It’s going to be used as a stupid plot device in the future. They sort of got hung on up the whole “Battle for Azeroth” thing, yet forgot to actually add a “Battle for Azeroth” to the game.
And don’t worry, if the sword becomes an inconvenience that won’t be resolved in the future, they’ll just retcon it all away. Sargeras actually missed, a glancing blow. Or Ilidan came swooping in with his magical Ilidan powers and magically deflected the sword. Setting up for another expansion with Ilidan. With the magical eraser of Blizzard called “retcon”, anything is possible!
Which, in my opinion, is a flawed design. When we went to Northrend it was not hard to imagine there being ships and boats moving to and from the capital cities. We didn’t have to imagine that the old world no longer existed just because a new world appeared, even if there were little to no updates in the old world.
Game narratives excel when they manage to marry game mechanics and storytelling. World of Warcraft was never really all that good at this, but there was still a lot of room for the player to experience their own unique narratives within the greater story that Blizzard presented.
I feel so alienated from the story because we don’t get to experience the consequences of these over-the-top story developments. I assume that the Sword of Satan has been dealt with since we did a lot of things and were called a “champion of azeroth” in BFA, and that the sword will remain in Silithus forever – perhaps as an interesting landmark that will attract tourists someday. Or maybe we’ll summon some titan that will come and collect the sword? Who knows. I still wonder where the Night Elves have set up their new capital – or have they all taken up residence in Stormwind? I don’t know. Is the Undercity still plagued? How long will it be plagued? Who knows…