The Shadowlands are circles of Hell, and Sylvannas is Kerrigan now

[Jessicka]

So let me explain how I think it works, top to bottom.

Ardenweald - a kind of Limbo where those who’ve done terrible things, albeit under duress, are given time to heal and come to terms with what they’ve done; that time can eternal so being kept in a slumber for that long may also be some degree of punishment.

Bastion - Mind wipes and an eternity of servitude carrying other souls to the afterlife. Doesn’t seem like much fun to me. I also got a despotic grand-show of architecture vibe from the zone, maintained by slaves, but obviously not for slaves.

Maldraxxus - a strange indifference to the moral compass of its inhabitants, but mostly not good and just spoiling for a fight and dominion. A standing army kept busy fighting to defend from what?

Revendreth - the last chance saloon, a place for atonement for one’s sins.

The Maw - Eternal damnation.

Is that a good or bad thing? I don’t know, but it probably explains how some people are finding it hard to relate to some things. I found the whole place up to Revendreth utterly hateful and couldn’t give a damn about killing dead people and sending them presumably to the Maw. But I’m glad I pushed through and tried to understand it, and got to Revendreth where people were much more relatable and ultimately wanted to be better.

As for Sylvannas, it seems like she wants to be Kerrigan now and kill whatever deities put this system in place. She knows probably better than most that eternity is a long time.

But it begs the question, is Shadowlands all the Bad Place? Are there are other places that make her wrong? What happens to those redeemed in Revendreth or healed in Ardenweald?

[Malania]

I was discussing the design of the Shadowlands with the guild. They seem a bit narrow. Like what do the normal people who aren't in touch with the wild, noble and great heroes of the people, vain and arrogant prideful people or warrior abominations do? Like a shop keeper? Do all shop keepers go to the Maw?!

Also why is the afterlife basically like life. You die and then have to get a job? I'd like to see an afterlife for all the shop keepers.

[Dracullus]

I was discussing the design of the Shadowlands with the guild. They seem a bit narrow. Like what do the normal people who aren't in touch with the wild, noble and great heroes of the people, vain and arrogant prideful people or warrior abominations do? Like a shop keeper? Do all shop keepers go to the Maw?!

Also why is the afterlife basically like life. You die and then have to get a job? I'd like to see an afterlife for all the shop keepers.

It was said many times that Shadowlands are infinite. We just explore 4 important ones that keeps machine working: first for bringing souls to Arbiter, second for army that defend SL (mostly from external forces like Void/Light, they've even done some scouting on Legion), third to recycle souls connected to life, fourth to clean up souls that could have any use in future + Maw as dumpster.

For sure there are some afterlives just for peaceful souls, maybe we will visit some in patch - either because Jailer will attack there or we will need something from them.

[Jessicka]

I was discussing the design of the Shadowlands with the guild. They seem a bit narrow. Like what do the normal people who aren't in touch with the wild, noble and great heroes of the people, vain and arrogant prideful people or warrior abominations do? Like a shop keeper? Do all shop keepers go to the Maw?!

Also why is the afterlife basically like life. You die and then have to get a job? I'd like to see an afterlife for all the shop keepers.

This is my point, that the whole Shadowlands is Bad Place, these are just circles of it. Perhaps there is another side to it that's Better Place, that demonstrates that Sylvannas and her Kerrigan style "Let's Kill Gods" move isn't the right one.

[bagina]

I don't think the entirety of SL is bad, but it's a deeply flawed place and not a one I would like to go to after death. Right off the bat, the idea of being reduced to a living fuel and your bodily autonomy being violated, no sir I don't like it. I don't enjoy the caste system and the hierarchy, the rat race. Bastion is a total nutty town, I wouldn't wish it on anyone, Maldraxx is a hamster wheel field, where they keep training useful idiots for cannon fodder under the guise of "MUH ENDLESS HONORABLE COMBAT", Revendreth, as mentioned, a rat race with a caste system and poverty? No way. Ardenweald, seems to be a pitstop on the path to reincarnation so it's not all that bad, but I don't like the idea of being made into a seed, completely defenseless and at the mercy of anyone. I just don't see how anyone in SLs should have any claim to a soul. On what basis? Who gave them the right?

What's more, if you still can die in SLs then I don't really see why they need to exist in the first place.

I still want to believe that the SLs is not the real afterlife but some artifical realm put in place by the First Ones to serve their ends.

[Stormwolf64]

So, i do wonder if Sylvanas vagina powers will make even the biggest feminazi and fighter for social justice, go stupid(er) and give her a redemption arc before solidifying her in a position in the alliance or horde, most likely alliance to shake things up.

[iosdeveloper]

yeah, shadowlands is a flawed corrupted place you arrive after dying
sylvie gonna free us all

[LemonDemonGirl]

The Shadowlands is basically the Matrix. You die, and you're sent to... your 'happy place'. Unless you were and evil person, then you go to Revendreth/somewhere else.

Your soul is made into Anima so you can fuel what's around you. And without people like you, nothing will run properly. No energy, no realms. And Loa help you if you somehow die.... again

- - - Updated - - -

This isn't my idea of an Afterlife at all . What is even the point of dying if you can just die again in the Afterlife? And 'every soul has its place'? What is that supposed to mean?

[Raetary]

I was discussing the design of the Shadowlands with the guild. They seem a bit narrow. Like what do the normal people who aren't in touch with the wild, noble and great heroes of the people, vain and arrogant prideful people or warrior abominations do? Like a shop keeper? Do all shop keepers go to the Maw?!

Also why is the afterlife basically like life. You die and then have to get a job? I'd like to see an afterlife for all the shop keepers.

The Shadowlands are infinite and more realms are created to suit a soul in case none of the already existing ones do so.

The 5 (+ Oribos) are merely the most important ones.
And Blizzard can only create so many zones.

Also:

I'd like to see an afterlife for all the shop keepers.

That's essentially the realm the brokers are from.

[LemonDemonGirl]

The afterlife should be your reward for living your life, not another plane of existance! At least Bwonsamdi's 'Troll Heaven' looks ok I guess
Edit: Someone posted before I got a chance to add this to my last post. Ooops

[Malania]

It was said many times that Shadowlands are infinite. We just explore 4 important ones that keeps machine working: first for bringing souls to Arbiter, second for army that defend SL (mostly from external forces like Void/Light, they've even done some scouting on Legion), third to recycle souls connected to life, fourth to clean up souls that could have any use in future + Maw as dumpster.

For sure there are some afterlives just for peaceful souls, maybe we will visit some in patch - either because Jailer will attack there or we will need something from them.

Yeah I had seen the many portals to other places in the art and was mostly being facetious but mathematically an infinite after life wouldn't work either. There aren't infinite souls or if there are (because it's never really stated if the universe is infinite in WC.) mathematically if it's infinite then an infinite amount of realms will only be inhabited by 1 person or will be entirely empty?

[bagina]

So, i do wonder if Sylvanas vagina powers will make even the biggest feminazi and fighter for social justice, go stupid(er) and give her a redemption arc before solidifying her in a position in the alliance or horde, most likely alliance to shake things up.

You must be very tired. Get some sleep.

[Stormwolf64]

You must be very tired. Get some sleep.

You must feel triggered. Chill.

[huth]

This is my point, that the whole Shadowlands is Bad Place, these are just circles of it. Perhaps there is another side to it that's Better Place, that demonstrates that Sylvannas and her Kerrigan style "Let's Kill Gods" move isn't the right one.

That's mostly because you didn't learn any of the actual lore of any of the realms. Your descriptions are... far-fetched, to put it mildly, and completely ignoring that most of these realms aren't currently in proper working order.

[huth]

Kerrigan? ...

The old "Blizz is just retelling SC2" nonsense compounded by poor knowledge of SL lore. Sylvanas isn't anywhere close to Kerrigan, and is quite squarely in the Villain corner.

[Maljinwo]

Shadowlands was a mistake

Death is not really death, just another place

[bagina]

That's mostly because you didn't learn any of the actual lore of any of the realms. Your descriptions are... far-fetched, to put it mildly, and completely ignoring that most of these realms aren't currently in proper working order.

Uhh but that's pretty much what they are. No lie there.

[Lord Pebbleton]

Do all shop keepers go to the Maw?!

They value a Warglaive of Azzinoth at around 20 gold and Sulfuras at 4 gold. Shop keepers belong to the deepest levels of the Maw.


Jokes aside, this is what I feared would happen. They have too much to explain and every explaination begs new questions and new answers. This is just a WoD-style storyline all over again, and WoD ended up being abandoned also because it was just a headache to navigate lore and plot wise. I would hate to see that happen again, but that seems to be the current trend...

For example, why are wild animals in Bastion? Are they naturally born there or were they alive at one point? If they got there after they died, how is that possible? Were they noble and upright animals, heroes to their kin? Even the hostile ones that fed on other creatures in their life time? Is animal instinct good or bad?

What happens if you kill them in Bastion? Do they go to the Maw?

So, to recap, they die, wake up in a totally unrelated place, get killed (and no one of the stewards or blue men bats an eye) and then they are tortured eternally?

This was just one observation and it has already sprang WAY too many questions.

- - - Updated - - -

The old "Blizz is just retelling SC2" nonsense compounded by poor knowledge of SL lore. Sylvanas isn't anywhere close to Kerrigan, and is quite squarely in the Villain corner.

To be fair, Kerrigan was a huge asshole, and she could only be redeemed because it turned out Amon was in control of her actions (then she got freed thanks to the artifact and Jim's intervention on Char). I would say Sylvanas is what would have happened if Kerrigan was not a slave to Amon, but a collaborator. So the comparison between Sylvanas and Kerrigan isn't too far fetched, but Sylvanas is past redemption now, while Kerrigan grabbed redemption through the very last plausible, non-evil explaination for what she did.

[Varodoc]

Lol what are you talking about, Kerrigan never wanted to tear down the entire cosmos because she was salty her life went wrong...

[Jessicka]

Lol what are you talking about, Kerrigan never wanted to tear down the entire cosmos because she was salty her life went wrong...

Except that’s exactly what she did when she went back to the Zerg.

And then went on to destroy the Xel’Naga over.

A lot more died because of her than Sylvannas burning down a tree.