World of Warcraft: The War Within Might Be Setting Up a New Enemy

World of Warcraft may be setting up the Arathi Empire to be a major antagonistic force in The War Within. Though they may not appear in this expansion, World of Warcraft players may have to face a xenophobic, Light-worshiping empire sometime in the future.

The Arathi of Hallowfall are one of the major Renown factions World of Warcraft fans will work with in The War Within. With unique new World of Warcraft characters like Faerin Lothar, the Arathi are some of the most interesting groups of the expansion. However, as players have learned in The War Within alpha, these Arathi are only a small part of a much larger empire that lives somewhere beyond the sea.

That said, some clues from The War Within alpha indicate the Arathi Empire may not be as friendly as the ones players meet in Hallowfall. According to dialogue found in a screenshot shared by WoW fan and Twitch streamer Skoll Shorties on Twitter, the Empire is “vast, powerful, and bathed in the Light.” Anduin expresses interest in visiting it someday, but Faerin, an Arathi character that players meet in Hallowfall during WoW: The War Within, fears they may not take kindly to her new allies. Judging from her words, the Arathi Empire is less tolerant of the dark magic and diverse races found within both the Alliance and the Horde, which could lead to some problems.

The Arathi Empire in World of Warcraft: The War Within

• The original Empire of Arathor was the origin of the Human kingdoms of Azeroth around 3000 years before World of Warcraft.
• At some point, a group of Arathi Humans and their High Elf allies left and founded another branch of the Empire across the sea.
• The Arathi in the Hallowfall zone in WoW: The War Within are the survivors of an expedition from their homeland 15 years before the expansion, but the Empire may be less friendly than they are.

Many World of Warcraft fans are hoping the Arathi Empire is being set up as foes for the future. The existence of an enemy empire consisting of Light worshipers is something World of Warcraft hasn’t done yet, so many players are intrigued to learn more. Considering how popular the Scarlet Crusade is as an antagonistic force in WoW, many fans are excited at the prospect of a Warhammer-esque holy empire to contend with on Azeroth.

While there’s no confirmation the Arathi Empire will become a problem soon, if ever, it is exciting to know they are out there. Players will have to wait and see if this faction makes an appearance later in The War Within, Midnight, or The Last Titan, or possibly even after WoW finishes The Worldsoul Saga.

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight was developed by Blizzard Entertainment and is the ninth expansion pack for the iconic massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft.

Dragonflight features an overhauled user interface, raises the level cap to 70, and introduces a new race and class. 

Released

November 28, 2022