Cortyn is extremely disappointed with the last cinematic from WoW: Battle for Azeroth . One of the greatest enemies in WoW, the Old God N’zoth, meets an undignified end.
As the first American guilds in World of Warcraft finished the Ny’alotha raid last night, I was glued to the screen watching. My curiosity was too great, and I was ready to spoil myself on N’Zoth’s end.
After all, the Old God N’Zoth is one of the most significant villains in World of Warcraft, and I wanted to see right away what ending Blizzard would provide him.
I was eagerly waiting for a spectacular cinematic of epic proportions that would defeat the Master of Corruption, the Lord of Corruption, and the Whisperer in the Shadows, perhaps even showcasing a piece of his genius.
But what a letdown.
N’Zoth received perhaps the most undignified exit of a villain that one could imagine.
N’Zoth dies by a “Dragon Ball” laser
But let’s summarize briefly: The end cinematic begins with a small in-game sequence where our character is controlled by N’Zoth and gives in to his whispers. Magni calls and tries to save the heroes, which he does. The Heart of Azeroth is activated and serves as an anchor point for MOTHER, who then activates the titanic constructs and fires the gathered energy. The beams hit the Heart of Azeroth and are then concentrated on N’Zoth.
This is where the actual cinematic begins. N’Zoth starts to glow and seems to burst. The world of the Black Empire, the monoliths, and other structures crumble, the eyes of the Old God fade into light. Ultimately, Ny’alotha disappears completely in a light explosion – the end.
This exit is so undignified and so trivial that I had to pinch myself to see if I had actually fallen asleep long ago.
It is not only a pitiful farewell to one of the greatest masterminds of World of Warcraft but also a disappointing end to an expansion. There is no transition to the upcoming expansion Shadowlands, no mystery, and no possible “foreshadowing” of future threats. N’Zoth bursts, and that is it.
That was the most powerful, cunning enemy Azeroth has ever experienced. That was the entity that turned Neltharion into Deathwing, corrupted Archbishop Benedictus, and created Azshara and her Naga. Light laser – pop – the end. Executed like in a “Dragon Ball Z” episode.
Moreover, Magni’s comments are not particularly clever. He warns the character and tries to appeal to the fact that they are a “child of Azeroth” – which is simply false if you play as a Draenei or Orc. A minor detail, but one that carries weight.
The Community also finds the video embarrassing
I feared that I might be alone in my opinion and exaggerating completely, but that is not the case.
A glance at the likes and dislikes of the cinematic on YouTube clearly shows how disappointed WoW players are with this exit. Against 880 thumbs up come a staggering 2420 thumbs down – a clear statement (Status: 20.01.2020 11:10). Here are a few comments from people whose opinions align with mine and capture the general sentiment.
Probably the worst cinematic I have ever seen, and I am being really honest.
Nauli Eisenfaust on YouTube
This is an extremely disappointing conclusion for a raid. These player cutscenes have their time and place, but using them as a finale for an expansion feels very, very cheap. Battle for Azeroth gave us some great things, like the Saurfang movies, but simply dropped all the “Old God” stuff.
Kevin Thompson on YouTube
Compare this to the finale of Antorus, and you think you were playing a different game.
Cameron Sharp on YouTube
On Reddit, many users even had an idea of how to make the cinematic at least significant with a few more seconds. User AdamG3691 provides the suggestion:
The entrance to Ny’alotha collapses, we see Xal’atath lying in the rubble, now with the red eye of N’Zoth in the grip of the dagger, twitching back and forth. We hear footsteps growing louder. It seems that a shadow is bending over the dagger, and a recognizable hand picks up the dagger. “In the end, all will serve death.” Then the image goes black.
This way, at least a small narrative connection could have been added to the ending, even if Sylvanas never uses the dagger or it is lost afterwards.
Cinematic is the greatest disappointment of Patch 8.3
No matter how I turn it, Patch 8.3 and N’Zoth feel rushed and unfinished. I found that the actual content is quite enjoyable.
However, there is a suspicion that Blizzard simply pulled the ripcord a few months ago and concluded: “Let’s wrap up Battle for Azeroth as quickly as possible and work full steam on Shadowlands. No regard for losses.” And that loss was probably N’Zoth and the cinematic that doesn’t even deserve that name.
In the end, I can only hope that N’Zoth was not actually defeated. That all of this is merely a mental trick of his, an illusion that makes us believe we have overcome him. That I have to cling to such a thought so that one of my favorite enemies does not die an undignified death is a shame. A very great shame. It marks the low point in the narrative of the current World of Warcraft.
I had predicted, that WoW will be a disappointment in 2020. I did not expect it to be so significantly true.
Or what do you think?
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