Varian and Sylvanas would've gotten along if things were different

Community General Discussion
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I personally think that if Sylvanas had never fallen during the Invasion of the Scourge, her and Varian would have been extremely close friends, if not there being mutual respect.

Varian and Sylvanas were both willing to sacrifice their life for the defense of their kingdom, with Varian dying so the rest of the Alliance military could get away and Sylvanas dying in a vain attempt to protect the city.

They’re also both military strategists, with Varian having led the Alliance side of the campaign in Northrend, and Sylvanas being High Ranger General as well as orchestrating all of the military campaigns during the fourth war.

Not to mention, if Sylvanas didn’t fall to the hands of Arthas, the Blood Elves probably would’ve never joined the Horde (as it was only due to Sylvanas, who then became the leader of the Forsaken, vouching for them).

These are just my personal thoughts, but I can definitely see Varian and Sylvanas having a healthy friendship with eachother if things had turned out differently.

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Yep. Totally agree. Sylvanas wouldn’t have helped him out before his death, otherwise. She probably figured she couldn’t save him without dying as well, and was unwilling to risk the odds.

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Before they butchered her character, you can SEE the regret she has while they retreat during the Legion cinematic. It’s heartbreaking.

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Interesting implications to think about. If Sylvanas hadn’t fallen, would that have indicated that she fled the battleground, potentially having more of Silvermoon/Qual’thalas fall? Or did she successfully hold Arthas’ advance back, leading to Kel’thuzad never being resurrected and forever crippling the power of the Lich King. Would the blood elves have joined the Alliance, or would they have simply kept to themselves as a neutral party like the other factions of the game? How would the war look if the blood elves joined the Alliance and the night elves joined the Horde? And then it would have turned into Kalimdor vs. the Eastern Kingdoms.

Hmm…I kind of like this alternative thought process. Night elves might actually still be dangerous rather than pathetic kittens like they are under the Alliance.

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Hell, if Greymane could have prevented it, he would have. It was a huge sacrifice for Varian to make and he knew it would be the end.

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Nope. There would be no friendship or anything. Just the death of Azeroth. Without the Forsaken, you’re all doomed. Our being dead(ish), is what gets you all ahead.
/j
:stuck_out_tongue:

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Maybe things go the way they did, but rather than being killed, she’s grievously injured and has to be evacuated?

Thing is, no undead Sylvanas probably means no Forsaken, so once you take that variable out, all the history built off it collapses.

This is the kind of thing I think would give a Bronze Dragon an aneurysm.

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The Butterfly Effect on a large scale. There are so many things that could happen if this event had changed, and these types of alternative realities are fascinating to consider.

And you’re right: would also give the Bronze Dragonflight many, many medical problems.

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And they’d have a demigod to counter Jaina’s demigodess strength. I always thought NE in some way fit the Horde more

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At this point, if it weren’t for the past history with the Horde, Night elves would fit EXTREMELY well into the Horde. They have no home, and seek more natural roots similar to the other races of the Horde. Night Elf fit the savage noble archetype really well, and I can def see how the actions of the Alliance (With Anduin failing to aid the Night Elves after The War of the Roses) could push them towards the faction of the ‘survivors’

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If there was no Anduin - Varian would be much cooler character with no breaks. Like Garrosh

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Were we to go back to the events you’re describing, I think the night elves have similar reasons to join the Horde as they did the Alliance originally. I imagine the choice was a lot more because the Forsaken couldn’t join the Alliance, and it gave the Alliance players a presence on Kalimdor to rival the Horde’s presence on the Eastern Kingdoms. But I never honestly thought the night elves fit in with the Alliance. It always felt forced, especially since human morality was dropped on the night elves like a ton of bricks.

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Lol, can you IMAGINE a sudden faction swap with the Forsaken and Night Elves??? I understand that Voss leads the Forsaken, but I’m sure many of the Forsaken still view Calia as their queen (just as she was their princess in life).

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Oh man, I can’t imagine that would go over well, haha. Honestly it’s part of why I want factions fo go away; the night elves and Forsaken were introduced to the Horde and Alliance and essentially acted as square pegs shoved into round holes;

-Night elves lost what made them unique and interesting, suffocated by human potential

-Forsaken tried to be unique and interesting but ended up getting hit with the typical zombie villain bat

Man do I wish the stories could be race specific instead of faction specific.

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That moment when Vol’Jin tells her she must be Warchief, my jaw dropped and you can see her mouth opening ever so slightly too. It was genuinely a moment for the Horde, uniting with the least likely of all people to help us turn the tide. It was something.

There was a moment where she stood there, presumably for some time, without speaking and just contemplating stuff.

At first I thought she was trying to make sense of her new position as leader of the entire Horde, but lately I think something else was happening at the same time.

I think she knew at that time something bad was happening, but it was something you can’t see or touch.

I preferred the Legion arc over the bfa one for sure. But maybe there is something worth exploring about how Sylvanas was made warchieft because there were greater forces at play using them (and her) as some pawn for something greater at play.

I’m really upset and jaided about the Sylvanas thing. She was one of my favorite characters. I love the anti-hero archetype. But the thing is, for, what was it, 2 years? I felt like human garbage every time I logged into this character.

The world hated me because I was an undead, and I tried to be a loyalist because undead have to stay together in a world that continually rejects their very existence. But that only got worse. And she didn’t care about how loyal you were.

Not even Nathanos mattered to her in the end.

But, all is not lost. There’s new game music for Shadowlands that WoWhead uploaded.

I’ll try not to spoil it, but the name of the music tells something really interesting about what Sylvanas is truly after.

Something is happening, and it’s big.

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I know that the Bliz writers have forgotten it, but I can see how Sylvanas could’ve been corrupted by the old gods all the way back in WotLK when she throws herself off ICC and impales herself on Saronite, AKA Yogg Saron blood

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They would have been fine if the Broken Shore went better too