WoW Insider's Lament of the Highborne video analysis
by Mike Schramm 
Sep 24th 2007 at 3:00PM
Last week, Blizzard released a new machinima movie called Lament of the Highbourne, featuring Sylvana's performance of the old Quel'dorei song and a retelling of what went down between her and Arthas Menethil, now known as the Lich King. WoW Insider, being the extreme lore geeks that we are, has put together a video analysis of the movie that Blizzard released, featuring an almost frame-by-frame commentary about Sylvanas' story. You can see the finished product above-- prepare to be lore-geeked out.
Two things that didn't make it into the commentary above in time: reader Lift sent us a bit of insight about Arthas riding an Undead mount-- does that mean, he asks, that Death Knights will get their own Warlock/Paladin-esque mount? And one more thing we noticed-- the spectre behind Arthas as he resurrects Sylvanas may well be the Lich King himself. By all means: discuss.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Machinima, Blizzard, Lore, NPCs, Mounts, BlizzCon, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Charlie Sep 24th 2007 3:21PM
A tad bit over-analyzed. The talk about she is supposed to be a hunter because of she has a previous title of Ranger General, but is meleeing, etc etc. I think they just wanted to show her kicking ass.
Not bad, though there were some funny parts. "Yeah... thats, thats gotta be a bummner". Hehehe
Nice video overall.
Charlie Sep 24th 2007 3:29PM
And oh, if you look at the shape of the big purpley shadow thing behind arthas, it actually looks like a arthas (alot, it mirrors his movements), and is prolly just a special effect to fill in a big black void, and not the lich king.
so *sad face*
Hollywood Ron Sep 24th 2007 3:34PM
I love the Lament of the Highborne sequence.
Angus Sep 24th 2007 3:38PM
http://www.wowwiki.com/Sylvanas_Windrunner
You say no one knows how she became an undead near the end or how she broke free of Arthas.
Check out the page, it explains that.
It was pretty well explained in warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne on how she broke free...
Very good info, look it up on Wowwiki next time if you have some gaps, it usually has answers.
Dabura Sep 24th 2007 3:50PM
WRONG Sunwell is NOT the next instance before Wrath, that would be Zul'Aman, plz check facts. Also about her being a "melee hunter" is retarded, just because she was Ranger General doesnt mean that she was a hunter, a ranger is more defined as a versatile fighter who prefers the use of a bow.
Xonate Sep 24th 2007 3:44PM
Heh, very nice. The only problem I noticed was towards the end when you called Nathaniel Marris a human dark ranger. He was a human ranger at one point, but is now very, very undead.
Baluki Sep 24th 2007 3:46PM
@4: He's not saying that nobody knows how she broke free. He's saying that nobody knows where her body came from. Did she find her old body and re-possess it, or did she find another (possibly a night elf) to possess?
Angus Sep 24th 2007 4:18PM
@7:
Rangers in Warcraft were effectively hunters with no pets and insane archery abilities.
Can you say "Hero Class?"
War1ockplayer Sep 24th 2007 4:32PM
Well, according to my knowledge of the lore(which may be wrong)that "banshee" is not her ghost it represents her "soul" arthas infuesed many souls into her until she was a diffrent person(partially)that i why she, when you turn in the quest, immeditely snaps at you its anouther soul talkling not her(well techniquelly its patrially hers just not All hers most of the time her soul is not in control but anouthers) Arthas wanted her to be his queen(may be wrong)but when she got her free will back that didnt work. She WAS(when she was still alive) a farstrider and a ranger NOT a hunter no pet just a ranger and one of the best too. She would be with the alliance partly because when she was a high elf the high elves had not yet joined the horde. that part of her is still in her its just the inner battle to bring her soul to the surface and take back control, when you bring her the neckale the memory helps that fight. She is portrayed as a night elf id guess because having alot of diffrent souls would change your apperance IMO. this comment is just from what ive read hope its realible and sorry for mispellings.
Matthew Smith Sep 26th 2007 8:33PM
Excellent movie sir. Since WoW was the only game that I got into, it was so nice to catch up a bit on the lore and that movie much more more sense with an analysis.
stanley Sep 24th 2007 7:09PM
The silhouette who kills the high elf Sylvannas is not Arthas, well, at least, it isn't the Arthas model. The Blade, if you look closely, is not Frostmourne, but The Hungering Cold.
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=23577
Frostmourne is a different weapon model. The movie maker probably just screwed up there, or was content using an existing weapon model for the scene.
Mel Sep 25th 2007 4:02AM
Not to be a jerk, but could you take the pillow out of your mouth before you speak the next video comment, please? You mumble. Its hard to understand.
Medros Sep 25th 2007 6:29AM
A good review, with a good chunk of info. I commend you for it. A few points, though.
-Rhonin and Vereesa had twins
-Are the Kirin'Tor part of the alliance now?
-Banshees are high elf women, not night elf women, who where killed and risen like Sylvanas
Thanks for this breakdown, I will definitely mention it on my podcast
aunion Dec 2nd 2007 5:05AM
About Sylvanas getting her body back, at least the description on wow-europe for the the video starts like this:
As leader of the last elven defenders of Quel'Thalas, Sylvanas Windrunner suffered a terrible fate: her spirit was ripped from her body and transformed into a banshee. When the Lich King's power faltered, however, she and other undead were freed of Scourge control. She has since reclaimed her body and become queen of these undead rebels, the Forsaken. Although her heart is full of bitterness, she cannot forget the people she once loved....
I'd say that "She has since reclaimed her body" confirms that it's her own body she's repossessed