A new cinematic in World of Warcraft shows what happens to Tyrande Whisperwind. The power of Elune reaches its peak.
In World of Warcraft, a new week has begun and with it comes the next chapter of the covenant campaign from Patch 9.1 Chains of Domination. This time it’s all about Tyrande the Night Warrior. In the end, there is a significant cinematic that answers some questions – but also raises new ones.
Spoiler Alert: If you do not want to know anything about Tyrande’s fate and her connection to Elune, you should not read further. You have been warned.
What’s going on with Tyrande? Tyrande has succumbed to vengeance since the burning of Teldrassil. She performed an ancient ritual and has since become the Night Warrior. While this makes her incredibly powerful, it simultaneously ensures that this power is destroying her from the inside and would ultimately lead to her death. The players and the residents of Ardenweald are searching for a way to save her.
When does the cinematic take place? In the current covenant campaign quest, the player, alongside Lady Moonberry and other characters, searches for former Night Warriors who have died. Together with their help, everyone then travels to Ardenweald to perform a ritual aimed at suppressing Elune’s wrath in Tyrande, freeing her from the destructive energies. The ritual succeeds rather poorly, and a battle ensues. The Night Warrior must be defeated in combat.
In the final moment, Lady Moonberry begs the Winter Queen for help – and she appears promptly.
What happens in the cinematic? In the cinematic, the Winter Queen has just used her power to contain Tyrande. However, the first seconds make it clear: The Winter Queen is not speaking to Tyrande, but to Elune, her sister. She is angry that Elune has dared to come to Ardenweald after ignoring the cry for help.
Elune (in the form of Tyrande) replies that the call had not been ignored. She had made the best use of the “great tragedy” to help her sister. This refers to the souls of the night elves that died in the burning of Teldrassil. Elune wanted to send them to Ardenweald to supply the Winter Queen with anima.
The Winter Queen sadly explains that this did not work – all souls went straight into the Maw.
Thereupon, Elune sadly realizes that she has apparently condemned her “favorite children.”
The Winter Queen explains that there is still a way to save the souls – and one soul must be the starting point: Tyrande’s.
Elune leaves the decision to Tyrande regarding what she wants to do: renewal or revenge.
Tyrande apparently chooses renewal, as a “Tear of Elune” emerges from the process – a powerful artifact that will later be used to renew the Heart of the Forest and the seal of the Night Fae.
It ends with Tyrande being freed from the destructive power of the Night Warrior. Whether she can still rely on the “positive” aspects remains unclear.
What does the cinematic mean? The cinematic reveals a lot. On the one hand, the “family relations” are finally clarified – the Winter Queen is the sister of Elune. While the Winter Queen watches over the dead, Elune is responsible for the realm of the living. At the same time, the video shows that Elune did not know that the souls were directed straight into the Maw. She had no idea about Sylvanas’ plan or the Jailer’s.
This may seem strange to some, but it fits with the rest of the narrative. After all, the covenant leaders only learned towards the end of the Revendreth story that Denathrius and the Jailer were allied and ensured that the souls and thus the anima went directly to the Maw.
What do you think of the new cinematic? Pretty cool and a great development? Or do you belong to the people who still find this cinematic ridiculously bad?
