So the Blizzcon schedule was revealed and on the second day, there is going to be panel called, “World of Warcraft: The Evolution of Thrall.” Now I could be reading into things but I feel that having a panel like that is a sign of Thrall stepping further into the limelight.
So what do you expect to happen with Thrall going forward in the story?
i expect him to keep being a mopey boring shell of his former self and to throw more weapons off cliffs
I am sure this thread will be full of good cheer and plenty of good discussion.
Let’s all relive the good old days of Cataclysm and how we all helped him save the world.
Probably act as the orc representative on the Horde council with all the older members still acting deferential towards him as if he were still Warchief but aside from possibly being a questgiver have no more real importance to the game’s overall story? …naw, they’ll put him in cutscenes talking to Baine, Anduin and Jaina about how the Horde’s latest act of pointless barbarity makes them sad.
I don’t really care. I think it’s too late to restore him to the status he once had, in the eyes of the fans.
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/t/make-anshebelore-a-thing/844186
Also christ go back to the WoD model, for the love of god.
I hope he dies and this is his swan song.
Someone has to die in the Death expansion. I’m betting on Thrall, Tyrande or Bolvar.
You’re interpretation is off - this is clearly a retrospective about Thrall’s progress from the main character of a canceled spin-off game, to Warchief of the Horde, to World Shaman, and finally to his current role as damsel in distress to be rescued from that scary scary elf lady.
There is no looking forward for Thrall. This is his life now - getting Worfed right alongside Baine to sell how powerful the new big bad is and how much cooler and more important Jaina and Anduin are compared to them.
Maybe next expansion we can mercy kill him when the Horde becomes the villains again.
My completely uneducated guess based on nothing but a headliner for a panel is that it’ll be more about the creation and development of his character throughout the years, and any “what’s next” will be relatively short and at the end, because either things won’t be fully hammered out or because they don’t want to leak too many ideas for unrefined expansion content.
Can’t be Thrall because Horde roster is too short.
Can’t be Tyrande because Blizzard hemorrhaged players at the start of BFA post-Teldrassil; killing Tyrande would be driving that nail more.
Probably Bolvar, or at least either “die” (remember, he’s actually still alive, not undead in the usual sense), or die and become the “new” Jailer in charge of Zovaal’s prison (so dead in the narrative, removed from the story).
Loktar Ogar!
Pretty sure it’s Bolvar, they even brought his kid to the Shadowlands to cry over his corpse. Blizzard loves their tragic orphans.
Plus a narrative reversal of the others.
Darion regains his dad. Thrall regains his mom. Lorthemar & Co. regain their king/brother. Shandris saves her mom. Shandris/Tyrande regain their “auntie”. etc.
Taelia loses her father after just having learned he was still… around lol
This probably means that Act 2 of Shadowlands will probably be centralized around Thrall’s reunion with his mother, and the next part of Shadowlands will be about stopping Kel’thuzad as a continuation of the Maldraxxus plot.
Not so much about his future as a leader of the Horde. Although a reunion with Garrosh in Revendreth or Garrosh being a boss we have to fight again would help give closure to that lack of closure at the end of WoD. Which i think would be the perfect set up for Thrall to confront Sylvanas about her times as Warchief. There’s a lot of parallels between that Nagrand finale cinematic and the Reckoning one.
The simplest, and best answer is to actualize that new statue of his. Not the Warchief part, but what that design represents. An Orcish Chieften who takes pride in who and what he was born to be, and a combination of the best traits of his different phases. That Doomhammer Plate and Doomhammer of Thrall, alongside the Frostwolves Braids and Axe of Durotan. Make him a powerhouse Enhancement Shammy while we’re at it, to really sell that mix of Warrior and Shaman.
Thrall needs to return from SLs as the Chieftain the MU Orcish people, Saurfang, Grom, Durotan, Draka, and Doomhammer all need him to be. He’s their legacy, its time he acted like it.
I’m not too sure about shadowlands but it could have something to do with the orc heritage set? Such as returning to Drek’thar?
It might be nice to get Baine in on that Garrosh issue and get that damned boy an actual character arc of his own for once. Rather than being the eternal Plot-Device. If having his own weakness and worthlessness repeatedly shoved into his face within 9.0 is not enough impetus for personal growth … I don’t know what to say. Plus, he’s main rep of the most spiritual worshipping race in the game. It would really be nice for him to get something of personal value, rather than this just being death-knight land.
Every time I see his stupid looking axe I get a little more disappointed that it isn’t Gorehowl.
I’m still rooting for AU Grom to join the AU Mag’har down the road once he gets a little Light Tortured from his victims … 30 years late. It’ll give Geya’rah a chance at an actual character arc with a tangible objective, rescuing him from Light Slavery. It’ll also help pad out their rather pathetic roster.
Thus, Gorehowl.