Gunther Arcanus – The Necromancer and Lich of the Forsaken
Only a few players remember Gunther Arcanus. He is a former quest NPC that players could find in Tirisfal. However, he is a very special Forsaken as he existed before the Forsaken even came to be.
In his living days, Gunther Arcanus was a member of the Kirin Tor, but he was killed in the Third War (Warcraft 3) and resurrected as a member of the Scourge.
Even before Illidan shakes the Frozen Throne and Sylvanas can free herself from the grip of the Lich King, Gunther accomplishes this on his own. He breaks free from the will of the Scourge and becomes the first undead with free will – long before the Forsaken even exist as a faction.
Although Gunther Arcanus is modeled as a Forsaken, he is considered a Lich, another sign of his great power. In the Classic quest line, it was said that the Banshee Queen wanted him in her ranks since his abilities in necromancy were important for upcoming battles.
Back then, players suspected that he would be part of the quest line to unlock necromancers. After all, it was speculated that this class would still be implemented in World of Warcraft. However, with the idea of the Death Knight, that idea was ultimately discarded.
Unfortunately, the quest line was removed with Cataclysm, and since then Gunther Arcanus has not appeared in any quest. He still stands today on his small island in the lake of Tirisfal, but he serves no purpose there except to fuel the nostalgia of Classic players.
Wouldn’t it be time now, during Sylvanas’s great hour, to finally give Gunther an important place in the story?
One could learn a lot about the Forsaken, their free will, or even the transformation into a Lich if Gunther were to return. One can only hope that Blizzard will dig this NPC out again in the near future. He is too powerful and too important for the Forsaken to just be forgotten.
