Shadowlands Afterlives: Animated Shorts Series Premiere - Gamescom 2020

[La]

Well, that certainly confirms that Blizzard will most definitely be taking this opportunity to have Arthas be a large part to this story, in one way or another. This basically could be taken as the exact moment the Shadowlands started having issues. Uther, Arthas, Sylvanas, lots of people connected to the deeds of the Lich King here.

[Treetoppz]

If that isn't a "no it isn't" platitude rearing its head when 20+ years ago the lore was set and then promptly burned and ripped with a you think you do but don't mindset I dont know what is.

To me reading your reaction to what I said it sounds like you aren’t receptive to new information. At least not in this sense. No where is it stated that the sword doesn’t suck souls still. You are taking one example with a top tier paladin who has a strong unshakable connection to the light being saved. Now all of a sudden the lore is ripped asunder. I don’t know what to tell you my dude. Open your mind I suppose.

[agentsi]

Okay.... That was pretty fucking awesome. Lore, retcon, whatever aside. They do know how to do these shorts and animation extremely well.

[Ladey Gags]

Maybe I’m just getting old and jaded, but that was fucking awful. The voice acting was one of the worst I’ve ever heard..holy shit I can’t even fathom how or why this voice acting was so bad, over-acted, and forced??

And the forced appeal to emotion with the Arthas pandering was so fucking blatant.

I felt no desire to learn about or explore this other land. I think I’m finally being freed from my interest in this game. Fucking yawn.

[Nerovar]

To me reading your reaction to what I said it sounds like you aren’t receptive to new information. At least not in this sense. No where is it stated that the sword doesn’t suck souls still. You are taking one example with a top tier paladin who has a strong unshakable connection to the light being saved. Now all of a sudden the lore is ripped asunder. I don’t know what to tell you my dude. Open your mind I suppose.

If Uther was indeed saved by the Light... Then why would the Light place him in the Shadowlands where Naaru are imprisoned, where "A general of the House of constructs [...] led a combined defense against the Light ages past.", where Souls are enslaved into eternal servitude and where the Light has no power (according to Mograine's quest in Bastion)?

[ThatsOurEric]

Maybe I’m just getting old and jaded, but that was fucking awful. The voice acting was one of the worst I’ve ever heard..holy shit I can’t even fathom how or why this voice acting was so bad, over-acted, and forced??

You are 100% wrong.

If you think any of that was bad, then god knows what you think good is.

[Proudmong]

If Uther was indeed saved by the Light... Then why would the Light place him in the Shadowlands where Naaru are imprisoned, where "A general of the House of constructs [...] led a combined defense against the Light ages past.", where Souls are enslaved into eternal servitude and where the Light has no power (according to Mograine's quest in Bastion)?

Why would the Light have to send him to the Shadowlands to fulfil the act of saving him? Preventing half of his soul from being trapped in an evil death blade qualifies as saving enough for most people, I'd assume.

[Nerovar]

Why would the Light have to send him to the Shadowlands to fulfil the act of saving him? Preventing half of his soul from being trapped in an evil death blade qualifies as saving enough for most people, I'd assume.

What does it matter to the Light whether he ends up in one Lightforsaken place or another?

[Ladey Gags]

You are 100% wrong.

If you think any of that was bad, then god knows what you think good is.

You seriously think that was quality, professional voice acting?

[Claymore]

Okay, so it's obviously a retcon. I think they wanted there to be some poetic justice in having Uther be the one to cast Arthas into the maw, but then realized there's no way that would work out (unless you'd just had Uther's entire story here occur in the couple of seconds between Frostmourne being shattered and Arthas actually dying, but that would be difficult to convey in such a short cinematic).

Definitely interesting, though. So it appears Arthas wasn't *meant* to go to the Maw, implying a different fate was originally in store for him. I kind of wonder if Blizzard is going to do a fake-out and say "Arthas is actually destined for Bastion", only to reveal that while he was SUPPOSED to be redeemed, his years in the Maw have altered his soul and he actually becomes a full-fledged villain after all? Either that, or perhaps he decides to become the new Jailer once we presumably kill the current one? Although that seems a bit close to Illidan's fate...

Either way, I'm interested to see where things go. I just hope they don't drag this shit out the ENTIRE expansion before revealing Arthas. Legion had a pretty good pace of revealing Illidan early enough, we felt like we got to see the character in action a bit before disappearing again.

[Proudmong]

What does it matter to the Light whether he ends up in one Lightforsaken place or another?

The Light as a power can be summoned by any with the faith and willpower, Uther simply needs to call on it. That's all there is to it really, the 'Light' doesn't need a reason, just faith.

You seriously think that was quality, professional voice acting?

Most comments I've seen so far have praised the performance, notably Uther's death screams. So yes, you must unfortunately be getting old and jaded.

[Nerovar]

The Light as a power can be summoned by any with the faith and willpower, Uther simply needs to call on it. That's all there is to it really, the 'Light' doesn't need a reason, just faith.

The Light has a will of its own. This can be seen in the Arthas novel and also during the DK order hall campaign where the Light intervenes to prevent Tirion's body (and soul) from being desecrated.

[bloodmoth13]

That was interesting...
why did frostmourne only steal part of his soul? does attuning yourself to one of the greater cosmic forces cement your soul into that realm or something? like, his light self went to bastion but the rest of him was taken by frostmourne?
Seems a little contrived but its not a big deal.
Looks like they managed to fit this story in the gaps of it all without having to contradict anything, which is good. Hopefully the rest of the lore can remain in tact.

[Stardrift]

You seriously think that was quality, professional voice acting?

I think you just want to hate something for the sake of it.

Try sitting back, going outside or something. I genuinely mean it, it'll help. Cheers.

[Powerogue]

Holy crap a lot of y'all are unpleasable, that was the best "motion comic" styled WoW vid since Daughter of the Sea.

[Darknessvamp]

Okay, so it's obviously a retcon. I think they wanted there to be some poetic justice in having Uther be the one to cast Arthas into the maw, but then realized there's no way that would work out (unless you'd just had Uther's entire story here occur in the couple of seconds between Frostmourne being shattered and Arthas actually dying, but that would be difficult to convey in such a short cinematic).

Definitely interesting, though. So it appears Arthas wasn't *meant* to go to the Maw, implying a different fate was originally in store for him. I kind of wonder if Blizzard is going to do a fake-out and say "Arthas is actually destined for Bastion", only to reveal that while he was SUPPOSED to be redeemed, his years in the Maw have altered his soul and he actually becomes a full-fledged villain after all? Either that, or perhaps he decides to become the new Jailer once we presumably kill the current one? Although that seems a bit close to Illidan's fate...

Either way, I'm interested to see where things go. I just hope they don't drag this shit out the ENTIRE expansion before revealing Arthas. Legion had a pretty good pace of revealing Illidan early enough, we felt like we got to see the character in action a bit before disappearing again.

I mean there's minor rewrites to the short they could do without having to do any retcons at all to Warcraft 3 or WotLK and still throw Arthas in the Maw.

Have Uther die, maybe have a small segment where he's trapped in darkness before light breaks through with flashes of Paladins calling for his aid before he turns up in Bastion, maybe have Devos make a comment about how long they have waited for him or something and keep that he has been chosen, keep the troubled Uther with his issue being he doesn't think Arthas was punished or that true retribution was had (basically establish this is happening post WotLK), communicate a good deal of time has passed e.g. a quick montage of him facing the trials and not passing before Devos expresses deeper interest in his prolonged ascension. Keep Thenios chastising Devos for over-interest in a single soul and have that drive her deeper into trying to help him as an extension of her Loyalty to the Path of Ascension and her Loyalty to the aspirants, during her overseeing of one of the trials Uther summons the shade of Arthas from his memories and his death is reenacted, Devos takes note of Frostmourne and realises it's still in the Mortal World and then have that Confrontation of the Archon with this news, get told to drop this course and Devos goes back to Uther.

Devos ascends Uther believing her Loyalty to the Shadowlands and her aspirants comes before the Path and that the system of the shadowlands doesn't bring justice as Uther wants, maybe have some quip about the Kyrians ferry the souls to the Shadowlands, "We found them once, we can find them again.", cue a door being smashed down in a dungeon in Revendreth (cause sin cleansing) and Uther strides in flanked by Devos, Arthas in chains well on the path to repentance sees them and goes to greet his old friend and Uther knocks him down, Devos makes some statement about "this place granting forgiveness but that isn't the fate he has earned", cut to them hovering over the Maw, Arthas having been knocked unconscious and keep the same scene from the end of the short and then end it.

You get Uther's revenge, Arthas in the Maw, Devos' motivation and the Covenants messing with each others systems allowing for an idea as to how the Machine of Death was on it's way to being broken. Without screwing what came before. It also fits well with how Uther later on hasn't ascended properly and deeply regrets what he did.

[iamthedevil]

So... frostmourne don't trap souls. It just slightly wound them.
And Uther in the hall of reflection is just swiped away.
Stupid retarded writers.

I'm going to take a crazy guess here and say that uther was so close with the light it wouldn't allow it just like Tirion was able to break frostmourne. Or wait that's not crazy that seems really obvious. Remember Bolvar, the paladin? The guy that couldn't be broken?

Right about halls though.

[Godric]

Maybe I’m just getting old and jaded, but that was fucking awful. The voice acting was one of the worst I’ve ever heard..holy shit I can’t even fathom how or why this voice acting was so bad, over-acted, and forced??

And the forced appeal to emotion with the Arthas pandering was so fucking blatant.

I felt no desire to learn about or explore this other land. I think I’m finally being freed from my interest in this game. Fucking yawn.

I mean fuck, they couldn’t even let Arthas’ final words before dying be just that. Now I have to imagine the blue goons coming after him after his last lines are spoken.

Though to be honest, I’m honestly surprised it took them this long to dig Arthas up as a prop for this ridiculous idea of an expansion.

[Joulius the Paladin]

I have a theory of what happened to Uther. Frostmourne did not absorb the other half of his soul but rather the shade of his soul. This shade is a husk that is created at the moment that the mother concieves the baby by the soul to serve as an extra layer between the spirit and soul and its in between those and the body. So Arthas does not trap the souls themselves but the husk the souls created to serve for the inbetween which they still have good amount of power because they are created from the etherical shell of azeroth or any other planet in any case. Also remember Odysseus that went to the underworld to meet with Hercules but instead of him he met with the shade of Hercules. Remember. This is just a theory. Read it all then take it or leave it as is. Thats depends on you

[ashblond]

Maybe I’m just getting old and jaded, but that was fucking awful. The voice acting was one of the worst I’ve ever heard..holy shit I can’t even fathom how or why this voice acting was so bad, over-acted, and forced??

And the forced appeal to emotion with the Arthas pandering was so fucking blatant.

I felt no desire to learn about or explore this other land. I think I’m finally being freed from my interest in this game. Fucking yawn.

I agree.

It is really boring and blatant. The over dramatic acting is awkward and cringeworthy.

Warbringer Jaina was much much better.