World of Warcraft recently announced Eternity’s End, the finale of the story of Shadowlands. World of Warcraft dataminers are already deciphering files and assets, but one discovery has fans worried Blizzard may be making a huge mistake involving Pelagos, the first transgender character to appear in-game. Warning: Spoilers for the World of Warcraft: Shadowlands expansion below.

Bastion, an afterlife realm of penance and home to the angelic Kyrian, is one of the zones in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands. During the story, characters encounter Pelagos, a recently-arrived Kyrian who has a lot to work through before he can get his wings. Players who join the Kyrian’s covenant learn more about Pelagos after becoming his Soulbind, including that he was female in life, but took a male form after his death.

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During the events of Shadowlands and its subsequent patches, the Arbiter, a massive construct responsible for sorting souls into their proper afterlives, was severely damaged. Voice lines between Pelagos and Kleia, another Kyrian and Soulbind of Pelagos and the player character, seem to indicate Pelagos is to become the next arbiter, using his essence to either become or restore the automaton. This is further hinted at by the existence of an NPC named “Arbiter Pelagos.”

There are several reasons why this story arc could be bad form. Pelagos, as a trans man, was a huge step forward for representation in WoW. Media has a bad habit of killing off queer characters to elicit response from the audience, and though it is not known if Pelagos will truly be gone if he becomes the new Arbiter, he would be irrevocably changed nonetheless. To make matters worse, the Arbiter’s current form is feminine, and though a construct, has been referred to with female pronouns, meaning Pelagos’s sacrifice could also be seen as a de-transition.

world of warcraft shadowlands arbiter
wow oribos arbiter shadowlands

Players were mortified to discover the possibility of this story beat. The LGBTQ+ community who support Warcraft have been pushed to their wits’ end in the struggle for representation within the Warcraft universe. These players do not want to see another queer character die, or worse, be forced into a female body for the sake of the narrative. Considering the myriad controversies Blizzard is already mired in, this move would undoubtedly earn it even more bad press with its player base.

The story arc itself has the seeds of what could be an interesting narrative. Pelagos has been generally well-liked, and though he plays a supporting role in the story, seeing him fulfill this role could be a fantastic arc. However, Blizzard will need to tread carefully if it does, perhaps by ensuring Pelagos’s Arbiter form is masculine, and his essence is not simply sacrificed to bring back the old arbiter.

In any sense, it is important to realize the datamined information is neither final nor official–it is possible this could be a red herring, or it could be cut completely before Eternity’s End is released.

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is available on PC. Eternity's End is currently in development.

MORE: World of Warcraft Devs Say Eternity's End Will Establish the Fate of Shadowlands and its Characters

Source: Wowhead