A limited edition hardback book containing both A Good War and Elegy along with exclusive original artwork will be included in the World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth Collector's Edition. Both stories were announced to become available online later in 2018, but buying the Collector's Edition would remain the only way to own the hardback version containing original artwork.[1] The digital version of the stories was released on August 6, 2018.[5]
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.[5]
In the novella, Varok rode a cart in the Northern Barrens. In the game, Varok rode on a wolf.[6]
In the novella, the speech about going to Ashenvale instead of Silithus took place at Mor'shan Rampart. In the game, the speech was given at the Barrens junction north of the Crossroads.[7]
In the novella, the wisp wall was created when Varok and his soldiers were reaching Darkshore with Sylvanas still behind them. In the game, it was created when Sylvanas and her grunts engaged Malfurion between the Ashenvale-Darkshore border, while Varok was in Astranaar sending an adventurer to locate the Warchief.
In the novella, Malfurion wasn't locked in combat with Sylvanas and he was accompanied by many night elves when he made the wall. In the game, there were deceased night elves around him and Sylvanas.
In the novella, Saurfang near the wisp wall recalled there being "not thousands, but millions" of wisps during Archimonde's defeat at Hyjal. In the game, while observing the wisps in Astranaar, he said that there were "not hundreds but thousands" of them.[8]
In the novella, the Horde army set up on the open shore near the ruined Zoram'gar Outpost. In the game, they set up within habitable Zoram'gar Outpost itself.[9] The rest of the Zoram Strand isn't touched by the Horde.
The Felwood conversation between Sylvanas, Saurfang and Nathanos is broken up in two pieces in the novella. In-game, all three discuss it at Zoram'gar Outpost. In the novella, Sylvanas, near the wisp wall, tells Saurfang to find a path through Felwood. Saurfang then discusses it with Nathanos.
In the novella, as Varok and Nathanos were leaving for Felwood, Varok was faster and Nathanos was left behind but rejoined him later. In the game, they were seen leaving together.[10]
In the novella, the night elf fleet returned from Silithus right after the formation of the wisp wall and attacked the Horde at Zoram Strand. In the game, the night elf fleet arrived to Rut'theran Village, long after the Horde's progression through Darkshore, after the Wildbend River stalemate point.[11]
In the novella, the Horde army led by Sylvanas entered Darkshore when Varok's army did so from the north. In the game, she was already in Darkshore.
In the novella, the final duel between Sylvanas and Malfurion happens right after the two Horde armies rejoin. However, the demolishers that were standing behind her fired their payloads from the shores at the night elf fleet which was stationed near Zoram Strand, meaning that in the novella the duel wouldn't have taken place near Lor'danel as it did in-game.
Malfurion told Lorash that the kaldorei never attacked Quel'Thalas, yet the Sentinel spies operated all over the Ghostlands and had small presence at an arcane sanctum in Eversong Woods.[13] Author Robert Brooks acknowledged this as a mistake on his part and that he simply forgot about the quests involving the Sentinel spies until a long time after the novella manuscripts had already been locked.[14]
Sylvanas claims that she and her first Forsaken were once "loyal Alliance citizens" who died under its banner. This may be true for the undead of Lordaeron, but Sylvanas' own kingdom had seceded from the Alliance some years prior to its fall,[15] but it might refer to the Second War.
Notes[]
Both A Good War and Elegy run around 35,000 words each, making the combined reading length around the same as that of a short novel.[16]
^Christie Golden on Twitter (2018-04-05). “SO EXCITED to be able to discuss this! @RoBrooks13 & I worked closely together to tell 2 sides of the same story, & those stories occur simultaneously, We're not sure that's been done in literature before! The artwork is EXCLUSIVE to this edition too!”
^Christie Golden on Twitter (2018-04-05). Retrieved on 2018-04-06. “Great question! YES. "Elegy" is a novella which, in tandem with "A Good War," tells both H and A sides of the burning of the World Tree. "Before the Storm" takes place BEFORE that event. They are two thoroughly different stories.”
^Christie Golden on Twitter (2018-04-05). Retrieved on 2018-04-06. “Someone raised a great question. "Before the Storm" focuses on Anduin and Sylvanas & takes place BEFORE the World Tree burning. Elegy" is a novella that, along with @RoBrooks13 "A Good War," depicts both sides of that event -and- has a few non-spoilery references to BtS.”
^Robert Brooks on Twitter (2018-08-06). Retrieved on 2018-08-07. “No, it's definitely a mistake on my part. I forgot those quests until a long time after the manuscripts were locked.”
^Christie Golden on Twitter (2018-04-05). Retrieved on 2018-04-06. “IMPORTANT TO KNOW! To allay some fears: There are TWO novellas, one by @RoBrooks13 and one by me, in the BfA Collector's edition. Each one has a looot of art, and each one runs around 35K words. Total reading is therefore the length of a short novel. So lots to enjoy!”
The following texts were not published as short stories but rather published on the official Blizzard websites as blog posts split into several parts. However, they are included here for completeness' sake.