World of Warcraft’s current expansion, Dragonflight, is well regarded for its compelling and intriguing quest lines. Players often have legendary adventures, battling armies of elemental foes alongside their dragon allies to save the world of Azeroth. That being said, there are some quests in World of Warcraft that aren’t full of action and combat, but instead exist to evoke tender emotion.
Heartfelt side quests can be found all over the Dragon Isles, and they offer some profound interactions between certain NPCs. Most of these characters have not been introduced previously, and they don’t seem to have any effect on the broader story of the game, but they still pay homage to the details of the world's lore. These moments may be insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but they give World of Warcraft's lore and setting a real sense of immersion and thoughtfulness. One quest line, in particular, proves to be a real tear-jerker.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight Brings Closure to One Old Dragonmaw Orc
In the Waking Shores zone, inside an inn nestled beneath the Ruby Lifeshrine, a pair of orcs can be found ruminating on the past. The older of the two warriors is called Duroz Scaletaker, a Dragonmaw orc - but this is not revealed right away. He’s suffering from a lethal ailment, and a kind member of the Red Dragonflight makes him a tonic to ease his pain. But Duroz seems troubled, and players soon find out why.
Those who are familiar with the Dragonmaw’s history know that this clan of orcs has a most egregious history with the red dragons. Many years ago, just after the First War, World of Warcraft's Deathwing revealed to the Dragonmaw orcs an ancient artifact called the Dragon Soul. The Dragonmaw orcs used this artifact to imprison Alextrasza the Life-Binder within the underground tunnels of Grim Batol. There, they tortured and enslaved countless red dragons, forcing the Red Aspect to lay eggs and stealing the whelps the moment they hatched.
Alextrasza lay chained beneath the earth for many years until she was freed by her mate, Korialstrasz. However, the Dragonmaw orcs had spent the whole of the Second War using enslaved and tormented red dragons to burn entire towns to the ground, and hundreds of Alexstrasza’s children in World of Warcraft were killed in the fray. That legacy clings to the Dragonmaw to this day, and Duroz Scaletaker is shown to suffer beneath the weight of his own actions.
Duroz’s companion, a younger orc called Kolgar, tries to convince him that he has since atoned for his misdeeds, but the old Dragonmaw refuses to accept it. The player follows Duroz as he finds a quiet spot to sit and watch the dragon hatchlings play, and a most moving interaction follows. A baby red dragon in World of Warcraft flaps down toward Duroz and curls up beside him for a nap. Both orcs are deeply moved, and when the player returns to the area, Duroz has passed on, laying peacefully beside the playing dragons.
This quest shows how, in the end, Duroz had been forgiven by those he wronged. With each new generation, the whelps who hatch know nothing of the atrocities the Dragonmaw committed against their kind, and they live free from the trauma and pain. Duroz and Kolgar learned valuable lessons about forgiveness and redemption and theirs is a touching example of how not every quest needs combat in World of Warcraft or to be action-based. Sometimes, taking a quiet moment beside beautiful scenery is a welcome change of pace.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight is available now for PC.