the fact that there is nothing listed about human interaction until the High Elves exiled themselves to Silvermoon.
Magic is a crazy thing in Azeroth.

 

[Vaccine]

lolwut. Really ticks me off that they're doing so much major plot through the MMO. MMOs are great for being a sandbox, not so much for telling a story.

So if Warcraft 4 ever rolls out, who, exactly will be the ones that killed Illidan, Arthas, etc.?

Most likely Warcraft 4 with those events will never happen, and to be honest the MMO covers the deaths of major plot characters very well, but if I had to guess it'd be Tirion Fording who offically killed the Lich King, while Maiev Shadowsong is the major lore character who assists you in the Illidan battle.
WoW scripted events are pretty amazing, not to mention the use of cinematics with the phasing system, it feels more like a single player game at some points where the lore is much more important than leveling or questing.

 

[FallenJellyDoughnut]

I just wish Gnomes weren't so crap. I would love to play as one but I fear I would be picked last for pretty much anything.

 

[OriginalityImpaired]

As a player more interested in the story, lore, and WORLD of Warcraft than pure gameplay, i'm really glad Trolls and Gnomes are finally getting their own starting areas, and that Blizz is fleshing out the story (in general) and making it more interesting and cinematic,
Because watching the world change and develop/exploring that world is why I played it in the first place,
As for Thrall returning to govern the Horde, that might not happen for a while, and if so, there will probably be a fight involved,
Blizz has always favoured increasing the tension because the Horde and Alliance and with Thrall ruling there really wasn't much of a way to do that,
Now that Varian is more or less in charge of the Alliance it's also taking a more warlike stance and i'm eager to see where they go with it

 

[Mathak]

Sadly my budget hasn't justified getting WotLK, mostly through me not having enough game time to get any toon high enough. Outland can be the pits to get through. But that is info I did not know about the gnomes, but still fits in my figuring. Thanks for the factoid.
You left out humans in your figuring of artificial races, as far as I can tell they seem to just appear out of nowhere some time after the first war with the Burning Legion. I swear I can remember coming across a book in-game hinting at their origin but never came across it again. Most I can remember is the Tribe of Arathor coming in to rescue the High Elves from the Trolls. I need to peruse the WoWWiki some more. Good info there.
Either case it seems to be agreed that the Trolls were first, and the Night Elves evolved from the Trolls through their being near the Well of Eternity. I would call that a natural creation all the same, though, if a bit magical. The Orcs are all natural as well, migrating to Draenor and then to Azeroth from there. Then the Draenei are themselves natural, although their race has been split quite a bit as the Night Elves have. Kel'thuzad was Draenei, given power by Sargeras and thus made into a Demon. But that is getting off the point you were trying to make. It's a tangled web that can take a long time to list out, but it would seem all the races of Azeroth have had their origin told except the Humans. Where did they come from? Did they split from the Trolls as the Night Elves did, or an even crazier thought, are they split from the High Elves? Something to consider given the resemblance that is there, and the fact that there is nothing listed about human interaction until the High Elves exiled themselves to Silvermoon.
Magic is a crazy thing in Azeroth.

It's strongly hinted that humans sort of evolved from Vrykul, the viking-giants from WotLK. In a flashback-quest you see their king ordering the execution of all newborn who are exceptionally small and weak (ie; human-sized) and a mother wanting to hide her child somewhere very far away (ie; not in northrend).