World of Warcraft Fans Disappointed Over Arthas Menethil's Fate In New Raid Cinematic

gamerant.com:

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is nearing the finale of its story. The last patch of the expansion – titled «Eternity's End» – released just over a week ago on February 22nd. The final raid of Shadowlands, Sepulcher of the First Ones, opened its doors this Tuesday, allowing players a chance to cross blades with the fallen Anduin Wrynn, before taking down the Jailer himself next week.

As top World of Warcraft guilds and casual groups made their way through the raid, defeating boss by boss, many expected to end this week's journey in the Sepulcher with Anduin's redemption. After the young King of Stormwind was dominated by the Jailer in the depths of Torghast and wielded like a weapon against his former allies, it was obvious that the end of his arc would culminate in the encrypted, pre-rendered cinematic that plays after his defeat.

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What players did not expect, however, was that the cinematic would also depict the final moments of another beloved Warcraft icon – that of Arthas Menethil. Being reminded of his father's valor, and Varok Saurfang's honor, with whom Anduin fought against Sylvanas Windrunner's genocidal war an expansion prior, Anduin managed to break free from the Jailer's control, and in a moment of clarity, he split the mourneblade into two – much like his father in the past. Being possessed of free will once again, Anduin bore witness to the faded remnants of a soul emerge from the blade's shattered magic.

Concluding that it belonged to Arthas Menethil, the fallen paladin who became Warcraft's most iconic Lich King, the latter half of the cinematic featured a redeemed Sylvanas Windrunner hold a self-reflecting monologue in the final moments