Common fantasy MMO World of Warcraft has come below hearth for a questline that pushed up towards among the darker elements of the franchise’s lore, and it was not flattering.
To elucidate it as merely as doable for many who don’t play World of Warcraft, the search (referred to as A Lacking Soul) was first a part of the sport’s Public Check Realm, which permits gamers to attempt quests and different content material earlier than they go stay in the principle sport. This included the Fractures of Time replace, which included a quest that concerned preserving the timeline after an opposing power makes an attempt to vary historical past. The difficulty is, the historical past the participant has to assist protect entails a personality named Alexstrasza, an ally to the participant character, going by a traumatic occasion that was a serious second within the sport’s lore.
Content material warning for sexual assault
The search required the participant to make sure the Demon Soul, an artifact used to manage dragons, isn’t displaced within the timeline and may nonetheless be utilized by the Dragonmaw Clan. In World of Warcraft lore, Alexstrasza was certain by the Demon Soul to the Dragonmaw Clan and is forcibly impregnated so the Clan can use her offspring as battle mounts. Polygon has a extra intensive clarification of the search for many who need extra lore particulars, however the lengthy and in need of it’s, the search had the participant making certain a rape survivor would nonetheless endure the traumatic occasion as a result of it was a second within the unique timeline. Not solely did it carry consideration to only how tousled the Warcraft lore is, however followers have been additionally rightfully upset at how the sport dealt with the subject material.
The search because it existed on the PTR does level out simply what you’re preserving, and whereas Alexstrasza isn’t comfortable, she acknowledges it needed to be carried out for the sake of the timeline. However past that momentary acknowledgment, the search feels tonally jarring as a result of the truth of it’s handled as a clumsy footnote on the backside of the search description. Chromie, one other ally to the participant, is facilitating this quest, and just about simply seems away and mutters to not inform Alexstrasza.
Followers on the sport’s boards weighed in on the search, and Blizzard mentioned it was seeking to regulate or take away quests after neighborhood suggestions.
“We now have seen the feedback locally concerning some Chromie quests in Fractures of Time on the PTR and we perceive your issues,” neighborhood supervisor Liam Knapp mentioned in response to the thread. “We’ve been iterating and discussing all of those quests internally, and we’re within the strategy of adjusting and eradicating quests. These modifications will likely be obtainable in an upcoming PTR construct. Thanks to your suggestions!”
As of this writing, the search has been faraway from the PTR, however what type it is going to take within the remaining sport stays to be seen. Talking as an individual who has largely skilled World of Warcraft by osmosis, I’m shocked Activision Blizzard is keen to even contact on matters like this after developing on two years of public controversy surrounding its office tradition, which contain accusations of sexual harassment and discrimination that Activision says it has investigated and declared it by no means had a “systemic challenge with harassment, discrimination or retaliation.” Positive, a few of these items of Warcraft lore are years outdated and possibly advantage reconsideration, however drawing such direct consideration to them with a brand new questline is a simple manner to attract comparisons to your organization’s present state of affairs.
