Seeing as he is making his return in the new expansion, what role do you think he will play?
I can see some options for him:
“Death was merely a setback… …that I would trust the future to some giant red goat-octopus thing… …much larger plan… …too late to stop it… …now taste true power…” dungeon/raid boss/meeting his demise in a cutscene by Lor’themar, aka “Merely a setback” meme.
He is a lackey of Sylvanas, but turns on her in the end.
Illidan-style Redemption. His bad deeds are retconned out of existence, or it being the fault of someone else.
Jaina-style “redemption”, you will have to guide him through Purgatory and he emerges as a better man.
A short, not that important questline that is just supposed to bring closure to his character. It could be written out of the story altogether without changing anything major, but will most likely be better written than the main story.
He becomes instrumental in in the main story and will be one of the characters you hang out with during raids and important questlines (like Illidan in Legion), and probably sacrifices himself to help seal the Maw or something.
He gets brought back somehow and becomes a relevant character again (like Alleria and Turalyon in Legion).
He will be cut from the game before release and replaced with terrible jokes and pop-culture references.
He will be cut from the game to make more space for Sylvanas cinematics.
He will become Jaina’s new love interest and they will share many cinematics together.
It’s already hinted the PCs will help him with redemption. I just hope it works out and will be connected to the bloodelf identity most of all. What they had to deal with regarding leadership is a bad joke at best. Bob and Halduron are a disgrace for the entire kingdom and Liadrin, despite her charismatic presence and constant appearing in most expansions, has a flipping personality that lacks consistency.
Getting a big name like Kael’thas back on the team could work wonders.
They pretty much said that Revendreth is a temporary stop for redeemable souls that will go on to other afterlives after they got over the behaviour that got them there. So… this doesn’t seem like muxh of a conundrum to me.
Apart from that, his arc might play out in part through the first raid, considering it plays in Revendreth as well.
“In life, I was proud, now I will serve the souls of this realm, helping them overcome the sin I have suffered from myself, bla bla bla, small violin.”
While it is highly likely that’s what they are going for at the moment, Blizzard have a long history of changing and removing content, like the important Worgen questline in WoD (replaced by “funny” fetch quests for a goblin), Yrel’s entire backstory in WoD being heavily changed, Baine being cut from Highmountain and Grommash Hellscream not being the final boss of WoD like he was said he was to be, instead being “redeemed”.
We also don’t know how he will be redeemed, if he will be. Or what his fate might be. Or how important it might be in the grand scheme of things. Maybe they are bringing him back for one final goodbye, maybe he will stick aroudn for the rest of the expansion. Maybe he’s to be reintroduced to the game as a regular character, like Magni and Alleria/Turalyon combo. Maybe he will be entirely irrelevant, maybe he will be a major figure in Ravendreth questing or maybe even the whole expansion. Maybe he will have a short questline in Ravendreth at the end of which he disappears into “Blood Elf heaven”. Theres lots of possibilities.
People were speculating about how Teldrassil will happen when it was announced and the speculations turned out to be more interesting than what actually happened (like the tree being corrupted again or that Sylvanas used a shard of Sargeras’s sword instead of a few demolishers with ridiculous range). So, I hope we get something like that
So you are saying that not only I can throw souls of people I don’t like to utter oblivion but I can use them to power up an Imperial-class Star Destroyer to wreck even more things?
Brb, got to nick that soul engine from TOS and… Shadowlands here I come!
I think they just depesperate for new subs and that is why they throw big names at us. They wanted to remake core conflict of all warcraft aka horde vs alliance yet they failed.
they failed because in 15 years they did not realize that a faction war with no winners is not a good story they keep back paddling on the real issues like crazy
“So…the rumors were true. “Void-addled elves” is what they called you. I must confess I did not truly believe them at first. Or perhaps I did…but refused to acknowledge the truth.”
“Alas, the Venthyr rarely speak lies. They delight in tormenting their prisoners with truths too terrible to comprehend. With visions of realities too unbearable to witness.”
Kael’thas sighs
“I failed you [Player]. I failed our people. Worse, I betrayed you. In my desperation I sold you out to a force that would have had us all doomed and for what!? Power?!”
“…or misguided hope for salvation?”
“And yet still, in spite of all the suffering and torment I am damned to endure for a lifetime of mistakes…I take solace in knowing that the Sunwell, the lifeblood and soul of our homeland has been reclaimed. Rekindled. The salvation I sought for us on Outland was never in the hands of demons…but in the Light. Alas, I was too blind to see, too arrogant to embrace it…and too lost to believe.”
…
“With the Legion banished, I had hoped that the children of Quel’Thalas would look to a brighter future. To learn from the mistakes of our past. To rebuild our shattered homeland united as one people. As Sin’Dorei.”
“Yet here you stand before me. A grotesque reminder of the very same arrogance and blind lust for power that was to be my downfall. And worse yet, as a beacon of darkness and corruption that threatens to annihilate the soul of our nation. Of what is left of our people. Your existence is an affront to all quel’dorei and sin’dorei alike who laid down their lives in defense of Silvermoon!”
Kael’thas leans in for a whisper
“The stench of Dar’Khan’s treachery permeates the air around you [Player]. The legacy of murder and betrayal lives on through you. Through all those you call “Void Elves”.”
