New Lore quests for 3.3 (Spoilers)

[Taknar]

From mmo-champion.com :

Quests Datamining - Quel'Delar
There is a lot of speculation going on a few sites based on the Quel'Delar quest chain datamined a few days ago and available on the Database. I figured I should add my grain of salt.

First, do not expect a new player legendary item, this is most likely a storyline quest chain to ultimately give back the powerful sword to one of your faction leaders. The chain is as follow :

The Battered Hilt - Bring the Battered Hilt to Caladis Brightspear at Quel'Delar's rest.
What The Dragons Know - Speak to Krasus at the top of Wyrmrest Temple, then report your findings to Arcanist Tybalin in the Silver Enclave in Dalaran.
The Sunreaver Plan - Bring the Sunreaver Orders to Arcanist Tybalin at the Silver Enclave in Dalaran.
A Suitable Disguise - Obtain a Borrowed Tabard from Shandy Sparkleshine and bring it to Arcanist Tybalin at the Silver Enclave in Dalaran.
A Meeting With The Magister - Retrieve the Ancient Dragonforged Blades tome for Arcanist Tybalin in Dalaran's Silver Enclave.
Return to Caladis Brightspear - Bring Ancient Dragonforged Blades to Caladis Brightspear at Quel'Delar's Rest.
Re-Forging The Sword (Provided: Remnants of Quel'Delar) - Caladis Brightspear at Quel'Delar's Rest wants you to obtain 5 Infused Saronite Bars and use the Forgemaster's Hammer to combine them with the Battered Hilt to create the Re-forged Quel'Delar.
Tempering the Blade (Provided: Reforged Quel'Delar) -
The Halls of Reflection - Bring your Tempered Quel'Delar to Sword's Rest inside the Halls of Reflection. Return to Caladis Brightspear at Quel'Delar's rest after you have completed your journey.
Journey to the Sunwell - Speak with Halduron Brightwing at the entrance to the Sunwell Plateau on the Isle of Quel'Danas.
Thalorien Dawnseeker - Visit Thalorienn Dawnseeker's Remains and obtain his blessing to wield Quel'Delar, then return to Halduron Brightwing near the entrance to the Sunwell.
There is also The Purification of Quel'Delar (Vereesa) / The Purification of Quel'Delar (Aethas) / The Purification of Quel'Delar (Mariel) but for some reasons this quest isn't included in the chain started by The Battered Hilt.

The Argent Crusade version of the description of The Purification of Quel'Delar (Mariel) suggests that you will ultimately give the weapon to a NPC. "It may be best to entrust the weapon to the Argent Crusade, where it will serve as a symbol to unite the Lich King's enemies."

Now if you want some real speculation from quests datamining, I suggest that you keep these links bookmarked and check them after each PTR build to see if they are updated :

The Splintered Throne - Probably related to the Frozen Throne ... and Arthas?
Shadowmourne, Blade of Legends - Legendary weapon.
Icecrown Citadel Quests on the DB

One of the quest in the Icecrown Citadel is already available - The Sacred and the Corrupt

Objective
Place Light's Vengeance and Runeforged Saronite in Highlord Mograine's runeforge in Icecrown Citadel.

Description
It is against my judgment that I present you this errand, <race>, as it will likely end in your undoing.

Ignore my counsel and embark on this endeavor, and I shall provide you with the necessary knowledge and resources to see it through. Its success shall depend on your fortitude being greater than that endowed to most mortals.

Recover Light's Vengeance, Arthas' discarded hammer. Combined with saronite, it will provide the foundation for our work.


Now, I'm really excited for this. It's the first we've seen any kind of interaction between the Silver Enclave and the Sunreavers that is against each other as opposed to just "Ummm... we don't really like these guys." And to my knowledge, being able to hand off the final objective to one of three different factions is a first for WoW. Will you give it to the Enclave, the Sunreavers or the Argents? How does the game handle that lore in the future? Perhaps count the different submissions on all servers and the one which is completed the most is the "official" outcome; lore dictated by players? All very interesting...

Oh, and something involving Arthas' old hammer. *shrug*

[Swerto]

It won't handle it in the future if it's given to a specific faction, just like it doesn't handle which faction killed Nefarion (though lorewise Onyxia was killed by Varian. Copout blizzard... COPOUT!)

[Leyujin]

You know, I really have to ask why we're putting saronite into all these powerful weapons of good. Reforging your divine hammers and elven blades with metal shitted out by an Old God of Death doesn't seem to be the best idea, if you pardon me saying so.

[Irontoe]

You know, I really have to ask why we're putting saronite into all these powerful weapons of good. Reforging your divine hammers and elven blades with metal shitted out by an Old God of Death doesn't seem to be the best idea, if you pardon me saying so.

I think it has something to do with the fact that Saronite, unlike all your "weapons of good" (lol), is invulnerable to pretty much anything.

[Leyujin]

I think it has something to do with the fact that Saronite, unlike all your "weapons of good" (lol), is invulnerable to pretty much anything.

And the ring forged by Sauron corrupted everything it touched. Yogg'saron corrupted his entire prison. I just don't trust saronite to be completely inert and benign.

[Yichimet]

It turned Tyr into that ugly giant crustacean that you gotta beat down to reach the prison--I wouldn't coat my cultural artifacts/weapons of power with anything that can turn a Titan-empowered demi-god into something Cthulu brought forth from the depths with him, heh.

[Keraph]

It turned Tyr into that ugly giant crustacean that you gotta beat down to reach the prison--I wouldn't coat my cultural artifacts/weapons of power with anything that can turn a Titan-empowered demi-god into something Cthulu brought forth from the depths with him, heh.

Toootal sidetrack, but isn't the "Vezax is Tyr" thing still conjecture?

Edit: Teasing blue posts do seem to confirm it though...

[Yichimet]

Went looking for a Vezax thread, couldn't find it--I'll go off-topic here and a mod can move it if they want it in a different spot.

Yeah, still conjecture, even if blues are hinting that it's true and his loot table shows a looooot of the stuff he'd be holding if he was Tyr. It kind of pisses me off--I really feel like so much lore/storyline stuff was dropped in this expansion that could have been super fucking great. Tyr/Vezax is just one example--why is there not even one single quest dealing with it? And then...Who the fuck is Sartharion and what is he doing there? I guess we sort of know but what a stupid one-off encounter lore-wise (and what a great one game-wise). Malygos/the Nexus War/that crystal forest Dalaran is floating above is another case. So much shit could have been made of that with the Sunreavers and etc. etc. Azjol-Nerub is a freaking shell of what it could have been.

Le sigh.

[Swerto]

Who syas there won't be something to do with it?

Don't forget that 'weekly' raids will be happeneing next patch as well.

[Yichimet]

Yeah, there is potential for Crystalsong to still be used. Sarth and the Nexus War is pretty much toast, though, and I can't imagine they'll invest any more dev work into Ulduar than they already did.

I guess I can't complain. Ulduar is still my favorite raid instance in the game so far.

[Necroxis]

Went looking for a Vezax thread, couldn't find it--I'll go off-topic here and a mod can move it if they want it in a different spot.

Yeah, still conjecture, even if blues are hinting that it's true and his loot table shows a looooot of the stuff he'd be holding if he was Tyr. It kind of pisses me off--I really feel like so much lore/storyline stuff was dropped in this expansion that could have been super fucking great. Tyr/Vezax is just one example--why is there not even one single quest dealing with it? And then...Who the fuck is Sartharion and what is he doing there? I guess we sort of know but what a stupid one-off encounter lore-wise (and what a great one game-wise). Malygos/the Nexus War/that crystal forest Dalaran is floating above is another case. So much shit could have been made of that with the Sunreavers and etc. etc. Azjol-Nerub is a freaking shell of what it could have been.

Le sigh.

At least for Sarth...the entire thing is explained in Night of the Dragon.

[Yichimet]

Yeeeeeeeah, I don't like the idea that in-game lore can only be understood with out-of-game sources. They don't fucking get enough of my money annually, they have to pull some more in with comics and books?

But enough! I'm sorry I took us so off-topic. I should make another thread to complain. For now I'll say: I'd LOOOOOVE it if they had player-influenced lore in the way Taknar describes, but I don't think it'll happen. People bitched and moaned and whined about a bad-ass zombie invasion...can you imagine a permanent thing like this?

[Necroxis]

Yeeeeeeeah, I don't like the idea that in-game lore can only be understood with out-of-game sources. They don't fucking get enough of my money annually, they have to pull some more in with comics and books?

But enough! I'm sorry I took us so off-topic. I should make another thread to complain. For now I'll say: I'd LOOOOOVE it if they had player-influenced lore in the way Taknar describes, but I don't think it'll happen. People bitched and moaned and whined about a bad-ass zombie invasion...can you imagine a permanent thing like this?

Yeah...plus the fact of...combining Arthas' old Holy Mace with "shit from an old God" really is kind of backwards assed thinking on the part of the Crusade...

Why would...an Argent Crusader want to "taint" a holy weapon with Old God corrupted-ore? Makes no sense. Me smells something wierd...

[Swerto]

Expect more dragon lore with cataclsym.

[Yatokth]

Expect more dragon lore with cataclsym.

DO WANT.

Also, I must agree with Yichi, aside from the fact that the PvE in this game is now generally too easy barring hard-modes, the incredible dropping of the ball on important lore permutations really turned me off of alot of end-game Wrath content.

HEY GUYS HERE'S NAXXRAMAS GO DO IT.

HEY GUYS SARTHARION'S A DICK. KILL HIM.

This is why I liked attunements. You became invested in that dungeon, both as a character because you followed a storyline as part of a larger movement against this insidious threat in order to cast your lot with the other adventurers and assault the evil, and also as a player, cause you damn well are going to fucking kick that instance's ass since you spend that time making sure you could do it.

Ugh, I miss non-freebie PvE. WTB ATTUNEMENTS.

[Necroxis]

DO WANT.

Also, I must agree with Yichi, aside from the fact that the PvE in this game is now generally too easy barring hard-modes, the incredible dropping of the ball on important lore permutations really turned me off of alot of end-game Wrath content.

HEY GUYS HERE'S NAXXRAMAS GO DO IT.

HEY GUYS SARTHARION'S A DICK. KILL HIM.

This is why I liked attunements. You became invested in that dungeon, both as a character because you followed a storyline as part of a larger movement against this insidious threat in order to cast your lot with the other adventurers and assault the evil, and also as a player, cause you damn well are going to fucking kick that instance's ass since you spend that time making sure you could do it.

Ugh, I miss non-freebie PvE. WTB ATTUNEMENTS.

You're sent to stop Naxxramas based on the knowledge of how much a threat it was to Azeroth back when it was in EPL. There's a bunch of lore about it in Wintergarde...and a big part of Dragonblight is stopping the Scourge forces so you can finally focus on Naxxramas and the Wrathgate. Although why the Horde even care about Naxx is beyond me - Arthas send Kel'Thuzad wtfpwn Wintergarde Village - which it did. And with the examples of Horde killing Alliance instead of the Scourge cuz they have an opening that already exist...it makes little sense.

As for Sartharion...as much as it isn't fair or whatnot...the lore reason why we must stop him is in the book. Which is a good read nonetheless, especially for Mary Sue Knaak.

[Yichimet]

I do like attunements though I think the way they were implemented in BC was a little strict. I think seeing them again, even just in the form of quest chains, would really work to invest a person in the lore of the dungeon. (I also really like the way the instance content is tiered for progression currently, but we've all been over this argument before so consider it dropped!).

I can take or leave dragon lore, I just want MORE of it. They spent all this time developing Crystalsong as a zone with art and textures and blah blah blah...and what is it? The site of a couple stupid tournament dailies? The zone you barely see as you buzz into Dalaran?

edit: The problem with the Naxx and Wintergarde lore is that we Horde got to see next-to-none of it.

[Swerto]

Attunements weren't hard, and lack of them doesn't make anything easy.

Attunements were stupid from a gameplay perspective. Gear requirements alone should make people go through proper progression, but if a guild wants to carry a player they should be able to.

[Yatokth]

Attunements weren't hard, and lack of them doesn't make anything easy.

Attunements were stupid from a gameplay perspective. Gear requirements alone should make people go through proper progression, but if a guild wants to carry a player they should be able to.

Well duh they weren't hard, and DUH they didn't make PvE hard. That's a totally seperate point.

Attunements made you give a shit, both from a lore and gameplay perspective.

Carrying people was still easy, attunements were always easier than the actual dungeon.

[Rand_Shea]

Naxxramas has been around and, lorewise, it fell because of the efforts of the Argent Crusade... Lorewise, it only continues to exist because Arthas summoned it back to Northrend to crap out its zombies and goo onto an Alliance fortress because they had set up a post there specifically as a strategic starting point for the invasion further into Northrend.

The Horde? They came later and were more pissed off about the Scarlet Crusade being across the street than the fact that the Alliance were next door and upstairs just a bit. The Alliance, too busy being crapped on with scourge zombies, goop, and trying to save their panicked citizenry, either don't know or don't care that there's a small camp of Forsaken just down the mountain. Neither faction really gives a shit about the other here because they're more pissed off at someone else.

As for why the Horde even care about Naxx and aren't chomping at the bit to kick the ALliance fort in the teeth while it's fending off zombies.... HEY LOOK, there's that flying citadel that was crapping all over the plaguelands... Certainly sooner or later it's going to get bored and come after us! Can't have that!

The saronite thing... perhaps the cold of Northrend has made the bloodflow to the brain of the NPCs slow to a point where they've grown dumber? I don't think dipping and tempering anything in the blood of an Old God, much less one of insanity and DEATH, is ever a good idea.

Unless, maybe, you're Arthas... then it'd be a fantastic idea, since being corrupted and a harbinger of death is all ready in his job description. He'd probably just have to worry about the influence of Yogg not overtaking and controlling him.

I suppose, maybe, they think they can purify Saronite... possibly assuming that if they dump enough 'light' onto it it'll change colors and become shiny, just like that one fragment of darkness did that ultimately forged Ashbringer.

Certainly it can't be something completely different!

[Taknar]

Attunements were taking out of the game, and this is well documented, because it sucked to have to waste the time of 24 people to kill Kael and Vashj in order to get into the next bit of content. Now, quests should have always been involved with each raid tier but that crap didn't happen.

Naxx, I'm not surprised. It had its lore, and its Scourge based threat was enticement enough. I am actually satisfied to say to myself "Look, we're fighting the Scourge, and there are a shit tonne in here. We should take this thing down." I didn't need a NPC to tell me to do that; in a sense it would actually be an insult to a veteran like any 80.

Ulduar, there was some quest based Lore before that. The entire Thorim chain for instance. There was also the (free) video released with it that explained a bit, and the NPC chatter as you move through the instance was also good. Thumbs up for me.

Trial of the Crusader, ummm.... That one is hard to qualify. Technically there is a very strong lore reason backing this. There are dailies, a progressive entry into the area, and key important people from each faction making comments which add to the flavour of it. While I personally don't like the lore associated with a friendly tournament (which becomes not so friendly) it is there. It's just so.... ugh.

And thinking back to attunements we've had in the game, while they did add flavour they rarely added purpose. Like Hyjal between Black Temple and Tempest Keep/Waterland. Why did we have to go, right then, to stop the infinite flight? It was back in time anyways, it doesn't matter when the heroes went back in time to stop shit so long as they do. Perhaps a bad example, but Molten Core is another one. The attunements there were to go into Black Rock Depths and get a fragment by the door. That's less of an attunement and more activating a mandatory shortcut. My purpose to go in there? To stop the Dark Iron Dwarves? I just killed their emperor so I'm not to concerned on that front.

But I think more to the point is that attunement quests didn't need to be removed with the attunements. I don't think anyone will argue that it wasn't cool to do the Onyxia questline, or the epic questline to open the AQ instance. It was having to do it afterwards for one person who wasn't there already that was a pain. They somehow thought that if they took out the attunements, that the quests couldn't stay. Who cares if people get confused when they walk into the instance and haven't done any of the Lore? That happens now, again with Thorim. Unless it goes "I remember you.... from the mountains.... except for you.... *Thorim points at you, you and you*"

Regarding the player made lore and the comparison to the zombie invasion, I don't see it. People bitched about that because it forced players to stop doing what they wanted to be doing and to be assaulted by other players. It was inconvenient to them. That wouldn't be the case here. In fact, if they decided to play the result of that quest chain in the way that I described none would be the wiser. It would be the same as them deciding that the boss of Naxx was killed by X faction. But the thought of having some say pleases me.

I'll say now that so long as I am permitted, I will hand over the sword I create to the Sunreavers so that they have a powerful magical artifact to present to the Kirin Tor to cement their entry into the magocracy there.

[Okhu]

"I don't think anyone will argue that it wasn't cool to do the Onyxia questline, or the epic questline to open the AQ instance."

Only on Horde side was the Onyxia chain bad.

And the AQ quest chain was awesome.

Also.. giving the sword to Argents me thinks, though either way I believe it will be wielded by the Taunka that patrols the Tournament, talking about how he will be at the front lines during the invasion of Icecrown Citadel.