The leveling campaign inWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflightintroduces players to the powerful proto-dragon Raszageth. She wants to destroy the Dragon Aspects, and will do everything she can to accomplish that. Coming off of the Jailer in Shadowlands, players did not know what to expect fromWorld of Warcraft’snext big antagonist, fearing Raszageth would repeat the pitfalls of her predecessor. Yet it seems like she may be the exact opposite case.
Blizzard facedmajor criticism over how it handled the Jailerin Shadowlands, but it seems like the studio has no intentions of repeating the same mistakes. The Jailer felt underdeveloped over the course of his expansion, but Raszageth seems to come right out of the gates swinging. While she will only serve as the final boss inDragonflight’sfirst raid, she seems to have hit all the right notes and may become a fan-favorite.
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Raszageth Has Clear Motives From the Start
One of the biggest issues with the Jailer throughoutWorld of Warcraft: Shadowlandswas the fact that players had no idea what is true motives were. They did not spend enough time interacting with him, so whilesnippets were sprinkled throughout Shadowlandsthat alluded to his master plan, it took until the final raid of the expansion for players to learn that he wanted to reshape reality in preparation for some bigger threat.
By contrast, Raszageth’s motives are made pretty clear to the player when they first meet her duringtheir Dragonflight leveling journey. She believes the Dragon Aspects are tainted by the titans, and she wants to cleanse the world of their stain. She attempts to do this by causing havoc across the Dragon Isles with the help of her Primalists, and she serves as a constant thorn in the player’s side. While it may be a simple mission, the fact that she has a clear motive puts her leagues ahead of The Jailer.
Raszageth is Rooted in Classic World of Warcraft Lore
Shadowlands also received criticism for the fact that almost none of the story was rooted in classicWorld of Warcraftlore. While Azeroth always had the concept of an afterlife, much of Shadowlands was new. Many players felt like the concept of the First Ones and the grand cycle of life and death was being shoo-horned in at the expense of established lore, doing a disservice to classicWorld of Warcraftcharacters and spawning all sorts ofretcons in theWarcraftfranchise.
Raszageth, and the entire Dragonflight expansion, is also treading new ground with lore. However, the story that Blizzard crafted is heavily rooted in the establishedWarcraftmythos.Dragons have always played a major part on Azeroth, and they are now the center of attention. While the concept of the Primalists and Raszageth is new, they are interconnected with the story of the Dragonflights to give them an old-schoolWarcraftfeel.
Raszageth is Present For Most of Dragonflight’s Campaign
The Jailer was the main antagonist of Shadowlands, but he was not really a part of the leveling campaign. He appeared during the intro questline in the Maw, but then retreated into the shadows. He spent much of his time trapped in the Maw, and his soldiers would cause havoc in his stead. While his forces played a part, the Jailer was not really a presence for most of the content, and that prevented him from feeling like the powerful, unstoppable foe he was supposed to be.
Raszageth is not trapped inside a prison, and she serves as a constant antagonist throughout the leveling campaign. From the second she is released intothe Dracthyr intro questline, she feels threatening. Players are forced to flee her powerful storms, and many of the characters feel like they are backed into a corner. She appears again in The Waking Shore where she fights Alexstrasza, and she also leads her Primalist army in The Azure Span. She is constantly striking fear into the hearts of her enemies, and that helps players remember her.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflightis available now on PC.
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