Changing up the Expansion Dynamic: Azshara's Deception

The way that World of Warcraft is structured, there a few things you need from every expansion. You need to raise the level cap so that new players and old will be drawn to the new content. You need dungeons (though they keep shrinking this aspect of the game, which worries and angers me.) You need at least three raid tiers. You need some incentive for people to create new characters. And you need a final boss of the final raid. These tend to be seriously heavy-hitters. Kil'jaeden, The Lich King, Deathwing, and now Garrosh Hellscream.

In the past, expansions have often centered around a particular villain. Much of Burning Crusade was about dealing with the Illidari, who had strong ties (though they were at war) with the Burning Legion. Wrath had us arrayed against the Scourge. Cataclysm was largely about a reinvigorated Twilight's Hammer that had embraced Deathwing as the primary means to their apocalyptic ends.

Mists of Pandaria has broken the mold somewhat. Sure, the Sha are a constant threat, but the expansion was in many ways exploring Pandaria itself. Everything was fairly interconnected, with the final bosses of tiers 14 and 15 representing the two most powerful native threats. But just as Lei Shen was resurrected by outsiders (the Zandalari,) the Sha were empowered by the arrival of the Alliance/Horde war. Thus, despite Mists being all about a journey to a distant land, in the end, it has come all the way back to the central capital of one of the two player factions. The journey that began with the exploration of a mysterious and exotic local ends right at home (for Horde players, at least.)

While there are some obvious problems (*cough* lack of Alliance plot *cough*) with this approach, it's fairly refreshing to see the focus of the game turn inward. This isn't about saving the world from some external threat, it's about making sure that the society one has built is worthy of remaining in the world.

So I was thinking about Azshara. Frankly, while the Naga have been around throughout the game's history, I wonder how well they could really serve as the main villains of an expansion. So this got me thinking:

What if Azshara isn't threatening to flood the world, or enslave its people, or open up a gate to let Sargeras come through. What if, instead, she comes to us, asking for help?

Now stay with me: The Naga are cruel and barbaric, sure, but they also have an ancient culture, and a huge population that lives in a true civilization. They were transformed by the Old Gods, but do we know for a fact that this made them automatically evil, or was it just a variation of the Curse of Flesh - a physical transformation that still leaves the subject capable of free will?

Sure, the Naga were "saved" by the Old Gods during the sundering, and they allied with the Faceless Ones in Vashj'ir to fight the Kvaldir, but are they truly loyal to them? The Klaxxi revere Y'shaarj, but they detest the Sha. It would seem that loyalty to the Old Gods varies.

So imagine if the Azshara expansion begins with Naga emissaries arriving in Stormwind Harbor and Bladefist Bay. The Naga's home under the sea has been overrun - by Old Gods or Faceless Ones, or something.

So, after some heated debate, we decide to go investigate. We befriend members of the Naga. Perhaps, even, certain members are allowed to join our factions, determined to save their own homeland. Azshara allows Alliance and Horde embassies to open in Zin-Azshari, and we go to work fighting the bad guys.

But then... well, we start to uncover some suspicious activity. Maybe an Alliance representative in Z-A goes missing, or a Kraken sinks a Horde ship. Sure, the brave Naga adventurers who have joined up are just as worried by these events, but some of Azshara's ambassadors seem to be quieting any uproar over this.

And then, in the second raid tier, we battle our way to the heart of an ancient, underwater Titan vault, where we fight and defeat the Lord of the Kvaldir, perhaps a Titan watcher himself. As he dies, he asks us why we trust the queen of the Naga. Don't we know what she's planning to do?

And then the final patch comes, and Azshara's plan is revealed. Tidal waves sweep across the coasts of Azeroth. Armies of Naga march onto the land, using their water elemental slaves to spread the floods. Azshara retreats within her palace while great Kaiju rise from the waters to attack the capitals of the Alliance and Horde. Yes, we've been helping her prepare for this all along, and now we need to stop her.