Why do people like Sylvanas?

[Lightfist]

I made mention of that. She cares NOW. Up until Arthas' defeat she didn't, it wasn't until her suicide, that she realized she does in fact care, that her people are more than just tools.

No, she doesn't. Her people are nothing but tools. They are her shield.

What is a shield? It is a tool. She cares about them because she is terrified of the horror that awaits her, and each of her Forsaken are a buffer against it.

[Dreknar20]

What is a shield? It is a tool. She cares about them because she is terrified of the horror that awaits her, and each of her Forsaken are a buffer against it.

Isnt that how all leaders work
Armies are a buffer against threats

[Lightfist]

Isnt that how all leaders work
Armies are a buffer against threats

You misheard.

Not armies. People. Sylvanas would trade every single one of her people for her own personal safety.

No other leader would do that, excluding Gally.

[misterbeefy117]

Because she's hot as balls. She had an awesome voice in WC3 and in WoW pre-WotLK, now it sucks.

Same with Kel'thuzad, come to think of it.

[Deleted]

are not all leaders like that?

Well, not really. Some leaders have been changing over the years. Sylvannas might be getting a little bit psycho-bitch right now, but she's always after the same things, even after all those years. When it's not vengeance, it's about her people, and I kinda like it.

[Duito]

I want her dead, I play undead mainly

Kill the elf bitch, she is useless

[Dreknar20]

Not armies. People. Sylvanas would trade every single one of her people for her own personal safety.
.

Well people are kinda an extension of the army, they supply and support it

And if it was a matter of life or death, why wouldnt someone throw in everything to avoid death

[Vesker]

Oh, hey Lightfist. The last time I remember you complaining about Sylvanas you still carried that "check out my story about how she's a dumb blonde" link in your sig. Nostalgia.

You've been around these parts for a while and Sylvanas is controversial enough to have threads posted about how she's mean or incompetent or whatever pretty frequently. You must have seen at least a few genuine reasons why people like her beyond "undead boobs" in that time.

Honestly I have to admit some part of why I like her is because I generally enjoy seeing strong female characters in settings where there are few and, while it's true she gets a few bonus points for that, there are plenty of other reasons I enjoy her character (none of which are boob-related). I like her for a lot of the usual reasons (tough, pragmatic, determined, mysterious, refusal to allow herself or her people to be bullied, willingness to resort to less scrupulous methods to assure victory when neccesary, the fact that she took a bunch of demoralized corpses and turned them into one of the most powerful forces on Azeroth whatever her reasons for doing so etc) but the main reasons I like her are admittedly based on her potential rather than what she is right now. I know I'm the minority in this but I believe Blizzard are throwing us a major curveball with her story. Most players assume someday she'll snap and we or some other major lore character will need to put her down as a result but I don't think it'll go that way. She is confirmed to be playing a part in kicking Garrosh off Orgrimmar's throne so I guess we'll find out if she makes a power grab like people expect her to or something totally different.

I'm not sure why you consider her an ineffective leader. She's made some mistakes putting way too much trust into clearly shady characters like Varimathras and Godfrey and both times it came back to bite her in a big way but she's also the only leader taking ground for her faction having wrecked Gilneas (technically not conquered for the Forsaken but it sure isn't in the hands of the Gilneans anymore either meaning there's no human capital city in her back yard), cleaned out Silverpine (utter victory over the Gilneas Liberation Front) and flattened all Alliance resistance in Andorhal despite that failure Koltira all but attempting to hand it to them on a silver platter.

The more I think about it the more I realize I like the Forsaken more than I like Windrunner but I've always considered her an irreplaceable part of them whether she regards them as a glorified meat shield or not. I'm convinced whatever other racial leaders in the game die or step down, Sylvanas will be the one that sticks around. Nathanos Blightcaller, Lilian Voss, an undead Calia Menethil and all the other candidates people tend to put forward as possible replacements for her all seem pretty unlikely to me.

tldr: I think she's a pretty cool lady and, as a Forsaken, I've got her back but I don't think we've seen her at her "best" yet.

[Illkhan]

You misheard.

Not armies. People. Sylvanas would trade every single one of her people for her own personal safety.

No other leader would do that, excluding Gally.

I like that. I would gladly watch the world burn for my own profit. Who wouldn't?

[Izenhart]

oh man this is boring

Alliance kid angry that people like a Horde's leader and spends an entire topic trying to convince everyone that said leader actually sucks

That's kind of depressing

[Reyina]

She's a strong female character, even if they did over-sexualize her. As a female, that's pretty important.

I've ALWAYS loved the Forsaken, and as her character developed more, she just got more awesome. The new starting areas for Forsaken are amazing.

Oh, and she stands up to that idiot Garrosh.

[Zuben]

She managed to gather up the free-willed undead and form a nation with them. The object of her obsession was vanquished in Wrath and the second thing she did afterwards was make the Forsaken considerably more powerful. She rules over most of northern EK, with Argent Crusade being a peaceful neighbor currently and Hinterlands/Arathi being contested. Since the Forsaken are the second most powerful Horde-race, Sylvanas holds the most power after the Warchief. She is one of the key players in Azeroth and the most prominent key player in northern EK. And her faction is one the most controversial and intriguing WoW has, which makes their business more interesting than, say, the tauren or trolls. Sylvanas is evil and has very few things holding her back, which is far more interesting than an unwavering paladin.

That's why I like her. Nothing to do with sex appeal, she could be wearing a ranger outfit covering all strategic points for all I care. The claim we follow her because of her plate bikini is just silly not to mention tired.

[Pete]

People like the character/story for the same reason people dislike it

Its there to bring out/provoke different reactions.
The forsaken see her as their savior and matriach
Where as the outside observer will simply see a tyrant using their people as a meatshield

Think its a good thing to have "grey area" characters as it keeps things a little interesting/unpredictable

[Sorraxe]

oh man this is boring

Alliance kid angry that people like a Horde's leader and spends an entire topic trying to convince everyone that said leader actually sucks

That's kind of depressing

Someone should convince him to make a new thread about the GREAT Tyrande

[Elementalkin]

It's the RTS games, primarily the Frozen Throne. She gave the proverbial middle finger to three dreadlords, and the rest is history. That she is a female may be a factor, but I'm honestly unconvinced by that. It's far more likely that her bad-ass characterization is the reason why she has endured; her vengeful and fearless personality, her very drow-esque likeness, and the combination of two widely "celebrated" professions in high fantasy, the necromancer and the ranger.

Unfortunately, with her story of personal vengeance against the Lich King fulfilled, her originally iconic voice acting changed (for better or for worse), and her current motives seemingly no more complex than a mad woman's lust for power - a fact that even the val'kyr seem to realize - her popularity and likability are waning.

[Trassk]

She has boobs, thats the only reason. If Sylvanas was a man, then nobody would like her/him

you pretty much summed it up.

If Sylvanas has a weener instead boobies, she's be hated right now.

And before you say thats ridiculous, don't tell me most boys here wouldn't consider all males characters in wow more interesting if they had boobs instead.

[Frizzlewits]

hawt

with a dark somewhat evil heart
and the stories i have seen with her is just awesome (in wow)
i do not know anything about wc3 or before that.


but the main reason is hawt :P

[Trassk]

Garrosh has boobs and he's certainly not more interesting. However I agree that Sylvanas' gender is one of the reasons many male players think she's a "good character" (I used to include myself in this group, but I cared less over time).

Those are moobs, and they don't win voters... not after he tried to breast feed Nazgrim.

[Deleted]

Come on OP, the answer to the question is simple. Some people just like... dead bodies. Everyone with their fetish. Maybe they think the worms moving inside her private parts while they push their you know what will give them better sensations as said worms crawl on their instrument, like a tingling or something... you're welcomed for the mental image.

[Trassk]

Sylvanas "You! Minion! Assist these fools in helping them raise the corpses of these alliance into drones for my undead army, I need protection!"
Player (looks are Sylvanas's exposed hips and firm boobs) "Durrrrr Okie dokie!"