Patch 7.3.5 Epilogue

“This will change everything.”

“Nothing ever good came out of Silithus.”

Learn more on Wowhead:

The meeting with Gallywix and Sylvanas was dramatized in the 7.3.5 ending cinematic for the Horde:



Gallywix received an updated model in-game in Patch 7.3.5 to reflect the azerite on his cane.

Kezan is the starting zone for the Goblin race. Here you can find their bustling shady Bilgewater Port and engage in shady goblin business practices...until the volcano Mount Kajaro erupted. You can then continue questing in The Lost Isles as the Goblins rebuild and ultimately decide to join the Horde.

You can purchase Kaja'Cola, which gives you ideas, from the Cataclysm Timewalking vendor. Check out this comment for some of the ideas your character has! Kaja’mite also plays a large role Kezan as your player character starts out owning a Kaja'mite mine with Troll slaves.

Undermine was originally the capital city of Kezan, which was abandoned when Mount Kajaro erupted. We will be going back to this zone as a dungeon Battle for Azeroth with the bosses Coin-Operated Crowd Pummeler, Tik'ali, Rixxa Fluxflame, and Mogul Razzdunk. The goblins here are focused on mining Azerite and becoming Azerite barons.

The Alliance clash with Gallywix in Battle for Azeroth in Part 4 of the War Campaign.

You can see Anduin's initial reaction to Azerite in the 7.3.5 ending cinematic for the Alliance:



In Battle for Azeroth, Magni approaches members of both factions with the Heart of Azeroth. With this equipped, you'll absorb Azerite, hopefully healing the world. From a gameplay perspective, you'll gain special Azerite Traits on your shoulder, helm, and chest armor. This provides some gameplay customization as there are many utility traits, some that only work in Uldir and PvP, and a variety of class and spec-specific perks. You can find a full list here and the Wowhead team has updated the site for Azerite filters, tabs on related pages, and a fancy calculator UI on all item pages.

Sylvanas’ Attack on Darkshore

“Though our long war against the Legion has ended, the Horde cannot afford a moment of respite. Meet me in my chambers in the Undercity, where we can discuss our next move...discretely. “

Alliance Defense

“Though the Legion has fallen, a new threat rises. Disturbing messages are arriving from our operatives in Orgrimmar. Join me at Stormwind Keep to discuss the matter further. “

“Soldiers of the Horde, ready your blades! Today, we march on the Kaldorei!”

“The bodies...so many bodies... We tried to set a trap for the Horde. It failed. We could not stop them. Our outposts were taken by surprise. They fell one by one. The guards were poisoned. And the civilians...not even they were spared. I only hope that some managed to flee before... Forgive me friend...who did you say you were? Are you the one Malfurion spoke of?”

“There are more wisps than I can count. The loss of life... Merciful Elune, please bless the fallen.”

“Do you hear the screams?”

Stalemate

“You will come no further, banshee queen.”

“Soldiers...No! Do not rush the...”

“Fools...At least now we know how dangerous the wisps can be.”

“You may pass through the wall, hero. The wisps will not harm you.

“Malfurion! Horde forces have gathered at the Zoram’gar Outpost.”

The Banshee Queen seeks to capture the World Tree. Delaryn, travel to our outposts. Gather every soldier you can find and bring them here. ”

“And you, Shan’do?”

“Sylvanas seeks to engage me, and I plan to give her what she wants. Word has been sent to our fleet. Elune willing, they will soon return.’

“As you command!”

“A wall of wisps? Surely it is nothing our dark rangers and a few demolishers cannot overcome my dark lady.”

“The scouting party I led to Malfurion underestimated the wisps. They paid the price for doing so. We cannot destroy the wisps...not in numbers enough to matter. But we may be able to disperse them.”

“Interesting. The wisps respond to Malfurion’s call. But what if more of the forest were to cry out for help?”

“Precisely what I was thinking. Champion, would you be so kind as to test our theory?”

“It seems the wisps are susceptible to distraction. We will exploit this weakness to get past them. Saurfang, take a squad into Felwood. Seek a path over the mountain into Darkshore, but leave the siege weapons under my command. We will squeeze Malfurion from both sides.”

“Warchief, there is no safe passage through Felwood.”

“Find one or make one. Time is a luxury we do not possess.”

“Hmmm...Know many smugglers, Blightcaller?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I am not naive. There is little chance that Everlook receives all its cargo through legitimate means. Someone is using a hidden route through Felwood.”

“Most smugglers would prefer to avoid the attention of the High Overlord...but I believe we can locate one who can be persuaded to assist us.”

“Then it is decided. Saurfang, Nathanos – you will leave at once.”

Autobots, move out!

“Form ranks! Weapons ready!”

“We pass through the wall on my command! Brace yourselves... Pass through the wall quickly! I cannot hold it much longer!”



“Once a breach has been made, the pain is..bearable. Just...give me a moment.”

"Sylvanas. Your foul deeds desecrate this sacred place! Andu-falah-dor!”

“Malfurion. How gracious of you to join us... Who would have guessed that you would come to protect your precious trees?”

“Begone, witch!”

“Argh! My eyes! It burns! Where did you fly away to little bird?”

“Sappers! Gather your gear and follow me! Bring every shredder we have.”

“After you, champion. If you would like me to incapacitate any of them. Just say so. But...quietly. “

“Azerite…With this in our grasp, all who dare to oppose the Horde will fall. Proceed with caution, champion. It seems the Alliance has beaten us to it. That ship must have come from Darnassus...Which means... I have a crow to hunt. ”

“Brothers and sisters! The Horde is pressing further into Darkshore! Rally at the Wildbend River. “

“Wildbend River is locked in a stalemate, and Malfurion knows it. We must stay the course for now. I will continue leading our soldiers through the wall while we await word from Saurfang. In the meantime, we will do all that we can to keep the Kaldorei under pressure. We shall not afford them the luxury of a peaceful night’s rest. This is war. “

“Our fleet has returned from Silithus, Elune be praised! Their might is sorely needed. King Anduin will send his soldiers to aid us. We must hold our ground until they arrive. Your deeds will not be forgotten by the Kaldorei, hero. The aid you lend in these dark times could make all the difference.”

“May our will be stronger than their machines of war.”

“A war is not won or lost in a single battle. Our day will come.”

Destroying the Wall

“For the HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORDE!”

“Saurfang, it’s about time. Look around you, hero! What a lovely sight – the wisps are scattering. One by one, the wall comes crashing down. Now is the time. The World Tree is our for the taking! Find Saurfang. We shall finish this once and for all.”

“FOR THE HOOOOOOOORDE!”

“That sound...could it be...? Shan’do! The Horde is approaching from the north!”

“The north? How did...Oh, they scaled the mountains of Felwood. Of course! The wisps...they’re growing disoriented! The wall is failing!”

“Horde forces are advancing upon Lor’danel! Champion, to me!”

Sylvanas vs Malfurion

“Uhngggg”

“The warchief faces Stormrage alone! I must...”

YOINK

“ARGH! Saur...fang?!’

“An audience – perfect! Stay still, Alliance dog. Watch me strike down one of your greatest heroes!”

“A dishonorable blow. I...regret it.”

“Regret nothing. You did well. “

“It was not my place to interfere.”

“My victory was inevitable. He was merely wasting my time. Finish him and be done with it. Take a moment, if you like...then take his head. Meet me at the World Tree. ”

“You have led...your Horde...in service...of death. You will...regret this day...”

Tyrande shows up

“Malfurion! No! You did not kill him, orc. Why? ”

“I struck without honor. I did not deserve to end him.”

“This entire war is without honor. How dare you spill so much innocent blood...for nothing!”

“Not for nothing. We spill blood so that the Horde will endure.”

“Because you spared Malfurion, I will offer you a choice. Attempt to stop me from taking him away, and die...or remain there, kneeling in the dirt, and live. ”

“You have a choice as well. Take him to Darnassus and both of you will fall when we conquer it. Or flee somewhere far from here so that you both survive.”

You have a choice as well. Take him to Darnassus and both of you will fall when we conquer it. Or flee somewhere far from here so that you both survive. Come, champion. We must follow our warchief to...victory.”



“This war is lost. Teldrassil will soon fall. Take my hippogryph to Darnassus. Ensure that the Horde’s occupation is as...tolerable as it can be. King Anduin gave me a hearthstone back to Stormwind. There I will tend my love’s wounds...and help my people find respite from this madness. ”

“When I sent you on this mission, I did not foresee this outcome. Our attack was meant to end a war before it began....to capture an enemy’s home and annihilate their leaders in one stroke. To inflict a wound that would bleed the Alliance dry. We have only partially succeeded. The ALliance will retaliate. They will come for us. For me. For you. But they ARE bleeding. THeir anger will prove a weakness, not a strength, in the war to come. Rest while you can. Prepare for the battles ahead. I will have need of you.”

Evacuating Darnassus

“Hero…hero? Can you hear me? I am...relieved...I found you...Astarii....hurry. Evacuate the city...before it burns... ”

“Mia...MIA! Open your eyes, my queen... My love! You can’t stay here any longer! We must escape through the portal!

“The tree...they’re burning the tree! The child...save her. Leave...me.”

“Never! I’ll take you both! Astarrii, you’ve done all you can! Command the priests to come with us!”

“They...will not go...”

“The banshee murdered my son. Stole my kingdom. She will not cost me my beloved!”

“May your goddess watch over you.”



“You have shown courage and heart, champion. On this, one of the Alliance’s darkest days. My whole life, I have prayed for peace in this world. But that dream can never be realized so long as Sylvanas Windrunner leads the Horde. She expects this atrocity to crush our spirits. Shatter our unity. But this I vow... The Alliance will endure...and the Banshee Queen’s insidious reign will be ended.”

Battle for Azeroth Novellas

Sylvanas’ Motivation for War in A Good War

So one of my biggest complaints was the motivation behind this war. Sylvanas wants to stay alive and mentions Anduin by name, accusing him of the things she’s been doing and I would have much rather have seen them use the Alliance as a whole, see some sort of threat there, not just Anduin that’s been known to keep the peace. Past motivations as seen on the PTR, but here is the motivation in full as described in A Good War:



"You are not Garrosh Hellscream, why do you want to throw the Horde into the meat grinder again?



Sylvanas’s eyes did not waver, even in the face of his rage. "If I dedicated myself to peace with the Alliance, would it last a year?"



"Yes," Saurfang said curtly.



"How about two years? Five? Ten? Fifty?"



Saurfang felt the trap closing in on him, and he did not like it. "We fought side-by-side against the Burning Legion. That creates bonds that are not easily broken.



"Time breaks every bond." Sylvanas leaned across the table. Her words flew like arrows. "What do you believe? Will peace last five years or fifty?"



He leaned forward, too, his face inches away from hers. Neither blinked. "What I believe doesn’t matter, Warchief. What do you believe?"



"I believe the exiles of Gilneas will never forgive the Horde for driving them away. I believe the living humans of Lordaeron think it is blasphemy that my people still hold their city. I believe the ancient divide between our allies in Silvermoon and their kin in Darnassus is not easily mended." There was a smile on Sylvanas’ face. It was not a pleasant one.



"I believe the Darkspear tribe hasn’t forgotten who drove them from their islands," she continued. "I believe every orc your age remembers being imprisoned for years in filthy camps, wallowing in despair and surviving on human scraps. I believe every human remembers the tales of the terrible Horde that caused so much destruction in its first invasion, and I believe they blame every orc for that, no matter what you people have done to redeem yourselves. And I remember very well that my first Forsaken were once loyal Alliance citizens. We died for that banner, and our reward was to be hunted as vermin. I believe that there will be no permanent peace with the Alliance – not unless we win it on the battlefield on our terms. And believing that, answer this, Saurfang: what use is delaying the inevitable? "



"The boy in Stormwind will not start a war tomorrow," Saurfang said.



Her eyebrows lowered. "With Genn Greymane in his ear? We will see. "



That was a concern, Saurfang had to concede. In the thick of fighting against the Burning Legion, Greymane had launched a mission to kill Sylvanas. It had gotten some of Stormwind’s few remaining airships destroyed.



There were whispers that Greymane had ordered the attack without Anduin’s permission, but as far as Saurfang knew, Greymane had not been punished. The implications of that were troubling, and every possible explanation led to the same conclusion: the old Worgen would always drive the Alliance toward war against the Horde.



Sylvanas’ eyes glittered. "And the boy is becoming a man. What if that man decides that he has no choice but to launch war on us?"

Analysis





”The Horde's children, and their children's children will curse our memories as they burn.

If life had any mercy at all, you and I would exist in peace for the rest of our days. We have both seen enough of war, but neither of us has seen the last of it.

The Horde and the Alliance have been at a stalemate. Both of our armies have been exhausted against the Legion.

But therein, I see an opportunity.” It’s interesting to see the motivation laid out in full in the novella. While datamining the initial motivations, we posted some dialogue which created an uproar.”The Horde's children, and their children's children will curse our memories as they burn.If life had any mercy at all, you and I would exist in peace for the rest of our days. We have both seen enough of war, but neither of us has seen the last of it.The Horde and the Alliance have been at a stalemate. Both of our armies have been exhausted against the Legion.But therein, I see an opportunity.”

"What is certain is that Teldrassil and its Night Elves pose a clear threat to the peace and safety of the Horde on Kalimdor.



Darnassus will serve as a safe harbor for smuggling azerite to the Eastern Kingdoms. We simply cannot allow this to occur.



To win this war, we must control the azerite. To control the azerite, we must eliminate the Kal'dorei threat.



We do not have time to waste.”

”If you want to sit in the desert for a few months, you are welcome to join me,” Saurfang said lightly.



“Is that where you’re going?” Baine’s tone did not waver, but his eyes were ice.



Saurfang did not let himself show surprise. Baine knows the real plan, the orc realized. He didn’t know how, but the tone of the Tauren’s voice made it clear he knew something. I need to stop underestimating him.

Alliance’s Response

Calculating, cunning and might actually work. We do read in Elegy that their expectations would fall regardless of outcome as Anduin speaks with Greymane:



"And what of Gilneas? What will you say to me if I choose to help the Kaldorei first?"



Which he would, especially if the Horde threatened thousands of prisoners. And Genn knew it.



"I cannot act if the Alliance is divided," Anduin said. That’s what this action is intended to do, Genn. Not just take Darnassus. But to use it against us, striking at the very heart of what makes our kingdoms the Alliance. Sylvanas is going to turn us against one another. That’s the grand plan. I was a fool for not to see it earlier."



Genn was silent for a long time. "When did you learn so much about strategy?"



Anduin laughed humorlessly. "I was reading when I should have been sparring."



"Well, you are a fool." Anduin turned to regard him, surprised by the words. "A fool to think for a moment that I would withdraw my support because you are helping the Kaldorei. Do I want my kingdom back? My people to return to their homes? Of course, I do! Do I want it badly enough to allow innocent night elves to suffer, when they so generously have helped the Gilneans these last few years? When they mitigated the Worgen curse, so we could hang on to ourselves and not get lost in madness? When they fed us, sheltered us, and offered us their home when we had nothing?



Genn made a dismissive noise, somewhere between a huff and a snarl. "No, I would never betray that kindness by turning my back on them now. Sylvanas certainly doesn’t understand the Alliance. She is in for a rude awakening, and you can mark my words. "



"I mark your words, Genn Greymane, and my heart is full to hear them. They are a beacon in a time of terrible darkness. "

Both men turned to see Tyrande standing in the doorway still dressed in her priestess's robes.

Analysis

Sylvanas is clever and calculating, but here it shows that she has misjudged her opponents. Sylvanas is brilliant but does not have a good understanding of what the living think.



She assumes that Genn will selfishly fight for Gilneas, causing trouble if the Alliance tries to take back Teldrassil first. However, she underestimates his loyalty to Anduin as well as his people’s personal attachment to Darnassus. Mia Greymane is one of the last to leave Darnassus, evacuating as many as possible until she’s wounded by the falling debris and Genn must rescue her.



She also misjudges how hope works. She treats hope as a finite source, something that expires after a certain point is reached. At first, she believes hope will be lost if Malfurion dies, and later on if the tree is burned. But the Night Elves still hope—Delaryn fought in Lor’danel knowing she’d die and it was buying time for others to survive after she bade farewell to Malfurion and wondered if he’d also meet a similar fate. Tyrande, thinking Darnassus would fall to the Horde, stayed in Stormwind to lead her refugees. The priestesses in the temple, knowing they were staying behind to die, still called upon Elune for mercy to ease the suffering of others.



When Sylvanas describes the Alliance’s retaliation on Undercity, she says: When they come from us, they will do so in pain, not in glory. That may be our only chance at victory now.

There was no strategic purpose, no possible reason to destroy the tree. Far from it—with this unfathomable decision, Sylvanas had united the Alliance in a way nothing else could.

Decision to Burn the Tree

Unfortunately the last moments, the passing the kill on to Saurfang and deciding the burn the world tree..they haven’t really improved in my opinion. The motivation for burning it is described as inflicting the wound that Malfurion’s death should have suffered.

But since Saurfang refused to kill him, she had to do something else and at that moment decided to give the other. Saurfang screams for them to stop firing, this is not their way, this is not what he signed up for, but it was already too late.

The screams continued. They reminded him of Shattrath. He had loved the sound, then.



Smoke filled the air, reminding him of Stormwind, of racing through the streets as buildings burned all around him, finding cowering humans and butchering them as they begged for their lives. He had loved the slaughter, then.



And he had loved this war too, hadn’t he?



Saurfang did not move for hours, not until the screams faded and the flames had burned themselves down to embers. Before him, stood a smoking husk that had once been a great civilization. Inside him was a feeling of despair, a feeling of shame. There was no haze of corruption now to soften the horror.



Saurfang would remember this moment in his dreams forever. He would relive his shame, and all the new ones to come, over and over again.



You have led your Horde in the service of death, Malfurion had said.



How could Saurfang face the soldiers he had led into this war? How could he explain what they had done?



He couldn’t. He would never know how.



But the burden would be his, always, until his dying day.



As Saurfang turned away, he hoped that day would come soon…

Saurfang Analysis

I agree with Nobbel that the last moments were not improved in my estimation…but perhaps we shouldn’t expect more nuance for Sylvanas. Perhaps when we talk about the story of Azeroth being morally grey it doesn’t include her.



The morally grey in this story seems reserved for Saurfang, undergoing a bit of character development in the novella. At the start of the novella, he has personal disagreements with Sylvanas but puts them aside to serve the Horde, creating the brilliant military plan that led to the Horde’s victory.



However, over the course of the novella, he grows a conscience. Saurfang’s entire persona is one of old-school Horde honor, and he starts to question what that really means. Is he truly honorable if he instinctively backstabs Malfurion? If he’s truly remorseful about Teldrassil burning, why was he so happy planning earlier parts of the war? He even questions his military history, remembering atrocities he committed under the corruption. When Sylvanas' praises him for defeating Malfurion, he feels numb.



"This was your victory. None of this--not this battle, not Malfurion's defeat--would have happened without you. You have earned this honor. Take a moment, if you'd like, and then take his head. I will meet you in Darkshore."



And with that, she disappeared over a rise to the north.



Saurfang felt numb. You have earned this honor.

High Overlord Saurfang: You think you are here to take me back to Orgrimmar. Back to the Warchief. You are mistaken.

High Overlord Saurfang: I have stopped counting the days I have sat in this cell. But it matters not in the end.

High Overlord Saurfang: After all she has done, I will never return to the Horde.

High Overlord Saurfang: Make sure you know the difference between loyalty and honor.

High Overlord Saurfang: And pray you never have to choose.

High Overlord Saurfang: We both know you are not here for me. Those you seek are down the hall.

First Arcanist: I see... If you are certain, High Overlord.

High Overlord Saurfang: I am. Lok’tar.

Honor was all Saurfang had left. Honor and the Horde. She did not know what he would do if either were taken from him.



He would become my enemy, a terrible one.

Night Elf Defense

The campaign itself actually describes the Night Elves with a lot more bite, a lot more mini skirmishes and fighting back rather than saying in the midst of battle they don’t even want to fight. The ending is heartwrenching when they figure out that the battle they knew from the start would be near-impossible to win, does not end in an occupation, but in a roaring fire, genocide of their people.



Mia is saved by Genn at the last moment, in her arms is the last child of the Kaldorei to be saved from Teldrassil. They name it Finel, The last occupants, and the priestesses who remained behind held their people close. Astarri asked Elune for one final blessing, not for healing or for rescue, but for mercy. And their goddess heard them as Astarri began to sing.



’By the moons’ glow, listen. Beside the river, listen. Holding those you love, listen. To the cries of the dying, To the whisper of the wind over the silent dead….



Sleep brushed Astarri’s mind, feather soft, honey sweet. The pain disappeared. She let out a sigh. All around her, she heard similar sounds.



There would be no pain in the lady’s light, in the lady’s love. Mother and child both slept, breathing gently despite the smoke. Her duty faithfully discharged, Astarrii allowed her own eyelids to flutter closed.



There will be justice one day, but eyes other than ours will behold it.



The last thing she heard was a cracking sound as she slipped into slumber.

Reaction to the Night Elves



As a Night Elf main for over 10 years, reading about the defense filled my heart with pride…and the ending with the evacuations was very difficult to read. I was disappointed that Warbringers: Sylvanas essentially hijacked a major lore point for the Night Elves and turned it into a cipher for the Sylvanas-as-Arthas metaphor, as the deaths of Varian, Vol’jin, and Ysera focused on their subjects with the proper weight.



Reading about the Night Elf defense and the elaborate strategy that went into their skirmishes shows that they are skilled fighters and made the best of terrible odds, while in-game they seem a bit weaker and disorganized. It’s made clear in the novella that they realize they hardly have any chance of winning from the very start, and do everything they can to buy time for their people to evacuate to Stormwind. There’s a striking contrast between the Night Elves trying to save as many of their people, while Syvlanas may be concerned about taking over land, but doesn’t have the same connection or concern for the well-being of her inhabitants.



Tyrande doesn’t simply vanish as well. In-game, her absence can look like she abandoned her people. However, she first travels to Stormwind to help plan the apparent-attack on Silithus, then once the evacuations start, she remains in Stormwind to oversee the refugees as she knows that is important for morale. She does pay one last visit to Darnassus and then prays to Elune to find Malfurion—an act which stills Saurfang’s blade and lets her escape.



The ending is heartwrenching—reading about the cries of the Night Elves burned alive, the destruction of the Temple of the Moon and the iconic statue crumbling, the cries of the prisoners in Darkshore watching their families burn before them. As Astarri stays behind to take care of those who could not escape, I was reminded of the mother and infant paralleling the two moons of Elune, the Lady, and Child.



While Warbringers: Sylvanas depicted the Burning of Teldrassil, it was used partially as a framing device for Sylvanas’ character, to draw parallels between her and Arthas. The additional details in the novella, while dark and difficult to read, provided the proper weight and gravity for the victims of the burning.



Throughout the novella, we have lyrics to the Elegy of Darnassus interspersed between chapters. They show up at the start of each chapter, and then Astarri and Tyrande sing verses at the very end. Wouldn't it be amazing if this was turned into a song which we later saw NPCs singing, as well as the music to a cinematic, like Warbringers: Jaina?

Additional Details

Ow boy, way more details I want to share then I expected but like I said the book just adds a whole lot more detail to the story. A detail that honestly should have been represented in-game and in my opinion did not come forward well enough. There’s also the mention of Sylvanas planning more then she tells Saurfang.



Perhaps she had even stayed Saurfang’s killing blow. And she wouldn’t be the only force beyond the Alliance to oppose Sylvanas’ true objective.

Ulterior Motives

As Nobbel mentioned, there are several hints at larger forces and stories at play in A Good War.



Nathanos finally spoke up. “And it will give you a chance to hunt Malfurion alone, Warchief.”



The look in Sylvanas’ eyes gave Saurfang pause. She was more annoyed than he would have expected. If the Horde managed to kill both Tyrande and Malfurion, yes, it would be a great victory that would weaken the Alliance, but the objective was supposed to be conquering the World Tree. That wedge would split the Alliance no matter who ruled the night elves.



Saurfang considered, not for the first time, that Sylvanas wasn’t telling him everything.

Perhaps he would find a glorious death on the battlefield before he ever had to face a choice that would destroy him.



Or maybe the old orc will surprise me, she thought. Maybe he will face the world as it is and choose to fight onwards at my side. If he doesn’t well…That can wait.

Elune had intervened. Perhaps she had even stayed Saurfang’s killing blow. And she wouldn’t be the only force beyond the Alliance to oppose Sylvanas’ true objective.



Sylvanas’s anger grew cold.



She had known this would happen. It had simply come sooner than expected. That was all.