What is your Dragonflight Story Retrospect?

We're almost a year out from 10.2.5 when the epilogue of Dragonflight concluded. What is your retrospect on the story of Dragonflight? I like to read people's thoughts on subjects like these, so feel free to dive deep, share about what you loved, and rant about what you didn't.

Here are some of my thoughts:

10.0

  • Raszageth was a good opening villain. She had decently entertaining banter with Alexstraza and the other Aspects throughout questing zones.
  • The Primalists felt like an undercooked group of Twilight Cultist knockoffs that amounted to nothing relevant. Kurog Grimtotem was cool, and so was Koroleth. She had a Teldrassil burn scar that could have led to more interesting stories with Tyrande if she lived till Amirdrassil.
  • Vault is the first ever opening raid to have a pre-rendered cinematic. In hindsight, it was more hype than anything that followed.
  • Forbidden Reach questline started off with another banger cinematic, which is rare for a .0.7 patch, and we got to see what the Incarnates are up to. The dracthyr storyline was ok, but I don't think it set up Sarkareth enough.

10.1

  • Zaralek intro is the third cinematic with all the Incarnates, telling us their motives. But the zone campaign felt rather short. It relied on Wrathion falling to his arrogance again, which felt like character regression from BfA when he bested N'Zoth's whispers. The niffens didn't add much to the narrative, but I love them more now that they reappeared in Azj-Kahet.
  • Aberrus raid had a unique narrative that we've never had before. It was about the children of Neltharion - Wrathion, Sabellion, and Sarkareth dealing with the "sins of their father" as someone puts it. The raid ending should have been a pre-rendered cinematic, because the BfA-quality cutscene did not do it justice, leaving many people feeling empty, especially when we had to put the Incarnates storyline on pause.
  • The Blue Dragonflight storyline was heartfelt and one of the best questchains they added. Feels like people have already forgotten it.

10.1.5

  • Dawn could have been a raid or a standalone patch like Return to Karazhan. It's narratively more important for the Worldsoul Saga, and it features the bulk of the Infinite Dragonflight. They could have done more with the Murozond storyline or Galakrond's corpse if it was given more space to breathe. Deios deserved more screentime.
  • This is also similar to how Sylvanas fucks off in the middle of BfA by 8.2.5 before N'Zoth shows up as the expansion final boss, creating a narrative dissonance. This feels indicative of a mid-expansion story rewrite like what happened with WoD when they decided to sacrifice the current expansion's storyline to set up the next expansion.
  • Eternus just made peace with the Bronze, and that's it?
  • Alexstrasza being told by her slaves that they "have dreams beyond fighting wars for dragons", and she replied "I had not considered this. We dragons must hold ourselves to a higher standard, and it shall begin with treating dragonkin fairly and as equals." I cannot begin to express my disbelief that this questline was added to arrive at this conclusion.
  • Vyranoth and Alex first conversation was unexpected, but Vyranoth's delivery was amazing. "Your lies have grown sweeter, honey to hear, and poison to taste." It should have been a cinematic instead of a cutscene, so I'm inclined to believe this was a last minute change when they canned the Incarnates plotline.

10.2

  • Emerald Dream campaign dialogue was just awful. Fyrakk's interactions with the Druids of the Flame were illogical. His lines with Alex are what you'd hear from a random dungeon boss. You wouldn't even know those two were cousins.
  • Alexstraza and her infamous Avengers Assemble scene. You had Velen, Mekkatorque, Moira, and more show up for no reason whatsoever, and then disappear for the rest of the patch.
  • Vyranoth turned heel way too fast. Her lieutenants, the Claws, came and went with zero story relevance. It's like the writers just gave up on the story and wanted to move on to The War Within. Would have loved a Fire vs Ice theme instead of Firelands 2.0.
  • After cheapening Ysera's death, and benching Malfurion for the fifth time, Ysera proceeds to do nothing of importance during the patch. Meanwhile Merithra is treated like a child even though she has so many children.
  • Tyrande and the Druid of the Flames actually have good arguments on both sides. Would have loved to see even more of this, especially with the other Primalists.
  • The infamous Amirdrassil raid ending cinematic. Fyrakk dies offscreen. The Aspects start finishing each others' lines. "Ah, now I understand, ...it was about coming together, as a family." I don't think this is remotely salvageable.
  • The Belameth closing ceremony was nice. Felt like we haven't gotten a proper moment since Legion, where everyone could just sit and take a breath. Tyrande and Malfurion's reunion and retirement was heartwarming. Thankfully they weren't given any spoken lines, because their best "writing" was actually the Darkshore cinematic and this one.
  • Elisande is being set up for potentially a brief return, or maybe a somber farewell, knowing she did in fact make the exact decisions that she needed to so that her people survive the Legion.