Xal’atath could become a really strong antagonist in World of Warcraft, but there is a problem: Many want to be on her side.
In the latest episode of “WoWCast,” the developers primarily discussed the story of the new expansion The War Within and the World Souls saga. A large part of the conversation revolved around Xal’atath and how she differs from other villains of recent times.
A clear difference: A whole lot of people would rather be on Xal’atath’s side.
What was said? Particularly interesting for Maria Hamilton is that Xal’atath seems to be so interesting that there is a whole bunch of players who would like to fight on her side:
One thing that makes Xal’atath really interesting for players is that there are an awful lot of them who want to be her friend. They do not see [Xal’atath] as a villain.
No villain is the villain in their own story; they see themselves as the hero of their own story. And that makes it interesting because we can play around with that a bit and let that come up: Is she really the villain?
Sure, some people mean that just for fun, after all, Xal’atath has always been the “waifu” that has turned the heads of shadow priests with her whispers. But many find Xal’atath so interesting that they wish for an option to be by her side to better understand her motivation.
Xal’atath should be better than the Jailer
These mistakes Blizzard wants to avoid: However, the developers are aware that they do not want to repeat some blunders from the past. Terran Gregory, who is responsible for the cinematics, said:
When it comes to our antagonists, we have learned a lot of lessons. We feel there have been several instances where we did not quite do the work to flesh out [the villains] fully and present them to our players in a way that felt organic or compelling.
Regarding the “mistakes” made in building previous villains, the developers are clearly referring to the Jailer from the Shadowlands expansion. The Jailer was not only relatively spontaneously conjured up, but he was also presented as a mastermind who had essentially been manipulating the fate of the entire world of Warcraft for centuries.
Coupled with the fact that he had relatively little speaking time even in Shadowlands, and that his motivation was difficult to understand, he is now considered a prime example of a bad antagonist.
That’s why Xal’atath is a good choice: The community has varying degrees of knowledge about Xal’atath. Some have seen the Void Elf for the first time in recent weeks, others – especially priests – have known her since Legion, and still others remember her appearance in Battle for Azeroth. This makes Xal’atath a character who has been slowly introduced over many years and is now stepping forward from the background. The character has been established over a longer period of time:
Xal’atath is a very interesting character, and I am super excited to see the reactions of people since we announced that she will appear at the beginning of The War Within. […]
Xal’atath was somewhat of a fan favorite, but at the same time not that well-known. And that is such a magical combination where we thought: “Hey, let’s take this character and put her in the spotlight. […]”
Whether Xal’atath can live up to the hype currently surrounding her will likely be revealed in the coming days. Because then the expansion “The War Within” will start in Early Access. If you still have no idea who the eerie Void Elf actually is, we have explained Xal’atath’s story in detail.
