The next big content release for World of Warcraft is imminent. Titled Eternity’s End, the patch will serve as the epic conclusion to the Shadowlands story. Players will travel to the progenitor realm of Zerith Mortis, forge of the afterlives, and must uncover its secrets before the Jailer uses them to remake reality in his deathly image.
Game Rant spoke with lead narrative designer Steve Danuser and lead encounter designer Morgan Day about the characterization of main cast members in Shadowlands. As the narrative reaches its climax, they shed light on the mysteries of character motivation in the past and the present, and consequences of the future. With the finale coming soon, the World of Warcraft developers had to wrestle with challenges that characters like Sylvanas and Anduin will have to face after Eternity’s End.
Character Motivation Through Warcraft's History
The story of Eternity’s End involves several well-known characters who have been active since Warcraft 3. However, revelations from Chains of Domination have called the motivations of some characters into question; namely Sylvanas and Kel’Thuzad. Both characters have strong ties to Arthas Menethil, the popular antagonist of Wrath of the Lich King, who in-turn has been connected to the Jailer.
The Jailer himself has not been the most popular villain in Warcraft. His introduction in Shadowlands came suddenly, with little evidence of his existence being presented beforehand. To make matters more complicated, many previous events in Warcraft history, from the forming of the Burning Legion to the creation of the Undead Scourge, have been attributed to his machinations. Many fans were dismayed to have the histories of these staple characters subsumed by the grand schemes of a newcomer.
Danuser said that was not intended to be the case. “[Sylvanas’] soul was divided at the moment of her death,” he said. “A part of it went into the Jailer’s menagerie of souls we saw during Chains of Domination, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have choice throughout her life.” Many assumed the Jailer - whose magic of choice is Domination magic - could have removed Sylvanas’ agency, but this does not appear to be what Blizzard intended. Though she was deceived and influenced by his schemes after she struck a deal following Wrath of the Lich King, the Jailer held no control over Sylvanas when she rebelled against Arthas, or when she created the Forsaken.
“She made choices that were her own, and ultimately she did come in contact with the Jailer, and she did decide to go in league with him, but she was not mind controlled, she was not manipulated, she made those choices herself. She went in with eyes wide open.”
Kel’Thuzad likewise had his history tied to the Jailer. An exile of the mages of Dalaran, Kel’Thuzad was integral in bringing the Scourge. Though some of his dialogue in the Sanctum of Domination made it seem he was the Jailer’s ally since the beginning, Danuser clarified that was not the intention.
By his testimony, Sire Denathrius - chief ally of the Jailer - reached out after his ultimate defeat at the hands of the players in World of Warcraft. “[Denathrius] funded him with anima, which was in short supply due to the drought,” Danuser said, which allowed him to rise through the ranks of Maldraxxus. Until then, his villainous schemes were all his own. This, too, should come as a relief to long-time fans, as Kel’Thuzad has been a popular and iconic WoW villain since he was introduced 20 years ago.
“While he may have been able to have hints of a darker power earlier on, those choices we saw him make during Warcraft 3 and some of his machinations there? Those were his choices. Things that he did. It’s just that those choices put him in an ideal position to be brought into this conspiracy.”
Actions Have Consequences in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
For the past several years, few could talk about World of Warcraft without talking about Sylvanas Windrunner. The former Banshee Queen has been a major character since Warcraft 3, but she has taken a polarizing turn since Battle for Azeroth - around when her involvement with the Jailer’s schemes began to heighten. From the Burning of Teldrassil through her betrayal of the Horde, Sylvanas and her actions have been a hot topic.
However, in Chains of Domination, Sylvanas finally turned against the Jailer, only to have the other part of her sundered soul returned. In a cutscene prequel to Eternity’s End, players witnessed Sylvanas coming face-to-face with herself; the Banshee Queen fighting to justify her sins, with the Ranger-General fighting to wash her hands of them. Her story in Eternity’s End will be a continuation of that struggle, according to Danuser.
“[The two pieces of her soul] can’t stay two separate things, they need to be one Sylvanas, and she has to come to terms with that. That will involve confronting the things that she has done, as we saw hints of in that cinematic, and also trying to find, if she can, a path forward, and what shape that might take.”
In the epilogue of Eternity’s End, Sylvanas will have to face judgment for the transgressions committed in the Jailer’s name, even if she helps players defeat her former master. Danuser also teased that several key individuals who have ties to Sylvanas might play a role in deciding her fate. Players will have to wait until the epilogue chapters are released in early March.
The story of Eternity’s End also revolves around Anduin Wrynn, the High King of the Alliance. Anduin is currently enthralled by the Jailer’s domination magic, and will be final boss of the raid in Eternity's End until the final wing opens after the first week. Though players will seemingly be able to rescue him from his terrible fate, Danuser explained the weight of his trauma might take longer to heal.
“It’s not that [Anduin] goes back to being normal and free of this weight. It’s going to be with him for a very long time, and we will see the repercussions of that being carried out in Eternity’s End and in content beyond.”
Anduin’s struggles have been a focal point of his story since he took over the throne of Stormwind after his father’s death in Legion. “He struggled for a long time with that duality of him wanting to be a person of peace, and wanting to unite people who have struggles, versus having to be a soldier,” Danuser said. "Being dominated by the Jailer is another whole set of trauma on top of that.” It seems Anduin’s challenges have only just begun, and even the defeat of the Jailer will not spell the end of his troubles.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is available on PC. Eternity's End releases on February 22.