i really hope that we'll get to see Arthas again . Maybe a confrontation between him and Sylvanas ( fingers crossed )
Uther maybe becoming forsworn
Getting to meet Uther the Lightbringer is going to be tops for me
I don't even know where to begin when it comes to talking about what I'm excited about. Afterlives: Bastion opens up a lot more ideas when it comes to Arthas lore. For the longest time I've been a huge Arthas/Lich King fan, the back ground to my phone, poster, lanyards and screensavers etc, he's all over the place for me. The fact that they're going to continue that story and there's a slight chance of seeing him in this expansion is all so exciting and I'm dying to see where they go with it. Not going to lie though, Arthas is a touchy subject for a lot of people and if Blizz goes the wrong way with his story it could start a huge forum cry. Will he be redeemed? Will he be damned forever? Will he choose to stay in the shadowlands because he cant face what he did in the mortal realm? Will he become the lich king again but be able to resist this time? There's a lot they could do I'm dying to see what happens! That's just for him though, since we are going to the shadowlands were going to get to see a lot more people that have died. Thralls mom for example. I feel like Thrall meeting his mom will be an interaction I'm ready to see. I love a good lore story that pulls on the heart strings. I'm also excited to see who else we could see, idk if y'all peeped the orc in chains but it definitely looked like a Garrosh throwback to me, maybe we'll get to see a reformed Garrosh, stripped of his pride, or perhaps a revengeful Garrosh who wants revenge on thrall. The revenge so strong he's able to break his chains and come after thrall but only this time to be slain by or recaptured by thralls mom or perhaps he'll be an ally? There's so much they could do and my mind runs wild with ideas as I'm sure a lot of others are too. I'm super hyped for Shadowlands.
Im looking forward to hopefully seeing more about arthas and maybe even a redemption of some sort.
What is truly exciting me is the new involvement of Arthas. I knew once the concept of the maw was learned that Arthas would go there, considering of his quote "I see only darkness before me." There have been many theories that frostmourne took control of Arthas, which led him to become the Lich King. It would be interested for us to learn as to who as controlling him through the sword, and how it ended up on Azeroth. We could see Arthas in the maw later on, and finally have an interaction of both Jaina and Arthas, and even Sylvannas finally being able to see the man who took everything from her. It would be hard to tell as to who would be in the maw, Arthas or his Lich King self. I see Arthas as Anakin Skywalker, trying to do the right thing, but turning into a different person (Darth Vader) due to 3rd party powers manipulating. The cinematic shows of Arthas going into the Maw, but appearances can change, as we saw with the new Sylvannas model. Arthas may not even be punished, considering that he technically served the darkness of the maw, as stated in the cinematic. Arthas may even have some sort of redemption plot, similar to Anakin, and possibly save Jaina and others from the power that he is chained to.
I am overwhelmingly excited for this expansion. Sylvanas Windrunner has been my favorite character since Wrath of the Lich King. Not only that, we've learned quite a bit thus far in regards to this expansion which I think is pointing to a particular origin. So I believe Sylvanas is not the true villain, nor is the Jailer, it "seems" that way, but I think there is something much bigger pulling the strings on what was our lives on Azeroth. When Sylvanas destroyed the Helm of Domination she said, " This world is a prison, and I will set us all free!" I feel this is a misunderstood anti-hero arc of some form for Sylvanas Windrunner. She knows much more than anyone else. Also which The Helm of Domination and Frostmourne were both crafted in the Shadowlands by the Nathrezim who were affiliated with the burning legion at the time, but came from elsewhere..They know very much, they also know who sent the Olds Gods to Azeroth in the first place...The Void Lords! This expansion would be perfect to unravel the mysteries behind the curtain, because after all, the Void is pure shadow energy after all...
It was amazing to see what happened to Uther and Arthas and I can't wait to see what Bastion is all about.Im excited to see where Arthas will pop up somewhere in Shadowlands.
I have a feeling that we will find events in the Shadowlands are almost paralell to our world like Sargeras and Jailer (cast out titan guardians) and fighting against the Legion for example. Can't wait to find out what is happening over there and what Sylvanas part in all this might be.
I'm most interested in the genesis of the Shadowlands themselves: Who or what is responsible for their creation? How did the four factions rise to prominence?
What excited me most about Afterlives: Bastion is Sylvanas’ true motives since jumping off Ice Crown after Arthas’ death. It is known from Afterlives: Bastion that the pantheons of death are somewhat flawed. They occasionally overlooked important threats like Frostmourne and remained stubborn. I suspect during the first communication between Sylvanas and the Jailer, possibly right after Sylvanas’ death on Ice Crown, the Jailer informed Sylvanas about the incompetence of the four covenants, about how they neglected Arthas and allowed him to wreak havoc. It is then obvious that the Jailer and Sylvanas seek to collaborate and destroy the current order of shadowlands so that: Sylvanas can punish and fix the flawed system and all those who indirectly caused her pain, and the Jailer can basically rule over Shadowlands. The interesting part is the Jailer might not tell Sylvanas that the Lich King’s power actually came from the Maw. While the Jailer may treat Sylvanas as a powerful pawn, Sylvanas has never been the one to fully obey anyone. I highly suspect Sylvanas has other plans in mind to “set everyone free” from the current order of life and death in her own ways. While a redemption arc for Sylvanas will be challenging, I look forward to hearing her point of view instead of getting mocked by her like during previous confrontations. Though her past conducts may be unjustifiable, I highly doubt she is purely seeking control and power over the world like villains such as the Old Gods or the Thunder King. I would compare her more to characters like Sargeras, Xe’ra, or even Devos, who has great resolve to make the system the way he/she thinks it should be, for better or for worse.
The idea of stories of the fallen heros/villians not ended yet, and we may learn more...
I love that we finally got to Uther's "afterlife" story and I think Shadowlands has a great lore potential, so I'm excited about revisiting old chracters such as Arthas (one may only hope).
cant wait to see what happened to arthas in the Maw.
I'm really interested in finding out more about Arthas and what him being sent directly to the Maw means for the story.
I'm intrigued in how this "afterlife" concept links to the other worlds/planes of existence since it seems like the "dead" aren't really truly just "dead". Also interested in seeing more races throughout the cosmology.
It's interesting to see the hierarki in Bastion, and that they are not aware of something being wrong in the Shadowlands. And also how a vound can affect a soul in the afterlife.
Devos is other part of Sylvanas soul that ascended.
Uther's actions in the short seem just a bit out of character for someone considered a paragon of righteousness. We can visibly see that Uther's soul was split in two when Frostmourne impaled him; what happened to the other half of his soul when the blade was shattered and all the souls within it were freed? Would a 'whole' Uther really willingly throw his beloved pupil into a place of eternal damnation, while claiming it to be justice?We know that the other half of his soul was in the blade considering it was that half who revealed how to defeat the Lich King, and that there must also always be a Lich King to keep the Scourge in check. So, with that said, where did that half go? Are there now -two- Uthers running around in the Shadowlands? Is the reason Uther becomes so vindictive attributed to his soul being quite literally split in two?As for general Shadowlands lore, one major point sticks with me, related to Frostmourne and the Helm of Domination: These objects were crafted by the Nathrezim, known originally as agents of the Burning Legion. Yet, we learn that the weapon and armor originates from the Forge of Domination within Torghast. What are the Nathrezim's ties to the Shadowlands, and just how far has their massive web of subterfuge been spun across the cosmos?
I am interested in seeing Blizzard's take on the afterlife. Blizz has a long history of combining myths and legends from across the world to incorporate into their stories. Stories about the afterlife are one of the most varied categories of ancient myth, and even within a culture, often conflicting. One common thread in ancient belief is that death is a place of forgetfulness. The need to forget one's life was often imagined as part of the transition, and we seem to be seeing a riff on that in Shadowlands. On the other hand, there are examples of rulers who believed they would experience an eternity surrounded by their treasure and (sometimes) servants. They were clearly not expecting to forget their life on Earth. I am curious to see how we, as Maw Walkers, fit into the Shadowlands, which seems to be a place intent on making its citizens forget their past life (Draka being one exception, for some reason). What direction will the story take us as we look into the abyss? Will we see redemption and forgiveness? Will we see acceptance and letting go? Will we see pain and loss? Maybe all of them?