Poll: Warcraft Big Bad Poll

[Ranorak]

After a year of not playing, I got back into WoW yesterday.
Now, don't give me those looks, I'm a casual player, a leveler if you will, I love making new characters.
Anyway, back on track.
Playing a little with my level 80 warlock I came to a conclusion.
I don't care about Deathwing.

I'm a huge WoW-Lore-Nerd, I know my Draenei from my Eredar, and my Hellscreams from my Frostwolves.
I know of Deathwing's past and the Demon soul and whatnot, but I just don't find him a good villain.

I did love Arthas, and I was interested in Illidan.
So, I started thinking during work. What is the difference, what makes me stop caring about Deathwing. He's present during the quests, unlike Illidan, who just sat in his Black Temple during the events of The Burning Crusade. And Arthas had a little more screen time, during the events of Wrath of the Lich King. But Deathwing's presence is far more ominous.

But then it struck me.
I don't care for him, because he's boring.
He's a raging dragon that destroyed part of the world, and goes on about destroying the rest.
Yes yes, he was a good guy once, got corrupted (corruption is something you can buy in a store in the Warcraft world, it's so common) became massively strong, and is possibly just a agent for a Old God or whatnot.
But he just doesn't tug any strings, because he has no personality.

Arthas had this whole, chance for redemption thing going on, something that he didn't get. But we did learn that he still had a human side, despite everything.

Illidan was caring the Fight fire with Fire burden and wasn't evil in the sense of wanted to do wicked things.

All Deathwing has to show for was....well, burning the land and making it far more practical to level up in, streamlining the zones and causing some new race/class combo's to appear.
I can't be mad at someone who gave me the option to make a holy Cow!

So, who was your favourite Warcraft Villain? Previous instalments included, of course.

Edit: I seem to be unable to edit Archimonde into the poll, so regard him as a Other?

 

[Aeshi]

Deathwing, simply because unlike the other villains he actually goes out and does shit instead of just waiting for the raids to come all day.

 

[Trippy Turtle]

I prefer Ragnoros because Its the only WoW villain I have versed. I really should get my own account.

 

[Daniel Janhagen]

Arthas, because he's the only one I really thought deserved a killing. I enjoyed killing Ragnaros more, because that was our first big bad kill as a guild, but that was just the sense of achievement (I mean achievement in the real sense, not in the "game rewards you for doing inconsequential shit" sense) and camaraderie we had back then. I didn't really care about his motivations though, and it didn't feel like he was a real threat - it just felt as if we were down there hunting treasure (which we were, of course - gimme that Spinal Reaper!).
Arthas I've wanted to smack around ever since Warcraft 3. That might be it, actually; he's not particularly well-written, but he's had time to grow on me, on all of us.

 

[Loonerinoes]

Arthas. Not so much due to how WotLK's end raid handled him I think (though they did an okay, if unspectacular job of it), but because WotLK's intro was simply epic beyond words.

It was subdued, foreboding and prophetic all at the same time - everything I, as a big time fan of WC3 and WC3X's lore, could ever want.


A shame that the MMO setting didn't quite live up to that hype, but still - Arthas it is.

 

[Tax_Document]

C'thun and the Old Gods represent!

ALLYOURBASEAREBELONGTUS

 

[SenseOfTumour]

For me, the Lich King has so far felt like the most impressive 'bad guy' so far, from the Wrath cut scene, to his walk on parts in so many quests, (there's one where you have to escape him as he slowly stalks you thru his castle, having to despatch groups of enemies and smash walls of ice quickly, because HE'S BEHIND YOU! and he's getting closer, closer...

Deathwing's main problem I think, is Cataclysm wasn't really about him, so much as the rebirth of Azeroth and the new zones. 'Wrath' never really felt it was about Northrend, and the whole zone of Icecrown revolved around him and his evil lair.

As for the earlier ones, I run a casual guild, and we never really did much before Wrath, hell, we're only just starting to attempt raiding now. (and it's a bloody nightmare, trying to organise raiding with a bunch of fresh 85s mixed with a bunch of veterans covered in epics who don't really fancy spending 15 mins before each boss going thru tactics each time )

 

[ZeroDotZero]

Kael'thas. Why? Because Tempest Keep was merely a setback.

 

[Nemu]

Archimonde, I guess, because I'm a lover of the druid class and love the whole Hyjal experience.
That being said, Illidan takes a close second, because of his connection to Malfurion.


Otherwise, I could honestly take or leave the bosses in WoW. Unless they drop rare pets, I don't give them much thought. ;D

 

[Gleem]

I voted Illidan, as he was the character most ruined in World of Warcraft from Warcraft 3. It's a debate I commonly have with, "Lore nuts," who read all the books but never actually touched any of the games prior to WoW. I don't think he's a well done character (in WoW), he got my vote because he was the most enjoyable to watch die.

P.S. Deathwing died... Twice.. Once in Warcraft II and once in a book written by a guy who bought a license to write a book about Warcraft, and based it around some random stuff he read on the internet... Just like every other book about Warcraft. Then Blizzard made it cannon because of all the annoying fanboys/girls ranting about how, "look, this happened here, you got the info in WoW wrong."

Also, anything that happened in the Warcraft game series before WoW isn't "lore" it's story. A well written story that was ruined by Blizzard wanting to make you fight bosses you knew about already or to implement game mechanics that sounded cool.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

Arthas,without a doubt.

Starting a paladin and due to his zeal to win against his enemies,he got corrupted by Frostmourne which led to his own demise and transformation into the Lich King.

Pure badassness in my eyes.

 

[Engarde]

I do like Arthas a good deal, but that was mainly because I played Warcraft 3 and knew how the whole shebang got started. I also don't really like Deathwing. I don't know much about the story.... but he seems to be just a big evil dragon going to burninate the country side....rawr. On another note, the first raid I ever did was Icecrown and I found it great fun, so I guess that's why I like Arthas.

 

[Azure-Supernova]

I'm a sucker for anything in Blood Elf lore, so Kael'Thas. And I agree, Deathwing is kinda lackluster.