The cave itself is fairly innocuous, though clearly a new addition in Patch 10.0.7.
In this last week’s build, we also noted that there were three color variants of the Heritage Armor set: each titled Wolf’s Heritage, alongside a datamined scenario called The Old Frostwolf. The name already suggests that Drek’Thar will play a major part in the questline, but newly discovered map textures of Alterac Valley’s Dun Baldar reinforce this theory, as the elder Shaman has commanded Frostwolf forces in the region for quite some time.
This new map suggests another stop players will make during the Orc Heritage Armor questline.
At this stage, it’s difficult to say what the actual content of the questline will be, though it seems almost certain that Drek’Thar and the Frostwolf Clan will be a part of it. Should that be the case, it’s also very likely that Thrall will make an appearance, as the former Warchief was a student and close friend of Drek’Thar. New NPC entries for Thrall’s children, Durak and Rehze, have also been found in the Patch 10.0.7 PTR, lending further evidence that Thrall will play a part in the coming questline.
Tangentially, we also discovered new models for several Orc banners representing major Clans throughout history, some of which match up the upcoming heritage armor sets. While they look great and match the upcoming armor sets thematically, with (currently) only three armor variants and twice as many banners, they may not necessarily be player rewards alongside the armor, though it is very plausible that they will be seen somewhere in the Orc Heritage Armor questline. As the armor is meant to be meaningful for all Orcs, rather than tailored specifically to one clan, this would suggest that the banners may be used during some kind of gathering or remembrance for the various clans during the Heritage questline.
With all of this in mind, we can begin to speculate on what story the Heritage Armor questline may tell. What kind of event would prompt bringing children to visit an old hero, along with a representation of so many Clans? Perhaps Thrall intends for his children to learn about their heritage from the one Orc most qualified to teach it, but a bigger fear is that this may mark the end of the aging Shaman’s story. Although a powerful warrior and spiritual leader of the new Horde, Drek’Thar had already passed his prime prior to the events of Warcraft III; by the time of the Cataclysm, he was shown to be much more frail and making use of a wheelchair.
Seemingly confined to a wheelchair sometime around the events of the Cataclysm, Captain Galvangar dutifully assists the aging Shaman.
Although it would be painful to lose such a storied hero, it would also seem somewhat fitting that this type of questline be used as an opportunity to say goodbye. A core concept of heritage is the sense of family identity – the values, traditions, artifacts, and culture passed down by previous generations. In that sense, there’s almost no character more fitting to pass on that legacy than Drek’thar – advisor to Thrall, elder Shaman of the Frostwolf clan, Seer of the Earthen Ring, and General of the Frostwolf Legion.
