A final cinematic before the release of WoW: Midnight shows how the half-elf Arator became who he is today.
In a few days, the early access to World of Warcraft Midnight will start, and Blizzard is currently firing on all cylinders when it comes to interesting insights and story. After a few weeks ago the backstory to Xal’atath and Lady Liadrin were released, there is now new information about Arator – again in the form of a cinematic in cartoon style. But see for yourself:
What does the video show? The cinematic “Son of two worlds” shows the half-elf Arator getting new tattoos from his aunt Vereesa, which he then also wears in Midnight. The two reminisce and talk about Arator’s journey of how he became the paladin he is today:
Arator was born to the elf Alleria Windrunner and the human Turalyon, but he only got to see his parents briefly before they went through the Dark Portal to fight against the Orcs and the Burning Legion.
He then grew up with his aunt, partly living with the humans in Stormwind, but also in Dalaran, until the Scourge attacked and in Quel’Thalas. During this time, he was instructed by both Lor’themar Theron and Lady Liadrin.
Arator is a half-elf and has therefore always felt incomplete his whole life. Torn between his parents, the Light and the Void, and his existence as an elf or a human, it took him a long time to realize that he is “more than the sum of his parts”.
Arator plays a pivotal role in Midnight
What role does Arator play in Midnight? One of the campaigns in Midnight revolves almost entirely around Arator. Instead of traveling to the new areas, you can accompany the half-elf on a journey through the “old world” to better understand his connection to the Light and his story. This also involves a lot about the rather negative effects of the Light, such as the looming “Light blindness” that can turn overly eager paladins into raging fanatics.
The community wants more: As with the last video of this kind, the reaction from the community is overwhelmingly positive. Normally, cinematics for WoW receive a rather mixed reaction, especially on YouTube, but this time it is extremely positive. Many appreciate the way the story is told here, and the desire for a whole series of this kind is great:
I could watch 10 seasons of this in a row. It’s finally starting soon!
-smurv46You are churning out masterpieces one after another, aren’t you? Amazing!!
-Bukela91Another banger. This is exactly why I fell in love with Warcraft 26 years ago.
-knigh.theodrik
Cortyn says: This time, I really enjoyed all the cinematics in preparation for Midnight. Even though I prefer the “2.5 D” style visually, like in the Xal’atath cinematic, I also really liked the cartoon variants of Arator and Lady Liadrin. They were equally dark, heroic, and hopeful; simply the essence of what Warcraft means to me.
During the beta of Midnight, I intentionally avoided Arator’s campaign because I wanted to experience it in the full live version – that is, next Friday. If it’s even remotely as good as this cinematic suggests, we should have an interesting new main character in the story in Arator, who will accompany us through several expansions to come.
Until then, however, you should complete 5 things in WoW to be perfectly prepared for the launch of Midnight.
