What Characters do you think are underrated

Lore Story Forum
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As followup to that other thread about overrated characters(AKA characters we don’t like), I wanna talk about underrated characters.

Characters who you think are pretty cool but you don’t think they get enough screen-time in the narrative or acclaim regarding their characterization.

I freakin’ LOVE Kargath, he’s easily one of my favorite characters in the whole franchise. There’s nothing more Bad-A than a former slave/gladiator growing up in bondage and eventually leading a revolt to overthrow their oppressors and inspires numerous others to do the same which leads the formation of an organization based around brotherhood and freedom. Then goes on to be only non-warlock member of the inner Shadow Council alongside the likes of Cho’gall and Teron’gor. He’s such a CRIMINALLY underrated character, being whacked off as a mere dungeon boss in TBC and again in WoD, when he was made a victim of the expansion being cut.

If he had lived through TBC, I imagine he could’ve gone on to be a great mentor figure for Thrall, having gone through a largely similar upbringing, would’ve been awesome to see their very different personalities and ideologies clash, but also find common ground. While Kargaths influence toughens up Thrall to the harsh realities of the world and the nature of war, Thralls influence on Kargath could show him that there’s more to life than the ceaseless warfare and hatred that has defined him his whole life.

There’s just alot more I fee they could’ve done with, at the time, the last remaining original Horde leader. Especially given that the Horde storyline of Hellfire Peninsula heavily dealt with the Forsaken and Orcs searching for a way to cure those tainted by Magtheridons’ blood.

I also think that Thura is an underrated character. For those of you who haven’t read the Stormrage novel, Thura is a young Orc woman and is the indirect niece of both Varok and Broxigar Saurfang, and the current wielder of the Axe of Cenarius, famously wielded by her uncle to slay thousands of demons during the WotA and even struck a blow against the dark titan himself(during a convoluted time travel plot).

I personally liked the story and I especially just liked the prospect of a warrior character that’s actually capable of reaching similar levels of power to those of WCs most powerful spell-casters such as Jaina Proudmoore, Khadgar, and the like. And I just personally feel like Thura has the potential to be just that(after developing her skills utilizing the Axe for a time, of course). WoW, especially recently, just feels like the only useful characters to have around are the ones who are capable of superhuman feats like freezing an ocean or flight, and I just think it’d be super cool for there to be a character that can prove how formidable warriors can be, since most of their depictions in lore only seem pretty easily bested by anything remotely enhanced by magic.

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Alleria is one of them, Maiev Shadowsong, Jared Shadowsong, Vereesa, Valeera, Muradin, Kuradin Wildhammer, Umbric, Aethas Sunreaver, Darius Crowley, Darius’s Daughter, Genn’s Daughter, Rexxar, Trollbane from Stromgarde Warfront, Akuma, and etc that I am trying to think of in terms of everything.

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Tehd and Marius.

:pancakes:

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Nathanos Blightcaller.

The amount of hatred he gets from the fandom just because of his association to Sylvanas is honestly laughable. Meanwhile, Sylvanas fans also hate him lol. So which is it?? Half the fandom are just a bunch of babies and couldn’t handle his attitude - which was honestly refreshing in BFA. They blame Sylvanas, but nah, they just want every NPC to be uwu to them.

Fans are also hypocrites. They say they want different characters to have the spotlight from expac to expac. Nathanos played a MINOR role as a questgiver in Legion. He didn’t play an important role until BFA, and pretty much only when you were doing a specific questline. Then he was offed at the end of the expac. He had the spotlight for ONE expac guys…Which was the character treatment you all asked for.

And as someone who didn’t play Legion or BFA until late last year, I really thought by the amount of Nathanos hate that he was just in your face 24/7. So when I finally played I had to laugh :joy: You all exxagerate so much. He wasn’t in your face 24/7, his character use was pretty average, and believe it or not…he actually thanks you for quests, saying “good job” like any other NPC. Amazing right?

Point is, the amount of hatred this character gets is just exhausting.

Take Sylvanas out of the picture, and he’s a perfectly great character. Which is why I’m listing him here, because the amount of hatred he gets really underrates his character, as his own character.

He’s a grumpy tired tm undead man, with a sound logical mind. He has no plans of evil grandeur, unlike Sylvanas. In Before the Storm, Nathanos respected the Forsaken Council and thought they were harmless. He listened to them, agreed to help them and showed loyalty to the Forsaken…He could have been built as the next Forsaken leader. Folks forget that Voss followed his lead.

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i think Alleria, Maiev and Jarod Shadowsongs are good starts

i would like to see more of rommath and think it would be awesome a really powerfull elf mage again, capable to counterbalance jaina, and in my pov, rommath would be first able to fit this bill (on hordeside)

on the other side, i would like to see more of evenshade aswell and his developement.

Umbric of course could be a real cool Character and i want to see more of the dark iron hammerthan, his weapon looks really awesome and he seems interesting.

tbh. most wow Characters are unterrated.

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Grand Lector Enaara, her priest spells are awesome, they did her dirty by leaving her in a ship in BfA.

Drek’thar, veteran and a powerful shaman who better represented the orcs’ moral compass than Saurfang.

Lucille Waycrest, stepped well into a leadership role and a direct conflict despite not being a fighter.

Lilian Voss, she had some really cool abilities and it would make sense to see her more on the front lines. She may not be a powerhouse but she has versatility, speed and subtlety to make up for it.

There’s also the grandma orc shaman from Cata questing whose name I can’t remember who had a really cool connection to the elements. Speaking of shaman, the lady who builds the boat for the Kul Tiras recruitment questline.

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Or just hit shades with Umbric seeing as the fact Rommath pretty much hates Umbric, Jaina, and even Khadgar.

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  • rommath
  • Nathanos (too late now but alas, lots of short story development recently but nothing ingame until bfa)
  • Lilian
  • Gazlowe
  • Lorthemar
  • Rokhan (but not as bad post BFA, he finally got development albeit still doesn’t have a unique model)
  • The entire Reliquary of Silvermoon (if I have to work with the dwarves again ONE MORE TIME SO HELP ME ZOVAAL’S LEFT NIPPLE)
  • Really the entire Horde roster, Baine included, except for Thrall
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The VanCleefs
Nefarian
Asric and Jadaar
The Four Horsemen of the Ebon Blade

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I disagree with you on alot of things, but if there is one thing we have had common ground about, it is on the subject of Thura.

She is kind of a blank slate, as far as the game. I don’t think she even has an NPC. Even Tyrathan Khort at least has that - he is chillin’ near Voljin’s funeral.

One possible fate for Thura that I would like to see, is if she became a bridge for healing between the Horde and the Night Elves. She is probably the best suited to do it. I think it would be cool if she spoke with Tyrande and Malfurion, and said something like:

Thura approaches Malfiuron, with the axe of Cenarius in her hand

“Long ago, my uncle, Broxigar, was trusted and empowered by your people to wield this weapon against the enemies of Azeroth. Yet, my uncle Varok, despite all his heroism, will forever be tainted for his part in the War of Thorns. In the name of my family, I wish to help repair the damage caused by Varok, as well as honor the sacrifice of Broxigar.”

It would be cool if she became sort of the Horde’s Warden of the Wood. Like, she went through Ashenvale and Darkshore and helped rebuild what the Horde destroyed, as well as defending civilian Night Elves, and regulating wanton destruction of the forest by Goblins and Orcs.

It isn’t some major spotlight - but it is a unique position her character could have. Maybe legends grow among the Night Elves of an Orc who stalks the woods, wielding the Axe of Cenarius, who defends them and leaves gifts to help them survive and rebuild.

One of my favorite little no name NPCs is The Black Bride. I will always remember the first time I saw her, back in Vanilla. Hammerfall will always have a special place in my heart, and I hope the Horde can hold it against the Alliance, but that is looking grim.

I hoped I would learn more about her, but there isn’t much. This is one of the theories I invented with little to no basis other than her name :

Two noble and powerful families were in the tail end of wedding celebrations, when the Scourge came. The wedding was over, and the couple had been joined, but the bride and most of the family on both sides were killed, leaving the cowardly husband who fled as the heir to both fortunes.

After she was freed from the Scourge, she finds out that her husband has remarried, squandered the wealth of both families, and is helping the Alliance. So, she defends her claims, and the claims of other Undead in Arathi.

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i like your idea about Thura.

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Takes a shot

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Well, I can only follow up my comment from the mentioned thread: Azeroth.

Same reasoning, for me the world is the main character [not Anduin, Thrall, or whatever other NPC] and I started playing to see the changes of the world.

I see the actual NPCs as windows to learn more about Azeroth. Their ideas, conflicts, hopes and wishes - as a way to explore the cultures, history, different perspective on the events, how various situations can produse both good and bad things.

Not 1 size fits all nonsense, or that there is 1 right™ way of handling every imaginable situation that is correct™ across the universe and every context. But since we got so many races able to survive till now - there is something to appreciate in all of them. Maybe flaws too, and both sides are good to have.

And from all of those comes together the main (for me) story: that of Azeroth. Maybe even as a “person”, although I think that such “otherwordly creature” must be depicted not as oversized human, but something inhuman, yet someone to which we’re connected for better and for worse. (sound almost like “till death do us part”)

edit: the world as something evolving and everchanging is not something underrated by the community, but something downplayed by the current story, that focuses on a few “main characters”.

gl hf

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The reason most of those characters are underrated is simply because they haven’t been really developed, especially not in actually cool ways.

The Reliquary is pretty much the “red headed step child” of the archaeology/Indiana Jones themed content of the game as Blizzard is tends to basically us Alliance as the default.

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There are too many… But I guess… Geya’rah

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Hey, you fired first.

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Hamuul is pretty underrated. The guy is very clearly the (albeit, uh, definitely distant) second strongest Druid alive, receives multiple big powerups in books and quests, and then gets dropped from the story like a bag of dirt. Hamuul is one of the few magical powerhouses of the Horde—which there aren’t many of, common complaint—and gets no showtime.

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In all fairness, Rommath hates anyone who’s not a Blood Elf… And he’s not all that fond of even some of them.

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I think dwarves as a race have been criminally underused since the Council was established.

It’s like they achieved everything they had been searching for in Vanilla (political unity and their/Azeroth’s origin story), then peaced out of the narrative beyond sending soldiers to assist the other subfactions.

An amoral, machiavellian Emperor Dagran II who wants to further the colonial aspirations of the dwarves and sees the Alliance as a vehicle to do so would be a nice counterpart to Anduin.

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Hear, hear.

Vol’jin (yes I’m serious)
Vanessa VanCleef
The Four Horsemen
Rexxar
Mekkatorque
Gazlowe
The Black Harvest

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