With the completion of the current WoW raid Antorus, the Burning Throne, the Legion suffers a mighty blow. Do demons now disappear from Warcraft?
As of today, we know what happens to the leader of the Burning Legion in World of Warcraft. In the concluding cinematic of the raid Antorus, the Burning Throne, Sargeras meets his end. In the cinematic, we witness Sargeras being imprisoned by the other Titans alongside Illidan. Illidan will henceforth act as the jailer and will do everything in his power to ensure that Sargeras does not regain his freedom.
This leaves a gigantic power vacuum in the lore of Warcraft that has never existed before.
The Burning Legion was not just a gathering of demons, but – like the Light and the Void – one of the driving forces in the cosmos. In the Eternal Conflict between Light and Void, they were the third party preferring “complete annihilation” rather than allowing the Void to eventually consume everything.
Are there now no demons left?
Many players assume that with the imprisonment of Sargeras and the defeat of Argus, the demons are no longer a real threat. After all, the World Soul of Argus was responsible for the demons’ rapid regeneration and their ability to “respawn” on the planet Argus. However, not much has changed regarding the actual strength of demons. They continue to exist in the cosmos and will surely find ways to Azeroth again – even without Sargeras.
With Argus’ death, are all demons mortal now?
That would be illogical. Demons already possessed the ability to be reborn in the Nether long before Sargeras. This “Nether regeneration” was the very reason Sargeras imprisoned the demons to keep them in check. The demonic army is essentially still endless; it’s just that the regeneration may not happen as quickly as before. However, the fundamental ability remains, provided Blizzard does not alter the recently released lore from the Warcraft Chronicles.
A “retcon” of the lore is certainly possible, as Alleria believed on the Vindicator that the Legion would now be “finally” over with the end of Argus – why that should be the case is, however, not explained.
However, the fact remains that the demons now lack a unifying leader. Under Sargeras, they were directed and focused.
Speculations: What happens to the demons?
What happens to the millions of demons that are scattered across the vastness of the cosmos and on the thousands of worlds that have already been consumed by the Legion is still uncertain.
One possible scenario is that the Burning Legion plunges into chaos and anarchy. For when looking at the Legion under Sargeras, the demonic armies had strong military features. There were various leaders, strike forces, and particularly powerful generals leading invasions of worlds. It is quite conceivable that various “Overdemons” are now fighting for the leadership of the Legion.
Especially the cunning Nathrezim (Dreadlords) are well suited for this. It is even plausible that they orchestrated Sargeras’ downfall in a long-term plan, as they are the greatest schemers found in the Warcraft universe.
Will Sargeras return?
Another option is that Sargeras is only temporarily imprisoned. Illidan may not be able to keep the Titan imprisoned for a long time. Moreover, there is the possibility that the rest of the Legion will do everything possible to free Sargeras from his prison.
In the worst case, Blizzard completely writes off the Burning Legion and lets it sink into oblivion, creating a chaotic horde of demons without a leader that “can’t get anything done”.
In the best case, the disappearance of Sargeras allows certain special demons to stand out, perhaps with their own story. There could be rebellions within the Legion, which would be particularly suitable for warlock questlines. We have already experienced demons working together with heroes to take down other demons on the Broken Shore.
What exactly Blizzard will make of the Burning Legion and the millions of demons that now wander the Nether without a leader will surely be revealed in the future. Because even without Sargeras, the demons remain a powerful threat.
What do you hope for the future of the Burning Legion? Should it be defeated once and for all? Or do you hope for a “There must always be a Sargeras” story?
Do you still need to cleanse Antorus? Then better quickly upgrade your legendary items!
