Summary
According to some officialWorld of Warcraftstoryboards, Wrathion was supposed to appear in the launch trailer for theDragonflightexpansion. Though most of the storyboard is the same as the cinematic, it seemsWorld of Warcraftremoved Wrathion from his scene somewhere between this early concept and its official launch.
Shortly before the expansion’s launch in November 2022,World of Warcraftrevealed the launch cinematic forDragonflight. Titled “Take to the Skies,” this high-flying CGI movie showed off some of the beautiful locations, creatures, and characters that would be featured inDragonflight.
However, some recently-revealed storyboards have shown that the launch trailer was almost very different. Most of the scenes depicted in the storyboard are close to what players saw in the cinematic. That said, the scene debuting the Dracthyr was different; rather than Emberthal displaying Evoker abilities alone in a creche, it showed a Dracthyr, presumably Emberthal, sparring with Wrathion atop one of the towers of Valdrakken. Interestingly enough, the Dracthyr is wielding two swords – a feat that won’t be possible untilWorld of Warcraftunlocks other classes for them inThe War Within.WoWfan and Wrathion enthusiast Portergauge noticed this discrepancy, sharing the storyboard on Twitter.
Wrathion’s Role in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight
Considering Wrathion’s lineage to Neltharion and his work towards fixing the Black Dragonflight, fans expected him to be one of the most important characters in the expansion. He was featured prominently in promotional material, including on the loading screen, in theWorld of Warcraft: DragonflightCollector’s Edition pin set and art book, and even in a premium statue. InDragonflightitself, Wrathion has moderate roles in the Waking Shores campaign, the Embers of Neltharion campaign during Patch 10.1, and the Misfit Dragons quests in 10.2.
That said, between him surrendering his claim to being the new Black Aspect, thecancelation of his premiumWorld of Warcraftstatue, and now, his cut scene from “Take to the Skies,” his impact onDragonflightended up being less than most anticipated. It’s hard to say exactly why his role was diminished and his cinematic debut cut; it could be thatWoWdid not wish to show Dracthyr using weapons, as it was not the focus of the Evoker class, or a simple shift in narrative direction of the expansion itself.
Either way, it seems likeWrathion was originally supposed to play a bigger role inWoW: Dragonflight. Fans of the Black Prince were overjoyed to see this snippet of their favorite character in the storyboard, but gutted that they didn’t get to see him appear in one of the gorgeousWorld of Warcraftcinematics. Now that the expansion is almost over, these players can only speculate on whatDragonflightwould have looked like with Wrathion taking center stage.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight
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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.
