A Negative Example: Lady Vashj
However, not all characters have received the treatment they deserved. Lady Vashj is one such example. In the course of the Warcraft 3 expansion “Frozen Throne,” she was introduced as the deputy leader of a completely new species – the Naga, none of whom had been known until then. She accompanied the Blood Elf Prince Kael’thas, and if I connect a bad feeling with Warcraft 3, it is the thirst to learn more about the Naga.
In World of Warcraft, she was then quickly dealt with – she received her own raid instance (and admittedly a damn brilliant, challenging boss fight) and died. No great secret in the end, no resurrection. She was simply dead. And with her, one of the iconic characters of Frozen Throne. However, she is one of the few victims who were truly “used up” and thrown to the greedy players.
Conclusion
I also believe that Blizzard has regretted some story decisions bitterly. Especially Lady Vashj would have been an interesting character, especially since the Blood Elves had an alliance with her. But the accusation that Blizzard executes its powerful characters like an assembly line is simply unfounded. Important characters have always died in the history of Warcraft, but a healthy balance has always been maintained to prevent the developers and story writers from running out of resources.
During the same period that Garrosh died, new characters like Furorion, Khadgar, Yrel, and Vol’jin were built up to new strengths. Almost always, when a threat has been eliminated, new characters are already being crafted in the background, often with only gentle impacts on the story and only fully revealing their potential many years later.
