wow A Good War / Elegy Now Available for Digital Download

[Stan 1696]

The two novellas found in Battle for Azeroth's Collector's Edition can now be downloaded from the official World of Warcraft website!

Elegy by Christie Golden and A Good War by Robert Brooks explore the War of Thorns from both perspectives of the conflict. They're definitely worth checking out if you're eager to learn more about both factions involved in the burning of Teldrassil! We'll have a summary of both novellas up soon.

Blizzard (Source)

Tension and drama unfolds between the Horde and the Alliance in the Battle for Azeroth novellas Elegy by Christie Golden and A Good War by Robert Brooks. These two tales explore the Horde and the Alliance versions of a fateful event, but only you can decide which faction tells it best.

Read and download the complete digital versions now.

Elegy (Alliance)

A Good War (Horde)

Both of these novellas are available in one beautiful hardback edition, complete with original and exclusive artwork, in the Collector’s Edition of World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth—available for pre-order at your local retailer now.

[Slaith 10]

It's nice to have access to them now but Blizzard could have done a better job in telling these stories in game. The fact that important parts of Tyrande, Malfurion and in general War of Thorns actions, facts and events were missing in game during pre-patch added more confusion and feeded the burning of Teldrassil shit-storm.

It's probably all a matter for perspective and time for the story to unfold but from a narrative point of view I'm not sure I like the fact that part of the story is first told in some Collector's edition booklets rather than being at least suggested in game.

 

Edit: grammar 

Edited August 7 by Slaith

[Stan 1696]

5 hours ago, Slaith said:

It's nice to have access to them now but Blizzard could have done a better job in telling these stories in game. The fact that important parts of Tyrande, Malfurion and in general War of Thorns actions, facts and events were missing in game during pre-patch added more confusion and feeded the burning of Teldrassil shit-storm.

It's probably all a matter for perspective and time for the story to unfold but from a narrative point of view I'm not sure I like the fact that part of the story is first told in some Collector's edition booklets rather than being at least suggested in game.

 

Edit: grammar 

*spoilers*

I'm 100% with you. Just finished reading A Good War and it's excellent. The game on the other hand failed to deliver the lore big time, no wonder why everyone thinks Blizzard's bad at writing after the Sylvanas cinematic and War of Thorns.

Sylvanas wanted to inflict a wound that can never heal, but Saurfang failed at that by sparing Malfurion, so she decided to take matters into her own hands and burned down Teldrassil.

The first impression you get from her cinematic is that the elf made her go crazy.

War of Thorns should have started with Sylvanas and Saurfang at the war table, discussing war plans, maybe even baiting Alliance spies in Orgrimmar. Those parts of the book are really crucial to understanding her motifs. In the game, it started with "Meet me in Undercity champion" and "Malfurion must die", and players were like "???" 😄 Also, none of the Horde leaders really cared about Teldrassil, including Baine.

Still need to read Elegy, but I hate the idleness of Alliance characters. Malfurion is one of the oldest and most powerful characters known in Warcraft lore, yet the only thing he does is delay the Horde while his land is totally obliterated and the in-game scene where he almost dies from Saurfang's blow is ridiculous. The same goes for Tyrande... she does NOTHING, takes wounded Malfurion to Stormwind and that's it. Even Mia Greymane was more useful than both of them by helping evacuate the city before it turned to ashes. The Alliance paid the ultimate price for the idleness of their kaldorei leaders.

[Slaith 10]

1 hour ago, Stan said:

Still need to read Elegy, but I hate the idleness of Alliance characters. Malfurion is one of the oldest and most powerful characters known in Warcraft lore, yet the only thing he does is delay the Horde while his land is totally obliterated and the in-game scene where he almost dies from Saurfang's blow is ridiculous. The same goes for Tyrande... she does NOTHING, takes wounded Malfurion to Stormwind and that's it. Even Mia Greymane was more useful than both of them by helping evacuate the city before it turned to ashes. The Alliance paid the ultimate price for the idleness of their kaldorei leaders.

The way Blizzard use Malufrion is even more ridiculous when you know how much humiliated he was during Emerald Nightmare events. He's supposed to be Night Elves leader but only serves a sad looser always captured, beaten and saved by Tyrande... Not surprising that NE fans are simply crying on WoW Head forums.

Stan, you will have a better understanding about NE acitivity during War of Thorns events after reading Elegy, it's also very well written. 

I'm really curious and looking forward for BFA storyline. Blizzard created a lot of emotions amongst playeres and I think it's exacatly what they were seeking to accomplish. It creates a lot of buzz in the community and further creates interest. 

The only thing I'm not convinced about is this way of telling us the story in different silos, some part in game, some part in books, some part in collector's edition booklets. It creates a sharded/devided story-telling style where you have to search and look for info everywhere to understand the story better. I don't like it and I don't think it works or will work well in the future.

[Ragingwolf 2]

I am interested in this new storyline for Horde and will admit it was a bit confusing starting out ingame to start off a fight against the Night Elves and Malfurion in Darkshore.  But it is rather odd to see or hear that key moments from story/books is not being included in the game.  If you don't have current access to the online material or even a the collector's edition then, as a player, you are getting a one sided view.  Maybe in BFA either in short cut scenes or in select quests I may see the pieces fall together.  But I really need to see about updating my reading material collection again...but still going through Star War novels that I have yet to complete on my Kindle.

[Drachar 41]

1 hour ago, Slaith said:

He's supposed to be Night Elves leader but only serves a sad looser always captured, beaten and saved by Tyrande...

He is not the leader of the Night Elves, Tyrande has been since he decided to take his 10000 year nap.

[Demenzel 25]

4 hours ago, Stan said:

*spoilers*

I'm 100% with you. Just finished reading A Good War and it's excellent. The game on the other hand failed to deliver the lore big time, no wonder why everyone thinks Blizzard's bad at writing after the Sylvanas cinematic and War of Thorns.

Sylvanas wanted to inflict a wound that can never heal, but Saurfang failed at that by sparing Malfurion, so she decided to take matters into her own hands and burned down Teldrassil.

The first impression you get from her cinematic is that the elf made her go crazy.

War of Thorns should have started with Sylvanas and Saurfang at the war table, discussing war plans, maybe even baiting Alliance spies in Orgrimmar. Those parts of the book are really crucial to understanding her motifs. In the game, it started with "Meet me in Undercity champion" and "Malfurion must die", and players were like "???" 😄 Also, none of the Horde leaders really cared about Teldrassil, including Baine.

Still need to read Elegy, but I hate the idleness of Alliance characters. Malfurion is one of the oldest and most powerful characters known in Warcraft lore, yet the only thing he does is delay the Horde while his land is totally obliterated and the in-game scene where he almost dies from Saurfang's blow is ridiculous. The same goes for Tyrande... she does NOTHING, takes wounded Malfurion to Stormwind and that's it. Even Mia Greymane was more useful than both of them by helping evacuate the city before it turned to ashes. The Alliance paid the ultimate price for the idleness of their kaldorei leaders.

I think that Blizz made a distinction between what the player can know and what the character knows.... Us (humans beans that pay & play the game) know, through diferent sources, the complete story of what happen... but our character dont.
We were present when Sylvanas and Varok had their argument, so, our character(s) can't know what happend there!
In other hand, the humans that enjoy that story (the real ones) can learn about that through other sources....

[Demenzel 25]

54 minutes ago, Ragingwolf said:

I am interested in this new storyline for Horde and will admit it was a bit confusing starting out ingame to start off a fight against the Night Elves and Malfurion in Darkshore.  But it is rather odd to see or hear that key moments from story/books is not being included in the game.  If you don't have current access to the online material or even a the collector's edition then, as a player, you are getting a one sided view.  Maybe in BFA either in short cut scenes or in select quests I may see the pieces fall together.  But I really need to see about updating my reading material collection again...but still going through Star War novels that I have yet to complete on my Kindle.

you can download and read this for free, the only thing it's requiere it's some time...

and, for all these ppl that are complainig about Blizz publishing stories outside the game, they were doing this for years... I think that the first "short story" was Unbroken and it was in BC

[Slaith 10]

@Drachar Thank you for pointing out, you're completly right. Nevertheless Malfurion is refered as their Shando by the NE and is still part of their leadership, I found it a bit out of place for him to take beating after beating.   

 

@Demenzel   You're right and I really enjoy the lore outside the game, just in case of War of Thorns I found it particularly siloed from the rest with most people having no idea about it and getting upset because they were shown only a part of the story.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

[Demenzel 25]

5 hours ago, Slaith said:

The way Blizzard use Malufrion is even more ridiculous when you know how much humiliated he was during Emerald Nightmare events. He's supposed to be Night Elves leader but only serves a sad looser always captured, beaten and saved by Tyrande... Not surprising that NE fans are simply crying on WoW Head forums.

Yes, he should be one of the most powerfull NE, but he's always in need.... and, what really, REALLY anoysme is the voice he (and Tyrande) have in Spanish (LA)... I hate them... 

5 hours ago, Slaith said:

I'm really curious and looking forward for BFA storyline. Blizzard created a lot of emotions amongst playeres and I think it's exacatly what they were seeking to accomplish. It creates a lot of buzz in the community and further creates interest. 

They said't at blizzcon, SHOW YOUR ALLEGIANCE, and it seams that they want to push that a lot more, and that, even whit the old gods there, and even if we end fighting side by side, the war wont be over... not while Sylvanas "lives".

5 hours ago, Slaith said:

The only thing I'm not convinced about is this way of telling us the story in different silos, some part in game, some part in books, some part in collector's edition booklets. It creates a sharded/devided story-telling style where you have to search and look for info everywhere to understand the story better. I don't like it and I don't think it works or will work well in the future.

The collector's edition are avalibe for download from WOW page, and the story of before the storm isn't that big deal, Sylvana kills a few forsakens, and also kill Calia (that probably will be in game in some point) and the light resurect her. That the only thing you need to know.
And, as i say before, they have been doing this from years. War Crimes give you an indeep view of the efects of Garrosh actions, and how Sylvanas give to her sister the oportunity of end his life, but she betray her. Yes, Sylvanas was going to kill her and then resurect her, but she didn't knwe that (and, from Sylvanas POV, life is overestimated).

[XeaKon 15]

A good war does explain the game better but do we really not notice the fact that Saurfang thought he could never win against Malfurion ? Anyway, I must say bs to big B. I am tired of this and so is Saurfang, apparently.