(NOTE: This is not about the morality of either party’s actions).
In the “Rejection of the Gift”/“The Fate of Xe’ra” cinematic, how was Illidan strong enough to kill her? A’dal in Shattrath was able to one-shot a Fel-reaver, but a Prime Naaru can get one-shotted by Illidan? One could say Naaru are weak… but again, A’dal, and Xe’ra was a Prime Naaru and Naaru aren’t pushovers, right? Look how difficult M’uru was to beat in BC and Lu’ra was on Argus.
If the Light is that weak, how can it be the Void can’t exist without it or vica versa? Not to mention that flies in the face of previous lore of what the Light can do (A’dal protecting Shattrath, purifying the Sunwell, shattering Frostmourne, Army of the Light, enabling Anduin to block a spell from the Jailer himself, being needed to contain Denathrius…).
I don’t know if Illidan’s power level has been established but… a one-hit kill? I get that Demon Hunter eye-beams are powerful but that throws suspension of disbelief.
Xe’ra wasn’t really expecting a fight and Illidan has always been a powerful sorcerer who’s now imbued with a metric ton of fel magic. She was hit suddenly by a great blast at point blank range straight to her core with no time or warning to defend herself. Most anyone, regardless of power levels and capabilities, can be brought down by a simple blow to a vital spot.
Characters in this game like all sloppily written stuff, are as powerful or as weak as the current plot requires them to be.
Plus there is the evil power syndrome where a character who was good, upon becoming evil, suddenly has a huge increase in power. And the converse, an evil character who becomes good suddenly loses a great deal of power.
Illidan power level was always insanely high. And got even higher after a book release, where he was extremely tired and still put a fight against raid of players
Every expansion since Pandaria seems to have at least one character they overuse and even if you liked them, you get really sick of by the end. I liked Khadgar a lot when he was a powerful, severe, mysterious mage. By the end of Draenor I wanted to cave his head in. I never liked Illidan to begin with but he was absolutely insufferable in Legion.
While I like this, I have to ask; how does the “good character gains lots of power after turning evil/evil character loses lots of power after turning good” relate to Illidan and/or Xe’ra?
Just a side thought that the topic brought up. Illidan was just written to do whatever he wants, like how Sylvanas suddenly became a god for no reason other than “I luvs my banshee queen and she’s gonna be important in the next expansion!”
I kited a Fel-Reaver to death by myself at level 70 in TBC. They weren’t that strong. Also, Xe’ra was extremely weakened because she sent her core across the cosmos to Azeroth. She had just been reunited with it when it happened.
It was even stated in the lore that in her current state, normal demons assaulting the ship she was on would be able to destroy her.
I feel like if the Naaru were really that powerful, we wouldn’t have to do work for them alllll the time. I never got the notion that they were powerful. I always considered them fragile.