World of WarcraftDragonflightsees of Ysera return to take her rightful place as leader of the Green Dragonflight, but this plot development carries a cost paid by Malfurion that Narrative Director Steve Danuser finally explains. Back inWorld of Warcraft: Legion, the Val’sharah questline ended with the death of Ysera that ferried her soul to the Shadowlands to be reincarnated. For many players, Ysera’s untimely demise was the emotional highlight of theLegionleveling experience(and perhaps the expansion overall), and her appearance in Ardenweald was similarly met with strong feelings.
Dragonflightsees Ysera come backfrom the Realm of Death due to the generosity of the Winter Queen, but this premature act of restoration carries a rather controversial cost. When the datamining phase forDragonflightbegan, there was one quest that sparked the ire of theWorld of Warcraftcommunity like no other: Malfurion suddenly and inexplicably taking Ysera’s place in Ardenweald.
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Though Malfurion was rarely ever the most popularWorld of Warcraftcharacter, as many players preferred the flawed personality of his brother Illidan, he was still an Alliance icon, and arguably the face of the Druid class. Surviving the War of the Thorns and its aftermath only to do nothing but seemingly give his life felt like a cheap shot for Tyrande, and many Night Elf fans felt that Blizzard was never going to throw them a bone. In a recent interview with MMORPG, Narrative Director Steve Danuser finally sheds some light on Malfurion’s sacrifice and how it might shape the future of the story.
First and foremost, Danuser doesn’t want people to think that this was just a crude means of getting Malfurion out of the way. Instead, he urges players to consider it as a new beginning for his character. Ardenweald is a place of restoration and rebirth that is intricately connected to the Emerald Dream, and as a Druid, Malfurion may return from the Realm of Death wiser for the journey. Steve Danuser goes on to say that Malfurion’s sacrifice inDragonflightwas partly inspired by Persephone from Greek mythology – implying that Ysera will likely need to return toArdenweald and the Shadowlandsat some point, taking the place that Malfurion now occupies in her stead.
ThoughWorld of Warcraftplayers still argue that the scene was sloppily executed and poorly conveyed to the audience, the actual idea behind it is sound. A very strong positive thatDragonflighthas going for it in the story department is in its grounded focus on Azeroth and its draconic protectors. For the first time in three expansions, Sylvanas Windrunner isn’t a key player, and the cosmic scale ofShadowlandsthat gave players fatigue does not follow inDragonflight.
