World of Warcraft has seen a lot of memorable moments over the years, but Dragonflight's story seems to undo one of the MMO's most important ones. During World of Warcraft: Legion, the green dragon aspect Ysera became corrupted by the Emerald Nightmare and players were forced to kill her. It resulted in a fantastic and beautiful sequence that has stuck with players ever since, but recent plot developments have seemingly undone that story.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight is all about bringing the power of Azeroth's dragonflights back. To achieve this, the dragonflights also need dragon aspects to lead them, and that means that the green dragonflight needs to find Ysera's replacement. This story thread plays an important role in the expansion, but it results in Ysera's sudden return. While she is not technically the green dragon aspect anymore, her return cheapens the sacrifice she made in Legion.
Ysera's Sacrifice Was Beautifully Done
In World of Warcraft: Legion, Ysera sent players the Temple of Elune in Val'sharah to retrieve the Tears of Elune. She needed these tears to save the demigod Cenarius from the Emerald Nightmare, but retrieving them was far easier said than done. The vile Xavius attacked the temple and stole the tears before Malfurion Stormrage could use them. When Ysera and the player located Xavius, he used the Tears of Elune to corrupt her.
Ysera became corrupted by the Emerald Nightmare, and Xavius ended up using her to attack the Temple of Elune. The player was forced to combat Ysera and stop her before she could cause irreparable damage. As she breathed her last breath, Elune reached down and cleansed Ysera's spirit. A beautifully made cutscene showed Ysera's spirit lift into the sky before disappearing into a dragon-shaped constellation. Plants grew where her body laid, and a new Tear of Elune blossomed.
It was a fantastic moment for many players, and World of Warcraft: Shadowlands gave the story some much-needed closure. Ysera was the focus of the Ardenweald leveling campaign as players tried their hardest to protect her spirit's wildseed. Players watched as the Winter Queen herself revived Ysera's soul within the afterlife, and forever bound her to Ardenweald. It gave her some nice closure after her death in Legion, and allowed her to play a major role throughout the expansion.
Dragonflight Seems to Undo that Storyline
Ysera's story seemed to be over, but Blizzard is not quite done with her yet. In Dragonflight, players discover that Ysera's grandson Gerithus has been coming up with a plan to bring Ysera back to life. When the Primalists break into the Emerald Dream, this plan is quickly put into motion as the green Dragonflight sends the player to Ardenweald. They are accompanied by Malfurion Stormrage and Tyrande Whisperwind as they seek out Ysera within the afterlife.
Players quickly learn that the only way for Ysera to leave Ardenweald is if someone replaces her. Malfurion Stormrage ends up being the one to replace her, and she rejoins her dragonflight to protect the Emerald Dream. While her daughter Merithra still becomes the new green dragon aspect, Ysera has returned to Azeroth once more. Her entire death has seemingly been undone, and Malfurion's story seems to be suffering for it.
After making such a big deal about her death in Legion and Shadowlands, it seems like a strange choice to bring her back in Dragonflight. She may be a very important character, but she is supposed to be dead. Her story saw its conclusion, and bringing her back now just feels like it does a disservice to her legacy, as well as to Malfurion's own arc. Maybe things will change as the expansion progresses, but right now it feels like an odd narrative choice in an otherwise great expansion.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC.