In a universe with dragons that can shapeshift into humanoids, you guys are debating the possibility of holy zombies?
Wasn’t it just last expansion with a holy demon? Why is it so hard to imagine an undead being infused with the light? It’s already pretty apparent that the light is a semi-sentient force in the universe. Maybe “it” sees a benefit to not harming the corpse of its host.
Oh I DM a Curse of Strahd campaign, I know alllll about D&D resurrection 
But WoW doesn’t have those systems in place. Every time a character comes back from the dead in the story, it involves complicated rituals, a hefty amount of magic juice, and somebody going and digging up Gul’dan’s skull again.
You’re speaking of Logic in wow?! For goodness sake a Giant Albino Stag made a baby with a Moon. Do not get started on how an morbidly obese Earth Elemental woman procreated with an Organic lifeform.
Actually in game there is undead characters who clinged onto the light ex undead holy priests which are playable and there are a few undead paladins in game that though aren’t playable they will be soon.
Lighforge Undead?
It’s no more game breaking than the playable Demon Paladins Burning Crusade revealed over a decade ago.
Get over it.
Which horse is taking the worse beating: undead paladin or high elf?
That is true. The thing is must be able and plausible. Light is positive energy for all intense and purpose. It used to raise the dead. If it suddenly is also positive and can make undead. Then it in effect would imploded from being positive and negative at same time. I am all for shaken things up.
Like making Frankenstein of light energy. That make sense and add a great twist. Do not like that what about a light enhanced were wolf. Instead getting powers from moon/curse it getting from light. These follow at least some form of laws.
Yes because Blizzard set the rules and now they’re breaking them. That’s what people are debating.
What exactly is established? That Lordaeron civilians died and we brought back in undeath?
There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
And yet they did in a Book before BfA was released. Oh and looks like she’s going to be in game soon.
I think light forge undead could have unique story angle if they are handled properly. Necromancy doesn’t necessarily have to be the only magic to have the monopoly on resurrection magic.
The light is strongly associated with order and singular absolutes and thematically the idea of both death and spirit could add some interesting nuances to this race flavor.
For instance I could see the light aspect and themes making this race more oriented to humanity’s Titan construct past. A marble color pallet combined with a emotional detachment would make them eerie in conversation and frightening in combat due to their unshakeable fortitude.
If they look anything like Calia I would certainly roll one, but if they are just the forsaken undead model with light poking out of their bodies instead of bone I will likely pass.
The only things that react badly to Light is Fel and Void…
The Undead of Shadowmoon Valley are Void Undead and the Scourge is referred to in Classic as being made from Demonic and Necromantic Magics.
Most Undead aren’t raised through pure Death Magic… They are usually raised with the aid of Void or Fel Magic…
Calia is one of the few instances of Light rather than Fel or Void aiding the Death Magic…
Death Magic originates from Life being killed through some means or another. Life usually dies from being preyed upon by other Life, by accident, by being smote dead by the Light or by Decay/Void.
I do agree with this, but unfortunately, Blizzard has a bit of a track record with bungling subtle bits of the lore.
This could be a part of showing both the good AND bad side of the light with some new form of re-life or whatever, but it’s unfortunately likely to be handled as “undead but holy”, and that’s not going to be any fun.
I kinda of hoping they could do the comparison between the emotionally rich but unstable Forsaken against the emotionally stunted but orderly Light forged.
Madness vs lobotomy
I don’t see that’s what might be happening here, though. Still…WoW lore never really had a solid foundation to build on.
True, then they made Chronicles, said it was the basis, then retconned it immediately.
Why are we assuming that lightforged undead are going to be a thing when there is a much easier explanation. Clearly Sylvannas is on her way out of the horde (and that includes being a racial leader since blizzard is not introducing a 3rd faction), and blizzard needs a prominent lore figure to take her place, and what better person then the rightful heir to lordaeron, who just so happened to be undead now.
As well it should.
The neckbeards will cope.
The theory crafters may think this is a going to happen. But as always time will tell won’t it?
Gameplay > Your lore. Look back at how many times blizzard Sacrificed lore to game play.