Arthas (World of Warcraft)
Who is he? Among the many cool villains of the Warcraft universe, Arthas is one of the most well-known and best. Arthas Menethil was once a shining Paladin and Prince of the realm of Lordaeron. Later, in his quest to save his homeland from the undead, he becomes one of their servants.
Arthas is a powerful warrior with cool armor and a magical sword that grants him power over ice and frost, consuming souls.
Later, as the Lich King, Arthas gains power over hordes of undead and is the main antagonist of a complete expansion for WoW: Wrath of the Lich King.
This addon is still regarded as one of the best and greatest WoW expansions today.
Arthas as the Lich King is a cruel and merciless ruler. He values strength and power. He does not tolerate weakness and failure. To this is added a good portion of arrogance and hubris.
What is his story? The story of Arthas resembles that of Darth Vader from Star Wars. He begins as an idealistic young paladin and crown prince. When undead monstrosities invade his land and threaten his people, he heroically stands against the foes.
Yet the enemy’s machinations force him into increasingly drastic measures. He decides to exterminate the residents of an entire city because they might potentially turn into undead.
Later, he learns of a legendary sword called Frostmourne that is supposed to secure his victory. However, the cursed blade completely corrupts him and he becomes a Death Knight. Upon returning home, he murders his father and takes control of the undead Scourge as a lieutenant in the service of the Lich King.
Furthermore, he is responsible for the creation of the banshee Sylvanas.
But that is not enough for Arthas, and in the end, he takes on the role of the Lich King himself by merging with him. This had always been the King’s plan anyway. From then on, he rules his icy domain in the far north and eventually lures numerous heroes into his land. There he wants to win over the strongest warriors to his side, while the rest are to perish in ice and frost.
In the end, however, Arthas is overcome and his soul is salvaged. In the current expansion Shadowlands, however, it comes out what really happened to Arthas in the afterlife.
What makes him remarkable? Arthas is a character who was known to many players even before WoW. He is the protagonist of several campaigns in the strategy game Warcraft 3. First, he is played as a paladin of the Alliance, then as a Death Knight, and in the expansion “The Frozen Throne,” it specifically concerns the Lich King’s rise to power.
All of this leads to events that then establish the story in World of Warcraft. Arthas is thus one of the great story figures that have significantly influenced the narrative of WoW. And since players were essentially part of it and helped Arthas to his position, many players feel a special connection to him. Therefore, Arthas even received his own expansion that revolves solely around him and his final deeds. And to this day, Wrath of the Lich King is considered the best of all WoW expansions.
