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The war effort felt like an epic unification of your faction. If you understood what was going on with a little research, then you felt like you were working with everyone else. No matter your level, you were able to contribute. Need linen bandages? Well a newbie could help. Need Thorium? Then a high level miner could help too.

Blizzard, apparently, appreciated the overall feel of the effort because they tried something similar with 2.4 and the Shattered Sun Offensive. The problem though was that both factions were working towards a common goal. As the Ulduar Trailer has shown us, the factions haven’t exactly reached some great truce. If you have been reading any of the data mining information done by MMO Champion, you will find escalating conflict within the coliseum.

Now, Dalaran is a beautiful city, but it’s a bit extravagant. In fact, when compared to Shattrath, you might even find some commentary on a city built with the magic of Azeroth compared to a one maintained by the timeless Naaru. Aside from famously avoiding Lagaran at every possible turn, I’m a little tired of my gnome banking with a tauren butt in his face. It’s kind of gross when my dwarf girl gets whistled at and objectified by some orc. Well, on second thought I enjoy that, but you get the idea.

Looking ahead, potentially to the Maelstrom, instead of new races, I am hoping the gnomes and trolls find some redemption. The gnomes and trolls lost their homelands to forces that that easily overpowered them at early levels.

Isn’t it time for a max level gnome with a Napoleon complex to start kicking ass, taking names and organizing his people to build a New Gnomeregan? He could also serve as the overly logical Spock to that hothead Varian. What about a troll who rising to power within the Horde who is tired of seeing his people eradicated and seeks out the blessing of the other leaders to find an island and create a haven for the trolls that are left. The troll version of David Ben-Gurion who decides to find a new home free of the conflict that has infested many of the troll empires and Azeroth in general.

And how will we build these great cities?
With faction efforts of course.

A New Gnomer built with materials donated from members of the Alliance with a new age Atlantis feel. The tram currently runs from Ironforge to Stormwind and somehow it runs underwater. Why not make a triangular rail that would connect the two cities to the newly created capital for gnomes. The new capital would serve as a launch to the impending efforts in the Maelstrom.

The Horde, on the other hand, would be gathering materials and labor to build a new capital on an island in the great sea. A great city to highlight the rich troll history and their growth as a race all the while serving as a base to transport the Horde into the Maelstrom.

The efforts wouldn’t need to go away once the cities are built. Maintaining defenses for cities located so close the Maelstrom would require donations to be made regularly. Players could build rep or they could use rep tokens of some sort to purchase items, particularly item sets of superior quality that re-skin the old T1 or T2 (my personal paladin favorite) sets. The way they handed out epics at the end of TBC, they could even decide to make these items iLvl 200 or 213 to gear players for the new expansion.

If Blizzard wanted, you could use the sets at 80. Then, at 90, complete a quest within the Maelstrom to infuse the gear and allow it to be starter raid gear. The quest could include collecting drops off the final bosses in heroic instances to convert them into the starter epics you would need for the first raid in the Maelstrom. A mini-attunement that isn’t required for starter raiding, but could allow those of us who enjoy item sets to extend their life into the next expansion.

Whatever the reward, I just wish we could build new homes for the gnomes and trolls.

-Rhab