On Warriors and the Horde in General

For those of you with no interest in World of Warcraft, please be inclined to ignore this post.

In my last month of WoW (and indeed, it shall be the last month I shall ever play on this account), I finally find the class that I enjoy the most: The Warrior. It is strange that I should only fully realize this now, given that I have made two warriors in the past and enjoyed them to an extent. The first was a short term character on a friend's server and the second was a character made to play with another friend. Sadly, my tanking skills were frightfully abysmal at the time and he died far more than he should. Perhaps that is what put me off to the class. But now, in solo play, I need not worry about that and all of the class's good qualities shine through.

The warrior class rewards you for doing things that you're already expecting to do. Are you being hit in the face? Good! You get rage for that. Doing damage? Good, more rage! Did you dodge an attack just now? Excellent, Revenge is now available! But even more delightful, the class rewards you for things that your opponent does right. If he dodges, Overpower procs. If he is hitting too fast and regular, you can use Retaliation and give him a taste of the pain. With the warrior, I feel like I finally get to use a shield and like it. Perhaps it is due to my time as a shaman, but I've always felt my shield was a meaningless novelty. But as a warrior, it has extensive worth, giving me survivability far behind normal with various skills linked to it.

Another reason I might be enjoying this character just so very much is because I'm playing decked out in heirloom items, giving me absurd power. Few creatures last longer than 3 GCDs against my "whirling green buzzsaw" (as quoted from Big Bear Butt). The game seems infinitely less grindy, or perhaps, the grind seems more efficient and smooth. I can only guess that Cataclysm will make things even better. Perhaps I will log onto Jessica's account someday and see.

A final note: I discussed the morality of the Horde with a friend of mine recently. The Horde gets a bad rep for being evil, and let us be honest, a lot of times elements within it are distinctly evil. The past two expansions, a Horde race has played the role as antagonist to the whole MMO (Blood Elves to Burning Crusade and Forsaken to Wrath). You can say they are only radical groups in an otherwise healthy society...but I don't think that can even be believed.

In a purely lore sense, there are no Light-driven Horde characters. Troll and Forsaken priests are decidedly followers of the Shadow. If you don't believe me, find me a quest where they play a distinctly Holy role. I can show you a dozen where they demand fresh victims for their plots or magics. Blood Elves got to be paladins because they captured, enslaved, and sucked the Light out of one of the kindest being in the universe. Now, you can make an argument for fringe characters, some fight against the grain. There is a Forsaken paladin who channels the Light despite the pain. The Tauren seem at least interested in the Light as represented in their Earth Mother. But remember, these are the exceptions that prove the rule. If things turned out differently, Trolls would still be happy being cannibals and Blood Elves would still be drinking their happy juice from a Naaru-shaped cup.

But here's the thing: the reason that there are so many dark elements in the Horde is not because it is inherently evil, but instead because it is so accepting. Thrall sees the Blood Elves, empathizes with their addiction to magic as analogous to the Orc demon-addiction and brings them in. He takes in the Forsaken, and let's be honest, not just as a tactical ally but because he thinks they deserve a chance. You know what would've happened if he didn't? The Forsaken would've been swept away by Alliance brutality. I doubt the Alliance would've even realized they regained sentience. For all the Alliance propaganda about being good, that reality is askew. They are not so much good as pure, rigidly and unbendingly pure. The Horde lets in races and people who made mistakes and quite possibly will continue making mistakes.

The division between Alliance and Horde is never going to be simply good versus evil, but instead purity versus diversity. Playing as Alliance, I am struck by how good the missions can be (excluding the obvious fringes, like warlock quests). Playing as Horde, I am given many quests I would consider devious, if not downright evil. But then again, playing as Horde I am amazed at its cultural and stylistic diversity and mobility. Everything seems to be changing and hopeful: new lands to be settled, new beliefs to be awakened. Everyone brings together for a great big melting pot. And then I go through Alliance quests and realize just how restrictive and rejecting they can be. And just a sense of...sameness. Simply put, I am deeply interested to see how the Horde storyline plays out. Perhaps I will finish it before my month runs out!

On Missions

It is inspirational and daunting to read the works of Andrew Walls. He's my favorite missionary, a man I respect both for his remarkable grasp of theology and church history, but also for his application of that knowledge to the mission field. I seriously hope to grow up to be like him. But it seems that it might not be possible. The golden age of missions has past; this is a world of local missions and native-lead churches. The fallen and obsolete West has little to teach the new revivals in Africa, Asia, and South America. If anything, we need missionaries from them. At times, I wonder if I am necessary or even wanted. What if there is no place for missionary theologians in the world today?

In any case, I've been reading a good deal of Andrew Walls these days. He has a delightfully ecumenical view of Christianity and missions while rooting it in a deep understanding of Christianity's history. He can describe, with great relish, the cultural sensitivity of Catholic missionaries while still remembering that in 1910, a missions conference could never be held with Protestants, Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox believers under one roof. Indeed, a conference of churches couldn't be held, only one of differing missionary societies. It's remarkable to hear of a world where divisions of denomination were so deeply held, to the point of hindering communication. Then I realize it is all too true in my own time: my denomination has seen its schisms and I have a vague understanding of Eastern Orthodoxy and a muted prejudice of Pentecostalism.

Though, I feel it should be mentioned, Andrew Walls has helped me with that last part. While I have every reason to question some theological choices that the charismatic movement makes, I cannot fault them for being a revival of interest and purpose for the Christian church. Indeed, viewed from the perspective of history, I'd rather have a church charged with purpose and empathy and loose on its doctrine than a church without flaw in its beliefs but dead to the world. Ironic, I suppose, given that my duty as a theologian is to carefully sift heresy from truth in the religious performances of my day. I worry that I would fail in my work, that I will be far too lenient and let gross falsities pass by. But then again, who knows what work God really has in store for me? The future has never seemed so muddled.

The distant future, at least. For the time, Jessica and I are stationed and stabilized in our life in Kentucky. Jessica recently got a job at Petsmart, solving our financial woes for the time being. Our home is a settled house, though I am still learning how to live in it. So many cupboards left open, teacups left on tables, and cooking spaces left uncleaned. I fear I have been a poor student of Mrs. French and Jermakov. Still, I press on. A family man, I hope to be. And the first step of that is being an excellent husband.