After 18 years of content, World of Warcraft has become packed with interesting characters. Every faction has their notable leaders, every expansion introduces terrifying enemies, and the vast lands of Azeroth are filled with fantastical stories waiting to be explored. Players will encounter hundreds of these characters on their World of Warcraft journey, but it feels like Blizzard only cares about a couple of them.
Almost every World of Warcraft expansion seems to focus on the same set of characters. The story seldom branches away from this core cast, and Blizzard tends to only develop other ones through tie-in media or offscreen. It may be hard to juggle all of these characters while also trying to tell an intriguing story, but Blizzard could at least try exploring someone else for a change.
Blizzard Likes Playing With the Same World of Warcraft Characters
The last couple of expansions have focused on WoW's Sylvanas Windrunner, Tyrande Whisperwind, Jaina Proudmoore, Thrall, and Anduin Wrynn. Each character played pivotal roles in Battle for Azeroth and Shadowlands, and some of them are still playing roles in Dragonflight. While many of these lore characters have been pushed off to the side in the recent expansion, they still have a major presence within its story. It feels like World of Warcraft is about them, and all the other characters exist in service of their story.
There have been many other World of Warcraft characters that have dominated multiple expansions, and the story seldom branched out from them. Khadgar has been a major player for multiple expansions, Illidan Stormrage was the focal point of two expansions, Varian Wrynn and Genn Greymane were constant presences until Varian's death in Legion, and Garrosh Hellscream was the main driving force behind Mists of Pandaria and Warlords of Draenor. The most focused on character in World of Warcraft is probably Thrall, and he feels like the only Horde leader with any real development at this point.
It Is Time for Other Warcraft Characters to Step Out of the Shadows
There is nothing wrong with focusing on a specific set of characters to tell a story, but World of Warcraft has focused on the same set of characters for too long. An MMO seems like the perfect place to explore dozens of characters and their stories, and it is about time that Blizzard gave other characters their time in the spotlight. Even if it comes in the form of a small questline like Baine Bloodhoof's recent adventure in Dragonflight, giving more characters a story will only be beneficial for Azeroth.
Every World of Warcraft faction has a powerful leader, but players would not know that because the story does not explore them. Rokhan has just been sitting there, Gazlowe has vanished, Lor'themar Theron got married off-screen, and almost none of the Horde allied race leaders have done anything interesting. Alliance leaders are not much better as Gelbin Mekkatorque has been doing nothing, the Council of Three Hammers has been nonexistent, and the story has never touched on Aysa Cloudsinger. Even iconic leaders like Malfurion Stormrage and Baine Bloodhoof have been left with almost no character development in recent years.
Not every World of Warcraft character needs to play a significant role in the narrative, but they should at least have a presence. Many leaders have been doing nothing for years, and it feels like Blizzard has just left them to gather dust in their respective capital cities. The studio's focus on the same set of characters has made Azeroth feel smaller than it is, and it has done a disservice to popular lore characters. This should continue, and Dragonflight is Blizzard's chance to rectify it.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC.