WARNING: This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the 12.1.5 story.
Patch 12.1.5 is here, and the reaction to the next chapter of Midnight’s story has been less than positive to say the least. So far, Midnight has faced some pretty intense scrutiny, with Blizzard forced to apologise after a troubled 12.0.5 launch. But now, Patch 12.1.5 has sparked another wave of disappointment, this time over the fate of one of Warcraft’s long-standing characters.
The Unbinding of Kith’ix
12.1.5 has players face Kith’ix, a C’Thraxxi general of the Old Gods—and of course, to defeat such a powerful foe, sacrifices have to be made. You can check out the ending cinematic for the raid below. Again, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
Unfortunately, this battle sees the story come to an end for Lady Liadrin—but that isn’t what has players up in arms. Instead, her fate has sparked a wave of frustration among players who believe the story failed to give her the send-off she deserves.
For a character who has been part of Warcraft’s story for so long, players were expecting a huge heroic sacrifice. Instead, Liadrin channels the light as she did in the Midnight cinematic, and collapses after the fight in perhaps one of the most unceremonious, anticlimactic deaths in the history of WoW. Even Zul’Jarra seems to have more of a reaction to Liadrin’s death than Lor’themar.
Liadrin’s fate has left players feeling underwhelmed and totally disconnected from Midnight’s storytelling. In the end, players want to see character arcs develop with enough time, allowing major story beats to carry the emotional weight they deserve. Instead, Midnight feels like it’s rushing through without giving the story time to breathe.
Perhaps it’s the faster patch cadence, or writers are focused on other projects. All we know is that poor storytelling makes it harder for players to invest in their journeys.
