Undercity

The Battle for Azeroth cinematic shows the Greymane and Anduin’s forces invading The Lordaeron Ruins (Undercity). Based on what Alex implied, and our Jeremy interview — connecting the dots, the Forsaken will be forced to flee, and the Ruins of Lordaeron will be Alliance territory once more.

Gilneas was made uninhabitable with the level of plague contamination used during Cataclysm by the Forsaken. The Ruins of Lordaeron might not be difficult to cleanse in comparison — except maybe the Undercity itself might be shutdown entirely and sealed to the public.

Could the Ruins of Lordaeron become the new Worgen city?

The Ruins of Lordaeron (the castle above the Undercity, that is) is a massive estate, and most of it is still there and you can fly in and explore it. If it was rebuilt by the Worgen, cleansed by druids, and restored to living standards, knowing what Blizzard has done with Dalaran and the city of Suramar — there is much potential there.

Those with sharp eyes might have noticed the Battle for Azeroth cinematic started with a perfect aerial view of the Ruins of Lordaeron (seen below).

 

So let’s put aside just for a second the idea of an Alliance-only Eastern Kingdom might (speculatively) lead Blizzard to set the Ruins of Lordaeron as the new home for the Worgen.

Where would the Forsaken relocate to in the Horde-only Kalimdor?

Kalimdor has 23 zones in total. However, undead do not need lush forests or much sustenance. So that narrows down their living requirements down to a few choices in Kalimdor: Darkshore — with a massive Teldrassil pyre reminding them of their victory there in a kinda gritty land, with sea access for the Forsaken naval fleet.

Desolace has a nice ring to it making a zone nobody really visits anymore a place to build a city in. If you read the DC Comics World of Warcraft: Bloodsworn graphic novel, the Horde conscripted its first ever Centaur as new member of the Horde. With Allied Races now a possibility, and Jeremy confirming in our interview that [that] system was built to be expandable to add new Allied Races in the future — centaurs might be a possible ally, and Desolace might be a candidate for a new Forsaken city after their departure from Undercity.

However, geographically, Desolace is too close to Mulgore, and there already is a portal to Thunder Bluff.

Next candidate for the Forsaken to build a new city is Dustwallow Marsh. Theramore was the first city the Alliance lost in Kalimdor. It is a swamp. It has access to the sea for the Forsaken fleet. Sounds like an appealing spot to build their city, and maybe even a perfect spot for Sylvanas’ valkyr to raise new Forsaken with all those lives lost during Garrosh’s Theramore invasion. Technically, the Ogres of Dustwallow Marsh were also conscripted as members of the Horde as well, which sounds like a potential playable Allied Race in the future. So who knows.

 

Thousand Needles offers a natural protection against Alliance attack with its many needle-like mesas, and its high-cliffs plus a strategic door closing/opening access to the sea might be of interest for the Forsaken naval fleets. It is also a zone rarely visited by high level players, so making a city there would open the flow of players around the area.

Personally, I would favor Theramore for the Forsaken as the top candidate for a new city, but gee — that massive pyre vista in the background from a Forsaken city in Darkshore makes the geeky-me grin for some reason.

 

Silvermoon City

What we know: Alex Afrasiabi coined the term Alliance-only Eastern Kingdoms during the Opening Ceremony.

 

What we would immediately think might happen: Where would the proud Blood Elves sail to make a new city at? Well, there would be a few possible locations. One that would make sense is to be harbored by the Nightborne. After all, they are ancestors from the pre-Sundering era. But if Blizzard wants to keep the Blood Elves in Kalimdor, then I am not completely certain that Azuremyst might be a candidate for a Blood Elf city.

Considering the Night Elves are leaving Kalimdor, that leaves a lot of estate abandoned: Ashenvale, Mount Hyjal, Stonetalon Mountains, and Feralas. Of course, there might be a few Night Elf villages left behind protecting their ancestral lands as the resistance, but not a major presence like a city.

Mount Hyjal sounds appealing because of the Well of Eternity Illidan planted there, but the Blood Elves are no longer addicted to the arcane. They are now Sunwell bearers. Noticeably, there is no access to the sea either for the Blood Elf naval fleet, so I wouldn’t hold my breath with Mount Hyjal being a candidate for a Blood Elf city.

Feralas on the other hand is a lush forest, and access to the sea. A portion of Ashenvale also has access to the sea as well. But it wouldn’t be too far-fetched if the draenei and Blood Elves switched lands: Blood Elves moving to Azuremyst, and Draenei moving to Quel’Thalas.

There is a massive question left in the air, however. What will the Blood Elves do if forced to leave Quel’Thalas in terms of their Sunwell? How do you move the Sunwell to Kalimdor? Or is it possible to grab samples of water from the Sunwell, and create a new Sunwell elsewhere? Thus, leaving the prime Sunwell behind for the Draenei taking over their lands?

Keep in mind all of this is make-believe if all of Eastern Kingdoms became Alliance-only in the future. There is enough seed planted in our minds, to make aggressive, daring, and wild conjectures.

FACTS: There was no indication from Blizzard that Silvermoon City would be attacked by the Alliance in 8.0, but then the “Alliance-only Eastern Kingdoms” meaning feels hollow if the Blood Elves remain in Quel’Thalas. So we’ll have to wait for more details on what’s going on in that case beyond Patch 8.0.

The World of Warcraft Q&A revealed the Blood Elves are staying in Silvermoon City (Quel’Thalas) as the last Horde bastion in the Eastern Kingdoms.

NEXT: BATTLE FOR AZEROTH: MYSTERIES

 

Post-BlizzCon 2017 The Unknown Mysteries of Battle for Azeroth
1. Kalimdor Cities2. Eastern Kingdoms Cities3. Battle for Azeroth: Mysteries4. Battle for Azeroth: End Game

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BlizzCon 2019 Panel Transcripts