I know many people are mad at Vol’jin for making Sylvanas warchief and “his blindeness” for believing the Loa despite he was more into hands on the matter rather than talk with the Spirits which made him different from other Shadowhunters but hear me out some of the reason I look forward for his new role
1- Vol’jin is the guidebook about how to waste a character, not going to deny that as many friends have that opinion as well but want to hear something new?
His death also brings a new door for Trolls that echoes from the Zandalari says from MoP “Death be a doorway” aka even in death, Trolls can still influence the world thanks to their will and spiritual practices and guess what is our favorite ex warchief is going to do? SPOILERS WARNING:
His dialogue with Rezan leaves clear he is going to be a key on uniting the Troll tribes once more and we might see a true bloosom on the Troll civilization working alongside the Horde and being as a whole more active in the new events of the world. Darkspear from a small tribe that ran away from the Gurubashi to face off the Lich King, Old Gods and even overthrow a dictatorship backed by dark powers twice in order to put a goverment that benefits them is something many races wishes to have as an arc(alliance wanting to murder the terrible king Manduin)
2- A new powerhouse which the Horde can feel pride for being a avid defender of its people but also not a warmonger and was keeping the most dangerous elements within the Horde at bay(Sylvanas under him did literally nothing which speaks a lot of his efficence at drawing lines for his peep to follow) and this is what the Horde truly needs at this moment.
A true leader that makes us look at him with pride because we can count on him if needed(After all he saved the Horde from Garrosh path of destruction and possible the world) and he is not a pro Alliance character to the point he feels like some herald from them like certain light bulb in Oribos cough Calia cough
-Finally even if the writers doesn’t touch him much after SL unlike the hands of valour did because the foundations are laid and we only need to wait out for slowly to see the tribes comes and perhaps in some not very far future have playable trolls from all tribes and their allies like the fantastic Sethraks and the Tortollans!
I find the concept of Loa’jin to be really cool and I hope they don’t ruin it. I did kind of give up hope that blizz is even aware of the whole troll prophecy thing
Sarm friend, you know we already exist on Zandalari Druid, join us at the Zandalari brotherhood!
Considering Vol’jin was asked for Fans to appear again, I think they’re going to follow the prophecy but likely with Zandalar playing a more central role now alongside them.
Not for nothing we’ve Bwonsamdi on the front in SL and a previous book about him being one of the best characters in BFA.
I find it a bit hard to blame Vo’jin himself; the guy admittedly might not have been entirely lucid as it was, what with fel poison burning through him at the time as he teetered on the edge of death.
What fault I do find is that nobody thought to maybe have some of the other Darkspear shadow hunters arrange a clear-headed get-together with their loa to sort things out and make sure Vol’jin had heard right.
Even Ner’zhul eventually went down to Oshu’gun to get some straight answers from the source about why the spirits had made such weird demands of the orcs and then fallen silent, even if by then it was far too late for him to reverse the course of the orcs. Apparently none of the Horde’s spiritual leaders thought it might be worth following up with the loa to ask why they would want Vol’jin to put Sylvanas in charge, until Vol’jin himself came back in BfA to interrogate a few death-aligned entities.
Honestly it’s irritating how many times the same sort of things happen to the Horde and it just shrugs its shoulders each time and learns absolutely nothing from the consequences. It leaves me convinced that if the ancestors started speaking to the orcish shamans again tomorrow and demanded that they renew the genocide of the draenei, even after everything that happened on Draenor they’d just commence the butchery again without asking any questions.
As long as the Horde ignores its spiritual leaders to engage in reckless slaughter for worldly reasons they’re treated as fonts of unassailable wisdom, but the moment the Horde starts listening to them, we’re given reasons to think that same spirituality is really just a malicious tool by which they’re effortlessly manipulated into doing the same sort of awful things for no good reason.
I’ve always loved Vol’jin, and it truly upset me the way they treated him in Legion. The Broken Shore intro was insulting enough, with Sylvanas being treated like WC before Jin even hit the dirt. Gutting him by trash mob. Turning him into yet another Ner’zhul parallel like they did AU Grom. Then they did nothing with WC Sylvanas beyond her going into Stormheim and pulling an homage to Arthas’ “New World Order” line when he killed his father. But only to the Alliance PC, to really sell she meant nothing good for the Horde.
It couldn’t be clearer that they killed him to shoe-horn Sylvanas into the drivers seat, and the only reason I could think of at the time was not because “she was the more popular character” (as many of her supporters claimed) … but because they wanted WC Windrunner to do something that WC Vol’jin would never do. And they stomped all over him to do it. And people wonder why I was so damned convinced they would have her pull a “Use them and bail” Sylvie classic after she burned Teld.
All I can hope is that we have a meaningful resolution for his ascension to a Loa. That that Loa form retains his character, to ensure it has lasting meaning. And above all, that the writers remember enough about his lore to have that new state of being tie into Sen’jins prophecy. For him to become the person he needs to be to help lead ALL of Troll kind to a brighter future.
I think the most insulting part about Vol’jins death is…he died due to a stab by a trash mob and Varian got this heroic send off. It seemed really out of touch. Especially as you said, before Vol’jins body was even cold, everyone was already treating Sylvanas as warchief
Vol’jin wasn’t even a body before they were treating Sylvanas as Warchief. When’s the last time you’ve played the Broken Shore Legion intro? Truly, the entire thing portrays Sylvanas as Varian’s parallel. No focus on Jin, you have to actually search for him. Then the Warrior, Rogue, Priest, Monk Hybrid who’s besties with the Loa of Graves gets gutted by Fel Guard 264 … and then “da spirits” tell him that he should just get over both he and Bwon’s apparent dislike and mistrust of Sylvanas … she needs to be Warchief.
Its was absurdly insulting to a guy who survived having his throat slit by a blade coated in poison meant to mitigate Troll Regeneration, and probably the single most intra-specialized Melee combatant on either Faction. But … we couldn’t have villain batted the Horde again while he was in charge … so he had to go. And be turned into another Horde Ner’zhul parallel for good measure. He earned his Warchief title and they didn’t allow him to do anything with it. Because they needed a plot-device to settup SLs.
Like how Genn and Varian blame Sylvanas for sounding the retreat when as far as either of them were aware at the time she was not Warchief. They did not know Vol’jin fell, so Sylvie sounding the retreat would have had to have come from his orders. It boggles the mind.
They even see the demons standing on the ledge and using their logic…they immediately scream betrayal. I was like Genn..dude, can you calm down for like 5 seconds and think logically this one time?
I love that its perceived as a “betrayal” too. Like, truly, the Horde line buckled on the easier front and yet the Alliance (that hadn’t even gotten within spitting distance of Gul’dan) thought they were going to break the lines of every single named Demon in all of Warcraft Lore to get him. Seriously, that’s the “betrayal”. The one that the Horde proved they were without honor, and thus justified Stormheim. So much so that the Horde wasn’t even allowed to react to the attempted assassination against their new Warchief.
Sigh … whatever. Back to the point of the thread. Vol’jin’s ascension to Loa needs to retain his identity when its done, have a hell of a cool model, and be tied into his father’s prophecy for him. And once we’re out of SLs, he can work with Rokhan and Zekhan to bring in the Farraki to the Horde to start. They are likely going to have a tough time with their Loa of Death’s betrayal of their souls. Then he and Talanji can work cooperatively with the Forsaken/BEs/Frostwolves to bring in and help the Forest Trolls.
There are two ways I am hoping for Vol’jin’s ascension to go. They aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive but they might be a little over-designed if they do both at the same time, so either/or works.
Vol’jin and Rezan become merged in such a way that they both retain their personalities and individuality but are inseparably intertwined. Sort of a Clavicus Vile / Barnabus situation. One entity with two minds and bodies that can separate, but that separation causes a severe loss in power for both involved. Vol’jin would basically function like a WoW hunter with Rezan as his pet. Just as gods instead of mortals.
Vol’jin returns fully as a shadowy god with some tyrannosaurus themed powers. Maybe he can conjure giant shadowy dinosaur jaws, but mostly he can teleport, turn invisible, and move through shadows unseen. He becomes the new patron loa of the Darkspear since Bwonsamdi now must focus more on the Zandalari, and part of this is forming a bond with the new Darkspear leader Rokhan. Loa’jin and Rokhan become a dangerous duo of loa and shadowhunter, with Rokhan invoking Vol’jin’s divine form to seek and destroy far away targets with perfect stealth while Rokhan takes enemies out in melee. This gives Rokhan a unique power set and fighting style so hopefully Blizzard uses him more so both characters can get some screentime and development together. Most importantly Vol’jin can help guide Rokhan in the same way Bwonsamdi once guided Vol’jin.
As a note, I don’t think Jin will be the Loa of Kings. That seems to be a title that can be granted, no one that is innate to Loa. Looking at Rezan’s titles, he was also known as the “God of the Hunt” … and considering what Jin’s final words before going into the pod, and what he was in life … I would guess that he’ll be reborn as “The Loa of the Hunt”. Hunting for a prosperous, bright future for all Trolls I would hope.
Indeed. If they go with my first option Vol’jin could literally be the god of hunters. Granted, Gonk is also a Lord of the Hunt as far as titles, but I’d be fine with him emphasizing his Loa of Shapes and Lord of the Pack while Vol’jin becomes more of the actual act of hunting.
So, I can tell I’m going far against the grain with this opinion, but personally I’d rather not see Vol’jin show up in the story again. I get that’s not going to happen, but I figured the one “good” thing about his death, if you can call it such, is that he wouldn’t be around anymore for any in-game side-eying for the Sylvanas nomination.
I feel like it doesn’t really matter what happens to his character now, because he’s always going to be one of Blizzard’s story dominos for BFA. I’m not going to be able to see him in-game and not instantly go to that, instead of whatever attempted cool moments they try to do with him.
Personally that entirely depends on what they DO with his godhood. I really, really hope he’ll be instrumental in defeating Sylvanas and/or the Jailer so he can redeem himself and get his revenge for being used. It’d give his character back the agency he lost so that BfA could be set up.
Like I’ve said a few times before I really want him to be the one who drags Sylvanas’ soul to her deserved afterlife when all is said and done. It’d be very appropriate. Barring that have him help us bring down the Jailer.
I dunno how likely either is. I mean, Blizzard didn’t even give Vol’jin a shot at Garrosh even after blatant foreshadowing with his “arrow through your black heart” line and Garrosh’s fight literally involving a giant heart. Blizzard is just… Not good at story telling.
But it is what I am hoping for. Vol’jin needs to do something to actively make up for being made a stooge before I can really respect him again and fully enjoy his ascension.
What all Loa do, guide their people. Rokhan is the leader of the Darkspear. Talanji is the leader of the Zandalari. Sen’jin envisioned something more for his son. Someone who will help guide all Troll-kind to a brighter future. Even if it isn’t necessarily the one of a Glorified Past they’ve been so fixed on. One that truly can never be reclaimed. Jin should have a continuous presence within the Horde Troll factions, but it should be Rokhan, Zekhan, and Talanji that are built up as their representatives. Vol’jin, like Bwon, needs to be something more. They need to be Loa that unite their people. Even if they remain divided as tribes.
EDIT: And yes, he does need to play a role in the Sylvanas issue. And IMO, he’s not the only one who needs that sort of development to get him to that point. Both Thrall and Baine need the growth and “power-ups” reflecting that growth to also be the people their people’s need by the time they return from the SLs. And to play roles, tangible roles, in dealing with Sylvanas.
