I had a great response on yesterday’s post, so thanks to all who read and commented!  You know, there are definitely a lot of things in WoW that I get feely about.  Blood elf stuff is up there, of course, and sometimes the in-game music hits me just the right way and brings me back.

But when it comes to the storyline for a single character, it’s really tough to beat Arthas.

In many ways, he reminds me of Anakin Skywalker (assuming you roll with the prequel stuff.)  He’s brash and full of himself and makes some bad choices (that he thinks are right) and then becomes the Big Bad.  The difference is that Darth Vader is ultimately redeemed, and Arthas is not.  He is a tragic character with a tragic ending, and yet despite it all, you still feel for him.

Arthas is, in many ways, THE Big Bad of Warcraft.  Oh sure, Illidan gets a lot of love and Sargeras is technically the Big Bad, but Arthas was the lovable boy next door who turned around and killed his dad and then rained death and destruction on both his people and the elves.  Arthas hits closer to home, which makes him both scarier and more relatable, at the same time.

Will there ever be another villain quite like Arthas?  Probably not, but who knows.  He was a fantastic high point to a fantastic expansion.  Well played, Blizzard!