Dragonflight's weakest link is previous World of Warcraft expansions

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight has been in the wild since late November 2022, and the expansion has been well received by fans. It’s fun and healthy to have a new dragon friend which transports you through the epic expanses of the mysterious and vibrant Dragon Isles. Changes to crafting professions and player hubs make everything come alive, the current antagonist is one step ahead of ShadowlandSurly, enigmatic Jailer, and fans are excited for the upcoming updates.

There’s only one problem to hold on to dragonflightand his World of Warcrafthas passed. After nearly 20 years, the game has picked up a fair amount of narrative baggage. Some of the game’s messy storylines have been resolved, and some of them have been gracefully pieced together. But its predecessors still weigh heavily on it dragonflight.

Battle for Azeroth and Shadowland, the two previous expansions, both had major issues. Sylvanas Windrunner, a longtime favorite character, ended up taking over the plot and sprint through a series of spectacularly bad decisions. She committed the horrific genocide of the night elves, made a deal with the clearly evil Queen Azshara, and joined the Mega Devil in Super Hell. it took a whole book, Sylvanas by Christie Golden, to make her character an arc coherenteven less captivating.

Image: Blizzard Entertainment

The plot of Sylvanas took players on a joyful chase through the realm of death, where we learned Learn about the cosmic forces that rule the multiverse. Once the Jailer was defeated and Sylvanas captured, the cast of NPC heroes who help run the show around Azeroth decided that all was well and a new era of peace could begin. This laid the foundation for the events of dragonflightwith its more laid-back storyline and emphasis on giving players a third space to relax. The problem is that the players of Azeroth didn’t make the same decision, as the story didn’t really come to a satisfying conclusion.

Some Alliance players still remember the horror of trying in vain to evacuate Teldrassil, leaving behind innocent night elves. Some Horde players have no regrets; in fact, they wished they could go and burn down a few more towns. This, in itself, is not a fault; it makes sense that in a vast world (of Warcraft) people have different ideas and ethics. But there really isn’t a way to express a more nuanced range of reactions through mechanics; dragonflightThe story shows these conflicts in the closet and gently closes the door. Don’t pay attention to the last years of storytelling, please, that’s fine. It is fine. Everyone is fine.

But the construction of the cosmic world and large-scale metaphysical intrigues go ahead. In Legion, fans said a tearful goodbye to the Green Dragonflight aspect, Ysera the Dreamer. We eventually helped her reach the Shadowlands, where she was bound to Ardenweald, an afterlife for powerful nature spirits. In dragonflightplayers bring her back to Azeroth again, through a confusing metaphysical ritual that directs night elf leader Malfurion Stormrage to Ardenweald in her place.

Image: Blizzard Entertainment

Part of enjoying a long-running narrative like World of Warcraft is trust. There must be a sense of confidence in the writers, that Chekhov’s coat guns will go off at the right time, and the long-serving characters will continue to follow their core motivations. World of Warcraft nearly two decades old; some characters have had storylines in the works since Legion, more than half a decade. There is a very real investment there. Ysera’s storyline, so far, is the first sign that something is wrong. She had a tragic start, a glorious rebirth, and now… she’s back, again! Why? What purpose? It might pay off, but for now it feels like it undoes what was otherwise a memorable character arc.

so far, dragonflight is (mostly) very well written. Raszageth the Storm-Eater, the very first raid boss we fight in dragonflightalready has clearer motivations and a stronger presence in the narrative than ShadowlandThe jailer never did. Family drama between different dragons is fun, and hanging out with the Tuskarr and the Centaur is delightful. But for now, I’m still worried, waiting for the other shoe to drop. It will take time to World of Warcraft to fully regain my trust. We’ll have to see how the rest of dragonflight plays out, and the next adventures the narrative sets up.