Excuse me for a second while a make a fresh pot of coffee.
While that's brewing, I'd like to get deeper into a very specific zone that I've heard a lot about- the Stonetalon Mountains. Previously, it was a frontier zone, with only a few settlements among the nature, except for a slash and burn logging operation in one corner. Now, the entire area has become a cutthroat warzone between the Horde and Alliance.
I'm alright with changing the tenor of the place, and because it was originally designed as wilderness, it retains a much more natural landscape and topography than many other wartorn zones. However, they don't really use the space well, as one or two quests are given for each section of the landscape, and then you're hurried on to another forward camp in the battle. I realize this is a result of the WoW updates, the slower leveling of original WoW versus the fast paced leveling of new WoW means you blow through each place much faster. Still feels a bit underused though.
One major point that Stonetalon is lauded for is it's representation of Garrosh Hellscream, new Warchief of the Horde. Garrosh started with a terrible reputation as too brutal and insensitive, making many players feel alienated in a Horde that began with wise and contemplative Thrall. I was told that Garrosh shows a better, more honorable side to himself in Stonetalon, and was very much looking forward to seeing it.
The quest chain involves Overlord Krom'gar, who has such a frustratingly obvious 'evil snake' voice that you know from the outset that he is heartless and devious, someone who would stoop to very low levels to accomplish his goals. Perhaps I'm expecting too much from the character writing, but shouldn't we simply be able to hate him for whatever tragedy we expect him to commit? Anyway- Krom'gar sends you off to General Grebo, an orc in charge of a small region of Stonetalon.
Long story short- General Grebo creates false reports that a small druid school, filled with younglings, has a great Alliance weapon inside it, and informs Krom'gar so that a giant bomb will be deployed towards it. Some tauren from the school confront Grebo with proof of his falsehood, they fight, Grebo dies. You are then tasked with telling Krom'gar what just happened. When you reach Krom'gar, the game doesn't explicitly say what your character relates to him, but Krom'gar's response is,
"You have done well to report this crime. The perpetrators of this heinous act will be punished. There will be blood."
Am I to believe that I just ratted out the tauren, and made them out to be the bad guys? Krom'gar doesn't sound like he's trying to twist the story, he sounds like he's just affirming what he's just been told. He also promotes you to general in Grebo's place, confirming that he trusts you to some extent. So, great. I'm now party to conspiracy and murder.
You catch up with Krom'gar again, after he kills one of the 'perpetrators' and subdues the other. He then sends the bomb off to destroy the peaceful druid school. Garrosh teleports in suddenly, full of indignant rage, to punish Krom'gar for killing civilians. He gives a noble speach about learning the meaning of honor, and throws Krom'gar off a ledge to his death. This is obviously meant to get the player on Garrosh's side, as an honorable leader eager to root out corruption. Does it work for me? Not at all.
Krom'gar was innocent. Krom'gar was told there was a weapon in the school by Grebo, so he dropped a bomb on it. Krom'gar was told that some tauren killed his general, so he took care of them. Krom'gar's actually a pretty good leader. Grebo and the player's character are the real villains in this questline. Grebo tells Krom'gar about the weapon and makes sure the bombing goes forward. I myself told Krom'gar that Grebo had been murdered. Honestly, I should have been the one thrown to my death by Garrosh, (which actually would've been pretty amazing) and Krom'gar gotten maybe a demotion or something for being duped.
And maybe Garrosh could've popped in 10 seconds earlier and prevented the destruction of the school. He's still worthless in my book.
