World of Warcraft:The War Within has been widely marketed as an expansion that aims to drive the narrative forward like no other expansion before it, and it has proven to do so.
While this is certainly apparent regarding the main story campaign, the side quests throughout Khaz Algar are just as good with theirexcellent bite-size narratives.
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These side quests accomplish one important thing: they breathe life into the world. They explore the cultures of the newly introduced factions, show compelling character arcs of characters who have no business being in the spotlight, and, above all else, tell meaningful stories.
That said, although all the side quests are told quite well, some nonetheless rise above the others because they are simplythatgood.
7Brotherhood In The Skolzgal Wood
A Truly Amusing Pair
Isle of Dorn
Peacekeeper Leif and Lamplighter Kaerter
There’s nothing overly outstanding about the plot of this questline in itself. It’s a relatively straightforward crime-drama-style story that sees you team up with an Earthen (Peacekeeper Leif) and an Arathi (Lamplighter Kaerter) to solve the problems at hand.
That said,the relationship between these two “detectives” is what truly makes this questline shine.They argue over a great deal (mostly funny nonsense), but the more they argue, the more deep-seated issues are revealed on Kaerter’s end.
Other than this adorable character dynamic, Brotherhood in the Skolzgal Wood offers a nice little story that has you solve some murders with some neat twists and turns.
6Pawns and Puppetry
Upon Webbed Strings, We Dance…
Orator Tx’itk and the Puppetmaster
This is a relatively short questline that seesyou go undercover in the City of Threads in Azj-Kahet for The Weaver, but for what it lacks in length, it makes up with some dark and creepy themes.
At face value, the plot itself isn’t overly unique, as the puppetmaster trope is nothing new (not only has it been done in plenty of other fantasy shows likeAvatar the Last Airbender,but it has been done in former WoW expansions too).
However, seeing it done with a clear Nerubian theme was clever. On top of that, this questline’s narrative wasn’t wholly centered around the puppetmaster in play (it acted more as the driving force for the true plot beneath it), which was doubly refreshing.
5Apart For A Purpose
A Cliché Done Well
Hallowfall
Orren Masyn and Aemyra Acton
This questline tells the story of an Arathi lamplighter (Aemyra Acton) and an Arathi engineer (Orren Masyn) who are in love but are pulled apart in opposite directions due to their responsibilities to help their people and country in very different ways.
This is a very personable story that does an excellent job of reminding us that the Arathi aren’t just zealous warriors of the Light who are serious all the time and fighting the forces of darkness. This shows us thatthese warriors of the Light are people too;people who have normal-people-problems just like us in the real world.
Simply put, it breathes more life into the world: specifically, into the Arathi. It humanizes them, and we get to get to know them on a more personable level.
Plus, this questline gets bonus points for allowing us, a complete outsider to the Arathi, to write a love letter (for better or worse) to send to Orren on Aemyra’s behalf. Aemyra reasons she’s bad at writing, but that’s still a great deal of trust to put into someone she just met.
Hallowfall isfilledwith other side quests that show us the “human” and relatable side of the Arathi. The Striking Steel questline, where you get to have dinner with the Steelstrike family, and the Rest at Last questline, where you get to have a casual hangout with both Anduin and Faerin, are wonderful examples of this. Exhaust every dialogue option and take these quests slow, for they are well worth it!
I’m A Bug Now?
Ringing Deeps
Scrit and Berrund the Gleaming
This questline has you teaming up with a kobold named Scrit to take down “Boss Whiskerlash,” but what makes it so interesting is that itgives us an up close and personal look at what are essentially kobold fighting pits.While this isn’t reflective of kobold culture on the whole, it is reflective of the culture of a very specific group of kobolds: those we aren’t allied with.
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The severity of the growing violent nature of the kobolds due to the leadership of the Candle King is subtly shown here. Nonetheless, it is rather amusing to play the part of a “bug” and fight for Scrit to kill other kobolds’ bugs in gladiatorial-style combat.
Plus, you get to meet a familiar Earthen in these fighting pits who adds an even greater layer of humor (and concern, due to the implications of kobolds capturing an Earthen) to the questline.
3The Last Mage Of Hallowfall
Teleportation Through… Memory?
Wenren Althal
Wenren Althal, an Arathi mage trying desperately to get him and his people back home to the Arathi Empire, is whom you are tasked to assist.His passion, optimism, and hopefulness are infectious, and you can’t help but fall in love with the character right quick.
After you get through some portals, Wenren asks you to meet him back at his lab and realizes too late that he accidentally cast teleport instead of making a portal for both of you to use. This reaffirms this questline’s light-hearted, goofy, and hopeful nature.
Once you get back, however, there is a very dark twist. Although this is one of the shorter questlines, it is entertaining through and through, and really pulls at the heartstrings.It’s snippet storytelling done well.
And that’s not even mentioning the lore implications behind Wenren’s work and writings on magic and the cosmos.
2The Priory
A Brother Misled
Baron Sybaestan Braunpyke and Sir Theleon Braunpyke
This is an average-length questline and very worth it. It begins with some light-hearted fighting alongside the brothers Braunpyke, but steadily escalates to something well beyond that.
While battling the kobyss with the brothers, the younger of the two dies, leaving Baron Sybaestan Braunpyke by himself. From there, the questline dives into its heavier themes: loss, grief, the dark places these feelings can take us, and how far we are willing to go to make them go away.
Although getting credit for completing The Priory questline for the Sojourner of Hallowfall achievement ends in the open world,its narrative conclusion occurs within the Priory of the Sacred Flame dungeon. While said conclusion isn’t explicitly told, the reasons for Baron Braunpyke’s actions become clear, and it’s a hard truth, to say the least.
1Mourning Rise
Shut Down Commencing
Urtago and Korgran
Mourning Rise is, hands down, the best side quest in The War Within, or dare it be said, the best side quest in the whole game. It is an incredibly heartfelt journey that follows two Earthen, Urtago and Korgran, as Urtago endeavors to inherit the job and title of Caretaker of Mourning Rise from Korgran, whose time is nearing an end.
The emotional depth of this questline is unparalleledby practically anything in World of Warcraft, but it also hammers home a single fact: even though the Earthen are machines at their core, they are just as human as any of us.
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