Warlords of Draenor first introduced garrisons, faction-specific strongholds that over time developed into self-sufficient towns providing every service a player could need (with the glaring exception of a barber). And to fill out our garrisons, Blizzard introduced the followers system, a collection of NPCs of a myriad of races and classes that you could recruit into your service. You could then dispatch these followers onto missions that provided personal benefits including gold, gear, garrison resources, and the occasional vanity item. Unfortunately, this system came to be maligned by players as feeling compulsory but inspiring no feelings of personal involvement. Millhouse Manastorm withstanding, our armies of 20 to 25 followers had little charisma and, in many cases, no backstory.

Fortunately, Blizzard listened to the complaints of players and completely overhauled their follower and mission systems for the release of The Burning Legion. Now followers hail from the same class as the player, conveying an instant sense of relatability. There are fewer of them, and the storylines that end with their offer of service are more compelling. None more so — for me, anyway — than the dryad Mylune.

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