Art, a major Blizzard release on the World of Warcraft npires olgibaaxguhdvtcfbes, what a comment flows from ecstasy. Next to the caption ‘Light guide me… and give me power to proceed with the hardest,’ King Anduin Wrynn is shown very somber and resolute. The tweet event blows up the third thousand years with a magnificent @Eregbueye illustration that raises the classic ‘epic fantasy’ of the game and gets lushed right into your living room, after which you only need to log in—uhm, or engage in a hundred different debates about the lore.
The community’s first reaction is to express a varied range of feelings, which, by the way, is the norm for everything related to WoW. Some players only see the beauty of the game. One of them commented, ‘beautiful art,’ while the other referred to it as a ‘cool illustration.’ They are absolutely right! The detailing on the armor, the light’s interaction, and the overall arrangement—everything is priceless. Even glorious.
However, descending one can see that the story has gotten thicker quicker than a raid group losing lives at the first boss every time they try. Anduin, the character of whom we are speaking, has undergone several plot twists. A player phrased it in the most apt manner: ‘This man went from Priest… to pala… to warrior… and back to pala again.’ It is true! His class identity has been more volatile than the auction house. So what does the Light imply for him now? What ‘must be done’? This is the point where theories start to explode.
Some gamers are very fast to confess their skepticism about the Light. ‘Ah, I can guess…. the light is tyranny…. ohhhh what a twist…. could not foresee that,’ one player seemed to make a light-hearted joke, referring to the ongoing story arc including the possibly fanatic, dictatorial shadow of the Holy Light. ‘Anduin, please, don’t go there. You might get “lightblind” and then just smite a few void abominations,’ one player wrote. The entire saga with the Scarlet Crusade and the Lightforged Draenei has made players very careful and not to trust any light source even a bit.
As for the group that is just very much emotionally involved with this king who they cheer for, the faction is just deeply emotionally invested in this fictional king. The user analogy comes out loud and clear from the text ‘MY SWEET ANGEL MY PERFECT BABY LOVE OF MY LIFE,’ posted. Michi. Aww, that’s nice, and so is her/his choice of kings. Another user even pleaded, ‘My boy needs his ponytail again 😩 keep the Wrynn ponytail tradition!’ See, here the creator of this character-driven demand has exposed the fanbase’s identity. Who cares that Azeroth is in danger—let’s just keep hairstyle continuity!
Yet, he does not charm everyone. The critiques take on various forms. One of the claims is that Anduin has become an extremely boring character arc; one says sharply, ‘Will he finally get a spine?’ Another one asks impatiently, ‘Make him a worthy character PLESE. Stop this world of lousy peace.’ While the last one delivers with a direct killer line: ‘Get rid of him and resurrect Arthas. Anduin is just a cheap knockoff.’ Ouch! That hurts! Nevertheless, the long shadow of the Lich King is something that one cannot disregard.
Blizzarding something as usual, the no way it will go without say some ‘feedback’ regarding the current game state, editing. One commenter used the artwork as a launchpad for complaints: ‘The light already gave me the strength to cancel my subscription for a game that you must buy, pay a subscription, and also have micro transactions. Ah, I almost forgot, bad balance and lack of content.’ It’s a feeling that has been prevailing in the community lately—a feeling that the magic is slowly dying in the conflict between the monetization and the development choices.
There is even a strange comment that is somehow relatable, sad-funny: ‘If only I had a gaming computer which I do not but had a rental gaming computer but can’t afford a gaming computer.’ The struggle is real, and sometimes the most amazing art just serves to remind you of the barrier to entry.
Importantly, already some people are theorizing about the dots that will be connected to future expansions like ‘The War Within’ and ‘Midnight.’ One of the fan-theory-creator surfers exclaimed, ‘Is that my boy #anduin? I hope that he will somehow be part of the #midnight. But I already have theories. PlayStation and Xbox players are also following the latest updates.
