Summary
World of Warcraftjust revealed a new animated short called “Alleria: Light and Shadow,” compiling the long, tragic journey of the eldest Windrunner sister ahead ofThe War Within. This motion story starts well before the events ofWorld of Warcraft, and chronicles the path that led Alleria to become one of the major protagonists ofThe War Within.
SinceMists of Pandaria,World of Warcrafthas released a series of animated shorts during or before each expansion to introduce characters, locations, or themes. Recently,World of Warcraftrevealed “Threads of Destiny,” thefirst motion story forWoW: The War Within, which told the tale of Azj-Kahet and the rise of Queen Ansurek.
Now,World of Warcrafthas shared the second animated short ahead ofThe War Within. Titled “Alleria: Light and Shadow,” this short animation tells the story of the eldest Windrunner, starting from her role back inWarcraft 2. The video tells the tale of her departure from her home in Quel’thalas to aid the Alliance, how it led to the 1,000-year war against the Burning Legion after passing beyond the Dark Portal, and how sheembraced the Void to fight the forces of evil inWorld of Warcraft. Most importantly, the animation showed Alleria casting aside her former armor in favor of the new gear she uses inThe War Within.
Alleria Windrunner’s Journey in World of Warcraft
While Alleria is the star of the animated short, several other important characters appear as well. Her sisters, Sylvanas and Vereesa, play prominent roles, despiteneither appearing inWoW: The War Within. Her husband Turalyon and her son Arator are also major players in her story, but there are also several smaller cameos throughout the short; Lor’themar, Anastarian, and Halduron all appear, and characters resembling Kael’thas and Liadrin can be seen, though it is hard to say if they are actually them.
The art style used in this animated short is one that has never been seen inWorld of Warcraftbefore. Previous animated shorts, including “Threads of Destiny,” use a unique, stop-motion 2D animation style, but “Alleria: Light and Shadow” is a fully animated cartoon.
Needless to say, fans were floored by this new animated short. It brought newer players up to speed on a character with over 20 years of history, and long-time fans loved seeing scenes fromWarcraft 2and its accompanying novels rendered in an animated form. Most players found this art style to be a good fit for the game, and wouldlove to see a full-lengthWorld of Warcraftanimated seriesin the future. Hopefully, this isn’t the last time fans see this sort of animation – and with another week before the full launch ofThe War Within, they might still see one last motion story before the expansion comes out.
World of Warcraft: The War Within
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In this opening chapter of The Worldsoul Saga, you’ll journey through never-before-seen subterranean worlds filled with hidden wonders and lurking perils, down to the dark depths of the Nerubian empire, where the inscrutable Harbinger of the Void has gathered her arachnid forces to bring Azeroth to its knees.
