Heropedia: Arthas Menethil

[@Ghostcharm]

May we never forget the true story of Arthas. Check out my Warcraft movie review ---> kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5CnpqCugJ2jias

[@203mmSGT]

"Look how they massacred my boy..."

[@angrymailman5667]

R.I.P

[@NEONsky0.5]

I think he is a reference to griffith from berserk

[@godmode1231]

Arthas and Illidan

[@Balgoriusis]

Jaina and Uther were hypocrites at Stratholme. They refused to help Arthas, but also refused to do anything else. Dumping the problem and choice on Arthas.

[@Ghostcharm]

100%. Guy was barely into his 20s, essentially still a kid

[@ziephel-6780]

@@Ghostcharm in that case, I highly doubt any one of us would have done any better in his shoes if we had the same immaturity, short-sightedness, and the unrelenting belief to save others. The Lich King had plans for Arthas since the very beginning, no one else would have been a few steps ahead of the Lich King, other then Medivh, but Medivh should have done more to convince Arthas

[@edbotikx]

Arthas basically told them he's gonna do the purge, and if you don't like it I will force you to leave.

[@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714]

@@ziephel-6780 As a 20 year old I assure you I would have done better. I was brough up with the wisdom of my ancestors and our way would be to get in there but only slay the undead as we dont know if all have been infected and we dont how if some might be immune and we absolutely do not kill innocents. Also we do not fear death we want a good life so principles are most important even if it leads to higher casualties.

[@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714]

@@Ghostcharm If you think people in their 20s are children you must be old enough to be an elder, fact of the matter is 16 year olds are adults and 25 year olds are grown ups. Ofcourse the youngsters are not as wise as the elders in their 40s but they are adults and if brough up well they are wise enough to handle everything at this point even if not most ideally.

[@fiendish9474]

The whole of Arthas's campaign was great, but one aspect that grew on me was the Captain. He didn't have much dialogue and is basically just a stronger footman but I made it my mission to ensure this dude fought alongside Arthas and never died. Finding out he had a name in WoW and the novel was very cool :)

[@swedish0spartans]

For the record, he was resurrected by Arthas and was a Death Knight (I believe). You can even see him to the right-hand side of Arthas in the cutscene where Arthas walks in to the castle to kill his father.

[@ghstgvts]

I’ve never played Warcraft but I love it when extended game lore includes little bits like that. Reminds of the Gatekeeper from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. What was his name?

[@szymonpinkowski256]

His name is farlic ,he is a boss in hals of reflection

[@archravenineteenseventeen]

​@@swedish0spartansit was captain falric and captain mordik

[@loganswalk8621]

Uther:"Remember Arthas, we are paladins vengeance cannot be part of what we must do." Arthas:(uses a weapon named Light's Vengeance)

[@federicamacchia1656]

Also Uther in Sl...."yeah,let's cast him in the Maw withowt allowing his soul to have a oroper judgement...because THIS Is Justice!!!".......lol

[@PauloRicardo-ev4om]

Also Paladin in warcraft 3: Strike with great Vengeance!

[@boxinsteadyeddie]

@@federicamacchia1656 Shadowlands Uther is just as much a character assassination as Last Jedi Luke Skywalker.

[@MultiDarkII]

@@federicamacchia1656 SL did so many characters dirty lmao such a shitty exp lore and gameplay wise

[@nomadjensen8276]

And literally every other pally skill on wow had the word vengeance or retribution in it

[@_JayRamsey_]

" Blond hair _flowin',_ big hammer *_goin'_* "

[@goodenoughright5433]

Kinda sounds like Thor

[@jermainegrays]

😂😂

[@foxpopulii380]

Best line of the vid for me. 😂

[@dankstank110]

@@goodenoughright5433 He's redhead

[@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714]

@@dankstank110 In the old norse religion Thor is read haired but in the true proto germanic religion Thor is golden haired.

[@PedroE]

Arthas, the legacy smashed into dust by a bunch of psychopaths intent on destroying an entire franchise at any cost

[@WillTBear1]

Imagine the biggest villain in WOW isn't the Sauron-looking dude literally chilling out in the frozen north, but the company of sexual harassers and womanizers that are Blizzard.

[@AMasondude]

​@@WillTBear1About qhat tile would you say that the shift in manage happened?

[@kindlesstraitor5587]

​@@AMasondude Since Blizzard was glued to Activision... Oh, we're talking about woman harrassment? Sorry... Since Blizzard was glued to Activision.

[@Colombianbusiness]

Stop don’t remind us

[@Mick0Mania]

@@AMasondude According to "Designer Dave" a former Blizz employee, that kind of culture was always there, but wasn't a problem back when the company was much smaller and things of this nature were consensual (think more informal, among friends). Once the company started to become big and new people came on board, this culture started to get twisted into the harassment capital Blizzard is known as today. (Though I'd take that guys words with a pinch of salt. His take on Arthas' story is ludicrous)

[@istivanp8747]

13:13 "Glad I could make it, Arthas." "I watch my tone with you old man. I may be the prince, but you're still my superior as a Paladin."

[@krel3358]

Wait hold on a second I thought this was a story about chefs.

[@petersander5802]

Uther getting himself into early retirement

[@paleface171]

@Zucchini Tzatziki "Oh no, they're to late! We have all been infected, we may look fine now, but it's only a matter of time before we turn into the undead!"

[@ale_schneider]

@@paleface171 "This entire city should not be purged" "How can I even dismiss that? There's no other way"

[@paleface171]

@@ale_schneider "Damn it Arthas, as my future King, order me to cleanse this city!" "I am NOT your King yet boy, nor would I order that even if I were!"

[@Morindor]

Ah the age old debate of what happened in Stratholme, entire forums posts and reddit threads have been in conflict over this over the years. But Arthas was right. There was nothing anyone could have done to stop this. If you ignore the Light and morality for a second, Arthas purged a city that was already doomed, it wasn't like he was killing people that had a future, nobody in there had a future anymore. He purged a city that would have created a big scourge invasion point for the Scourge to launch a huge attack throughout the land. Any other option would have made their lives 10 times worse or even spell their doom. And I do agree that Uther and Jaina acted like chidlren here. His mentor and love interest did nothing. They chose to leave and take no action, with or against Arthas. And he was left alone with this only choice, no alternative options, no time to think, nothing. Yes morally it's still in a grey area but morality did not save Lordaeron that day, the Light didn't save the Kingdom that day. It was a hot head of a prince and his troops that saved the land that day and them sacrificing their humanity for the better for many. Maybe looking at it from the perspective they had at the time (not knowing how powerful the Scourge is and what they are capable of doing), what he did was barbaric and unthinkable but looking at it back with what the Scourge did, the man should be hailed a Hero for what he did. (up to this point, not talking about what he did afterwards)

[@Zero60133]

If he hadn't had to purge Stratholme solo he could have been talked out of going to Northrend. But doing all that alone, drove him past the breaking point, and he wouldn't listen to any that in his mind abandoned him. However his decision to so strictly order Uther was callous, Uther was still friendly to him after all that happened at Hearthglen and afterwards Arthas is just so aggressive to Uther, first after saving him with legion of knights, then just the cold "glad you could make it", it kinda comes out of nowhere. If they showed more of their conflict, and the deterioration of their friendship, perhaps Arthas was feeling that Uther is not acting fast enough, not taking situation seriously enough. For example if Arthas wanted to search and confirm the presence of Scourge influence in Stratholme but Uther told him to wait for him to arrive there. If they showed Uther do all this, it would keep Arthas closer to audience side. But otherwise. Uther tells Arthas to slow down, and access the situation, Arthas just brushes him off, then snaps at him to purge Stratholme, and when Uther refuses, instead of giving the firsthand evidence of power of Scourge's plague, Arthas just deems him a traitor and disbands Silver Hand. I know the story was pushing for Arthas to become the tragic villain, but it could have been mended a bit and done in bit better way.

[@edbotikx]

Cope harder Arthasimp. If anduin was in arthas's place he would have made the actual good decision, and exercised his faith in the light, by praying for it to save stratholme, resulting in a cinematic of the city being healed of the infection.

[@NotARussianDisinfoBot]

Arthas killed the villagers to stop them from becoming undead, but didn't they all get raised into undead later anyway? That's been my biggest question about the tactical approach to the purge. The scourge eventually raised all the people Arthas killed, so he didn't really stop the scourge from having a stronghold, he fast-tracked it.

[@Zero60133]

@@NotARussianDisinfoBot Not quite, when Arthas killed Kel'Thuzard and went to Northrend to chase Mal'Ganis he largely supressed most of Scourge activity in Lordaeron, which was reduced to mostly few hiding Cult of the Damned members and some scattered undead. There may have been some numbers hidden away. But for most part like Medivh said the dead in Lordaeron laid still for time being. Of course, it was all the plan of the Scourge and dreadlords, but assuming Arthas didn't took the bait and went to Northrend, it would be hard situation for the Scourge and dreadlords, as most of their mainland forces were driven away and destroyed and while they did have the bulk of their forces in Northrend, that's largely all they'd have access to. Alliance forces could deal with it.

[@masonrockwood7732]

@@NotARussianDisinfoBot The game logic at the time implied a person had to be infected before death; whether it be poisoned grain or magic. Killing people pre-emptively still had the positive consequence Arthas intended. Though what he's doing is like eugenics on steroids. The ethical solution could have been Jaina, Uther, and Arthas teaming up and killing villagers the second they turn.

[@brendenhester3729]

I feel like I finally got in on the ground floor of a good channel before it takes off

[@tuscanlegate2303]

Well, according to Blizzard now, Arthas is an irredeemable villain who deserves to be forgotten, as per Sylvana's word (she who burnt down Teldrassil btw)

[@federicamacchia1656]

They didn't find other way to cut out the old lore....Sylvanas was a good char,but She can be used as a puppet to bring on Blizzard's Will or fulfill the twisted erotic fantasies of Danuser....but Arthas Is the Legend,he'e so powerfully alive that cannot be touched or used in any way,they were so fucking scared about him that they haven't been able to do Just a simple move with him or about him...

[@arturmaxon2842]

That's why we say "fuck new blizzard" because their writing is shit and has been for a while

[@infernaldaedra]

So blizzard wants to be like Arthas?

[@kapitan19969838]

For now 😉

[@thomasshirley318]

no one cares

[@NumbingDisasterAnon]

What was great about the Stratholme Purge is that in the novel, it was at that point that doomed Arthas down his path to the Lich King. The novel describes how Arthas went down the mindset that he was abandoned by the Light, the fervor of his faith, and the glow of his hammer representing his power wielding thr Light, dwindling with every innocent he killed. Arthas knew that this was something that he had to do, but he also knew that the Light would never approve of it. It was both right and wrong and it was this knowing that the Light abandoned him that marked his downfall. He had already turned his back on the Light, so what’s falling down a bit further? I feel that if both Jaina and Uther somehow got convinced to join him in the purge, Arthad wouldn’t have felt the Light had forsaken him and could have stayed on a righteous path

[@svilendenchev9984]

The Scarlett Crusade murder thousands of Innocents, yet the light still favors them. Arthas knew, that what he was doing was wrong, therefore he lost his conviction and the light abandoned him

[@deatheater10879]

Arthas did nothing wrong. jokes aside i still think he did the right thing with the strath holme. due to the plague of undeath could not be cured and could of spread more quickly. sacrifice a city to save the kingdom.

[@Martin_xd69]

if you truly believe your intentions are pure and holy, the light will stand by your side.

[@waseem7195]

If they stuck with him , he wouldve had them to confine in. He would not have felt abandoned. It wouldve changed everything

[@miguelmackay4851]

the whole situation was poorly managed by everyone, besides being a very complicated one

[@thewonderfullymadejaraid7015]

The action of burning the ships and framing the trolls was his one evil act that he was in control of. He was driven by desperation and probably temporary madness. I think that he was still a hero up until he became corrupted by Frostmourne, but he was no longer himself afterwards. The man with Frostmourne was never Arthas. He had good intentions until he was forcibly turned evil.

[@buffoonustroglodytus4688]

Nah arthas was a fartass the entire time

[@ROBOHOLIC1]

People forget that Muradin was the one who suggested the idea to use Mercenaries in the first place.

[@thewonderfullymadejaraid7015]

@@ROBOHOLIC1 Is Muradin his dwarf friend? I can't recall off the top of my head.

[@ROBOHOLIC1]

@@thewonderfullymadejaraid7015 yeup

[@ogre7699]

@@ROBOHOLIC1 He was, but Muradin also chastises Arthas for framing them for destroying the boats. I guess it was his idea, but I don't think he was thrilled about it either. But I don't recall that bit particularly well either admittedly. It was kind of a strange moment, ngl. Maybe Muradin sobered up once Arthas hit the mercs with the ol' misdirection lmao.

[@etherdeef4303]

I honestly don’t blame arthas for getting annoyed with uther, he finishes up at hearthglen after a morally destroying scenario. Then, he says he will go and defeat mal’ganis, the creature who is responsible for this, and what does uther do in response? He laughs at Arthas’ eagerness to run to battle. With Arthas trying to pursue a just cause, Uther laughing at his resolve and passion only served to make arthas all the more bitter.

[@ogre7699]

I wouldn't say laugh, because Uther isn't really that kind of guy. He points out Arthas' recklessness quite regularly, mostly in a bid to try and teach him patience and restraint. Justice is a good cause, but if it's indiscriminate and impulsive, where do you draw the line? Look to the Scarlet Crusade, are they justified in what they do, because they simply believe they're doing the right thing? The funny thing is, this proves to be absolutely the case with Arthas' conscious act of evil with sinking the ships he sailed in on, and betraying the mercenaries that assisted him. Combine this with him effectively falling into the neat little trap that was Frostmourne, Uther's worst fears pretty much had become reality by that point. His eagerness to fight the Scourge, lead him into eventually leading it later down the line. Uther actually gave a shit about Arthas, believe it or not. Guy was reckless and strongheaded, but ultimately good natured. All Arthas needed was some guidance and temperament, and he probably could've become a great paladin himself. Although this level of caring for others is at times a weakness. He tried asking for a surrender from orcs, which goes as well as you'd expect, and he was not at all down to kill innocents, period, Uther failed Arthas in some regards though, absolutely. Even if Uther found the Culling absolutely abhorrent, had he stayed by Arthas' side, this downwards spiral towards madness and revenge might never have happened. Uther failed him, but I really doubt he was indifferent to Arthas' suffering.

[@etherdeef4303]

@@ogre7699 ive grown a bit as a man over the past year, and I’ve come to agree with what youve lined out here

[@ogre7699]

@@etherdeef4303 Was an old comment, fair enough. No harm done anyhow!

[@Pabloignacioalvarez]

What a nice thread

[@etherdeef4303]

@@Pabloignacioalvarez lol

[@looksfineforme9471]

Once a glorious character, now disenchanted into 35 Anima

[@Weeboslav]

"pls shadowlands don't ruin my boy" they didn't ruin Arthas as much as they killed him,set his body on fire,feed his ashes to a dog,wait ill dog crap the ashes,set them on fire again,collected those ashes into a jar,throw it into a cesspool,pored gasoline in cesspool and set it on fire

[@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714]

From we warcraft lore ends with Arthas putting on the crown of the lich king.

[@DISTurbedwaffle918]

@@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714 ehhh, we could have it end with Cataclysm, I suppose. At least that's the last time we fought a prominent old lore figure as a final boss.

[@Cruz474]

@@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714 Warcraft lore ended with Legion.

[@maybenot909]

a jar 😳

[@YouaNumbahOneRacist]

How'd they get that dog to eat ashes, they put them in a treat or something?

[@_JayRamsey_]

Arthas was killing those people in Stratholme minutes before they turned, and there was no way to save them, so...

[@FelineElaj]

...so he could've at least waited a few minutes for them to turn. Instead of, you know, mass-murdering them. Imagine what those people felt and thought in their last moments. Their prince, their paladin-saviour, suddenly turned on them and started killing them in their homes, along witheir families. Imagine what Arthas' troops had to go through to comply with this order to kill the innocent citizens. He should've just quarantined the city and waited for a bit. Then, kill the resulting undead. That way, he wouldn't have to kill *people", his troops wouldn've become accomplices to mass murder, and Uther would have an apt demonstration of the real danger that cursed grain represented. But Arthas was too brash and arrogant to consider a more wise and cautious approach. Unfortunately for the entire Azeroth.

[@nicholasfallbrook9810]

@@FelineElaj Undead tend to be more dangerous than regular sick civilians though. I don't think he made any mistake there.

[@FelineElaj]

@@nicholasfallbrook9810 the easiest way doesn't always mean the right way.

[@evetslon]

@@FelineElaj a bit late but if they only have minutes to hours left to live, then he would be massively risking his soldier's lives for really not a good enough reason, not to mention the logistical impossibility of ensuring that no undead or soon to be undead escape to potentially kill his men later

[@sandroenuka5383]

@@FelineElaj that’s like saying just because somebody is suffering and is going to die in a few hours that you shouldn’t kill them-

[@arsadell6982]

Not only does my man make a video on dagoth ur but now he goes to my favourite rts and make an amazing video on arthas?! Hell yeah

[@samirgomeznovelo746]

Imagine an alternative story where his father actually supports him and sends him to Northrend with almost all of Lordaeron forces and some darven and elven troops. Arthas was right, not culling Stratholme would have been too costly for them, they barely saved Heartglen which was a smaller town and withouth Mal'Ganis leading the undead forces.

[@Ryshmosh]

There is actually the most important part missing. The day his horse died he made a promise. Because of that he was "so into" saving his people and getting THE revenge on Nathrezim

[@chenstormstout9456]

As for the Spectral Guardian, in WoW, you can go to to the pedestal where Frostmourne was and there a few elementals and guardians there, if I’m remembering correctly. Don’t recall if you ever learn where they come from or why they’re there.

[@Sigxy]

Thank you for going for the version people consider to be the 'true' one. Whenever Blizzard goes back to something in the past they really don't do anything but ruin it - and even if it would be considered 'canon', it won't be long before they retcon it anyway for something even worse. So let's just appreciate the best version of Arthas's story!

[@arturmaxon2842]

I mean Blizzard was like "tHe jAiLer iS thE ulTiMatE vIlLaN, hE's tHe mAn bEhInD ThE sLaUgHteR" and in the end of the fucking expansion they back peddle and say "Oh actually I was just helping y'all get together so you can fight the actual baddy, instead of you know making you join forces a long long time ago since I was already manipulating everything... I mean Silvanas is great and everyone should love her *dies*"

[@Makujah_]

0:58 "..but in this video I'm gonna focus on what I believe was the original vision.." And that's the moment I realised the video is probably gonna be good.

[@benacewoofstorm]

Wow you understand the story far better than the handicapped writers themselves we have currently, unbelievable . Great vid

[@waderoberts3701]

If there was a movie or series that goes over Of Blood and Honor, Arthas would need to say something like, "And that's that the last I'll ever see of you, Tirion Fordring."

[@Vazkiel]

The Rise of the Lich King novel is excellent, you get the inner thoughts of Arthas. He loses the ability to channel the Light at Stratholme, not because he is doing evil. The Light leaves him because he doubts himself. The Scarlet Crusade is wholly evil but still able to channel the Light due to their fanatical conviction of their righteousness. Arthas' doubt and loss of faith in the Light, further leads to him picking up Frostmourne. I highly recommend the novel.

[@Tuskor130]

I feel like if Arthas didn't jump straight to "kill them now right now this instant" and just quarantined Stratholme until the plague took its toll then killed all the villagers after they turned, it would at least have been something he wouldn't have had to do without Uther or Jaina

[@newbdestroyer9997]

Obviously you didn't play warcraft 3...

[@ZanathKariashi]

that wasn't an option. They almost overwehlmed Uther's knights with just a few scattered farm houses. One of the largest human cities, almost completely turned almost at once? The only solution would be to simply nuke it it immediately. Which Arthas did. He was the only one that understood what was about to happen and the sheer scale of the damage that could result, and tried to tell them but the urgency and exhaustion (keeping in mind, he almost died at hearthglen after days of non-stop fighting and then a forced march to Stratholme got to him and he explain his position poorly and basically cut the knot on his issue to try and do what had to be done before it was too late.

[@chainsawboy2388]

Idk how a couple dozen soldiers can quarantine an entire city very effectively, especially when amalgam is is running around in said city speeding up the progress of the plague.

[@Tinnesa]

The issue with the culling boils down to the fact that through grain or just by dying by Arthas hand and becoming a corpse - they end up joining the scourge either way. It is a lose-lose situation. Arthas delayed the fall of Lordaeron but by giving away his principles and soul. That is the real mistake he made.

[@Dr_Weirdoo]

I think that since he Light smote them they werent getting back up

[@graveyardoperations7407]

The Culling of Stratholme. It was a necessary... not evil. The villagers had no idea what was happening. It was not their fault. The tragedy of the Culling of Stratholme is Uther's and Uther's alone. As a mentor, guardian, and friend, Uther failed to stick to his guns being a paladin and failed to hear Arthas' tone behind the words. Remember at the beginning of the game? The two were friends and joked with each other over the meaning of titles. Throughout the story, however, Uther almost... disregards Arthas due to his age. There is a holier-than-thou attitude to the elder paladin, and when you are an ADULT, and heir to the crown of your kingdom, only for what equates to a Superhero to tell you that you are wrong and all of your demands will not be met because "I know more than you, boy", it is natural there would be anger and rash decision making. Had Uther been Arthas' true mentor and friend? Uther would have realized the gravity behind Arthas' sudden shift in thought and his desperation and would have asked the big questions instead of pointing fingers and making Arthas out to be a hasty kid and not a future king making a horrible, necessary decision. Arthas becoming a Death Knight all boils down to Uther turning his back on his charge. The tragedy of Lordaeron falls on his hands alone.

[@alexl8864]

I think we can all speculate indefinitely about how Arthas (under the assumption that he is a real person instead of a fictitious character) could have handled Stratholme better. However, under his situation, with his closest allies abandoning him to his choice and knowing what he knew at that time combined with the urgency to act now, how could he be expected to do better? Hindsight is 20/20 and decisions aren't made with hindsight, they are made or they are made for you, and not acting would result in a worse outcome potentially. I think that his choice was necessarily wrong (it was grey for sure), but it was the decision that he indeed broke him. In the end he could not live with the decisions he made. He became of shell of his former self and turned his back on those he loved just as he felt they turned their back on him.

[@Egorator]

4:00 THIS. This is why Arthas became evil. You never trade a hammer for a sword. Very yucky, no good.

[@federicamacchia1656]

Lol

[@HelghastTrooper]

Arthas' greatest weaknesses were his self-doubt and rage. He doubted his faith in the Light, and so it failed to guide him when he needed it the most. His lust for vengeance led him to Northrend, where he successfully claimed it, but at the cost of his soul. To see such a heroic man fall from grace so thoroughly is the quintessential mark of the tragic fallen hero. Reading the novel _Arthas: Rise of the Lich King_ shows how these flaws were present throughout his life, from his start as a meek protégé training under Muradin Bronzebeard, to the tragic and avoidable death of his beloved horse Invincible, to his insecurities he kept to himself during his coronation as a paladin. But through the love of others, through Muradin, and Jaina, and Uther, these crippling flaws never controlled him. He became confident, he became strong, and he became truly great; both as a warrior, and as a prince. Alas, when it seemed like he was on the verge of overcoming his failings, the Scourge attacked. Their alien strategy made Arthas question everything he had learned up to that point, reopening the traits that had prior held him back like old wounds. All he knew proved less than effective in combating the undead menace; their numbers were without limit, and their tactics were too horrifying to plan around without committing the unthinkable. And when he reached the terrible climax of their insidious invasion -- Stratholme -- only one choice made the most sense, as equally terrible as it was. His loved ones could not stand the choice, and instead of aiding him in overcoming the issue at hand or offering up potential solutions, simply turned away in revulsion and horror. From that point forward, Arthas felt truly alone. His faith in the Light was shaken, and those he cared about had seemingly abandoned him to face these monsters by himself. All he had left to guide him, from his ruined heartland of Lordaeron, to the frozen banks of Northrend, was the rage in his heart masked under the thinly-veiled excuse of righteousness, despair at all he had lost thus far and the continuing circumstances at hand, and the vague promise of a legendary weapon that might help him strike down the seeming mastermind behind the Scourge. And the moment he touched the cursed hilt of Frostmourne, his fate was forever sealed. Deep down, I believe there was some good still in Arthas after his transformation into a Death Knight, and later when he usurped Ner'zhul as the Lich King and master of the Scourge's forces. But without his soul -- his conscience -- to guide him in any meaningful way, he could consciously do nothing to hinder the atrocities he would go on to commit. For the blade Frostmourne consumes the souls of all who touch it, be it by blade or hilt. After his defeat, and in his final moments with Frostmourne having been shattered and the countless souls within freed, I have no doubt the words he spoke confirmed the return of that which he had so long ago lost. A seemingly relieved, _"Father... is it over?"_ But then Shadowlands said: "Nah, he's just an irredeemable monster who had no good in him at all, 100%. He deserves to have his soul obliterated like a fart in the wind, and be eternally forgotten, lol. Bye-bye, Arty." Ugh.

[@KingLich451]

warcraft movie is still better than what blizzard calls WoW's "writing"

[@Sunmourn]

He will never be forgotten.

[@leaucard5613]

Pretty good video, but I think it should also be pointed out that the first thing Uther said when arriving to save Arthas was that he was disappointed, to me there's a whole aspect of Arthas about how the expectations of others crushed him, in a way. When you think about it it isn't the only time that Uther mentioned the "hope" that others had about Arthas, and his inability to live up to the expectations that others had of him since his very birth is probably one of the least known aspects of his story in my opinion.

[@federicamacchia1656]

That's a very important point Indeed,because,of you Watch carefully,Arthas has been Always alone with himself about what he really felt ,about his human fragility....he had to appear as all the other expected ti see him,but noone ever asked him how he was,felt and wanted really...

[@gw4792]

15:39 I got REALLY confused until I figured out you were talking about Jaina and Uther, not just Uther

[@MackDnD]

Dude these videos are so well done. I wouldn't be surprised if your channel becomes super popular in the future! Really awesome.

[@Ghostcharm]

thanks mack, appreciate the kind words bud

[@Atrox5825]

I just found your channel and the quality of these videos are astonishing. you truly deserve more subs, keep up the good work. Also loving the elder scrolls villainpedia especially the one on Dagoth Ur, it provided some much needed information.

[@Ghostcharm]

thanks a lot for the kind words and glad you enjoy the videos. welcome to the family

[@Atrox5825]

@@Ghostcharm Thank you happy to be in the family

[@buffoonustroglodytus4688]

@@Atrox5825 JOIN THE SERPENT KIIING AS FHAMELIIII

[@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714]

My head cannon states that Arthas lost his soul to Frostmorn when he picked it up and then it ordered him to do things which he didnt care to ignore and when he wandered the frozen wastes of Northrend he froze to death and turned undead and as undead was now under the control of the Lich King.

[@jackwalsh5850]

I know this is kinda repetitive, but this channel is *criminally* underrated. Keep up the good work dude

[@vonn4017]

is it iconic too. maybe get yourself a thesaurus

[@phugindomas]

Blizz became so afraid of controversial lore and morally gray characters that they just butchered Azeroth's greatest unsung hero. Without this man, the Legion would have torn through Azeroth, he kept the scourge at bay. They even began his redemption in Legion (DK orderhall) then scrapped the whole thing again. Idiot writers

[@aquaticrhino4]

13:39 "They may look fine now" My dude, their entire color palette is green, not sure how that equates to "looking fine"

[@pl3459]

10:34 when you said this part it reminded me of Guybrush Threepwood for some reason (maybe you can do a heropedia on him sometime in the future) (: your videos are very well made and fun to watch and your channel certainly deserves to be well known.

[@Yoshikata1567]

A prince who sacrifices everything for saving his people

[@AxenfonKlatismrek]

He's more gigachad than gigachad hellscream himself

[@abcdef-lg2yl]

no one in wow has an iconic music for his own character, man, whenever i hear the background music from Arthas my skin and my hair freezes...

[@krew111]

0:57 yup. they did just that

[@danielhumphrey8405]

Amazing stuff man. Great editing, solid pacing and delivery, good audio quality, and killer subject matter. It's all here! You definitely deserve more subs. Can't wait for more Heropedia entries!

[@Ghostcharm]

thanks a lot dude. appreciate it!

[@MisterRose90]

Arthas is hands down my favorite character In all of warcraft. His story is one of a flawed but good man with great compassion and sense of duty who was faced with an impossible decision and betrayed by those who could not comprehend the weight he had to carry. A man who’s great compassion and thirst for justice against the monster that doomed his people drove him over the edge. The pain of lose and the weight of his decisions ultimately crushed him. He became the very thing he was fighting against. Then before he realize all he lost his will to Nerzul. He never got a true redemption but at least he was freed in the end.

[@kyrasoze516]

6:12 "Tirion's life is another video in itself as well." Please make this. I adore Tirion. Seeing him get a moment in the sun in WotLK was my very favorite part of my six or seven years playing WoW.

[@eternalsummer8409]

Ah classic titanic move there arthus, naming your horse invincible..ever heard of the titanic

[@ungulatemanalpha]

Arthas is a Hero in the classical Greek sense; he doesn't really meet the criteria we use these days, so he's better described as a protagonist.

[@severalracoons9315]

Your vids randomly popped up for me and I was like "Sure I like lore videos" You've done a great job, and I'm glad I subbed.

[@captenwaffle]

Your choice to stick to pre-retcon WarCraft lore just earned a sub from me. I absolutely loved WC3 and was sad we never got a proper sequel. After seeing what modern Blizzard has done to the lore/story, maybe that's a good thing. It will forever be an unfinished classic in my mind.

[@requiem1123]

Replaying reign of chaos and knowing what's to come still makes me cry

[@Paprika_Gaming]

Warcraft 3 may be my favorite game and story of all time, made such an impact on me as young lad. Great video!

[@AxenfonKlatismrek]

It's my 3rd all time game

[@YamiOni]

Well, now you have to do Illidan Stormrage...

[@jasondotg]

Great video. I thought I knew Arthas' story quite well since I've been playing Warcraft games for over 20 years now, but I learned a few things watching this. Very captivating and well presented storytelling.

[@bernardomansoldo2978]

Arthas is not Anakin Skywalker. Arthas is warcraft's Kerrigan. They were humans turned into monsters and then become leader of the monsters - they had the same path at some point. Though blizz decided to redeem Kerrigan and turn her into a God while Arthas became a wisp and disappeared.

[@ajttambo]

Never played these games, but the story here is interesting.

[@thelostviking9998]

Blonde hair flowing, big hammer going. Best line ever.

[@stormonster]

It is actually insane that this channel doesn't have more followers and views. The writing and editing is absolutely fantastic!

[@Ghostcharm]

Glad you like em Tim. Many more to come

[@corik]

This video was great especially the part with the portraits it felt like Ck

[@_JayRamsey_]

"Get some snack, get some water" I've got a bottle of prosecco, some whisky, and a bunch of beer, does that count?

[@CoffeeGoblyn]

There's definitely water in there somewhere.

[@duckjab1117]

Only if you share

[@Seshirukun]

Its great seeing you expand to making other types of videos, also congrats on your channel getting a boost!

[@Ghostcharm]

thanks! you’ve been here since like 300 subs or even before.. I seriously appreciate the support 😎

[@Lagbeard]

Arthas did the closest thing to a right choice that anyone could do in Stratholme. If they had just left the city alone, they would've turned undead and Mal'Ganis would have a massive army to start tearing down Lordaeron with. By culling the city, the rest of the kingdom would be saved. Also, I would say that ultimately Uther and Jaina abandoning Arthas and him having to fight Mal'Ganis alone at Stratholme is what set him down the path that lead hm to become a Death Knight and eventually The Lich King, had the two of them stuck with Arthas maybe could've figured out something other than Frostmourne to win at Northrend.

[@AxenfonKlatismrek]

What do you think of genociding filthy Elves?

[@brianweaver327]

I choose to remember Arthas as he was when we faced him in Icecrown Citadel. A tragic figure to be sure. His last words still chill me. He saw only darkness.

[@MrZega000]

Arthus did nothing wrong purging the village. When you consider the alternative is the villagers becoming part of an undead army, killing them is the most humane thing you could do. It's like when he had to kill his horse but on a bigger scale. The unwillingness of Uther to help was part of what turned him down an evil path. Arthus wasn't past redemption and could have handled the events proceeding the purge better, but it would have been a much less interesting story if they just got along after that.

[@_RED_-]

This is the story I chose to remember

[@CommanderBohn]

Arthas did literally nothing wrong with Stratholme. The only three things that he did wrong was miscommunication, the whole merc situation and PICKING UP THE DAMN SWORD. After that it all went downhill but it's because the Lich King told him so.

[@Ven_detta_]

Wow, after watching this I realise how many characters bliz have just resued in the past however many years, crazy

[@TheHarimir]

the guardian is a revenenant. thise are elemental construkts made buy the guardians of ulduar to not have a substantial amount of stone parts and thus be resistant to the curse of flesh. in this case the revenents ble partikle effects and use of the spell chain lighting asosiates it with thorim and the icy cave its inn aswell as the block of ice sealing the blade asosiates it with Hodir. Revenenants are made to be largely incoruptable witch is lightly why its kind were employed to goard a so singularly vile artefact. in wows wrath of the litch king expantion you can learn theat the scarlet crusade has investigated the sotuation and it apears old god influence was already seeping innto the blades prison, weakening it before arthas bumbles inn to mess stuff upp.

[@levferno483]

Probably the greatest hero to villain plot in all of gaming in my opinion.

[@Spartan8278]

Uther is the one really at fault here. He abandoned the people of Stratholme & Northern Lordaeron (including Arthas) just to feed his own sense of self-righteousness. If he truly believed Arthas was wrong, he should have fought against him to protect the infected. Otherwise he should have joined the purge. But instead, he was willing to let untold horror spread across their homeland just because stopping it would make him feel uncomfortable. It's not as if they had enough soldiers to occupy every house in the city and wait till the villagers died. The real world consequences of waiting would be people falling ill and suffering miserable deaths and those who hadn't turned yet or weren't infected being hunted down and eaten in their homes and in the streets by their former friends and family. And once it was finished, there would be a massive undead army in control of a fortified city in the heart of the kingdom. It's understandable, if regrettable, for Jaina to nope out. She was also just a student, not a ruler or a soldier -- not someone necessarily primed to make hard decisions or follow orders. But Uther should have known better. He was a seasoned commander and had a massive amount of responsibility/obligation. He failed his kingdom in this moment. But more importantly, he failed Arthas as a mentor. Arthas was barely an adult and had very little real world experience and within a few months of getting real experience he sees his people sacrificed to demons, cleaved apart by giant green monsters, poisoned, raised from the dead, sewn together into giant corpse monsters, and feasted upon by their former countrymen after they are turned into ghouls. That would be enough to drive anyone mad, but he was also having to make extremely quick, on-the-fly decisions in the midst of this insanity where even the smallest mistake would mean that more people would die, both his soldiers and villagers, both of which he had a duty to protect. The mental weight of all this would be very heavy. Of course Arthas is going to be snappy with Uther. He's frayed by all he has seen. And Uther is always advising Arthas to take things slowly and chill out. And so Arthas is not in a good mood about Uther -- he's like, this is no game, we can't afford to be cautious right now, if we don't make this decision immediately, it will be to our doom. And he's right. Maybe Uther doesn't get it because he wasn't at Hearthglenn. Not sure how much experience Uther is supposed to have with the undead at this point. But abandoning Stratholme was the worst decision Uther could have possibly made. It's a decision of pride and arrogance. And it completely and permanently isolates Arthas, which makes his fall inevitable. By staying at Stratholme, Uther could have either come to understand firsthand why the purge was necessary, even if he initially fought Arthas over it... or he could have killed Arthas if he truly believed Arthas was fallen at that point. But, he would only have been able to do either of these things if he had the strength of character that Arthas had. And since he didn't, Lordaeron was doomed. After Stratholme, Arthas feels like he is the only one who can reliably protect the kingdom. And it seems like he's kinda right. If he hadn't been at Stratholme, Lordaeron would have been plunged into a long, desperate, losing war. And as we see with the Lich King's return, no one is capable of filling Arthas' shoes. The only people who are even mildly capable of defending Lordaeron are the Scarlet Crusade -- people who, like Arthas, are willing to do what needs to be done even though it's not pretty. But Arthas feeling this way, along with being isolated from all of his positive influences, only makes everything worse. Because it gives him a really unhealthy god complex. The point at which Arthas is truly past the point of no return though is when he burns his own ships in Northrend. At that point, the line between "doing what needs to be done" and actively disregarding the lives of his men is crossed.

[@danielw.8356]

Original and entire lore of Arthas. A fallen prince who sought to do anything to save his people, who eventually became possessed by a sword and demonic influence UNKOWINGLY (Or at least not fully understanding), until it was too late. Blizzard now: Arthas was an evil irredeemable villain. But you know what lets bring back everyone else who has ever died. LMFAO From Wrath of the Lich King to Shadowlands. The official lore and story of Arthas has been now ruined, and completely changed. This is like if Disney said Darth Vader was actually irredeemable and retconned the Ghost of Anakin.

[@thrinmon]

These videos are obscenely good for the view counts they're getting. Talk about criminally underrated.. Thanks for another excellent video!

[@1un4cy]

When Mal'Ganis mentions the dark lord of death I still find it hard to believe the Jailer was even a thought at this point in time.

[@arturmaxon2842]

Well that's because he wasn't

[@capitanmarmota8562]

He's referring to the lich king

[@TenderRein]

@@capitanmarmota8562 But the Lich King at that point was Ner'Zhul incased in the frozen throne, he was hardly "the dark lord of death", It wasn't Sargeras either since he does not classify as the "Dark Lord of "DEATH"". Couldn't have been Kel'Thuzad either, so who was this Dark Lord of Death?

[@capitanmarmota8562]

@@TenderRein but he was, he controlled the entire army of undead. Every unit you controlled says "my life for nerzhul". He was encased, but his psychic projection and domination was limitless

[@TenderRein]

@@capitanmarmota8562 Yeah but the Dreadlords weren't in his command..

[@suraimuru-kun8992]

I started playing warcraft because of arthas, his path to becoming the lich was so good, a prince of the light to king of darkness, a death bringer to his land

[@timothybaker4091]

Wrath of the Lice King WoW expansion was my introduction to Arthas (final boss). I came here today to reminisce as this is the week that WoW dev. kill the game.03/17/2022

[@arkane5260]

Arthas as The Lich King is the greatest character Blizzard has ever created!

[@literallyanythingelseother]

I remember seeing the warcraft 3 b at the store, and seeing it wasn't like (vanilla) WoW and that was it, never looked back. I always thought it was just an rts. I didn't realize it followed a story, let alone THIS story. I had read the books and graphic novels so I know the whole story here, but man I never knew this was all from the game!!! This story would have been amazing to see unfold back then. I can't imagine

[@maksymilianziele28]

“That is the good thing about necromancers - we never let anything go to waste.” - Gul'dan Arthas' solution could not work simply because what's left of every infected killed by him could still be raised as a walking corpse, abomination or even a ghost without a body. During a cutscene after "The Cullting" we see many human remains with even bones after the massacre, which still could be buried, only to be raised as undead. If Arthas had a Mana Bomb, like Garrosh Hellscream had for Theramore years later, there would be perhaps nothing left for necromacers to use, but still it would be a very monstrous act, which would only speed up Arthas' descent into madness and evil, much like it did with Garrosh anyway. So no, in my opinion Arthas' plan had no chances of success but he was too much traumatized by his beloved horse's death and too much frustrated by this unstoppable foe to see a reason. The only thing his decision perhaps gave him was buying some time (however I do not believe that), but those who had fallen by him in Stratholme could still come back from the dead as bodiless ghosts, even right after Jaina's departure from ruins of the city and during Arthas' fight with Mal'Ganis in Northrend.

[@vide0gameCaster]

If I was in Stratholme and Arthas came to destroy the city with me in it, I will thank him with all my hearth! Better dead than undead!

[@leaucard5613]

Exactly, at least if he kills you while you're alive your soul won't end up being damned into eternal slavery by the scourge.

[@AxenfonKlatismrek]

But then he realised that Nerzhul was the right all along, which lead to Arthas starting holy Jihad against all blue pilled, and E*ves, they deserved it

[@dungeaterss13]

Love wc3s undead theme. Lives rent free in my head

[@mikkelnpetersen]

15:44 Uther and his forces could've been a 3rd party, patrolling the city and attacking both Arthas and Mal'Ganis, trying to prevent both of them from achiving their objectives.

[@alanolex3962]

Arthas 👏did 👏nothing👏wrong

[@TheBayzent]

Had to be said

[@Ichishi5]

Every half-competent ruler or general would applaud him for the swift and correct decision. Even if he tried to somehow stall and wait for mages of Dalaran, Mal'Ganis could just leave for another city and destroy it just like Stratholme. What Uther did was a dereliction of duty and desertion, and for that, he should be put on trial. And later he convinces king Therenas to withdraw Arthas, which is yet another betrayal.

[@pl3459]

Yes he did, he lied about those innocent trolls and ogres he hired to help him fight the dead and destroy his men's ships and he ordered them to be murdered in cold blood, that's the main thing he did wrong, completely awful that he would do that.

[@alanolex3962]

@@pl3459 Trolls and Ogres aren't people

[@AxenfonKlatismrek]

He was more based than gigachad hellscream himself

[@averyrunion3540]

“Please blizzard don’t ruin my boy.” *proceeds to ruin the boy*

[@AxenfonKlatismrek]

He was more based than gigachad hellscream himself. That and he did nothing wrong

[@dansal3286]

Arthas made choices other wouldn't. He spared the people of stratholme a fate worse than death

[@AxenfonKlatismrek]

Only for becoming the holy saviour of Nerzhul, which lead to him leading holy Jihad against all blue pilled and E*ves And established holy ice cream caliphate

[@FenrirKyuubi]

Honestly, the story of Arthas, yeah I made the Anakin paralel as well reading the novel, but it was less about the impulsive temper, and more about his ability to accept and come to terms with loss. We saw it first with invincible, and we saw it throughout, not just losing a conflict or whatever(Though that is obviously a LARGE part of it) but moreso, death, he couldn't just mourn and let go, he was obsessed with keeping 'what was his' regardless of the means. THAT was the purpose of his fall, just like Anakin, that was always the parallel. and a masterfully written and executed one at that. But I'm an OLD Warcraft nerd, played since WC I, and well, I was questing in Dragonflight while listening to this, so yeah. biased. ;p

[@nimasajedy4624]

heart pure as the light , i had tears from this line

[@shawnadams1965]

I liked the Warcraft film, and would have liked a part two. It and Alita Battle Angel... guess I'll be waiting a loooong long time.

[@Sir_Olorin]

Great analysis and writing ! Light bless you in these dark times, as Blizzard tries to delete the legacy of Arthas Menethil... Liked and subscribed !

[@MrFinepixa]

Ive heard people talk about that being turned undead in the WoW universe dooms your soul to eternal torment, like sylvanas. If this is true then Arthas killing them when theyre still alive might save their souls.

[@Asterion_Mol0c]

I mean they made arthas's soul go out pitifully

[@johanneshaukanes4531]

If they ever make a movie, they need this scene with the guardian and the fight maybe. 19:36

[@Jenny-jy8zb]

in a way bringing back old characters can be good -- i started playing wow during shadowlands, and seeing the awesome afterlives video piqued my interest in uther and arthas and all that as a whole and got me to read into the older lore! and maaan its awesome

[@TK-is7re]

IF i recall correctly, I remember reading in the book by Golden that Invincible died when Arthas was a boy ? And that left a scar in him and he got his horsie resurrected when he became LK...and also lashed out at the Belf king when he injured (momentarily) Invincible ?

[@leaucard5613]

Yeah but it's modern wow so we might as well just ignore the blood elf scene.

[@razorback9999able]

If somehow, we got WC4, there may be a human campaign where one of the mission objectives is to save Arthas, because in my own headcanon, there is still good in him according to Jaina.

[@ShalThuzar]

2:09 yeah sadly it become a 35 anima wisp and fade away forever...

[@NerfBarb69]

Bro they could have just made arthas’s life the warcraft movie…

[@martinkunz7155]

Arthas wasn't just a paladin but also the future king. He had to take that decision. There was really no alternative that would have been better. Uther conveniently hides behind his religion and jaina acts like a stupid girl rather than an adult. The whole drama might have turned out differently if they didn't let arthas down at this point. Anyway- arthas is among the best heroes / villains in all of Pop culture. I think his fall from grace is better than anakin becoming darth vader. Arthas was doing the right thing and went into a devious trap that only really worked because he was this dedicated larger than life idealist and willing to sacrifice everything.

[@mariawhite7337]

It's tragic all in all, a no-win scenario as you call it. Wait to get enough forces to encircle the city and make sure none can escape and spread the plague? Round up the villagers one by one and see if they turn? What about children? Do you slowly go through and kill everyone after they turn to the undead? What if there were those that were not tainted? The undead would kill them all and you would have the same prospect happening. Ideally there is absolutely NOTHING you can do. The choice is to wait and have them all die agonized and become monsters with their souls trapped in said body and could be wandering the plane forever. Or kill them, free the soul and deal with the undead as they rise. It literally is a UTTERLY no win scenario. That is the said thing. The other two basically didn't believe in the no-win scenario and thought they could cheat. When there is no cure for the undead but the true death. You can't save those people. Everyone in that city will die just due to the numbers of those infected and you can't tell who and who is not infected. Maybe if there was time, but we've seen there is no time. There literally is nothing you can do. All those people will die anyways. Jaina and Uther did not realize this. And instead literally just ran away from the situation. Just dropping everything on his shoulders. A guy who not only has to think of what the crap do I do, but how do I do it to prevent millions more suffering and dying? There was nothing else but to purge them.

[@TheRenegadePlayer]

Even though Anakin and Arthas have much less in common regarding their character development, the Jedi Order and the Paladins have many similarities. They both represent the light side, the goodness, yet hypocrisy lies within them. Both Anakin and Arthas were thrusted upon the conflict of morality by them and left both of them to fend for themselves. They did not help both of them in that regard, just like how Anakin was left to deal with the Chancellor and his own personal troubles with his wife when he saw she was destined to die, while Arthas was left to cull his own people without any sort of guidance or rebuttal. They were torn apart and of course when the dark side, the evil comes to offer what the light side did not, they chose it. They were marked as traitors, when the actual traitors were the ones that failed them.