[00:07] Hello internet, Talson here and today we are talking World of Warcraft Midnight are talking World of Warcraft Midnight and we are talking the very final boss of Midnight. This is a video we make every expansion obviously and it's
[00:21] something I always really look forward to writing and most of the time I've got a fairly reasonable idea who that final boss is going to be. In fact, for all of the expansions where the final boss was an established character and not someone
[00:35] therefore impossible to predict, we have been bang on the money. But I realized throughout making this video that actually it really could be anyone this time from a whole host of possibilities. There's an obvious choice. There's no
[00:51] less than two legendary heroic lore characters that could turn bad. There's the possibility of a surprise early appearance of someone we all suspect will feature heavily in The Last Titan. There's a possibility so left field it's
[01:05] actually weirdly likely in my opinion. and a prediction that I'm pretty sure no one has thought of and that I'm actually very, very proud of. [music] I think this is our best final boss speculation video yet. So, join us as we highlight
[01:20] video yet. So, join us as we highlight and rate the most likely candidates to at the end of the final raid of Midnight. Okay, go go go go. Zalatath.
[01:32] going to get this one out of the way because she is by far the most obvious candidate, and then we can move on to what I consider the more interesting potential end bosses in this video. But, Zalatath is far and away the most
[01:46] popular main character introduced into the game in the last 10 or 15 years, probably. She's everything you want in a modern video game. baddie, kind of sexy, kind of sassy, kind of scary, incredibly dangerous, and with deep links to the
[01:59] actions of the player character themselves. If you play a shadow priest, which I do, and you should, then the groundwork for her as a big antagonist started to be laid back in Legion, where she was your literal weapon,
[02:12] expansion. Something I was going to do fact that she turned up in BFA in [music] a quest line that saw us, the players, release her from the Blade of the Black Empire, and the fact that
[02:25] she's already spent an entire expansion now as main antagonist in the war within means there is a genuine case that Zalat is the most developed baddie ever [music] in WoW. The only other real candidate being Gash. And stop writing
[02:41] that comment. Arthus was not developed at all in WoW itself. That all came in Warcraft 3. And likewise, Illan. Yes, it's semantics. Yes, I'm sticking to it, my lady. Also, she's a cool hot elf lady, and everyone loves a cool hot elf
[02:55] lady. The whole of the Midnight expansion is built as being based around Zali's big climactic attack on Azeroth with the forces of the void at her back. the final boss then, doesn't it? What better way to end this tale than with a
[03:09] face off against whatever Zalat's true form might be? She's currently canonically obscenely powerful, what with wielding the power of a void lord and everything else she's used to fill the dark heart. Very few final bosses
[03:22] get a whole two expansions leading up to their final encounter. And after nearly 10 years of buildup, you'd have to say Zali has earned her place as the final battle of the void expansion. This is all true, and I agree. If she's got to
[03:38] go, she deserves nothing less than to go as a crazy awesome final battle complete with her own theme song, which hopefully she will sing herself in game. Cuz bosses that sing their own theme songs as you fight them are literally the best
[03:51] thing in video games. That's it. That's the coolest thing. And that's what Zalat everything. But here's the thing that makes me doubt the obviousness of this makes me doubt the obviousness of this otherwise obvious scenario. Does Blizz
[04:04] otherwise obvious scenario. Does Blizz actually want to get rid of Zalat? Like I say, she's the best baddy in a universe, which is frankly running out of big law characters with a history who can be used as baddies. And if Blizzard
[04:16] didn't want to lose their extremely marketable sexy elf lady in Midnight, there's actually a fairly easy way out for them here. Because whereas we don't know her exact origins or motivations yet, we do know that she used to be
[04:31] Demensius's harbinger and that she did not like that job. The implication being that she was forced into being a servant of the void lord. Indeed, when we see the blade of the black empire by the old gods, Yesh says, "You betrayed not only
[04:47] the strength of the black empire, but the very darkness that embraced you." which would suggest that she is not originally a being of the void realm or even a wielder of void power but had it
[05:00] Demensius. There's a line that was in the 11.2 PTR questing but which never made it to the live game where Zal appeared to reveal that she is originally a mortal from a planet that was consumed by Demensius. And this was
[05:15] cut so it's not cannon. Okay, [music] but taking it as a speculation jumping but taking it as a speculation jumping off point, why did she survive? Did she offer herself to Demensia's service solely to survive? Or was she chosen by
[05:28] him against her will? Did she make a deal to save her planet that the void lord betrayed? Or did she actually summon him to begin with because she sought power and thought it would turn out well for her like Ashara with
[05:42] Sargeras? Either way, if it turns out that her reason for wanting to get to [music] eat it or whatever to become an extra super powerful badass baddy, but to maybe bring back her planet or her people or maybe stop the void or maybe
[06:00] save Azeroth from the void. Unlikely, but still. As long as it's done well, like the Zalat team up stuff in Caresh, which was done extremely surprisingly line was going to suck to be honest with you. and it turned out to be brilliant,
[06:14] then Zartath could very effectively be converted into a character who sticks around long into the future of WoW. And that's a situation that's going to accountants. I know it's not the end of the video yet, but I would love to hear
[06:28] comments below. Right now, I'm going to rate Zalat as a surprisingly unlikely, but still ultimately very likely eight toes out [music] of 10. Okay, let's get to the good stuff. Hilaria. A classic WoW trope at this stage is the good
[06:43] character being corrupted by forces they can't control, even though they only first place to try and do good, though, honestly. And what better candidate for this journey could there possibly be in Midnight than Ayaria. Ever since she got
[06:57] void bombed in Legion, she's been on the might end up being a raid boss at some point list, and she's only risen up that list as time has gone on. The whole of the war within was dedicated to her single-minded pursuit of Zalatath for
[07:10] wrathful vengeance. A pursuit which has resulted in basically zero character development, by the way. Like seriously, every time something happened that might have made her think, hm, actually, you know, maybe the single-minded pursuit of
[07:22] wrathful vengeance isn't good for me as a person and actually doing more harm than good. The actual lesson she appears to take from that moment is always, "Hm, single-minded in my pursuit of wrathful vengeance." And I know what you're
[07:35] thinking. Smells like a raid boss, right? Also, and this is probably a more important point than you might think, isn't a very popular character with the player base right now. Her whole War Within anime reimagining definitely lost
[07:50] some of her OG Ranger appeal in the eyes of many, and her athioned refusal to learn. Like seriously, any lesson at all ever is frustrating and exhausting at this point. Put it this way. If you put it to a straight vote on the forums who
[08:04] people would rather see killed off between her and Zali, I genuinely think winner and she wouldn't be wearing shoes. You know, it would be a hugely meaningful law moment, hugely impactful on a personal level to basically all of
[08:18] the main cast of Midnight. Shows how the void is dangerous and that it can turn even the most heroic and steadfast of characters. The more you think about it, the more Ailaria sounds like a brilliant final boss of Midnight. Actually, except
[08:30] final boss of Midnight. Actually, except for one teeny tiny detail. And I'm for Midnight's story. Okay, there's a skip on the timeline and in the unlikely she'll be the final boss of Midnight, seeing as she's already the
[08:45] final boss of the opening void spire raid. Yeah, we already take her out by the end of the first patch. sucks to be Aaria. But but but but also I think it's pretty obvious from the dungeon journal page for this fight that we don't kill
[09:00] here. She's clearly fighting pretty successfully against void corruption that can hurt us are described as hurting her friends or allies. So she
[09:12] absolutely has not fully become a void baddie here. So, what I'm saying is properly become a void baddie by the end of this expansion with this fight serving as yet another warning that she doesn't heed. It's all I'm saying. All
[09:25] in all, I'm going to rate the chances of Ayaria being the end boss of Midnight a tantalizing two and a half sisters out of Windrunner. But if the idea of a law legend and Arattor family member becoming the final boss by succumbing to
[09:38] the void doesn't appeal to you, well, how about a law legend and Artor [music] family member becoming the final boss by succumbing to the light? Talion, let's just go ahead and say it. Talion is looking sketchy as in Midnight. He's
[09:54] grumpy and mean to his son. He and the vanguard of the light that he leads are grumpy and doineering to their silver moon hosts and appear suddenly very willing to sacrifice the lives of others in the battle against the void.
[10:07] Actually, holy it suddenly occurred to me, but he's basically Illan for the light against the void, even down to his being extra specially grumpy definitely being portrayed in the midnight campaign [music] as being a
[10:20] less than perfect force for good, with Terallion and Co. in particular showing an overly zealous and uncaring streak supposedly because of the pressure that the Sunwell is under throughout. There's already multiple members of the Vanguard
[10:34] of Light who are set up to be doomed as dungeon and raid bosses, including one argue if he was one of your favorite little guys from Legion and he was mine is tantamount to straight up character assassination, but whatever. I'm not
[10:48] bitter about that. Why not sacrifice good dad and honest wife guy Terallion on the altar of light is bad too while we're at it. There are many in the player base who have been waiting for a moment like this who would be giddy at
[11:00] the thought of killing our Mads Mickelson golden boy and story and character-wise it would have much huge impact as Aaria being the boss but actually more so. I think the stars are definitely aligning for a Terion the
[11:13] Light Fiend face off at some point in Midnight. Whether it's the final boss, though, I'd rate his chances at four divorced dads out of Elon Musk. But here's a little idea I had, cuz I think both and are both fairly logical choices
[11:28] for Midnight Bosses, options that most of you watching this video have probably thought of. But did you think of this? Aaria and Terallion. I mean, [clears throat] honestly, this is perfect. Midnight is
[11:42] the light versus void expansion. What better final battle to have than against the light and the void? And what better bosses to wage that battle than the current most prominent in-game representatives of the light and the
[11:57] partners for the last [music] 1,000 years and who also have a son who is the embodiment of both of those forces combined. It's so incredibly anime, but it could just work. If Aaria and Terallion, seeing no other option but to
[12:12] destroy each other, engage in a battle around the world soul or whatever that threatens to destroy everything with us caught in the [music] crossfire and trying to quell them both. Think about what a spectacular fight that would be.
[12:24] Think about what an awesome story moment it would provide. Think about how great the fight theme song would be with Talion and Yaria singing at each other. Okay, fine, not that bit, but think about how awesome the raid ending
[12:37] cinematic would be when they're fighting wakes up an old god or something that's whatever, and the two of them realize they've both gone too far, and that the only way to sort out this mess and save all life on the planet is to embrace and
[12:52] combine themselves into a massive bomb to blow up the old god or whatever. And so they do. And Artor is like, "Nice one, mom and dad. You were heroes and you loved each other after all. I love this idea. It's what I would do if I was
[13:06] there's a sign on the door to the WoW story that says, "Do not let Talies in going to rate the chances of Ayaria and Terallion being the final bosses of Terallion being the final bosses of Midnight. A mighty 100 pies out of Sky.
[13:21] I like that idea, but you know, we can get on to the really interesting [music] get on to the really interesting [music] stuff now. the old gods, specifically Yashira. >> Hi team, it's me, Eatel, and it is
[13:33] officially the end of 20125. The year is drawing to a close. Another thankfully, [music] we have had Squarespace along for the video. Thank you [music] guys. And what better way to look back on the past year
[13:49] and reflect deeply and meaningfully than by raw dogging your Squarespace analytics [music] page. You may laugh, but the Squarespace Analytics Suite is a powerful and insightful tool. Just set your date range [music] to yeartoate,
[14:04] and you'll get your 2025 in a nutshell. Traffic is cool. Any traffic is cool, but I particularly love these breakdowns. Look how pleasing this top devices by visits breakdown is. And all 347 of you on Linux or whatever freaky
[14:19] OS you're frequenting, I see you. Engagement is a delightful section [music] which includes a detailed log of all your visits and IP addresses. Yes, yours. But also lists all button interactions which I absolutely love. I
[14:34] clicking buttons that I made to encourage them to visit us on Twitch or even on Patreon. But my favorite is the say hello button. Thanks [music] for saying hello. And finally, I will never tire of browsing our geography
[14:48] breakdowns. The usual suspects are here. And while I am heartbroken not to see our single [music] visitor from the Vatican City return to us in 2025, I am astounded to have received 13 hits from the Pharaoh Islands. Truly living your
[15:03] best [music] lives out there. So, there you have it. 2025 in a neat nutshell of analytics goodness. And while it's lovely to look [music] back, why not look forward to a new year and a new website with 10% off your first purchase
[15:17] of a website or domain? Just head to squarespace.com/taliasenevatel to kick off the new year with a neat little discount. Or if you prefer, just use code taliasenevatel or just click the link in the description below.
[15:29] That's squarespace.com/talasenevatel. We're still here for you, Vatican City. Whenever you're ready. I mean, look, it's the void invasion expansion, right? The ultimate void attack on the planet, right? It would kind of be a shame if
[15:43] there was no old god involvement at all, wouldn't it? For so long, they were the wouldn't it? For so long, they were the main representation of the void in WoW lore. And sure, the story has kind of moved on from them now. They being the
[15:55] fleshy scout missiles fired out into the great dark beyond of our reality to try and corrupt a world soul. And the current threat being the far more cosmic and sparkly denisens of the actual void realm. But man, say what you like about
[16:08] Nazoth and Co., they capture that terrifying Eldrich horror vibe way more don't they? If this expansion does descend into a fight for the world's soul on multiple fronts, I would love to see the old gods pop up again to shoot
[16:23] for the last gabillion years after all. It's only fair. And as Yesh,
[16:35] fight against him in some way. And yes, I know he's dead and his body is a that'll be a pretty good reason that he won't appear. But to that protest, I won't appear. But to that protest, I would simply point out that actually
[16:47] shut up. Maybe we can finally have our old god body zone like was originally experimented with for BFA. I always think about that huge land mass on the other side of Nagitar in early BFA files. That was N'oth. I always think
[17:00] Ultimately, I think the return of the old gods would be super cool, but not really where Blizz seemingly want to take this story. And fan service aside, I can kind of understand that. But you know what? I'm a fan and I never say no
[17:14] to service. So, I'm rating all of the old gods and specifically Yasher a four old gods out of story that isn't really about the old gods. Sorry, Iridicron. Common opinion is that Iron is waiting in the wings to take over from Zalat as
[17:27] the main antagonist of the World Soul Saga once we've dealt with the void invasion in Midnight. He was the one that set this whole ball rolling. After all, he stole the dark heart and empowered it with the hunger of Gacron.
[17:39] wild, girl. Do your thing." Making it very clear in his [music] cinematics that he considers Zali and her voidy plans a means to further his real [music] ultimate endgame of luring the Titans back to Azeroth so he can punch
[17:53] them in the face. That is genuinely his objective. And there's lots I love about Aridicron as a baddie. I love that he's one of the few major antagonists who doesn't ever underestimate the player characters. [music] and in fact goes to
[18:05] extreme lengths to avoid ever having to fight us because he knows we'll probably we proved in the Dawn of the Infinite Dungeon when just five of us completely kicked his ass. But he knew we would see, which is why he set up an
[18:18] impossible situation whereby we then had to undo kicking his ass so we could stop the Infinets claiming Nos Dormu instead. See, he's clever even though his head is literally full of rocks. And I know many of you will be saying right now, well,
[18:30] Tally, clearly Ariticron isn't going to be the final boss of Midnight cuz he's going to be the final boss of Last Titan, or at least a boss in Last Titan, right? To which I would say, I don't think so. I think it's actually pretty
[18:42] likely that Diddy turns up earlier than expected as the surprise [music] final boss of this expansion for a couple of unrelated reasons. Scenario one, the betrayal. Most of the thinking about Aridicron is that he is successfully
[18:57] using the void and its hunger to further his own plans. After which they the void will be completely defeated by us with maybe some help from the titans and he will have a clear run to execute his own evil plan. He [music] has outsmarted the
[19:11] void. But here's the thing. As we discussed earlier, Zalat is not of the discussed earlier, Zalat is not of the void. She only uses its power and she's betrayal thing herself. We're all sat here assuming that Ariticron has her
[19:25] beat, but who's to say that she hasn't outwitted him? Who's to say that Ariticron hasn't fatally [music] underestimated a foe for once by way of not fully understanding what she is? And when the moment comes for him to step in
[19:39] and be like, "Thanks for the distraction, void idiots. I'll take it punched." Zali won't just turn around and be like, "Oh, no. I kind of planned for this cuz I'm not a total idiot. you're actually serving my plan right
[19:52] now. And then we fight and kill him instead of Zalat and she skips Gaye into the last Titan like she deserves. Or even more likely scenario two [music] for why Odi isn't a boss next expansion is because he's right. Actually, the
[20:06] Titans do suck. They do need to [music] be punched in the face. If you are of final installment of the World Soul Saga is going to be about how shitty the Titans are, except DNR probably, then why would we need to fight Ariticron?
[20:21] Surely we're going to fight with him and Idan and Sargeras. I've got a lot of theories [music] about all this. Or maybe after we defeat Zali and the void, distraction, void idiots. Time to press my summon the titans button so I can
[20:34] punch them in the face." And the final boss fight in Midnight is us trying and failing to stop him [music] doing that. And then he's dead or defeated, but the Titans have been summoned already to appear as the arcane baddies of Last
[20:47] Titan. There's loads of potential setups here. So, I'm rating a wild card. One are dead, so it's more like out of two really. Azeroth. Here's the final option
[20:59] for this video, and I genuinely think it's not as far-fetched as it might first seem. As we just discussed, Ariticon's plan is to endanger the world soul to the extent that the Titans become aware of it and worried enough to
[21:12] come back and protect it only to then get punched in the face. If he's relying [music] that would definitely mean it's incredibly likely that the climax of the expansion could be an attack on the
[21:25] world soul itself, which we know is basically [music] in a Titan prison at the bottom of the coreway. And a fight in the coreway against Zali and the Danar set against the backdrop of the literal imprisoned world soul would
[21:38] expansion. Even more epic though would be [music] if during the fight, Zalat succeeds in corrupting the world soul or is she wants. We still don't know. And then we have to fight against that. Now,
[21:53] beat some sense into them type fights rather than a kill the out of them Blizzard proved with Demensius that they can absolutely pull off massively spectacular fights against larger than-l
[22:06] life foes. And the idea of zooming around the world soul on our flying mounts while void rays blast out of it would be sick. Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. How about Zali is succeeding in whatever it is she wants to do
[22:19] because the world soul is being held in place by the Titan prison. And so the way we win is by destroying the Titan prison, which okay, technically makes world soul, but you get the idea. And actually, the Titans aren't drawn back
[22:34] here because they're worried about the safety of Azeroth's world soul, but safety of Azeroth's world soul, but because they are worried it has escaped from their prison because they are the bad guys. I actually think that out of
[22:46] all of the candidates in this video, this is the most likely. Although, it against Zatath 2, wouldn't it? So, it's also the very first candidate in this video again, but whatever. I rate the Azeroth world soul or its prison [music]
[22:59] Azeroth world soul or its prison [music] at an odds on last out of Titan. But what do you think? Which of our ideas has jumped out to you as being stone Midnight? Which do you think are less likely than an unredacted Epstein file?
[23:13] What options have we missed out entirely that you need to tell us about right below. And thank you for joining us today. If you like this video, don't thank us. Thank our patrons who give their actual real life money to make all
[23:27] of our videos happen. And patrons, thank you because this represents scripted video number 53 on the channel this year, not including podcasts obviously, which means that we averaged one a week, which I'm really very happy about. And
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