What if Arthas didn't take Frostmourne?

General Discussion
1

I’m sure this question has been asked before, but since I don’t see any recent posts about it, I thought you guys wouldn’t mind. So, in general, how do you think Warcraft 3’s story, and World of Warcraft’s lore, would’ve changed if Arthas had listened to Muradin’s warning and didn’t take up Frostmourne or maybe even destroy the sword somehow? Do you think Lordaeron would’ve fallen anyway? Or would Arthas have actually saved his people somehow? I’d like to see what your thoughts on this are.

By the way, I’m new to this game and love the story so far, please don’t hurt me.

EDIT: I know there’s videos and stuff that answer this question, but I specifically wanted to know the opinions of people in the Warcraft 3 community.

2

this would destroy the character arc for him and make the game story more boring

1 Like
3

No i defeated Mal’ganis without frostmourne i kept him in an arrow tower prision and afked for a few hours and when i got back he was still dying. Legends has it he’s still respawning to this very day

4

Probably the most realistic answer right here.

5

Would have been a good idea for a cavern of times dungeon in WoW.
I try to spekulate how it would destroy the history.
As Arthas did not lost his soul and became the Lich Kings champion he would haver destroyed Lordaeron and Quel’thalas. This would either make one of two things that destroy history.
It would either prevent Illidan from finding the Skull of Gul’dan, getting so mighty enough to build an army of demon hunters or as the Quel’dorei never got decimated, instead the Legion totally destroyed them, making it so unable for Kael’thas to go for outland to search for a cure of the magic hunger and so unable to rescue Illidan after he got trapped by Maiv which would prevent Illidan from creating the Illidari too.
So without the Illidari when the Legion attacked for the third time, there would have been no army to fight them prepared and to disable Mardum.
That would have turned into a drawn out war where the Legion would be able to replenish faster then the inhabitants on Azeroth which would then turn into the doom of the planet, forcing the survivers to escape to outland, a world that is not suitable to live their.

6

If he did not, there would be no Kel’Thuzad. Without Kel’Thuzad, there may have been no Legion invasion, although the Dreadlords may have found another Lich to become summoner, idk.

But, let’s run with that. With no Kel’Thuzad and no replacement Lich, the portal wouldn’t have been opened to the Twisting Nether. Would the humans have, eventually, been able to rally together and drive the scourge out of the Eastern Kingdoms? Maybe, but then what?

Assuming they would not have gone back to Northrend, you’d have this weird situation where the Scourge is sitting in Northrend with Mal’Ganis and Tichondrius looking over them. Ner’Zhul is pissed because he now has NO way out of this mess and will be the Legion’s puppet for all-time.

So, Arthas goes back home to give his father a hug (without the stabby-rip-stab-stab), Jaina maybe forgives Arthas? But then what? Medivh now serves no purpose because the Legion isn’t coming, but he already told Thrall to go to Kalimdor.

So, now Thrall & Co. are in Kalimdor without any humans there and there will be no “oracle” because Medivh is like “well, shoot. . . now what?” The orcs probably still piss off the Night Elves, but Grom can’t kill Cenarius without Mannoroth’s blood. Grom and the Warsong clan die for nothing, Thrall goes into Stonetalon Peak and finds. . . nothing. So he probably sets up shop in Orgrimmar, anyway, because well. . . they aren’t going back at this point.

So, what happens then? Does Cenarius come out of the woods and just wipe the Orcs off the face of the map? I have no clue.

EDIT: The big question is – what if Maiev was honest with Furion about Tyrande just being carried down the river instead of being “Torn apart”? Furion would have had them save Tyrande first, giving Illidan time to complete the channeling using the Eye of Sargeras and cracking open the Lich King’s tomb causing him to die and Arthas. . . well idk if Arthas would have died, but he’d have been “taken care of.” Then none of the rest of the storyline would have been done.

7

He would. We know from Cavern of Times Black Morast that if the dark portal did not had happen the legion would still come, but as the human kingdoms did already a way better job then horde and scourge could, do it would have recieded in the destruction of the planet.

That is really a good question. And while it would have not has the effect of that none of the rest would have happened it would have had another significant effect. The scourge would ran rampart. So instead of Illidan running to outland instead he would need to help Malfurion to kill the legion of Undead that are out of controle, the Dreadlords would need together with Kel’thuzad and Sylvanas work together to get as many as undead under control so they kill at least other undead and not them as anything else.
That would in the end totally destroy Quel’thalas because now the undead from the dreadscar would non stop attack and as the do not run out it would turn Kaels loyal follower the absolute rest of the Blood Elves.
As Alliance, Scourge and Legion need to work together to destroy the ammok running orcs it would force the living humans to recocnize, that the forsaken really just want to have “unlife” so their mistrust will get toned down and so the people of Stromgarde and Stormwind will form a treaty with the undead citizens of Lordaeron.