In World of Warcraft, a major drama is brewing. The Sylvanas plot is heading toward a finale – and hardly anyone will be happy about it.
The player base of World of Warcraft is a colorful mixed bag. Especially regarding the story of the latest expansions, there are major differences of opinion in the community. This ranges from absolute “fanboys” who find every story development amazing, through a group with rather mixed feelings, to doomsayers who view every story decision of recent years as a disaster.
What will happen soon? In just a few days, the Raid “Sanctum of Domination” will open with 10 new bosses. Particularly heated: The final boss is Sylvanas Windrunner. She has already been quite controversial in the last expansions, but in Shadowlands, she became the open antagonist. After several encounters in Torghast and a multitude of cutscenes – recently in Ardenweald, the fight against Tyrande – it is finally time for a direct fight against the Banshee Queen.
Final fight has tension: The fight against Sylvanas is repeatedly touted as particularly important. After all, the end of the fight “will change the fate of the Shadowlands forever.” It can therefore be assumed that the outcome of the fight will have far-reaching consequences and will likely lead into the contents of the next patch.
Developers fuel the debate: The discussions beforehand are also being fueled by the developers. They have emphasized in interviews time and again that the upcoming cinematic will be controversial and spark many discussions in the community. The Game Director Ion Hazzikostas has even mentioned this in an interview with MeinMMO.
No matter how it ends, the community is dissatisfied
There are numerous possibilities for what could happen to Sylvanas at the end of the raid. But it is already clear: No matter what Blizzard plans, part of the community is going to be massively dissatisfied.
What if Sylvanas dies? Should Sylvanas simply die (which is rather unlikely), there will be an outcry that Blizzard has again “burned one of the last remaining Warcraft 3 characters.” For many players, Sylvanas has significant meaning. Even if some cannot stand her anymore, some associate Sylvanas with the Warcraft universe and do not want to say goodbye to the Banshee.
Sylvanas escapes and flees: The probably “most boring” and clichéd variant would be for Sylvanas to interrupt the fight with a hated “Enough!” and flee – into some other world of the Shadowlands or even another dimension. Hardly anyone would be satisfied with that.
Sylvanas becomes “good” again: Some also hope that Sylvanas will receive some form of “redemption arc,” very similar to Kerrigan in StarCraft. There are many parallels between the two characters, which is why some fans speculate that Sylvanas will turn back to the “good” side.
This will likely only be possible if she becomes untouchable and necessary for the cosmos as a whole – otherwise the remaining peoples of Azeroth will probably not rest until she is defeated.
There are a few hints at a change in Sylvanas. Her gaze was clearly doubtful when the Jailer forced Anduin into his new role. Also, the fact that she was unaware of Nathanos’ death undermines her trust in the Jailer.
Whichever of these variants – or any other – may occur, discussions about them will likely flood various social media platforms around Warcraft for several days. Anyone who enjoys a bit of drama and heated debates should keep their eyes peeled and perhaps prepare some popcorn.
We still have to be patient for a few days. Presumably, the first American guilds will complete the new raid “Sanctum of Domination” in normal mode on Tuesday evening and thereby unlock the cinematic.
