Sylvanas Windrunner | |
---|---|
Warcraft character | |
First appearance | Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (2002) |
Voiced by | Piera Coppola (WC3) Patty Mattson (WoW and Heroes of the Storm) |
Sylvanas Windrunner is a fictional character who appears in the Warcraft series of video games by Blizzard Entertainment. Originally introduced in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos , she received a dramatic redesign in World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King , followed by a minor redesign in World of Warcraft: Legion . Once a high elf ranger-general of Silvermoon, Sylvanas was murdered by Arthas Menethil when she led a doomed resistance against his invasion. In one climactic battle, that left the capital city of Silvermoon in ruins, he managed to finally beat the elven general, ripping her soul out and transforming her into a banshee. This newest agent of the Lich King was empowered by hatred of the living and an everlasting desire to rule over her new people. In The Frozen Throne , Sylvanas was able to regain her free will and body, and founded the Forsaken faction of undead while styling herself as the "Banshee Queen" and "Dark Lady". With her new undead forces vowing to take revenge on the Lich King, they set out to wage war against the Scourge. Throughout nearly the entirety of Legion and the first one-third of Battle for Azeroth, she was also the Warchief of the Horde, standing as one of the most powerful political leaders in all of Azeroth following the death of Vol'jin during the opening events of Legion. She effectively abandoned the role in patch 9.1, Chains of Domination, resulting in the title of Warchief being retired and replaced by the Horde Council while leadership of the Forsaken is inherited by Desolate Council.
Sylvanas also appears as a playable character in the crossover multiplayer online battle arena game Heroes of the Storm . The character has been voiced by Patty Mattson since World of Warcraft patch 3.2 but prior to that she was voiced by Piera Coppola.
Sylvanas has become one of the most iconic and noted characters in Warcraft lore, and received generally positive critical reception from players and journalists alike before World of Warcraft: Legion, after which her character development was increasingly criticized. [1] [2] [3] [4] Before that, she was often praised for being a capable military leader and at the same time a sympathetic figure in the game's narrative arcs. Sylvanas has ranked as one of the most popular characters in the game, and is among the most recognizable figures from Blizzard Entertainment's published titles.
Sylvanas' character model in World of Warcraft was originally a light-skinned Night Elf. This was changed as the character was to feature in a major role in World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King . Blizzard felt the need to revamp her character model, as "players [were] worried that they would have to look at the old night elf model through all her lore moments in Wrath [of the Lich King]." An initial redesign featuring a more accurate blood or high elf model was released to the Wrath of the Lich King beta in August 2008, before her final "fantastic model" was introduced a month later. [5] In an interview with World of Warcraft developer Ion Hazzikostas, Sylvanas was referred to as a "very cool character" who isn't "out of the picture by any means." [6] Christie Golden, writer of the Warcraft novel War Crimes, remembers that "I was thrilled when they OK'd [the Sylvanas subplot in the novel], I was like "This is going to be a blast, this is just going to be all kinds of fun to write." She also said that "I like her, I love Sylvanas, I think she is wonderfully ... she's like chocolate, dark and bittersweet." [7] In an interview with World of Warcraft Trading Card Game developer Cryptozoic, Head Creative Designer Drew Walker stated that "MMO fans are immediately drawn to iconic figures like Tirion Fordring, Jaina Proudmoore, and Sylvanas Windrunner", which contributes to the popularity of the game. [8]
In August 2015, Blizzard updated the website for World of Warcraft: Legion with a profile of Sylvanas featuring another redesign. [9] The new model utilized updated textures, and most notably included a redesign to her armor which covered her midriff. A later cinematic featured the new Sylvanas. This cinematic marked her first appearance in a pre-rendered scene, an opportunity which allowed the team to "go back to [their] direction and really talk" about the character. [10] The team focused on representing the features associated with her undead high elf appearance, highlighting her "slightly wide set of eyes, high cheekbones, and a very pointy chin," as well as adding "a little bit of chisel on her face." [10] In addition, they also used the opportunity to redesign her classic armor in order to create "a more fitting attire" for the undead ranger, nicknaming it her "battle armor." [10] Sylvanas' updated look sparked conversation online, with many fans debating the choice to cover her midriff, and discussing the portrayal of female characters in modern video games. [11]
Sylvanas Windrunner is the founder and leader of the Forsaken faction. Originally a high elf of Quel'thalas, at a young age Sylvanas displayed exceptional skills at being a ranger, advancing in the ranks until eventually earning the position of Ranger-General. When the Scourge invaded Quel'thalas during the events of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos , Sylvanas valiantly defended her homeland, delaying the Scourge while the high elves attempted to create a defense. The Scourge however eventually overwhelmed her forces, and Prince Arthas Menethil (now a death knight) killed Sylvanas himself and raised her as an incorporeal banshee in his service as punishment for hindering his invasion. Prince Arthas' master, the Lich King, gradually lost control over the undead, a result of an attack by Illidan Stormrage and his forces on the Lich King's fortress, the Frozen Throne in Northrend. Thanks to this loss of control, Sylvanas regained her free will and physical body before launching an attack on Prince Arthas. Arthas fled to Northrend, but Sylvanas chose not to pursue him just yet, instead recruiting the majority of free-willed undead under her service and renaming themselves the 'Forsaken'. She led the Forsaken to consolidate their hold over the ruins of Lordaeron by defeating the dread lords of the Burning Legion and eventually betraying the Alliance remnants within the region (whom she manipulated to help her destroy her enemies). Under their new queen's guidance, the Forsaken established the Undercity beneath the ruins of Lordaeron's capital. While some Forsaken feared Sylvanas, others valued the security she provided. Many of the free-willed undead, however, found a purpose to their cursed existence through the banshee queen's burning desire to destroy the Lich King.
Sylvanas and the Forsaken hold a tense relationship with the Horde. After fighting for their right to join the Horde, Sylvanas led her "people" to the continent of Northrend to destroy the Lich King. Before they could succeed, an uprising among the Forsaken killed members of the Horde and Alliance, casting a shadow of mistrust over Sylvanas. She came to dwell on the Forsaken's dim prospects for the future; they were despised and unable to procreate. Ultimately, the Banshee Queen made a pact with the Val'kyr, nightmarish creatures capable of creating more undead, to give the Forsaken a chance to persist on Azeroth. Although having a respect and loyalty for the founding Warchief Thrall, Sylvanas despised his successor, Garrosh Hellscream—openly supporting and obeying Hellscream in his presence, yet plotting and scheming behind his back. Her brethren ultimately joined the Horde's rebellion against Garrosh, helping to bring an end to his tyrannical rule.
After Warchief Vol'jin was mortally wounded in the invasion of the Broken Isles, Vol'jin himself named Sylvanas Windrunner as his successor as Warchief of the Horde. Sylvanas then spearheaded the Hordes assault on The Broken Isles where she traveled to Stormheim in search of an artifact that would bind the remaining Val'kyr there to her will, thus allowing her once again to create more Forsaken. However, this plan was foiled when Genn Greymane attacked her and destroyed the artifact, creating more tension between the two factions.
Sylvanas Windrunner appears as a playable character in the crossover video game Heroes of the Storm , having been introduced in a March 2015 patch during the game's closed beta. She is a ranged assassin, which trait "black arrows" can enable basic attacks and abilities to stun minions, mercenaries and towers alike. [12]
Her basic abilities include a powerful volley of arrows with charges refreshed by kills, a dagger strike that does damage over time and spreads to nearby enemies, and a cone-based area-of-effect damage spell, called "haunting wave", that also allows her to teleport. [13] Furthermore, both her heroic abilities provide her team with sufficient crowd control either through "Mind Control", or an AoE silence by shooting the "Wailing Arrow". Talent upgrades can cause minions that die under the effects of her trait to explode, as well as to force an enemy minion to fight for Sylvanas' team using "possession" talent, or to enable Sylvanas to teleport multiple times during the short period of time using "windrunner" talent.
In Heroes of the Storm, Sylvanas primarily functions as a fast-paced marksman from behind the front lines but can also initiate tactical maneuvers to "gank" the enemy or make an easy getaway, and generally focuses on pushing lanes and dominating team fights with quick thinking. Furthermore, successful execution of her skills not only provides your team with a huge killing score but makes it very difficult to counter her deceptive split pushing capabilities.
Like several Warcraft characters, Sylvanas features as a collectible card in the Warcraft spin-off game Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft , where she is regularly ranked as one of the most powerful cards in the game, [14] [15] with Engadget's Matt Low writing that "Sylvanas Windrunner is a legendary rarity card [...] her bang for the mana buck is pretty darned good." [16] She also appears in the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game , also as a collectible card. [8]
Sylvanas has been featured in Warcraft-related merchandise. "The most powerful dead female in Azeroth" is featured on a custom Warcraft Monopoly $50 note, along with other notable Warcraft characters. [17] A Sylvanas figurine was featured at Comic-Con 2013, with Kotaku's Mike Fahey joking that "Mini Sylvanas is the most adorable queen of the undead ever. I love her. More than you." [18] Other Sylvanas figurines can be found too. [19] Sylvanas is also a popular character for cosplay. [20]
The character has received mostly positive reception. Sylvanas was listed #2 on 2p.com's list of the "5 most influential female characters in World of Warcraft", where she was summed up as "one of the most tragic and legendary heroes in World of Warcraft. However, she never gave up to destiny. Sylvanas strived to get out of predicaments and became a leader of the Forsaken. She was tough, firm, valiant, and brave enough to face her own destiny." [21] IGN editor Dana praised the story around Sylvanas, stating "I'm not ashamed to admit that I choked up more than once in the quest chain centered around Lady Sylvanas", referring to her appearance in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm . [22] Engadget writer Zach Yonzon wrote that Sylvanas "look[ed] every bit as awesome as faction leaders should be." The character's new updated look was praised as being "more regal, more intimidating, and just more badass" as well, with plenty of admirers. [23] Kotaku referred to her as a "crazy new character" and "rad hero" for her appearance in Heroes of the Storm; [24] she was also later reviewed as "an absolute blast to play", with Kotaku's Mike Fahey writing "I love her, at least for now." [13] She has also been referred to as "not your regular Heroes of the Storm character" by Nicole Arce of Tech Times. [25]
Sylvanas was also listed #2 on Matthew Rossi of Engadget's "Top 10 magnificent bastards of Warcraft", as "Sylvanas Windrunner has clawed her way to the number two slot by basically becoming ever more ruthless and viciously pragmatic in every appearance. She's cultivated a personality that has, in turn, formed its own cult among her Forsaken followers." [26] He also wrote that "Sylvanas is an interesting character because despite her often abominable actions, her actions make sense when related to her backstory. She's not an unknowable menace, and while you may not support what she does, you have to admit that it's hard to imagine not being as she is when she's experienced what she has." [27] Actress Michele Morrow stated her desire to play as Sylvanas in the Warcraft film, stating "To be honest, I’d be happy to play any of the characters in the movie. But, Sylvanas… I love her because she's determined. She's insidious. She's arrogant and spiteful, but you can’t really blame her. She's very tortured. I love this imagination of her. She truly takes her own council"; with an associated Facebook page receiving over 5,000 likes. [28] However, Anne Stickney of Engadget reviewed Sylvanas more negatively, claiming "Sylvanas Windrunner? Technically dead. Obsessed with procreation. Sylvanas actually stands on her own two feet, but her story is leaning more and more away from a competent leader and more toward someone who may just be a little cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, if you know what I mean." [29]
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos is a high fantasy real-time strategy computer video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment released in July 2002. It is the second sequel to Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, after Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, the third game set in the Warcraft fictional universe, and the first to be rendered in three dimensions. An expansion pack, The Frozen Throne, was released in July 2003. Warcraft III is set several years after the events of Warcraft II, and tells the story of the Burning Legion's attempt to conquer the fictional world of Azeroth with the help of an army of the Undead known as the Scourge, led by fallen paladin Arthas Menethil. It chronicles the combined efforts of the Human Alliance, Orcish Horde, and Night Elves to stop them before they can corrupt the World Tree.
World of Warcraft (WoW) is a 2004 massively multiplayer online role-playing (MMORPG) video game produced by Blizzard Entertainment. Set in the Warcraft fantasy universe, World of Warcraft takes place within the world of Azeroth, approximately four years after the events of the previous game in the series, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. The game was announced in 2001, and was released for the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise on November 23, 2004. Since launch, World of Warcraft has had ten major expansion packs: The Burning Crusade (2007), Wrath of the Lich King (2008), Cataclysm (2010), Mists of Pandaria (2012), Warlords of Draenor (2014), Legion (2016), Battle for Azeroth (2018), Shadowlands (2020), Dragonflight (2022), and The War Within (2024). Two further expansions, Midnight and The Last Titan, were announced in 2023.
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne is the expansion pack for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, a real-time strategy video game by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released worldwide on July 1, 2003, for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. The Frozen Throne builds upon the story of Reign of Chaos and depicts the events after the main game's conclusion. The single-player unfolds from the perspective of two new protagonists—the Night Elf warden Maiev Shadowsong and the Blood Elf prince Kael'Thas—as well as returning protagonist Arthas Menethil. Additionally, the expansion contains Act I of a separate Horde campaign that is independent from the main storyline with Blizzard releasing Acts II and III via patch in December 2003, taking in player feedback of Act I when developing these chapters.
Warcraft is a franchise of video games, novels, and other media created by Blizzard Entertainment. The series is made up of six core games: Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Warcraft Rumble. The first three of these core games are in the real-time strategy genre, where opposing players command virtual armies in battle against each other or a computer-controlled enemy. The fourth and best-selling title of the franchise is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), where players control their character and interact with each other in a virtual world.
Christie Golden is an American author. She has written many novels and several short stories in fantasy, horror and science fiction.
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade is the first expansion set for the MMORPG World of Warcraft. It was released on January 16, 2007 at local midnight in Europe and North America, selling nearly 2.4 million copies on release day alone and making it, at the time, the fastest-selling PC game released at that point. Approximately 3.53 million copies were sold in the first month of release, including 1.9 million in North America, nearly 1.6 million in Europe, and over 100,000 copies in Australia.
Christopher Vincent Metzen is an American game designer, artist, voice actor, and author known for his work creating the fictional universes and scripts for Blizzard Entertainment's three major award-winning media franchises: Warcraft, Diablo and StarCraft. Metzen was hired by Blizzard Entertainment as an animator and an artist, his first work for the company was with the video game Justice League Task Force.
The World of Warcraft Trading Card Game is an out-of-print collectible card game based on Blizzard Entertainment's MMORPG, World of Warcraft. The game was announced by Upper Deck Entertainment on August 18, 2005 and released on October 25, 2006. Players can play against each other one-on-one, or can join others in order to defeat dungeon/raid "bosses" based on those in the MMORPG. In March 2010, Upper Deck lost the license from Blizzard Entertainment. The license was acquired by Cryptozoic Entertainment later in the month, with the company announcing that planned card sets would be released.
World of Warcraft: Tides of Darkness is a fantasy novel written by Aaron S. Rosenberg and published by Simon & Schuster's Pocket Star Books, a division of Viacom. The novel is based on Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft universe, and is a novelization of the RTS PC game: Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (1995). It was made available on August 28, 2007.
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is the second expansion set for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, following The Burning Crusade. It launched on November 13, 2008 and sold 2.8 million copies within the first day, making it the fastest selling computer game of all time released at that point. The game added a substantial amount of new content into the game world, including the new continent of Northrend, home of The Lich King Arthas and his undead minions. In order to advance through Northrend, players were required to reach at least level 68, with the level cap for the expansion being 80. The first hero class was introduced, the Death Knight, that starts at level 55.
Illidan Stormrage is a fictional character who appears in the Warcraft series of video games by Blizzard Entertainment.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is the third expansion set for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, following Wrath of the Lich King. It was officially announced at BlizzCon on August 21, 2009, although dataminers and researchers discovered details before it was announced by Blizzard. The expansion was released on December 7, 2010.
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor is the fifth expansion set to the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, following Mists of Pandaria. It was announced on November 8, 2013 at BlizzCon 2013. The expansion was released on November 13, 2014.
Jaina Proudmoore is a fictional character who appears in the Warcraft series of video games by Blizzard Entertainment. Within the games, she is the most powerful sorceress alive. She is currently Lord Admiral, ruler of the Kul Tiras kingdom. Jaina was formerly the leader of the Kirin Tor, a faction of mages ruling over the city of Dalaran. She swore to defeat the Burning Legion and its sinister agents any way she could and helped defeat and banish the demons. Once a diplomat, she advocated for peace between the Alliance and the Horde, and she later joined the Alliance after the destruction of her city of Theramore at the hands of the Horde. The character has become one of the most iconic and noted characters in Warcraft lore, and has received positive critical reception from gamers. Jaina's other appearances include the collectible card game Hearthstone and the crossover multiplayer online battle arena video game Heroes of the Storm. Jaina was voiced by Carrie Gordon Lowrey in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and World of Warcraft, and is currently voiced by Laura Bailey in the subsequent World of Warcraft expansions, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm.
Arthas Menethil is a fictional character who appears in the Warcraft series of video games by Blizzard Entertainment. He was once a paladin of the Silver Hand and the crown prince of Lordaeron, but he was corrupted by the cursed blade Frostmourne in a bid to save his people. He later became the Lich King, one of the most prominent antagonists in Warcraft lore. Arthas also appears as a playable character in the crossover multiplayer online battle arena game Heroes of the Storm. The critical reception of the character has been mostly positive.
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is the seventh expansion pack for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, following Legion. It was announced at BlizzCon on November 3, 2017. In contrast to previous expansions, which went live at midnight in each time zone, Battle for Azeroth had a simultaneous release for all regions, corresponding to midnight Central European Summer Time on August 14, 2018.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is the eighth expansion pack for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, following Battle for Azeroth. It was announced and made available for preorder at BlizzCon on November 1, 2019. Originally scheduled for release on October 27, 2020, its release was delayed until November 23, the sixteenth anniversary of the original game's release.
Anduin Llane Wrynn is a fictional character who appears in the Warcraft series of video games by Blizzard Entertainment. First appearing in the original launch of World of Warcraft in 2004, Anduin is the son of Tiffin and Varian Wrynn, and the king of the human kingdom of Stormwind. Following Varian's disappearance, young Anduin is crowned king of Stormwind. He succeeds his father following his death in World of Warcraft: Legion, as well as his position as leader of the Alliance. Anduin also appears as a playable character in the crossover multiplayer online battle arena game Heroes of the Storm. The character is voiced by Josh Keaton.
Thrall, born as Go'el, is a fictional character who appears in the Warcraft series of video games by Blizzard Entertainment. Within the series, Thrall is an orc shaman who served for a time as a Warchief of the Horde, one of the major factions of the Warcraft universe, as well as the leader of a shaman faction dedicated to preserving the balance between elemental forces in the world of Azeroth known as the Earthen Ring. Originally introduced in promotional material released by Blizzard Entertainment as the protagonist of the canceled video game Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans, which was co-developed by Blizzard and Animation Magic from 1996 until 1998, Thrall's first proper appearance is in the 2001 novelization of the canceled video game's narrative authored by American novelist Christie Golden. The novel's story is set during his youth, where he is depicted as a slave who was raised by an abusive human military officer, but eventually rebelled and escaped captivity.
Alexstrasza, also known as Alexstrasza the Life-Binder, is a major character in the Warcraft franchise created by Blizzard Entertainment. A female red dragon with the power to shapeshift into the form of a High Elf, she is the queen of all dragons and the leader of the organization known as the red dragonflight. Her power as guardian of all life was granted to her by the titans, ancient primordial beings of godlike power. While appearing in Warcraft lore since 1995, she was first seen as a non-player character in the 2008 World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and subsequent expansions. She has since featured as a playable character in the spin-off game Heroes of the Storm.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)