On the eve of Dragonflight's launch, World of Warcraft players couldn't help but notice the striking similarities between the latest expansion and one of the game's most beloved. As fans make their way to the Dragon Isles, the circumstances behind their expedition shockingly resemble the journey they once undertook in 2012, when Horde players got sent by Garrosh Hellscream to the mystical lands of Pandaria.
Over the course of Shadowlands, Anduin Wrynn underwent a harrowing experience that left him scarred and traumatized. He abdicated the throne of Stormwind and passed the leadership of the Alliance to Turalyon, the lightforged paladin who spent a lifetime fighting the demonic forces of the Burning Legion. Similarly, the course of Cataclysm compelled Thrall to pass the Warchief mantle to Garrosh Hellscream, whose heroics in the fight against the Scourge made him the ideal candidate. With Turalyon sending the players on an expedition to the mystical lands of the Dragon Isles, it's easy to comprehend why many players made the connection.
Turalyon's reputation in the fandom, whether real or imagined, paints him as a religious zealot and extremist – with enough damning evidence that won't remove the tinfoil hats from players in the World of Warcraft community. To that end, Reddit user Jodagon created a rather cheeky meme on the game's official subreddit, and it perfectly encapsulated the way people felt over the unavoidable plot similarities between Turalyon and the Alliance when contrasted against Garrosh and the Horde. On a surface level, they follow the same story beats, but there are certain differences that may produce a dissimilar outcome this time around.
Unlike the colonialist overtures of Garrosh Hellscream, Turalyon's expedition is one of peace. There is no open war between the Horde and Alliance to be brought onto the shores of the Dragon Isles. Ever since Sylvanas was ousted from the Horde capital of Orgrimmar, there has been cooperation between the two factions, and this has also been reflected in gameplay when Blizzard added cross-faction raiding to World of Warcraft. That being said, Turalyon's position as Lord Commander of the Alliance – as well as his zealous devotion to the Light – are still important factors in the story that may yet have a role to play.
The final boss of Dragonflight may well end up being the Primalist threat – keeping it classic and refreshingly straight-forward. Alternatively, the plot may even potentially pivot into the machinations of the Infinite Dragonflight, as well as its leader Murozond, but introducing the threat of the Light in the expansion's final hours would be a whiplash of tone and theme.
That being said, with World of Warcraft: Dragonflight having a curious coin questline which hints at the Void Ethereals becoming personally involved and interested in the player character, the expansion after could potentially deal with both the powers of the Light and the Void. For all its faults, Warlords of Draenor perfectly set up Legion through Gul'dan, and the same might be happening here, on the Dragon Isles.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC. Dragonflight launches on November 28.
