I would take what Blizzard says with a grain of salt when it comes to their creative direction. These are the same people who first said Lordaeron was payback for Teldrassil. Then they said Battle of Dazar’alor was payback for Teldrassil. Then Darkshore Warfront was payback.
And now they’re saying the Nelves are still looking for payback in Shadowlands.
But then, the final victory over Sylvannas doesn’t go to those she harmed. It doesn’ty go to those she wronged. Even in her last moments of existence, they lose relevance. Their justice is taken from them and given to Arthas.
The kaldorei lose even that last final chance at vengeance, just to make a defeated and dead character who already looked cool look just a little cooler. That’s more satisfying for you?
Poetic would be having Sylvannas weakened from her quasi-divinity because she overreached with her Rube Goldber-like plans. By reaching for one last iota of might, she loses everything and becomes just a banshee. Then a redeemed and revitalized, redeemed and re-alive’d Delaryn kills her, with some speech about how in her afterlife, if Sylvy tries to embrace hope, she can be redeemed too.
And because Sylvannas’s other trait is that she never does what others tell her to, she refuses even this last chance, this mirroring of their encounter in the BfA intro. Even with a final chance to turn back from her dark path, Sylvannas shows she was never redeemable, never capable of walking back. And she dies, waking up on the edge of the Maw (or whatever the border to it is). And as she tries to fight her way to not be soul-eaten, have some other victim of Sylvy’s cast her into final non-existence.
Have Sylvy’s ending be the result of her own machinations, have her final punishment be caused by a night elf, have it clearly stated that there was no salvation for Sylvannas. But bringing in the man who made her into what she was just takes any satisfaction from those who deserve it.
But that’s just my opinion.
That’s why I said it could be Tyrande or Genn or Anduin or any of the jillion other people kicking her into the pit.
For the record, I think we’re speaking in pretty similar terms. I just think it’s a bit more fitting that she suffer the fate that she apparently did all of this to prevent. And the Arthas thing? It’s more the fact that I think that would be Sylvanas personal version of hell.
I don’t really think Sylvanas fears non-existence. I do think she’s afraid of torment, and I don’t think any entity is more capable of giving her actual torment than Arthas.
It’s completely a stylistic preference, mind you.
They (specifically, Travis Day) said she was “not evil.”
Oh yeah, we’re on the same page all the way through. It’s the Arthas bit that rubs me wrong. I get why you like it, and I do see the appeal. I just honestly would rather not have a scenario where people can justifiably say “Sylvannas was dun by wrong! Why’s her abuser the one to ultimately gain victory over her?? Nice statement there, Blizz.”
Basically, I don’t want there to be a reason people can feel bad for her in death. Let her death be as her unlife; horrible, glorious, calamitous and ultimately, her own making.
Isn’t the Maw a part of the Shadowlands on its own, not a place of non-existence?
Probably, but what completely little as heck we know is that souls sent there never come back. So, presumably, there’s a boundary between it and everywhere else.
wouldn’t it be something if they pulled a spiritual aspect and had any number of tormentous ghosts appear as every single person she’s wronged before just kicking her into the Maw of Torghast to be devoured? like the Boggart from harry potter but whatever WoW’s version of that is.
Well evil is a point of view
The Jailer traditionally just IMPRISONED the souls of the worst and most irredeemable beings from the living universe in Torghast, however after the machine of death broke in the Shadow lands and by-passed the Arbiter who sent the souls to their deserved and earned after life whether good or bad, ALL souls now go to The Maw and eventually Torghast where the jailer holds them until he’s ready to devour or as the expansion description of Shadowlands puts it “Expend” their souls.
The only expectation I have of Shadowlands is that Kerrigan-Sylvanas is horrifically mocked and ridiculed even more so than it was in LotV after the game loses more subs due to their RNG on top of RNG AP grind taken to the next level. Maybe they’ll give the Classic team control of Retail WoW since the current team is clearly tanking the game.
I’m really hoping they explain the Jailor quickly in Shadowlands, cause hoo boy that is hard to wrap my head around.
And when whether something is evil or not depends on your point of view, that’s called moral greyness.
Not saying that is what they actually did with Sylvanas. But it is what they led us to expect.
Well if you say it like that, if you read the books, sylvanas literally thinks she is doing what is best for everyone
“The Horde is nothing! You all are nothing!!!” Sylvannas is bad, mmkay.
Unfortunately that could very well be the case for sylvanas. All she ever did and the lengths she went was for the greater good, whether it be to free us from the maw or what. If Silvermoon or Quel’thalas was burned I would feel the same way you do. I would want justice and closure, and for that i am sorry Elesa.
Well, that’s fine, because Saurfang definitely wasn’t “redeemed” for me; singular players aren’t the target audience.
I don’t think he was redeemed for anyone really. A mass murderer changing his mind at some point doesn’t redeem him of his crimes.
Saurfang did a few good things at the end, but he still has commited countless crimes, and the war of thorns was his fault - which was a full scale genocide. He is nowhere near redeemed.
Sure but one gets the feeling a lot of people will see it the same way. Hordies hate her for dragging them through the mud again and Alliance because she’s moustache twirling evil.
That’s the biggest reason why a redemption would make no sense. She’s pissed off far too many people, players and NPCs.