Next month, World of Warcraft‘s latest expansion, Battle for Azeroth, will send the war between the Alliance and the Horde into a deadly new phase. One of the key players in the coming conflict is Sylvanas Windrunner, the Banshee Queen of the renegade undead known as the Forsaken. But Sylvanas wasn’t always an enemy of life itself—once she was a heroic high elf of Silvermoon. Blizzard has released a new animated cinematic short that depicts Sylvanas’ transformation and the drastic decision that will send shockwaves throughout her world.
Although the short only features limited animation, it is striking to see Sylvanas in her younger days as she valiantly defended the innocent. That’s what makes her fall so heart-wrenching. Arthas Menethil literally ripped Sylvanas’ soul from her body and she still failed to save a woman and her child from the same fate. It’s the reason Sylvanas has become so cynical about the living.
More importantly, the short reveals that Sylvanas is personally responsible for burning down Teldrassil, the world tree, as well as the deaths of the innocent Night Elves who lived there. Sylvanas could have shown some mercy, but instead she unleashed the flames out of spite. Her actions will reverberate throughout the Battle for Azeroth expansion and there will probably be a reckoning for Sylvanas in the near future.
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth will be released on August 14 for PC and Mac.
What did you think about the new Warcraft cinematic short? Let us know in the comment section below!
Images: Blizzard
