Warlords of Draenor occupies a peculiar place amongWorld of Warcraft’s expansions, remembered equally fondly as well as dismally. There were many reasons for this, but the consensus is that although the content was enjoyable, there was far too little of it. But all that could change in the next few years.
World of WarcraftClassichas been steadily munching through the earlier years of the franchise, striking a careful balance between keeping things as they were and ensuring a fresh, exciting experience. Mists of Pandaria is the next expansion on the menu, which will inevitably lead to Warlords of Draenor following on. Instead of merely rehashing this expansion in all its grave imperfections, however, ClassicWoWis presented with a tantalizing opportunity.
Areas That Never Got the Chance to Shine in World of Warcraft
In many ways, Warlords of Draenor was designed to be a reliving of the game’sfirst expansion, The Burning Crusade. Players were at last offered the opportunity to see Draenor in all its splendid glory, before the Legion and its consequences corrupted and broke the planet apart. One of these marvels to behold was Karabor, the very same temple that would be desecrated by demons and eventually inhabited by Illidan Stormrage himself.
The Pristine Cathedral of Draenic Beauty
Karabor exists in the Shadowmoom Valley zone, resplendent in its untouched beauty. But aside from a couple of quests only available to Alliance players, there’s never any reason to visit it at all. It cannot be entered, and there are no NPCs to be found. InBurning Crusade, Akama the Brokendescribes how he was forced to watch as his beloved temple was warped into a monstrous den for demonic whims, but players never get to experience its glorious past. Karabor was even intended to be the Alliance capital city on Draenor, which would have given it the love it deserved, but no such aspirations ever materialized.
The Zangar Sea, a Zone Unlike Anything Players Have Seen
The alien swamps of Zangarmarsh are a sight to behold on Outland, but witnessing this wetland in its prime, before it was heaved above the waves, would be breathtaking. The Zangar Sea isn’t much tolook at in Warlords of Draenor, but it was intended to be so much more. Its history extends back eons, as when the enormous, virulent Sporemound called Zang was slain, its body became a fungal biome submerged beneath an ocean. Marine creatures that have adapted to this unique world would include spectacles never witnessed by players before, including a fungal whale world boss.
The Missing Ogre Continent
The extensive history of the ogre race has long been obscure, andWarlords of Draenor intendedto flesh them out far more than it did. They are the chief rivals of the orcs, after all, but where the former employed the practices of shamans, ogres became masters of arcane magic. An unnamed ogre continent lies off the shores of Draenor, but nothing of it ever materialized. This could be the true seat of ogre power outside Highmaul, where there are no orcs to challenge their reckless might.
The Land That Became Outland’s Netherstorm
Holding up amap of Draenor to one of Outland, the similarities are self-evident. But one zone sticks out like a sore thumb, present on Outland but completely missing from its WoD counterpart. Netherstorm is a fascinating zone, crackling with wild arcane energy. As it turns out, the land used to be known as Farahlon, and was a splendid island that players should have been able to visit. It’s simply missing from Draenor’s map, not because of a plot hole, but because of a content cut.
Even More Neglected Zone Content
Another realm in which WoD suffered so deeply was its lore. The story was a disheartening mix of grand anticipation and dismal resolutions. The characters that players were eager to see brought to life were a hollow shell of their true selves, forced into plot holes to cover up the missing storylines. The disappointment was palpable, asWarlords of Draenor’s cinematic trailerpromised a world of triumphant warmongers who compromised with no one. A summary of the various story pitfalls are as follows.
The mostcritical failure, where Warlords of Draenoris concerned, was the wasted opportunity. It’s unclear whether this was due to time constraints, budget cuts, or artistic disputes, but up to a third of the conceived ideas for this expansion never made it into the game. From a missing raid to absent capital cities, gutted zones, and cut world bosses, so much work was clearly put into assets that never saw the light of day. ClassicWoWcould implement this content, showing off the real Warlords of Draenor as it was meant to be.
