World of Warcraftboasts some of the fantasy world’s greatest villains, their infamy extending throughout the entire gaming sphere. But on the other hand, some of its bad guys are forgotten as quickly as they appeared. It’s important to analyze how and why antagonists become as beloved as their moral counterparts, and how to ensure players care about whom they fight.
The greatest ofWorld of Warcraft’s villains include those like Arthas, Deathwing, Medivh, the Old Gods, and Kil’Jaeden. There are some that skirt this roster, like Sylvanas Windrunner and Garrosh Hellscream, but they’re not without shortcomings of note. Then, there are those villains who weren’t much more than a boss fight, such as the Jailer or Onyxia, and remain as such for reasons of their own.
A WoW Villain’s Memorable Personality is the Key
Even if they aren’t a primary villain and only last for a patch or two, a bad guy can be remembered purely for their antics. Whether cool and cunning, emotional, sarcastic, or just plain crazy, giving an antagonist a memorable dynamic will ensure their being beloved. For example, characters like Sire Denathrius or Azshara are bourgeois, smug, and theatrical. Nefarian is a sarcastic and self-absorbed dragon, andFyrakk is the impatient, gleefully sadistictype.
Some villains are eerily inspiring in their evil. Despite his antagonism, Grom Hellscream was a warrior whose legendary prowess made him a sight to behold inWarlords of Draenor. Even characters such as the Old Gods are terrifying because of their vast omniscience and ancient lore, but equally enticing for the power they offer their subjects. Characters like Xal’atath are playfully smug and cruel, forcing themselves under the protagonist’s skin. All these personalities make for memorable and exciting storytelling opportunities, as they capture the player’s attention long before the peaks of their plans.
An Excellent WoW Villain is Often Defined by Tragedy
The antagonists that audiences often care about the most are those whose fates were swept up in forces they either couldn’t control, or whose outcomes they did not foresee. Tragicheroes like Medivh, Deathwing, and Arthasbegan as noble and just, but found themselves treading a path that eventually drowned them in darkness.
The Last Guardian of Tirisfal
Medivh couldn’t have known that he was corrupted by the Legion’s leader, Sargeras, from the moment he was born. His grand destiny was doomed to break apart from the weight of the evil pressed into his soul.The Guardian’s futureshattered beneath the expectations of the entire world, and he failed them all, inviting the orcish Horde’s invasion into Azeroth. Medivh’s story is one of hope turned to anguish; a hero helplessly caught in the web of evil.
The Young Hero Who Would One Day Be King
Arthas was meant to be the paragon of Lordearon, one day leading his people with justice and honor. But in a twisted tale of manipulation and loss, the prince cast his perfect destiny into the abyss. Ambition and determination drove him on, and all the while, he could not see his descent into evil until it was too late. At that point, he had no choice but to embrace his new path.Arthas Menethil’s is a Shakespearean elegyof betrayal and horror, one whose consequences rang out across the world of Azeroth.
A True Villain Makes Themselves Remembered
Having years of hype leading up to an epic facedown certainly helps, especially in the case of the franchise’s long-term baddies like Kil’Jaeden, Illidan, or Arthas. These villains were common knowledge long before they got their due in a raid fight, and that does afford them the extra edge, but the best antagonists are those whose influence lingers on long after their death.
For instance, Deathwing reshaped the landmasses of Azeroth, and his betrayal fractured the dragonflights for centuries. In these ways, what he did to the world remains, leaving his tragedy inevitably etched intoWorld of Warcraft’s future. Similarly, the Lich King dominated both Northrend and Lordaeron for a long time, and since his deposition, those zones haven’t recovered, still scarred with the memories of suffering. Like the pensive air of a cemetery, the eerie stillness of places like Teldrassil, Argus, or Quel’thalas is an immortal reminder of the evil that changed them.
Where Some of WoW’s Villains Went Wrong
It can be fun to have a villain that sticks around for more than one expansion and fulfills more of an antihero role. Two suchexamples are Sylvanas Windrunnerand Garrosh Hellscream. Both these characters are highly complex and morally ambiguous, but that ambiguity can get frustrating because sometimes their actions seem antithetical to their established characters.
For example, Garrosh seemed to be a completely different personbetween Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria, with no real explanation for his descent into power-hungry madness. Sylvanas had been juggling motives sinceWoW’s Vanilla days, but even more so from Legion to Shadowlands. Her arc was confusing and, most unfortunately, inconsistent. Despite her personal battles, she had apparently been serving the Jailer all along, which hadn’t been explained or even hinted at all before Shadowlands.
The Most Insulting Villain In World of Warcraft History
This leads toWorld of Warcraft’s worst villainof all time, a tragically wasted opportunity that could have been legendary. Zovaal the Jailer had it all: a tragic backstory of personal betrayal, a motive for universal domination, awesome power, and the means to impact the world of Azeroth for all time. But the reason the Jailer tripped at the finish line was that he had zero personality and a woefully poor buildup.
Cold, calculating, and heartless are all fine and good traits for a bad guy, but Zovaal had nothing else to offer. His powers, dialogue, and mannerisms were all painfully lifeless and stiff, making it impossible to sympathize. On top of that, Zovaal couldn’t even be loved for the chills he gives players at the mention of his name, because, unlikethe Old Gods or Galakrond, his lore was an unexplained hodgepodge that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and one that tried to drag other villains like the Scourge and the Dreadlords down with him. The gravitas and emotion of Shadowlands’ main antagonist was simply absent, making a disappointing expansion into a painful experience. Thankfully, Dragonflight and The War Within have had decent and even great villains, a trend that will hopefully remain.
