World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is the new expansion for one of the longest running online games in history. World of Warcraft has sent players to lost islands, new worlds, and even back in time over the course of its run, and Shadowlands sees them transported to the realms of death itself.
Last week, Blizzard released an animated short titled Shadowland Afterlives: Bastion. The replayed a key moment from Warcraft 3, now showing it from the perspective of Uther the Lightbringer, who traveled to the Shadowlands after he was slain by his student Arthas, who would become the Lich King. However, the short also implied that players might see Arthas again in the new expansion, which could mean some huge developments in the WoW lore in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands.
Arthas' Fate
Shadowlands Afterlives: Bastion does not actually retcon events in the WoW lore, but instead adds to them by providing a completely new perspective. Warcraft 3 players followed Arthas as he fell from Lordaeron’s Prince to the Lich King sitting on the Frozen Throne in Northrend. In one key moment, Arthas uses the runeblade Frostmourne to kill his own Paladin mentor Uther the Lightbringer.
Until now. it was believed that souls killed by Frostmourne were trapped in the blade until the death of the Lich King at the end of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. However, Bastion revealed that Uther’s soul was split in two, with the Paladin travelling to Bastion for his good deeds in life but unable to ascend due to the part of him that remained in the runeblade.
At the end of the animated short, WoW fans see a version of Arthas’ death from Wrath of the Lich King replayed with an even darker new angle. Arthas’ famous final line - “I see only darkness before me” – takes on a new meaning when it is reveled that the darkness he sees is the shadow of the beings coming to claim his immortal soul. Uther personally drops Arthas’ soul into the Maw where he will suffer for all eternity. It’s a powerful moment, and shows how Arthas’ evil has turned even the most righteous to vengeance.
The Maw
However, the Maw will also be a location that players can travel to in Shadowlands. It isn’t an abstract realm of suffering, but a literal place ruled by an ancient being known as The Jailer. This implies that Arthas’ soul is literally trapped somewhere in the Maw, and although nobody has ever escaped the Maw before, the mere existence of The Jailer indicates that escape is possible.
This makes it seem likely that players will interact with Arthas in the Maw in some form or another. The character has been there for years now, at least by Azeroth’s timeline, and could have taken on a very different form. Fans will also likely be curious to see how Arthas’ soul reacts now that it's severed from the influence of the original Lich King, Ner'zhul. The Warcraft fandom has long debated the extent to which Arthas was in control of his actions during his fall from grace, and Shadowlands could provide an answer to that question once and for all.
Furthermore, Arthas’ presence could have huge implications for Sylvanas, who was killed and resurrected as a banshee by Arthas himself. Until his death, Sylvanas had dedicated herself to Arthas’ destruction, but her lack of clear purpose after his death has been a driving force in her own turn towards extreme measures. If the characters have a chance to interact again, Arthas could see Sylvanas going down the same path he did.
Ultimately, Arthas’ role in WoW: Shadowlands remains to be seen, but it is heavily hinted that he will have a role. Many WoW fans will be excited to see exactly how this fan-favorite character is realized in the game, and to not only learn about his fate, but to finally learn about who Arthas really was when he was alive.
World of Warcraft is available now for PC. World of Warcraft Shadowlands releases on October 26 or 27 (depending on time zone) for PC.