Intro
With the upcoming release of some very spicy warden armour as a reward from the Trading Post, I’ve no doubt that interest in Watchers and Warden related RP and characters shall rise! If you’ve just unlocked those cool new threads and are thinking of making a wicked OC to match, if you’ve always fancied dipping your toes into the scene and never managed, if you just wanna learn more about Blizzard’s fantasy version of Judge Dredd, then I invite you to read on.
Hi, I’m Thesalese, and I have been roleplaying a Watcher for nearly a decade, and I wanted to make this to help people out. The archetype isn’t exactly a common one, and playing such a character requires (in my opinion) a fair amount of background knowledge, dedication to very specific niche that absolutely must captivate you enough to stick to the rather strict boundaries that lead to success and sometimes a dash of nuance due to the niche in which Watchers reside – after all, playing any sort of “””law enforcement””” character on this realm can be contentious let alone one that’s perfectly fine performing summary executions. There’s a few hurdles one must clear when creating and playing a Watcher and it’s my hope that I can give you all some pointers and help you on your way to success. They’re not the easiest characters to play well but myself and those that fall in love with the concept find the experience very rewarding.
PLEASE NOTE: This guide is written from the perspective of someone who tries to adhere as strictly to canon as possible, and I will forever advise others to do the same, but due to the nature of Watcher lore there are some moments of personal opinion and gap filling in this guide. There’s inconsistencies, contradictions, and areas Blizz has yet to properly explain about these girls, and each individual must inevitably do their best and do what they think makes sense.
What’s a Watcher, anyway?
Initially, they were simply the jailers of Illidan Stormrage. As time passed their remit expanded to the hunting down, the killing, and the containing of all sorts of villains, criminals, and monsters that threatened the safety of the Night Elves. A Watcher is an assassin, a bounty hunter, a jailer, a marshal, a super duper special police officer, and sometimes a soldier all bundled up into a single package.
You’re also basically a paladin. A night elf paladin, and you were probably one before humans came up with the idea. An order of priests who become heavily armed warriors focusing on truth, justice, law, order, and punishing the wicked? Paladin.
And a Warden?
A Warden is the highest rank a Watcher can achieve, putting them on par with Maiev herself, granted to a few exceptional individuals within the order. There’s also a Warden “Captain” introduced in Cataclysm who is the leader of the “Shadow Wardens” though the implications of this are unexplored and she’s never seen again. Legion made Wardens a little more complicated, though!
Wolfheart and the Warden/The Wardens divide
The complicated part.
Wolfheart is a Warcraft novel by Richard A. Knaak and first published in 2011. It’s a pretty decent novel but it is the cause of many a woe in the eyes of Watcher enthusiasts. In the book, Maiev gets a little bit loopy and murders several Highborne and tries to kill Tyrande and Malfurion before fleeing into exile alongside some of her few remaining Watchers. And then, depending on the edition of the novel, the Watchers are either formally disbanded or they are reformed and Jarod leads them. Now, this last part is potentially retconned, Jarod may or may not be the leader now but it’s wildly open to interpretation due to it never being mentioned ever again, but what Maiev did and the consequences of it are not. She lead The Wardens on the Broken Isles in Legion before recently returning to the fold in Battle For Azeroth and leading the Night Elf army to victory in Darkshore.
This entire affair is super important and the first hurdle that many stumble at because it’s like, the biggest thing to happen to the Watchers since the hunt for Illidan but it’s also a horrible mess. There was a huge schism in the order and your girl is gonna need to address it. If you’re going to make a Watcher you have to have an opinion on all this. It can very much define who and how you play. Did your character support Maiev’s actions? Did she join her on the Isles? Do you hate her for committing outright murder and believe she shouldn’t be so easily forgiven?
So how do I start?
First and foremost, research. Read novels. Study NPCs and what they have to say. Pour over Wowpedia pages. You’ll soon realise that Watchers take their jobs very, very, seriously. Your character isn’t someone working a 9-5 job as a human footman. Your character has chosen to dedicate their incredibly long life to the pursuit of justice. Your character accepts that they will be spending the bulk of entire aeons in dark, dank, dungeons guarding caged monsters so heinous that they can never be allowed to walk free and the rest of their time hunting down and capturing said criminals. Get into that mindset. Dwell on the obsession and dedication required to do that. The isolation it entails. What kind of person would subject themselves to an existence like that? Why would they choose such a life? What effect would it have on their psyche and personality?
This isn’t just a career, it’s a lifestyle. Watchers as presented by Blizzard are zealous and somewhat sadistic nutjobs, sometimes very much leaning towards Lawful Evil, who are quite happy to suffer what they must to keep the world safe and their charges under lock and key. Your OC should be similar. There is some wiggle room, plenty of opportunities for that personal touch, but there’s much less freedom than with other character classes/archetypes. It is, by and large, impossible to fully break the mould and wholly step out of Maiev’s shadow.
Some quick tips to get you started:
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Figure out where on the “the ends justify the means” spectrum your character sits.
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Decide how long they’ve served for.
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Make up a story in your head about who/what/how they first hunted a crook after completing their training.
How do I play a Watcher?
Once you have developed your characters’ personality and decided where they fit into the long and illustrious history of the order, it’s time to get to the good bit. Priority #1 is to always keep in mind a Watcher’s purpose and have that reflected in how you play. Somewhat ironically, it can be compared to Legion era Illidari roleplay. Remember those Demon Hunters that tended bars whilst the world suffered at the hands of demons? Don’t do that. You should be kicking butt or guarding prisoners 90% of the time. If you want to focus on social roleplay then I advise you to reroll. Be a serious character that does serious things.
Secondly, I think it’s important to properly understand their purview. Despite being a form of law enforcement they aren’t mere guards out to stop pickpockets and petty crooks. Indeed, the only sentences they deliver are death or an eternity in chains. You play judge, jury, and often executioner but the criminals you should be pursuing are those deserving of death and damnation. You aren’t a Sentinel. You don’t keep the peace and patrol the roads. You’re part of a special force that handles the worst of the worst, sent out to deal with specific threats and are answerable to none save Elune, Tyrande and Jarod/Maiev.
Learn and understand the roles your character must play, the things they must be able to do. A Watcher is as capable at stealth and subterfuge as an assassin, despite the armour, whilst also freely engaging in open warfare on a pitched battlefield like Darkshore. She’s a versatile fighter with divine magic and steel at her disposal that is used solely to defend the Kaldorei and punish the guilty.
And honestly, when you’re just starting out and you have yet to fully develop your character and their quirks, occasionally asking yourself “what would Maiev do?” will stand you in good stead.
Where do I play a Watcher?
It’s common for people new to this to struggle to find RP due to the personalities of their characters – people who approach get more interactions, and you probably shouldn’t be doing much social approaching – but don’t fret! My best advice for finding RP is joining events that are open to the public first and foremost, so long as they are appropriate. Your toon is out to capture or kill anything that poses a threat to their people and there’s always fun stuff going on on the realm. Dive in, get hunting, and make IC acquaintances along the way. Maybe even find a guild! This is primarily how you should be meeting people, in my opinion. Do bare in mind, however, that a Watcher traditionally hunts alone outside of serious and often world-threatening stuff, such as the Firelands invasion, so make sure you’re fighting proper foes and threats.
Casual RP is trickier. You should come around Kalimdor and hang with your fellow Night Elves. Astranaar and (in the future) Bel’ameth are the biggest, busiest, hubs so come say hi. Just have a reason to be there! Despite my love for my dear Thesalese, I do not play her all evening every evening even though I want to. Why? Because, as a Warden, sitting around a campfire for hours whilst chatting with friends just isn’t on-theme. She’s too busy, and when she isn’t out in the world hard at work then she should be in the Vault or Barrows guarding prisoners. Duty is everything - although there are Watchers permanently guarding Amidrassil now! So you could always do that. Mirana Starlight describes them as “The Wardens of Bel’ameth”, which seems like a good way to get some casual RP where you hang with everyone.
Thanks for the tips! Now what should I NOT do?
Good question. The easiest way I can answer this is by reminding you that Watchers walk a narrow path as far as characters are concerned, and you simply should avoid deviating too far outside of their stated niche lest your roleplay become akin to forcing a square peg in a round hole, but I’ll give you some examples.
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Don’t live in Stormwind. It may well be the best place to find RP but a Watcher has no business hanging around those parts. Outside of the pursuit of criminals, a Watcher belongs on Kalimdor or on the Broken Isles. You aren’t part of the Alliance police, you aren’t out to catch human rebels that threaten Stormwind etc. You’ve authority to pursue threats to elves and elves alone. Note: the fact there’s a Moonwell somewhere is a very poor excuse for the permanent deployment of Watchers to a region.
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Don’t be obnoxiously edgy. Some edge is required, absolutely, but too much makes a character comical and Watchers are anything but. Remember that your character is an elf, with feelings, with wants and dreams and a family. Read some Judge Dredd comics for inspiration if you need help humanising your Watcher.
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Don’t appear too casual. The occasional, tender, and private moment with close friends is part of the “humanising” I just mentioned. Have a meal with people. Swap stories. But don’t do it all the time. Other characters should think it a special treat when your Watcher drops their guard in their presence. Doing it too much ruins the mystique, and it also deviates too much from the role you are supposed to play. This takes practice and you will only find the right balance by banging in the hours.
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Don’t put people on trial. Either player characters (more on that later), or baddies you encounter through events or stories. The Night Elf justice system bears no similarity to the real world. You are the law. Your judgements are summary and very final.
Skills and Magic
The source of a lot of what Watchers are capable of is assumed to be Elune – it is outright stated the famous, trademark, Watcher’s Blink is a gift from Mother Moon, and just like how the Kaldorei’s Shadowmeld isn’t the mage Invisibility spell, a Watcher’s Blink isn’t a mage spell either… But it isn’t definitely Elune. Cordana and Sira using the whole arsenal, albeit twisted, leaves the matter up for debate. I lean towards Elune, though. The original Watchers were priestesses after all! This is backed up, in part, by something Terran Gregory (a writer for Blizz) said re: the Black Moon and all that goodness:
“It’s very much Sentinel and Warden inspired. Right? And Wardens are, as we know, the keepers of vengeance. And while they were crafted very specifically they’re still, you know, at their core a Night Elf institution. The concept of wielding vengeance as a weapon. And I felt that actually factored into this. This was just my feeling in putting this story together. If they are capable of being empowered by vengeance, then that means they’re more powerful after they lost Teldrassil than they were during the fight of Teldrassil.”
“Elune has the power to do this. We’ve established that she does. And here it is again. She calls upon it. The unnatural dark falls upon Darkshore. And it gives the Night Elves a battle, you know, enhancement. Right?”
And speaking of Blink, let’s talk about it. You use this a lot in combat. It’s your bread and butter. With training it should be easy for your character to do and makes Watchers some of the most mobile and maneuverable warriors on Azeroth. Rapidly close distances, pursue prey, get better vantage points, dodge attacks, and always strike where the foe is most vulnerable. It’s very versatile so get creative. Spellblades WISH they could blink as far and as quickly as you can.
The most powerful spell, and a very unique one at that, in a Watcher’s repertoire is the Avatar of Vengeance. We can summon a star-pocked shadow in the shape of ourselves who speaks in an alien tongue and who, in turn, is able to summon the indestructible, vengeful, ghosts of the recently deceased.
Divine spellcasting. You’re an elven paladin, remember? The extent to which your character can call on Elune I leave up to you, but I wouldn’t chastise players for performing simple heals and moonbeam smites from time to time. I don’t, personally, lean too heavily into holy magic but you do you, just make it make sense. Were you one of the originals, and therefore a bona fide Priestess of the Moon? Go hard.
Lastly, imprisonment. This can take a few forms. You can watch one of the Demon Hunter cinematics and see Maiev conjure white lightning and near-instantly trapping an Illidari in a crystal by “using their demon blood against them.” Fandral Staghelm was held in magical chains before the player releases them. We learn that in the Vault of the Wardens, a special item called Containment Crystal is used to trap criminals and monsters in their cells, but also that special prisoners require special containment. Use what’s appropriate for the foe you’re facing! You have a lot of leeway here, actually.
Arms and armour
The most iconic weapon for a Watcher to wield is the Umbra Crescent. Despite the name, it’s a sword in the shape of a circle and is a variation on the traditional, Night Elf, glaive and is very much unique to them. It’s symbolic, it’s a wicked cool badge of office, and Blizzard refuse to let the players own one which is why we’re very fortunate that Watchers actually make use of a wide variety of weaponry. Yours can have whatever you like, from bows to spears, daggers to hammers. Whatever you want to use you can make an argument for… Just not guns, please. Don’t whip out a gnomish revolver or something…
A Watcher’s armour is plate. Plenty of people in the past rolled rogue for the sake of convenience but your uniform actually consists of big ol’ chunky metal. There’s a lot of variance in style over the years and across Blizzard’s many mediums when it comes to appearance but they all follow a similar aesthetic. I encourage you to explore the internet and take in all the Watchery goodness that can be found and come up with a cool and fitting look for your own. NOTE: The new set is cosmetic and can be worn regardless of class but if you plan on mixing and matching a plate class is 100% the way forward.
The armour is complimented by a heavy cloak, or skirt nowadays, fringed with blades. And the blades aren’t just for show! As I said earlier, you’re a mobile fighter so imagine just how much your cloak blusters about and what those daggers will do as you move across the battlefield.
And speaking of daggers, a Watcher should be a fan of knives. Throwing knives coated in poison, or as a flurry in a fan shape, is an iconic Watcher move. Never leave the Barrows without a brace of blades.
Crime and punishment in regards to PCs.
Please, I beg, don’t play a Watcher to try and rule over other player characters. You’ll ruin it for the rest of us and already the reputation of the archetype isn’t stellar, hasn’t been for a while, for precisely this reason due to bad actors throwing their weight around. And on the flipside, if you want to be hunted by a Watcher please understand that mercy is probably not an option and the only times prisoners have escaped from the Watcher’s prisons have been in the middle of global catastrophes so if you decide to get sent to prison you, uh, aren’t getting out for at least a while.
A Watcher is a powerful figure, able to tackle some of the strongest foes on Azeroth, with serious legal authority backing them up and it’s something that has the potential to be abused. Whilst interacting with criminal player characters can lead to fun, involved, stories for everyone partaking, it’s important to bear in mind that even adversarial roleplay should be approached cooperatively. OOC contact is a must. Arrange in advance an outcome that is satisfying for both parties.
You can read many a post on these forums regarding the problems with “cops and criminal” RP in various situations and places. Watchers can suffer it too, on both ends of the spectrum. Be informed. Communicate throughout the story you’re telling and remember that we’re all here to have fun.
“Different” Watchers
Whilst this guide is written around the warrior-women World of Warcraft focuses on, in older lore the Watchers were more than just wannabe Maievs. In Warcraft III the Watchers had owlkin and Keepers of the Grove guarding Illidan and when Maiev went and hunted Illidan down in the Frozen Throne expansion the Watcher army had sentinels and druids and all sorts in their ranks. And then, later on Outland, Maiev is known to have inducted Draenei into the order, too! But they all died.
If you want to play something spicy, or include Watchers in an event or story, don’t forget these guys. They haven’t been seen in WoW (and frankly probably shouldn’t be taken as true canon seeing as in WC3 the Watchers also included High Elf Wizards which… Is likely a mistake) but they may well still be about!
Conclusion
Far more than the average character, playing a Watcher requires preparation well in advance of creation and an understanding of the concept that can only be achieved by a deep dive into the lore and into the psyche of these women. I welcome anyone and everyone to give them a bash because, damn, they’re cool, but don’t go in with blinkers on assuming you can act like any other night elf and do it justice. I hope this guide has given people something to think about, and if you have any questions or comments please reply or hit me up in-game!
Special thanks to Callean of the Shadowleaf Watchers for her help and her myriad contributions, corrections and suggestions for this guide!
Useful Links
https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Watchers
https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Warden
https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Avatar_of_Vengeance
https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Spirit_of_Vengeance
https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Elune
https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Army_of_the_Black_Moon
https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Vault_of_the_Wardens
https://blizzardwatch.com/2019/01/11/know-lore-elune-night-warrior-void/
https://blizzardwatch.com/2016/05/14/role-play-wardens-watchers-legion-roleplay/
http://classic.battle.net/war3/nightelf/units/avatarofvengeance.shtml
http://classic.battle.net/war3/nightelf/units/warden.shtml
https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/story/short-story/elegy
https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/story/short-story/leader-story/tyrande-whisperwind
https://www.reddit.com/r/warcraftlore/comments/a5hd6o/so_what_is_the_night_warrior/
