An ode to old faces

In recent years, I've stated often that Blizzard didn't pull from the established stable of World of Warcraft characters nearly often enough. They focused primarily on characters from http://www.euwowgold.fr/ the Warcraft RTS games and, beyond that, only on the few new characters they've selected as "faction leaders." I've always felt that players rarely had real attachment to those characters. The faction leaders often played a part in a narrative outside of the player character; they had their own things happen wherein the player often played a small part, if any part at all. Players become more attached to the characters that play a role in gameplay -- memorable faces and personalities that are a part of the leveling process, ranging from questgivers to vendors. Though there are a few notable exceptions, those familiar faces never returned, with each expansion bringing in a whole new cast rather than utilizing the rich pre-existing world.

I have to give credit where it's due: Warlords of Draenor changed that. While yes, it does commit the same sin of reusing RTS characters for the umpteenth time (and in the most egregious way yet), it's also the first expansion that has pulled from the little people of World of Warcraft's history. Familiar faces from all corners of Azeroth make appearances, some in big ways and some in small, and that is what has driven me to invest in the world of Warlords of Draenor, not the return of the orcish warlords. Let's look at some examples, shall we?