I found myself thinking of rolling up a Demon Hunter. No real burning desire to play one it’s just one of the last classes I need to push up to 120 to have the full set.
Between WC3, BC and Legion I think I get the gist of their deal. But post Legion, what are they supposed to do exactly?
Thankfully Azeroth always has problems so winged, fel fueled glaive elves can always find work.
But the Legion - the thing they sacrificed everything to combat is pretty much sorted. So what do they do to feel purposeful these days?
I imagine it is like you say, there will usually be plenty of work for skilled entities like Demon Hunters.
Demons and demonic incursions will likely always be threat; the universe is still full of countless of them each looking to create their own mini Legion after the dark titan’s fall. The Illidari order is still around, granted with the fall of Legion and Illidan going on what’s likely to be an eon or more long prison guard duty, a lot of their fire has dwindled.
Much will depend on the individual Demon Hunters as well, Sin’Dorei/Keldorei being an important factor.
Some Blood Elves might look to return to their society; which is more open minded and welcoming of warlocks/magic/demons than their Keldorei counterparts. They might even become quite popular in certain circles, especially if their demonic corruption is not the ugly kind.
For the Keldorei Demon Hunters, a lot of them joined the Illidari to save/protect/avenge their people. Following that motivation; once the planetary threat of the Legion has been stopped, it is very likely a lot of them have returned to defend the Keldorei lands in Ashenvale given the Horde’s aggressive campaign against them. After all, it would be very pointless to wage an extraterrestrial war against demonic legions only for your neighbors to destroy the home and people you originally left to fight for.
As previously mentioned demons are likely always going to be a threat; and as long they remain I’m certain the Demon Hunters, and by extension the Illidari, are unlikely to be out of work. That alone would probably be enough.
I’ve observed many DH rpers claiming to have left the Illidari, often being part of other organizations or working independently as mercs. I suppose this would be an example of things depending on the individual.
I personally have my DH working as Private Investigator, specializing in particularly supernatural cases; essentially looking to be presented with more opportunities. I also have a couple other plot threads set up or her; hunting her wayward sister who became a full demon, simply exploring the modern world (as I’d imagine being trapped in a crystal in Warden prison would lead to a lot of perceived changes), and contemplating training new Demon Hunters, or at least educating people more about them.
I’m preferring to forget that I ever went down that road (ooc reason i rolled demon hunter being that I can’t play rogue) and keeping use of demonic powers to a minimum.
I guess here’s where I’m confused. Didn’t the Wardens visit some police brutality on DHs in Black Temple? Sealing you away in fel gunk until they went full Demolition Man in Legion?
I guess I’m confused why a Kaldorei DH would feel especially patriotic. Until your aid was necessary your sacrifices were viewed as high crimes punishable by eternal life sentence without trial. I feel like the vibe would be more John Rambo than Steve Rogers but that’s why I’m asking questions.
I did roll a Nelf one. I’ve already a Sin’Dorei Blood Mage (Destro Lock), another Felbelf would just be overkill.
There was a good thread about DH motivation back shortly after Legion was announced, but it got nuked from orbit.
More or less, after Legion, you should have two(ish) main camps that DH fall into.
The first being those who are just super-dedicated to protecting Azeroth. I’m not hugely into this one, but the Harbingers: Illidan short gave DH the tagline of “We will sacrifice anything to protect Azeroth”. Even with the Legion gone, Azeroth still has threats out there.
The second, and one that I prefer, is basically just suicide. Maybe not directly falling on their sword, but staying behind with Illidan in the Nether, staying on Argus / moving beyond it to endlessly hunt the remnants of the Legion through the nether. The various Warcraft novels are generally pretty pulpy and not great writing, but the Illidan novel did do a good job at giving a glimpse into the horrific emotional damage someone had to suffer to actually think that becoming a DH was a viable solution. I feel it’s rather poignant for them to find the graves of their loved ones / site of their failure, curl up, and just die. Having defeated their ultimate foe and earned their final rest.
There are of course smaller camps. Ye’ odd DH who goes off into the corner of the world to ekk out a simple life on their own. The half-crazed ones who’re twisted and warped, needing a foe to fight, and must be put down. The power-hungry ones who probably try to take on the mantle of the legion in some way and become stronger, and will also probably need to be put down.
We’re consistently shown that DH’s tend to be pretty unstable / fall to corruption, and death seekers to a certain extent. So a lot of them probably died post legion. Which is fitting, given they were supposed to be self sacrificing warheads who had nothing left to live for.
Some hardcore DH RPers have put forth the concept that with the Legion neutered that there comes the Final Hunt.
Where some demon hunters start taking it upon themselves to put down every last vestige of the Legion… including other DH’s and ultimately they commit suicide.
You seem to forget why most Demon Hunters took the road that led us to gouge our own eyes out and bond the essence of demons in ourselves.
To save their people.
For Night Elf demon hunters, their people are still under threat. Most of the skills and techniques they’ve learned to kill demons are just as handy against the Horde.
I imagine their Blood Elf counterparts feel the same way… and have no issue with turning their glaives on their Night Elf counterparts.
That’s the stream-lined white-washed version you get from clicking on DH NPCs.
Again I don’t think that any of the Warcraft novels are good, but reading the Vandal parts (at least until about half-way, when his training is done) gives a fantastic view into the psyche of the elves - both blood and night - that wanted to become demon hunters.
Spoiler alert: They didn’t do it to save anyone, they did it to damn themselves, atone for their failures, and most of all to get revenge. They’re a wonderfully messed up bunch.
Without trying to scrape up the vestiges of the old thread, demon hunters aren’t the warriors who fought to save their kind and didn’t win the war. They’re not representative of sane individuals trying to save others / get revenge. They’re the cowards who deserted on the eve of battle - or in the middle of it - and ran as they heard their friends die. The boy who fled a doomed town with his brother, and when the felhounds had their trail stabbed his brother in the leg so they’d have someone to eat alive and he’d get away. The mother who was paralyzed by fear in the closest while her family was slaughtered in the next room, and didn’t move as the blood pooled under the door and warmed her cold feet. The father who didn’t run into his burning home to save his children.
They’re the broken dregs who lost everything. Including themselves.
As an aside, the “Final Hunt” concept isn’t too bad either. Especially if you consider some of their kind trying to flee those who are on such a path, and in turn gradually forming their own new legion. Becoming the same monster you hate to kill those monsters, and then inadvertently replacing them once they’re gone. That kind cyclical irony would be fairly poetic for them.
I would imagine the dynamic would be a bit different between the Night Elf and Blood Elf Demon Hunters.
Whilst the Night Elves are fighting a brutal and relentless war against ceaseless Horde incursions against their ancestral lands in Kalimdor; the Blood Elves suffer no similar grievances with constant crusades into their lands by the Alliance.
Since their lands are secure(by Warcraft’s standards), I would actually imagine Blood Elf demon hunters having quite a bit of sympathy for their Night Elven colleagues, and probably view the faction war as quite foolish. I do not imagine most Blood Elves having a deep burning hatred for the Night Elves; petty rivalry sure, but no existential animosity.
… that is of course not including those Blood Elf Demon Hunters whom are so corrupted by their demons that they’d simply relish watching the world burn, but those would be the minority I’d imagine.
While not a Demon Hunter, Lorash certainly had a deep hatred for the Night Elves and Malfruion in particular for the Exile of the Quel’dorei. I would be surprised to learn that he would be unique in his attitude. A Demon Hunter who lost faith in Illidan might be quite happy to sharpen his glaives on his Night Elf counterparts who would be equally happy to return the favor.
I never said they were sane. You literally would have to be nuts to go the Illidanic Path. I am going by the in-game cinematic story of the Night elf DH recruit. And I generally put in-game material on a higher tier than third party authors who may have no experience of the game material itself.
The standard greeting of a DH NPC is “What have you sacrificed?” That’s their deal… sacrifice.
William King’s novel Illidan does do a good job of offering a glimpse into the messed up world of the Demon Hunter. I think portraying that each and every Demon Hunter had their own motivation that was usually closely linked with whatever their personal damage was, was pretty effective. They are indeed a wonderfully messed up bunch.
I disagree however with what felt like a broad brushing of Demon Hunters, saying that they aren’t the warriors who fought to save their kind and didn’t win the war. I don’t believe that’s accurate. I’m sure that there exist those character types as you described them who are looking to atone for whatever their sin, perceived or actual. Those who are seeking to overcome major character flaws such as the ones you’ve illustrated. Those varying degrees of character flaws may be more prevalent in this bunch than in others, but I still hesitate at broad brushing the entirety of Demon Hunters with them. To paint them all as cowards or dregs when it takes an incredible amount of focus, fortitude, and perhaps a bit of luck just to survive the training process. Your will has to be absolute and indomitable.
The sane heroic soldier who was left to suffer, broken and defeated by the demon legion, tortured by his failure to save his people against overwhelming odds, can be just as likely to seek out Illidan’s path as anyone else you’ve mentioned.
Individual motivation aside for a moment, I do think that collectively Demon Hunters carry a Never Again outlook. They fight so that their people and their world will never again have to face such depraved evil as the Legion. As much as they’re fighting out of vengeance and personal redemption, they’re also fighting to safeguard this world. Knowing that they’ll never be able to partake in the joy of that peace and protection feeds back into their theme of Sacrificing Everything.
Yeah is that ever explored? If I remember correctly they seem to be trying to disable the Runestones which are the Sin’Dorei’s only working defense against the Scourge teeming outside Eversong.