Today at Gamescom, Blizzard released the first episode of Afterlives, an animated mini-series that tells stories set in the world of Shadowlands. If you haven’t watched it yet, what are you waiting for! Check it out below.
Summary
The first episode of Afterlives shows Uther Lightbringer’s death at the hands of Arthas (The Lich King). It then follows his journey in the afterlife. Uther is unable to let go of the injustice of his death. And Devos is trying to train Uther to ascend and let go. She starts to question if Uther was sent to the right place, to begin with.
This is a pretty crazy moment when you think about where he is. If there are any of the four covenants he would be at, Bastion seems tailor-made. As Devos is training and helping Uther let go of his past, she notices the wound to his soul. At this moment, she realises how much of a more significant threat the Lich King poses.
Devos takes her concerns to Archon and is told to drop the matter and return to the path. Devos now realizing that the path is flawed, tells Uther his time for ascension is now. The only way for him to get justice and let go of what happened is to be there at The Lich King’s demise.
Following this, the episode cuts to the moment of The Lich King’s death. It shows Devos going down to him and says “I see only darkness before me”. We also see Uther holding The Lich King over the maw. As Uther has a moment of contemplation, Devos tells him to remember what he did. Uther finishes the episode by saying “Not vengeance… Justice,” before casting The Lich King into the Maw.
Overall Thoughts
This first episode of Afterlives gave me chills. The moment where Uther lets go of Arthas was powerful and only increased my excitement for Shadowlands.
I love the format Blizzard has chosen to hype up upcoming expansions. Ever since Warlords of Draenor, they have knocked them out of the park. The short was just so well crafted too. The recreation of the moment where Uther lost his life, before fading to black, while he mutters “Light save my soul” grabs you instantly.
It is a cool progression of watching what happened to Uther, a genuinely beloved character in the Warcraft series). And seeing Devos as a character and her advancement from devout to vengeful is an exciting transition. I like the classic story. The “We do it by the book” character and a paragon questioning the order is timeless, and it feels good watching unravel during the story. It gives weight to the moment of Devos telling Uther his time of ascension has come and them exacting vengeance on Arthas.
Truly a great piece of art. The animation style is slightly different, but I think given the content on offer, it just works. What did you think of the trailer? Are you more excited for Shadowlands? Let me know in the comments below!