They’re still the most evil race and after losing undercity that one time they have nothing to offer the Horde. What remains are a fragmented genocidal species under an undead queen who has proven weak and a drain on Horde resources.
Not to mention the horrendous process required to make more Forsaken as they cannot reproduce.
The Forsaken are not Sylvanas, and Sylvanas is not the Forsaken.
Whilst their actions such as, well, almost everything they’ve ever done are evil, they themselves are not inherently evil, nor are they inherently genocidal. Those that remain are genuinely loyal to the Horde, and the predicament of creating new Forsaken is an issue, but it is something that will be addressed in the future (probably).
The Horde has no reason to kick the Forsaken out, their fragmented/weakened state is not an issue and they still offer their very nature as undead beings (they don’t need to eat, sleep, drink, etcetera). Faranell and the R.A.S are also still kicking and don’t seem to be slowing down with their various chemicals any time soon, and the Deathstalkers are some of the best assassins/spies around in the setting, not to mention of course the Dark Rangers.
They turned on Sylvanas when forced to choose between her and The Horde. It was one of the few poignant moments from BFA for me, as their existence had largely been one of rejection up until that point. Like most things, it was ruined by being connected to the broader storyline, but as a scene taken in isolation it was cool.
Have you played through 9.2.5 ? The Forsaken have reclaimed Undercity, they’re being led by a council composed of representatives of the main branches of their society, and the “horrendous process required to make more Forsaken” is gone.
They’re probably one of the key races of the Horde. They provide the Horde with a strong foothold in the EK, rogues and assassins, Abomination bodyguards and shock troops, deadly war technology, chemistry and science in general, and a proper intelligence service which is a thing the Horde basically lacks otherwise (the Shattered Hand is officially the Horde equivalent to the SI:7 but they’re virtually unused). Probably in the top 5 of the most critical members of the Horde alongside the Sin’dorei, Bilgewater, Orcs and Shal’dorei.
They do well enough.
They chiefly bring their alchemical and medicinal knowledge to the table.
True, that knowledge is more often used for poisons than anything else, their prowess is nothing to shake a nose at.
When the Lich King unleashed his new Plague prior to WotLK, it was the Forsaken that cured it.
And, interestingly enough, even with the Blood Elves and Nightborne, it’s the Forsaken that seem to be teaching the Arcane to the rest of the Horde.
Undead Council now, actually.
Hurray… Democracy?
Wait, I don’t remember voting for any of these knuckleheads.
What resources?
They don’t need food or water.
They don’t even need proper housing. Just a nice corner to seethe and rattle in.
And, historically, they’ve handled their own military matters for the most part.
Not that horrendous, really.
As long as they nix the “Kill and Raise” approach and focus on Zelling-style raisings and freeing Scourge they should be good to go.
Actually Sylvannas (I don’t need a band anymore,and you all suck anyway!) dumped them along with everyone else when she embarked on her new solo career.
She even tells the loyalist player, “I am not going to save you from what’s coming.”
Honestly though, thinking about it, is it really that surprising? If you’re just a regular Joe forsaken, outside of Garrosh, you’ve had a living, breathing example of why Sylvanas’ “The Living will never accept you” is wrong. Outside of Garrosh, the Horde has had their back even after the Wrathgate. Once Sylvanas made her betrayal known, there was no large scale retribution on the forsaken, only the loyalists who had committed crimes during her brief reign.
Or their so good at their job, we don’t even know about it. After all what spy network actively draws attention to its self.
To be fair, the relationship between the Forsaken and the Kalimdor Horde has been a bit dicey.
Historically, the main group that full on accepted the Forsaken were the Tauren. Thunderbluff is even the only other capitol with a designated “Forsaken area”.
With Orcs and Trolls, it was still very much an alliance of convenience. A partnership born less out of shared comradery and more out of their mutual usefulness.
Granted, the “Horde and Forsaken learn to actually care for one another” has been a story beat loooooong overdue. And I am all for the Forsaken learning to be more open and vulnerable now that they don’t have Sylvanas’ toxic opinions trickling down.
The best thing Forsaken can do is to stop creating more undead. There are some non evil Forsaken but basically all of them complain about that curse they’re forced to carry so why do they keep on doing it?
Because being Undead is actually pretty baller when you remove the trauma of being horrifically murdered, enslaved, and forced to eat your friends.
It’s not perfect. There’s still complications. But situations like Zelling show that it can be an existence someone could willingly embrace.
The Forsaken definitely need to stop killing and raising folks like they were from Cata to BfA.
But a system where willing Humans become Undead would work perfectly fine.
Make sure they’re properly educated beforehand.
Make sure they have proper support post-transition.
And you have a pretty solid system.
But what about the risk of turning into someone evil? We all know not everyone ends up being the same as when they were living. their personalities change and more often than not it’s their darkest traits that get enhanced.
Well that’s up to the person to decide whether they’re ready to take that risk. If they are, then it shouldn’t be a problem. “Evil” doesn’t mean the same depending on whether you’re a Forsaken or a SW Human.
I think that only pulling willing people back and making sure they have a support structure and know full well what they’re getting into will do a lot to mitigate that. And that’s assuming nobody learned anything from the shadowlands that might help on that front.
Doesn’t mean we can’t get another Putress, but every race has jerks like that.
It is a problem if that new undead starts killing people as a sport.
I mean then it’s up to whatever justice system the Forsaken have to decide what to do. Just like for any other nation.
Aside from Goblins they are one of the few species on the Horde who have advanced technology, I would say they have a lot to offer. And as for their loyalty to Sylvanas, I think any Forsaken who still remains within the Horde has chosen to throw their lot in with them, and don’t quite hold much love for Sylvanas with everything that’s gone on.
I think it’d be neat to see Forsaken alchemy used in a non-warcrime context. Like maybe we raid one of Putress’ old hidden labs and it’s full of notes on discoveries he found worthless like better fertilizers, new alloys, cheap painkillers, etc.
I know WoW is stuffed to the gills with magic.
But one thing I’ve always wanted to be highlighted is the Forsaken’s skill with medicine and anatomy.
Sure, Shaman Sam can wiggle his fingers and heal you up. But healers aren’t always available. Magic hasn’t completely replaced the jobs of doctors and surgeons, and the Forsaken should have some of the best around.
Both Forsaken and Gnomes should be at the forefront of Azeroth’s modern medicine scene.
Quickly followed by Goblins trying to frantically monetize it.
Yeah. What good are a group of undead assassins that don’t need to eat or breath and can survive indefinitely in conditions the living would find completely uninhabitable.
What a useless bunch, those undead. Also their knowledge of highly deadly biological super-weapons? Trash, I say! Who needs such trivial things as overwhelming martial advantages.
Cut these freeloaders loose.