Would BfA have been the same if Varian had lived?

[Eon Drache]

You don't make it hard to play spot the Sylvanas fanboy, especially when you say random crap like Varian got killed by a random demon...lol.

no fan boy but he was effectively dead once a random demon stabbed him in the back. He drops his sword long before Gul'dan killed him. Gul'dan wasn't the one that beat him. He was the one that bragged to him and stole the kill.

[huth]

The question makes little sense. Varian died so BfA could happen. Blizzard already had the general story laid out at that point.

Even if he had somehow survived Broken Shore, they'd just have killed him off shortly afterwards anyway.

[Dakhath]

Sylvanas pulls the "I O U" card she got from Varian after saving him in the Legion cinematic.

What did Varian get from her when she was on his knees in front of him in the throne room of the Undercity?

[huth]

no fan boy but he was effectively dead once a random demon stabbed him in the back. He drops his sword long before Gul'dan killed him. Gul'dan wasn't the one that beat him. He was the one that bragged to him and stole the kill.

Varian was dead the moment he jumped back off the Gunship into a demon army with no way to safety. It was just a question of what exactly would kill him at that point.

[Magnagarde]

Or they would have moved the story in the exact same direction, making changes to account for Varian's personality.

Well, yes and no. The question here was whether BfA would've been the same and I honestly believe it wouldn't have because Varian wouldn't act like Anduin nor would Sylvanas act the same way towards Varian as she does towards Anduin. There would be some differences, primarily because I both Varian and Vol'jin were killed at Legion's beginning to pave the way for BfA.

My position is of course based on what we knew of each character before BfA (in Varian's case, Legion) and I'm fully aware that the lore rarely meets our expectations (even when it involves a book describing her intentions got released right before the expansion).

[etheldald]

no, nothing would have stopped this fanfiction of a plot.
thrash writing is thrash writing regardless what characters are involved.

[Broken Fox]

Varian's badass but he's not Goku. He has no powers. He's just a dude with a sword.

[Whitedragon]

Varian's badass but he's not Goku. He has no powers. He's just a dude with a sword.

Hes got a Wild god powering him up, and a powerful magical blade if that count's. Also considering how Garrosh was just a plebeian warrior with nothing backing him up and was still a match for many lore characters, I think we overvalue magic a bit to much.

[Revamp Man]

I have been waiting for nixxiom to do a what if about this.

1. Legion itself would have been entirely different. Odyn would have found a champion and Varian would have led assaults.
2. If he lived the banshee queen would be too afraid to attack.
3. Jaina would have never left the alliance.
4. Upon reaching kul tiras the queen would have allied herself with Varian.
5. Sylvanas would kill the boy

[Minikin]

He got brought to guldan by random demons therefor he might as well of died on the battlefield by a random demo.
I'm sorry you wanna fanboy Varian he is a cool character but please do not let your hatred tworwards Sylvans drive you.
I'm not a fanboy i just look at things objectively.

"Couldn't kill Malfurion" lol Malfurion is more powerful then Velen and Thrall there isn't even a comparison.
Just cause malfurion has been written ike a complete pussy doesn't make him weak.

Sylvanas is on par with preaty much all the big bads of the alliance you wanna trow she is more powerful then Varian at the moment of is death.

Varian has nothing on the queen i'm afraid.

Sylvanas is probably as powerful as velen and thrall combined at this point.
And yes i know both velen and thrall recently got nerfed but Varian is not a hard carry so to speak for the aliance.
He got killed by a random demon after all.

"im not a sylvanas fan boy"

"sylvanas is as powerful as a millennia old space and time traveling priest and the dude who stood in as the earth warder"

on topic: we have had this topic before. the novel before the storm has the answer. and its leaning towards a no.

[etheldald]

I have been waiting for nixxiom to do a what if about this.

1. Legion itself would have been entirely different. Odyn would have found a champion and Varian would have led assaults.
2. If he lived the banshee queen would be too afraid to attack.
3. Jaina would have never left the alliance.
4. Upon reaching kul tiras the queen would have allied herself with Varian.
5. Sylvanas would kill the boy

Now that you mention it not only jaina would have stayed in the kirin tor but also genn wouldn't have attacked sylvanas, but then no one would stop sylvanas from getting infinite valkyr and power, so that means that she could create an army by herself.

it seems like the story could have taken a really different direction.

[ophion1990]

The Alliance is a heavyweight and the Horde is a featherweight, at best. Varian being alive wouldn't have changed anything, as the only reason Sylvanas won in Ashenvale is because of a blitzkrieg type attack, if it was a fair fight the Horde would have lost, as we see in the battle for lordaeron and in 8.1 with the Zandalari losing both its powerful leader and its navi and the Horde not even managing to maintain the foothold on Darkshore against the small Worgen/Night Elf Alliance force. I don't see Varian releasing Saurfang, though. Varian also wouldn't have a foot in the door with Baine, as Anduin does, which will probably become part of the plot again at some point.

[naeblis495]

sylvanas seemed to respect varian quite a bit if we go with their dialogue at the broken shore . she acknowledge his strengh and respect him as an ennemy .

also Genn probably wouldn't had pulled his attack against her if varian gave the order to stay put .

therefore i don't think sylvanas would started the war if he was still alive , or at least , not one of that scale .

[Topornic]

After Legion intro? Nope. I honestly think Sylvanas respected Varian and they could have worked something out in the end that might have brought peace.

Varian would always have been the Lo'gosh and Sylvanas would have known that all too well. With Genn on his side and Azerite appearing on the world - the war would have to be waged sooner or later. The outcome so far could have been different but I doubt it.

[Ebalina]

"im not a sylvanas fan boy"

"sylvanas is as powerful as a millennia old space and time traveling priest and the dude who stood in as the earth warder"

on topic: we have had this topic before. the novel before the storm has the answer. and its leaning towards a no.

Power is not based on how long you have lived.
I mean maybe you think it is but it really isn't.

Power can be obtained in mere seconds and also can be lost in that same time.
You are just butthurd cause blizzard decided to make her this powerful.

I mean you can be mad all you want fact is she is powerful regardless if you like it or not.

[Grigor II]

More crying from the alliance because Varian isn't one shotting everything

[Mentaldemise]

There is no way in fuck Sylv would risk getting into an all out war with Varian, i doubt any horde(or alliance) leader ever would, the only reason sylv attacked now is because anduin is untested and greymane is too pissed off to think clearly, people like to downplay Varian but he was arguably the strongest racial leader out of any race and commanded more respect than voljin or thrall, not to mention he would of set jaina loose from the beginning rather than limiting her to a pseudo ambassador to kul'tiras.

The storyline for BFA is a mess but the way varian has been written he would of probably marched on undercity then gone straight to org, but the timeline is a mess at the moment and without reasoning and "What ifs" it's very very doubtful she'd have the balls to bait varian into open war.

[Theoris]

Before the Storm states that Sylvanas wouldn't have started a war with the Alliance if Varian was still alive, so no.

[Grigor II]

Before the Storm states that Sylvanas wouldn't have started a war with the Alliance if Varian was still alive, so no.

There is problem with that, she wants something from there and it's not just the humans that can turn into forsakens and while Varian was a strong leader, let's not forget he almost lose the previous faction war against Garrosh if what Wrathion says is true

[GrimReaper673]

There is problem with that, she wants something from there and it's not just the humans that can turn into forsakens and while Varian was a strong leader, let's not forget he almost lose the previous faction war against Garrosh if what Wrathion says is true

Varian and Garrosh actually fought each other in the novel Wolfheart. They fought until Garrosh was exhausted and got disarmed by Varian. A dying magnataur separated them, and likely saved Garrosh's life. The book also states that Varian was still full of stamina.

It isn't really up for debate that Varian was a bigger threat on the battlefield than Anduin is. Sylvanas may have had a much harder time fighting Varian than people think.