Going through the entire cleansing process in Revendreth is a chance for a soul to redeem itself. Just because they won’t be thrown into the Maw doesn’t mean they’re going to get an amazing afterlife.
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All five of the “big” afterlives featured in Shadowlands end with some degree of identity death. Very few of the characters that we meet retain the identity that they had in life and even then, their priorities (and even their personalities, to a degree) have completely changed.
Not only that but in many cases, the souls of the dead are little more than sources of anima, the favoured energy source for the overlords of the afterlives.
Finally, there’s no way of determining which afterlife a character will actually go to - that decision is completely out of the deceased individual’s hands. As far as we know, they’re not even given a chance to plead their case.
There’s no evidence that any of the above changed with the ascension of the new Arbiter either.
So, provided that an undead character has full knowledge of all of this, their choice is between:
- Continuing to exist in the world of the living as one of the undead. It’s an unpleasant experience full of adversity and almost none of them enjoy it, but they get to keep their identities and their autonomy for as long as they survive.
- Suicide. Which afterlife they end up in is basically a roll of the dice but no matter what they end up, their previous identity will almost certain be annihilated and they will exist solely as a servitor of their afterlife’s overlord or as a fuel source.
I have no doubt that some Forsaken might take the second route, but it’s not exactly objectively superior to the first option, no matter how hard you try to make the Shadowlands sound fluffy and nice.
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I’m too pretty to die.
In all seriousness though and speaking only for my own character, he’s just always been a survivor and never a very introspective person who thought of or cared a lot about any kind of afterlife. When he was first raised, he was mostly just relieved to not be dead dead. He’s going to cling to unlife to the bitter end, no matter how bad it gets.
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Not to mention that Calia is a usurper, raised by the Holy Light (yknow, the magic that burns/disintegrates your very being as an undead) and shes the sister of the guy that caused you to be in this state in the first place.
Why would any Forsaken trust her word that the afterlife is not scary.
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Perhaps they simply look at their current state of undead as a ‘‘life’’.
To be fair I believe this is the simplest reason, their bodies may be rotten but they got a soul far as I am aware and their understanding and consciousness/perceptions
of the world around them is still very much the same as the living.
Just because it was proven to be an after life, it’s somewhat unreasonable to except them to just end themselves, everything that they currently are.
Memories, efforts, all the things that makes up the basic of a ‘‘person’’
It’s quite mind blowing to give all of it up, that’s an existential crisis.
Why don’t the humans do the same knowing the Light exist?
Because they just don’t want to.
Also you must take into account the factor that:
You get used to it.
Most forsaken have been that for a very long time, and whatever they go through is probably experienced the same way as someone having a bad knee.
It’s a state of being.
You just… deal with it and move on.
Tho , a forsaken would probably just get a new knee all together.
Because they can and that’s kind of cool.
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To be honest, I used to prefere when Undeath was seen as nothing more than a curse, a true damnation, with people actually -hating- them and in the case of the Forsaken them hating the livings in exchange, even if I’ve never truly been a fan of Sylvanas and the Forsaken in general, as I never understood why they joined the Horde. I would have prefered them being a third whole faction or so, it was too forced.
Nowdays instead, Undead have been accepted, welcomed and all the rest. We ICly see Death Knights roaming Stormwind City… Hell.
Yes, technically “you can” because of the King’s Law and such, but let us be serious here, they have lost most of their appeal. Especially when most of people keeps roleplaying them as “nice and happy fluffs” when in reality they are everything but social, talkative and all the rest. Plus, having them too directly involved, like “choose a Faction”, was a terrible mistake. The very same thing they did with the Demon Hunters, but well… That’s a whole other chapter of the various roleplay pot which makes Argent Dawn EU (in a crowd of ten, you can find one/two decent DH roleplayers in the midst or the usual cringe Army of slutty succubus erpers or cringe edge lords without a reason).
Returning to the topic now, they caressed the concept of having the DKs/Undead being a true separeted faction during Legion (a Scourge faction or sorts, finally, something that I have Always wanted), but of course… Not anymore. Not anymore.
So, about the reason why they keep exist?
For the Ebons, I’d say because their servitude and seek of atonement for the sins committed is eternal. They exist to protect Azeroth and find a sort of “redemption”, fighting -fire with fire-. They are anti-heroes, not shiny paragons, a thing that a lot of people seems to forget.
For the Forsaken…good question. The whole SL lore/stuff messed up almost everything. I can’t wait to see them becoming all nice and chill. sighs
Spite towards life and those that (sometimes mortally) wronged them.
Works for both my own characters and in general.
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The alternative was getting wiped out by the Alliance and the gentlemen your guild represents.
Gotta get your security somewhere, and the Horde is the next best bet when the blues kill your diplomats on sight.
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Good old times. 
To make it mean something. All of the suffering, the depravities endured and witnessed, and all that was stolen from her. To simply walk into a bonfire or throw herself upon a holy war-hammer would render all of those trials and torments utterly pointless.
Her goal is to rise above what she was “created” to be, and leave her mark upon the world before suffering her final death. She goes about it in ways that most definitely makes her a villain to most, and that’s another conversation entirely, but that’s the why of it.
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The frighteners?
You expect me to trust the word of an Alliance-loving lightbulb enough to forget I have a place and purpose in the living world?
Once one gets used to the suffering, it becomes the norm. We aren’t alone either. Why change it? At this point, anyone seriously suggesting the Forsaken all off themselves to live peacefully in the afterlife will sound like an absolute loon. Why not kill very ill humans despite the fact they’re still trying to live their lives at that point? We’re not done with our business here.
We will continue to exist until there’s nothing to exist for, even if some of it is just out of spite.
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late to the party. But undead exist because Ara needs someone that likes her 
Also can you imagine a world without Freeblade Company’s Aruthur ?
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We are the inheritors of Azeroth.
…Is what my IC fanaticism would make me say.
The fact you ask such questions displays that you haven’t delved into Forsaken lore or put yourself in their shoes.
Perhaps as you’re a Draenei, ask why the Lightforged of Argus remained there.
It’s their home. They wish to drive out the invaders and evil that remains.
Forsaken society has progressed beyond “boo hoo we’re an unnatural curse.” Meaning and philosophical/spiritual purposes have sprouted up since the Third War.
Many times IC, I have expressed notions such as “We are a free people. A people with culture, art, thoughts and feelings. A sovereign nation.” in contrast with The Scourge’s mindless hordes - with their only purpose being destruction.
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Well said, I liked your example of the Draenei.
Isn’t the Lighfroged left Argus? 
(And the Krokul never had a chance to escape, and they indeed stayed, if you ment them, we not seen any of them on the Vindicaar, nor since)
Anyhow, I understand what you ment
i feel like this often gets under-stressed when it comes to forsaken motives vs just existing solely to spite god so to speak.
loyalty to your nation can be a powerful motivation for the humans in warcraft, and dead or not, the people of lordaeron are patriots if nothing else. by continuing on, their culture, their nation doesn’t die with them and that in itself is a good reason for many to keep going making the most of their unlives.
as others said as well, this is the first time since being raised from the grave the forsaken have true autonomy over themselves and their fates, bound to neither the scourge, nor sylvanas. like as not, they have the choice to not be bound by the desolate council either i imagine.
the forsaken are many things. by and large, nihilists are not one of them. even if their motivation has been getting payback on those who wronged them, they have had some goal, some purpose in death. seeing your ex dead in a grave is reason enough for some to keep going.
they have now yes, as even with sargeras defeated, there isnt really a world left to try and rebuild when the majority of their people now live on azeroth. they still kept up the fight to the point the legion was beaten however
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Even if they have left Argus…
What was stopping from all Draenei from going “ah we’ve defeated our enemy and our home can be rebuild. Good luck on Azeroth.”
New motivations and purpose have been found.
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Good question
Lazy writing?
Basically nothing
Okay, Argus’ World Soul is dead (double dead after SL) and the planet is a cracked, fel-tainted hellhole and probably sunk in to the Twisting Nether or on the brink of it
But a quasi-immortal race Time is not really an issue
Nor the technology
Even if the Army of Light and the Lightforged wanted to continnue the fight against the enemies of the Naaru and Light, the other half ot the Draenei who were not that brainwashed in to a cult pobably would want to have a parmanent home (and Azeroth is not a good choice where Armageddon is a seasonal event) and rebuild their civilization, like how they did on Draenor…
Lazy writing…
I’d call it impractical and dumb to settle a felscorched ash desert and rebuild anything, but then we also have the gilneans wanting to reclaim a bioweapon crater until lore advanced to the point where setting foot in your homeland doesn’t melt you.
Would’a been interesting to have a single worgen in lore comment on the irony of what became of undercity until Calia pulled her PR stunt.
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