As I’m finalising my gear planning for 4.3, I noticed a link to this article here, entitled Who is Deathwing?. It’s a nice summary, but it’s possibly my one really large gripe about Cataclysm: we shouldn’t have to be TOLD who Deathwing is.
In Wrath, Arthas’ story was woven into the plot almost the whole way. Almost every zone had a major quest chain where he featured. Particularly the alliance Dragonblight beach scene and the Icecrown quest series lead by the enigmatic Matthias Lehner. By the time the Icecrown Citadel instances and raids were released, you knew who this Lich King was. He wasn’t a simple character, but he was the enemy. You felt woven in his story.
In Cataclysm, maybe I rushed through the quests a little too much – but I didn’t feel connected to Deathwing’s story. I’m trying to tell myself that this was deliberate – that Blizzard were building a sense of mystery around Deathwing. But it just comes across as haphazard.
His destruction was everywhere. But where did he come from? Where is he now? Why does he feel to me just like a big, arbitrary dragon that just appeared and we’re supposed to hate?
I thought the random flybys were great. For the first few weeks I was desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of him in the sky. He was huge! But I didn’t see him fly over while questing to 85.
When we were in Deepholm, we were led through parts of his escape from the realm, but I couldn’t build up a sequence of events. Hell, I didn’t even realise he was supposed have been living locked IN the Stonecore. Azil rants about having been granted powers by Deathwing… but so does every boss in Cata. Where was the stench of Deathwing’s presence in that place? This was the ideal place for the player to have felt his menace, but I didn’t even know it was his prison/refuge until I read about it outside the game.
The only real time in the 80-85 questline that we interact with Deathwing is in Twilight Highlands, culminating the battle between the red dragons and his minions the black dragons. The first major encounter with him is basically the last quest you do.
Deathwing says: Lifebinder! do you presume that I am at your beck and call? I have a world to unmake.
As a player I’m thinking “Why? Why do you want to unmake the world?”
We never see Neltharion. He doesn’t do what he’s renowned for and turn up as a Prestor somewhere causing trouble like Katrana did. This would have been a great opportunity to weave him in somewhere.
It all seemed so artificial and flat to me. “Lets put a big dragon in and have him randomly fly around burning stuff.” Deathwing in-game isn’t a character! He’s a caricature. He doesn’t feel godlike or terrifying. He feels ridiculous.
Lets ride up a canyon with a babe in the sidecar and punch him in the face.
Dragon Soul will expand on his story, on the creation of the Demon soul and the War of the Aspects – I know. It’s just such a shame that for the rest of Cataclysm we’ve had a cartoon nemesis.
I completely agree. There were a lot of times I struggled to figure out why the Cataclysm story just never pulled me in and I think you’ve really nailed it. I’d sometimes chat about it with my tank buddy and I remember thinking it would’ve been really cool if they did a Caverns of Time dungeon where we see the history of Neltharion in his human form as Lord Prestor and the beginning of his influence in the human kingdoms. I remember how much I loved watching Arthas’ history unfold in CoT and the questlines in Northrend.
Badlands does provides some story into Deathwing and the redemption of the dragonflight. Unfortunately, it isn’t a zone an 85 would normally see and like many others, I didn’t get to see it until I levelled a lowbie through there.
Looking forward to the new dungeons filling in the story — War of the Ancient seems super cool!
I think part of the problem is the driving story IS there…but it’s primarily in the 1-60 quest bracket. Darkshore is why I want to kill Deathwing, not the 80-85 zones.
Ah Fluffy, the dying NPCs on the shore near Auberdine… The quest writer there outdid themselves… Sooo many sad quotes.
I agree on the emotional connection here – this is the kind of thing it would have been good to have a few touches of in the higher level zones.
I totally agree! I feel like I know nothing about Deathwing and why he is doing all this stuff. I don’t feel like I know what’s happening like I knew with Arthas and Illidan. I am hoping we get more insight into these things come patch, but … if we don’t… we’ll just have to write this expansion off as the worst expansion ever in terms of lore!!!
Though I have since rectified that fact with a big phat post