Recent developments in World of Warcraft's pre-Battle for Azeroth in-game event, War of the Thorns, have fans divided on the story moving forward into the latest expansion.

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In War of the Thorns, the Alliance and Horde clash once again, this time with fan-favorite character Sylvanas leading the Horde. While the two factions have always been morally grey, Sylvanas' most recent actions are solidly in the evil camp.She was once a High elf, though her soul was taken from her body by the death knight Arthas. After that, she led the undead faction the Forsaken. Now she is in charge of the Horde, set on starting a full-fledged war with the Alliance. Her grizzliest act? Invading Northern Kalimdor and destroying Teldrassil, the World Tree.In the latest animated short from Blizzard, Warbringers: Sylvanas, she orders the absolute destruction of the World Tree, killing innocent Night Elves along with it. She has gone decidedly evil, without much of a hint of grey.Naturally, this character that many fans had felt had gone through a dynamic arc quickly becoming a one-note villain didn't strike a positive chord, especially for those who have sided with the Horde who don't want to play the side of absolute evil. Others thought this a natural path for her to take , but disliked how the rest of the Horde didn't stop her. Many took to social media to air their concerns. Of course, this is only the build-up to the latest expansion, Battle for Azeroth, coming August 14. These actions are clearly on the bad side of the spectrum, but a lot can change over the course of the expansion, both for the Horde and for Sylvanas.Recently, Blizzard included all current expansions to World of Warcraft with the game's monthly fee , effectively making it so all players had access to the same content. That will change in a couple of weeks with Battle for Azeroth, but it's a great time to dig back in to WoW, or even start for the first time ever.

Colin Stevens is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter