World of Warcraft: Forever's beta has generated significant player interest, offering a first glimpse at a reimagined classic experience. However, the new Skyborne race's starting zone has become a focal point of discussion, with some fans questioning its tonal consistency with the original World of Warcraft Classic.
At BlizzCon, the developers outlined an approach for WoW Forever, described as "found photographs," aiming to integrate new narratives that could have plausibly existed within the original Classic WoW. The introduction of the Skyborne elves and the story presented in their starting zone have raised concerns about this premise. Spoilers for the Skyborne leveling zone follow.
The Skyborne inhabit an island that was lifted into and concealed within Skywall, the elemental plane of wind, many years ago. The starting zone concludes with the summoning of an elemental lord, a subordinate of Al'Akir, who ominously declares an intent to return and claim the island. This event occurs before players reach level 15, a stark contrast to the Classic WoW experience where encounters with elemental lords, like Ragnaros in the Molten Core raid, are reserved for level 60 characters.
Players have drawn comparisons to the human starting zone's conclusion, which involves confronting the gnoll chieftain Hogger, highlighting the perceived disparity in stakes. "On Zephras Isle [the Skyborne island] you, together with the leaders of your people, face a raid-level threat at the top of the spire, through a scripted event with bountiful exposition text, and the leaders of the Kirin Tor and the Earthen Ring show up to fend off this raid boss," wrote Reddit user OccasionallyRhyming. "If it was not for your actions on Zephras Isle, your people would be doomed."
This sentiment is echoed by other players who fear this approach may foreshadow future content. "I'm okay with ignoring the Skyborne and enjoying the rest of the game, but everything about their addition just screams warning about how Blizzard will approach future content," OccasionallyRhyming added. Another user, -Necron-Overlord-, contrasted the Skyborne's epic narrative with their own experience in Classic, stating, "Meanwhile I'm over here pilfering Tirisfal pumpkins and picking Gloomweed." Altmly commented, "Agreed, Blizzard is incapable of writing ordinary stories that have weight without involving some world saving, universe defining, celebrity creating mumbo jumbo bullcrap."
Despite these concerns, other new quests within WoW Forever have been noted for their more grounded narratives, such as collecting items in Orgrimmar or searching for lost individuals in new dungeons. These appear to have been well-received, suggesting that the Skyborne questline is the primary source of tonal dissonance.
The full implications of Blizzard's "Lost Photographs" design philosophy will become clearer upon the official release of WoW Forever on November 4. For now, the community is observing how effectively a modern development team can capture the essence of the original World of Warcraft adventure.