What role will Azshara play in BfA?

[Ningjinq]

We know that we are finally going to fight Azshara and very likely kill her. And relatively early on too as it’s heavily implied she is in the second raid of the xpac. (Their words were, when introducing Azshara, “following Ul’dir” which the vast majority of times means the very next thing)

So if she’s going to be introduced early on, what kind of buildup could we see for her? Sure this xpac is being hyped as HvA, but if we compare Azshara’s raid in its place to NH, we got tons of story content for the Nightborne. One of the most fleshed out races theyve made. So can we expect something similar for Azshara?

Where even will her raid take place? An Underwater fortress? Will she conquer something on land that we kill her at?

[Drynix]

Same role as blackhand in WoD and Gul'dan in Legion. Azshara will pop up here and there during questing being evil and setting up the story of the rest of the expansion just to get offed in the 2nd raid and tossed aside. Which is kind of a waste considering so many people wanted an entire expansion with her as the main villain. Maybe/hopefully she escapes in someway at the end of the raid to show up later again.

Considering her model, it will be in a watery zone. Her octopus lower body half makes me doubt she will walk on land.

[Golden Yak]

I think she's going to be poking around gathering Azerite, possibly to release and/or empower N'Zoth in some way.

We've gotten hints that N'Zoth's prison is weakening, he's bound to break loose at some point. Although, we've heard about this Blood God G'huun as well and how his prison is also on the verge of shattering. It'd be kind've weird to have two similar story elements in the same expansion.

[Exilian]

It seems hopes for a full Azshara expansion died with bfa honestly. Whatever blizz choose to do with her now will be shit, we'll either kill her or she'll escape only to be killed in the next raid or maybe next expansion as like a dungeon boss summoning nzoth. Either way in bfa she will get 1 medium - large patch of content, which is a disgrace even for blizzard's low standard of lore - ingame relation, but hey. So yeah enjoy the 2 months or so of an Azshara tier cos thats all were getting, and considering blizzard's pandering to vashjir haters nazjatar will probably get the same "raised off the sea floor" kinda treatment the broken isles did

[mrlowrider]

Irrelevant loot Piñata

[Radaney]

I imagine there will be a fair bit of Naga on Kul'tiras and Zandalar.

[Kyux]

I think the Blood God will start off the expansion, and then 8.1 will lead us into more Old God stuff. The overarching story will be (I think) that while we're fighting each other the Old Gods are gaining ground following Legion. I think with Azshara likely in 8.1, or the second tier, she will bring in the Old God threat for the final tier.

[darkdude103]

I want her to wreck us in Silithus to get Access to the well of eternity 3.0

I dont want her to just be a pawn of N'zoth i want her to use him as a means to an end

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Ideally Azshara will play off both factions fighting each other only for us to get blindsided by Azshara by giving us a Broken Shore esque defeat. This in turn stops the faction war(Unless Blizzard wants our factions to be total morons).

[A Chozo]

Loot piñata.

...Seriously now, she'll probably attack while both factions are weakened by the war. I think she wants us DEAD - she will attack the main settlements (Zuldazar and Boralus). I think about it like a third player entering the Faction War.

Also, I want her palace in Nazjatar to be a revolution in Architecture. It needs to be THE most noble piece of art in Warcraft, it's Azshara after all. It could also be technological - Coilfang Reservoir was advanced, and I think this one could go beyond. Show that those Nagas progressed in technology.

Make it like the Undersea Palace (to solidfy the similarities between Azshara and Sargeras X Zeal and Lavos)!

[MechaCThun]

My ideal role for her will be a dominating figure in the background--always present, taunting us--but too far out of reach for us to actually kill her.

Similar to how the Lich King was during WotLK questing. Always showing up, reminding the players that he is the end game.

However, for an expansion focused and themed on "total faction war" I think Azshara should not be apart of it unless serving that Lich King-esque role during WotLK questing.

[Exilian]

My ideal role for her will be a dominating figure in the background--always present, taunting us--but too far out of reach for us to actually kill her.

Similar to how the Lich King was during WotLK questing. Always showing up, reminding the players that he is the end game.

However, for an expansion focused and themed on "total faction war" I think Azshara should not be apart of it unless serving that Lich King-esque role during WotLK questing.

I completely agree, but what do you think will happen? Do you really think she will not be killed in bfa and that we will get a full Azshara / South Seas xpac afterwards? I sincerely doubt it, even though thatd be awesome, cos theyve already taken too many elements from the South Seas fanfic for it to be viable...

[Flurryfang]

She will proberly have the same role as Ragnaros had in Cata. They will use a single zone to her character and her motivations in place in the start of BFA and then we will get to see her in her own zone in either 8.1 or 8.2.

I think it is about time, that we get an end to the naga/Azshara threat, that has been going on since Cata. I think that her theme can just about deal with a patch for herself, but if they don't kill her off in her own patch, i really feel like she will outstay her welcome. She is an old enemy after all and her name is already quite overused.

[Farrarie]

I think Azshara will be like illidan and Nzoth will be like KJ in BC

[Flurryfang]

It seems hopes for a full Azshara expansion died with bfa honestly. Whatever blizz choose to do with her now will be shit, we'll either kill her or she'll escape only to be killed in the next raid or maybe next expansion as like a dungeon boss summoning nzoth. Either way in bfa she will get 1 medium - large patch of content, which is a disgrace even for blizzard's low standard of lore - ingame relation, but hey. So yeah enjoy the 2 months or so of an Azshara tier cos thats all were getting, and considering blizzard's pandering to vashjir haters nazjatar will probably get the same "raised off the sea floor" kinda treatment the broken isles did

I don't think it is a disgracefull display to not give her expansion for herself. I actually think, that it would be making a smal enemy into a big one if they did that. Azshara have after all always been the 2nd villian when it comes to fighting her and from what Blizzard have showed us through the expansions, she is not really worth using an entire expansion her.

Also her watery theme is also quite frequently used all the way back from TBC, so having an entire expansion around her watery realm would just be overdoing it. Her theme has shown through in TBC, Cata and Legion, so having an entire raid about her would really be a fitting end. After all, we have been killing off many of her soldiers for quite a long time, so who are really left.

If Blizzard actually wanted to make an expansion around her, they would have to remake her theme all together and i don't think Blizzard would want that, when they could make something new instead.

[Nihilan]

While i am certainly jaded enough to see Blizzard offing her as a filler boss just to shut people up and tie off the Naga themed expansion hype (just like Xavius and EN), i would like to see her be more than just a bump in the road on our march toward Nzoth. She is the last remaining iconic Big Bad from ye olden times of wow. She deserves to go out in a blaze of glory. I too would love to see her end up having manipulated everyone, including us the PCs, Wrathion, Baby Anduin, Genn, Sylvi, everyone. Playing alliance and horde and even Illidan and Velen for chumps.

[Whatever Dude]

The loot pinata role

[Deleted]

I'm not sure she'll be doing the old gods bidding as much as looking out for #1, as per usual. This will probably be her final ghambit though, maybe she's found a giant fount of Azerite spewing out of the ocean floor off the coast of Kul'tiras or something.

The analogy of plutonium brought to mind, maybe she even blew up Tel'drassil to kill the fuck out of 'the traitors' who have constantly been a thorn in her side.

[Houle]

I think she's going to be poking around gathering Azerite, possibly to release and/or empower N'Zoth in some way.

We've gotten hints that N'Zoth's prison is weakening, he's bound to break loose at some point. Although, we've heard about this Blood God G'huun as well and how his prison is also on the verge of shattering. It'd be kind've weird to have two similar story elements in the same expansion.

Yeah the thing is, it's about 95% sure that we're going to kill G'huun in the first raid.

I'm not sure she'll be doing the old gods bidding as much as looking out for #1, as per usual. This will probably be her final ghambit though, maybe she's found a giant fount of Azerite spewing out of the ocean floor off the coast of Kul'tiras or something.

The analogy of plutonium brought to mind, maybe she even blew up Tel'drassil to kill the fuck out of 'the traitors' who have constantly been a thorn in her side.

She is N'zoths servant since WotA...i'm pretty sure almost everything she does is ordered by him.

[Ningjinq]

Well, Ion basically confirmed Azshara is in 2nd raid after G’huun.