Sylvanas Windrunner is arguably the most controversial character in the current World of Warcraft. The reason for this is that no one knows what she really wants.
Sylvanas Windrunner is one of the most popular characters from World of Warcraft. However, what Blizzard has been doing with her in recent years is causing increasing discontent among fans. But what is the reason for this? Has Sylvanas changed so much, or are the fans the ones who do not know what they want? We dare to make a small analysis.
When you ask people which characters they know from the Warcraft universe, names like Thrall, Jaina, Arthas, and Sylvanas will especially come up. These are all characters that players have grown attached to since Warcraft 3 and have been a part of their hobby for nearly two decades. The more emotional players become when these characters change drastically or stray from the path that had long been established.
Sylvanas’s entire story leading up to Battle for Azeroth can be found in this article.
This is the very problem that players now see with Lady Sylvanas Windrunner, the Banshee Queen and leader of the Forsaken. No one knows what Sylvanas truly stands for and no one knows what she really wants. No one, except Blizzard. Hopefully.
Sylvanas will not fall through a rebellion
Within the Horde, a small and ever-growing rebellion is forming due to Saurfang, Baine, and now also Thrall. The voices against Sylvanas are getting louder, and more and more characters doubt that Sylvanas wants what’s best for the Horde. The logical step on this path would be that Sylvanas is ultimately stopped by the rebellion – just as Garrosh was once stopped and defeated.
However, there are several counterarguments. First and foremost are Blizzard’s own statements. In interviews, it has been repeatedly emphasized that Sylvanas is “not Garrosh 2.0” and that Sylvanas “will not end up in chains”. That would merely be a dull repetition of the plot from Mists of Pandaria.
The problem is that Sylvanas is aware of the rebellion. She knows that Saurfang is at large and against her and her plans. She knows that Baine has betrayed her and that he had help. She has calculated that Baine will be rescued in Patch 8.2 – that is what Nathanos tells the player after completing the mission.
Sylvanas is not overly arrogant. She is confident and knows what she can do. And she knows how to suppress rebellions and rising dissent not just in their infancy, but also how to take advantage of them.
A great example of this was in the book “Before the Storm”. Some Forsaken longed for two things after many years in Undercity:
- the final death
- a reunion with their still-living relatives
This made Sylvanas uneasy, yet she did not suppress these emerging dissenting voices. She allowed the Forsaken and humans to meet – until it escalated. Then she turned the tables, executing all the insurgents precisely and at the same time ensuring that those who had only slightly doubted her were resolutely back on her side.
The current situation (and that of Patch 8.2) is quite similar. Sylvanas is fully aware that actions are being taken against her. If she uses even a fraction of her analytical, calculating mind, she already has fairly precise plans on how she will handle the situation.
And now we come to the main problem of the whole Sylvanas affair: What does the old Banshee really want?
Sylvanas suffers from lost syndrome
A rather fitting analogy is comparing Sylvanas to the series Lost. Whenever a secret was uncovered, it led to further mysteries, resulting in total chaos, leaving not only the fans but also the show’s writers to lose their own thread. The end result was a disorderly mess that left everyone unsatisfied.
With the same problem, Sylvanas has to fight for the favor of the players. She is known as cold, calculating, and (almost) ruthless. She has always had her intrigues and plans, but they were quickly clarified and comprehensible to the player – as when she lured Arthas into a trap in Warcraft 3.
However, this very aspect is missing. There has been no clarity for almost a year about why Sylvanas does what she does. A riddle, an unclear, vague statement follows the next. Along with all her strange actions comes the blade Xal’atath, which brings its own problems.
Although Sylvanas keeps saying it is “for the Horde,” this answer is so unsatisfactory that players spin their own theories and make their own assumptions.
Players fear the worst
Currently, it seems that fans are biting down on the version they personally find the “worst.”
Among the most common concerns or speculations are:
- Sylvanas wants “only” the complete annihilation of life
- Sylvanas will be a Garrosh 2.0 and cut off from the rebellion
- Sylvanas is becoming more like the Lich King
- Sylvanas is under the influence of the Old Gods and acts at their will
- Sylvanas has a secret master plan that makes her the savior of Azeroth
- Blizzard itself is not quite sure where it will end with Sylvanas
Most players now fear that exactly their future vision of Sylvanas will come true and that the character will be “ruined.”
However, this is also a problem in the age of the internet. The longer users of a medium have time to exchange ideas about a mystery, the more likely it is that a theory will match the developers’ and story writers’ plan. This makes it extraordinarily easy to later say “I said so from the beginning” and then feel disappointed.
If you calculate all possible outcomes of a situation in advance, you should not be dissatisfied when one of the scenarios actually occurs.
No matter how Blizzard will lead this storyline to an end – disappointment is hardly avoidable. We can only hope that the story writers are as brilliant and strategic as they make us believe Sylvanas is.
What are your hopes for the future of Sylvanas? What do you believe is the grand plan of the Banshee Queen? Should Blizzard slowly start to deliver resolutions or do you still find the storyline surrounding Sylvanas exciting?
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