[00:04] This video is sponsored by Squarespace. [music] we are talking World of Warcraft Midnight. We are talking Zalatath and the origin of Zalat and the face of Zalat and terrifying ash babies and the
[00:19] motivation and plan and endgame of Zalat. Oh, and King Saladar [music] is here, too. Because today, internet, we are talking the new cinematic Supremacy. one for me because as I'm recording this, the cinematic came out yesterday
[00:36] as I was streaming. But literally minutes before that, I was saying if I was Blizzard, I don't think they'll do this, by the way. I would uh have a cinematic showing Zalat's whole story that we don't know. I would show Zalat
[00:52] home planet being eaten by Demensius. I would show her becoming Zalat as we know dagger. That's the cinematic that we need. That's the cinematic that would excited about the story of Midnight. They're not going to do it, but that's
[01:05] the one that we we need. And then of course, new Zala video just went up on WoW YouTube. See, I'm I'm like 90% certain you're trolling, and it's a really good troll cuz I'm going to go and check it. Oh my god, IT'S A 2D
[01:18] ANIMATION OF ZELAT. OH MY GOD. Please let this be the thing we were just talking about. I'm going to look so clever. They just made one quickly. Yeah. Yeah. So, did Blizzard answer my prayers? Is this the Zalatath reveal and
[01:32] explanation that I said we needed and that I was sure they wouldn't give me? Well, maybe. [music] Actually, yeah. This is a really good classic 2 and 1/2D cinematic with some extremely effective and memorable moments. But perhaps even
[01:49] more importantly, we've got some juicy lore goodness for absolute days. So, join us as we talk [music] Zalat supremacy and ask, is Midnight doing
[02:02] supremacy and ask, is Midnight doing Zalat right? Okay. Go, go, go, go, go, Zalat right? Okay. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
[02:27] Nexus King. Zolotath is supreme. Join us. We'll be consumed. >> I love the start of this one. We open with this shot of a void portal ripping a hole through the sky and void meteorites pouring through from our
[02:41] point of view onto our heads. A framing that obviously puts us right in the action, as does the rhythmic drumming on the soundtrack that sounds like a quickened heartbeat, like our own blood pressure rising as the threat looms
[02:55] right in our faces and on our heads. And then a quick jerk of the camera to reveal the scene at ground level. And still our view is as a normal person, still our view is as a normal person, eye level. We are on this battlefield.
[03:09] But what is this battlefield? The setup of this attack is obviously immediately reminiscent of the midnight cinematic trailer with the big new soy they almost look hairy void baddies going ham against a purple and orange sky. But
[03:24] here, it's not the blood elves getting smushed on the ground, but Shadow Guard Atherealss and not Silver Moon, but the void storm, the final leveling zone of Midnight, some outer spacey area, which is part of that otherworldly cosmic
[03:40] swirl, if not the exact planet itself. And I think this is great honestly because it does something that we have needed from Midnight and the buildup to Midnight which up until this point I don't think we've really got and that's
[03:52] the idea of Zalat and her void army being a wider threat beyond just Silver Moon. I don't want to keep on comparing the void attack to Legion. And I promise this will be the last time that I mention Legion, but it is the best scary
[04:07] army from outer space invasion expansion that we've had. So, you know, in Legion, there was this sense that the demons were everywhere, fighting everyone. So, to see Zali's devouring host chucking etherealss around like ragdolls helps
[04:22] give Midnight some of that same sense of invading army as kind of irresistible force, flattening any resistance they come up against on their way to Azeroth. stakes a bit, I think. And the fight is suitably frenetic and desperate feeling.
[04:36] Again, all at eye level with Shaky Cam making it a truly firsterson experience as ethereal shouts and warnings are cut off midcry as the hairy smoky boys take them down. We are reminded though that this is a battle of void versus void.
[04:53] These are shadow guard etherealss that we fought in Caresh and Maniffort Omega. So, you'll notice that when one of them does get a killing blow on one of Zali's does get a killing blow on one of Zali's gang, the void entity is consumed into
[05:05] the shadow guard's weapon. These two armies aren't just fighting each other, they are eating each other. A fact reiterated by the alpha dominar, as he's called in the subtitles, when he gives Nexus King Saladar this ultimatum.
[05:23] Nexus King Saladar this ultimatum. >> Nexus King Salad is supreme. >> Nexus King Salad is supreme. Join us. We'll be consumed. >> And I know what you're thinking. Um, Saladar, when does this cinematic
[05:36] actually take place? And that's a good question and one that we need to answer because we defeated Saladar in Manifford Omega. Some of us did. So, is this cinematic set before that? Uh, no. actually supremacy is set like now in
[05:54] the exact present or rather I should say it's set 2 days ago. So after that last hilarious cinematic from the 11.2.7 where we saw Zalat consume the power of
[06:06] the dark heart containing Gacron, Deran, Dark Belelladar, Demensius, Locust Walker, and that one ethereal guy that she needed to finally max it out. Do not forget Lone Athereal guy, okay? In many ways, he was the most important of all.
[06:21] Thanks, lone ethereal guy. Don't forget, when we defeated Salhadar in raid, Zalat consumed him, but not into the dark heart, which was busy being at the center of reforming Demensius at the time. She just like put him in her
[06:36] pocket or something. And we have to assume that fully empowered by the dark heart as she now is, she's just released Salahadada, reunited him with the shadow guard specifically to try and recruit them. An idea which, as you can see,
[06:52] they are pretty violently opposed to. So, in the timeline, this cinematic is after 11.2.7 and before the midnight opening in such a rush to get it out the day before 12.0.1 0.1 went live on NA
[07:07] servers and that midnight cinematic played in game. One thing I find interesting is what an absolute baller Saladar is in this fight though. Saladar is in this fight though. >> My etherealss WILL NEVER BE BOUND AGAIN.
[07:20] >> My etherealss WILL NEVER BE BOUND AGAIN. SALATAN BEAT DOWN. alpha dominar ripping his head open from the jaw, consuming its life force into
[07:36] his weapon as it spurts out like a slash jugular in a samurai movie, and using his newly charged staff to open an escape portal. escape portal. >> RETREAT. RUN NOW.
[07:56] standing. And actually, I was just bigging up how much Saladar cares about his shadow guard. But actually, as we see him dash towards that portal from his own point of view, he's not waiting for them, is he? It's every space mummy
[08:09] for himself at this point. And that desperation on his part, as well as maybe telling you something about him as a character, also helps cement what an absolute kicking the Athereal have taken here. And actually, I say we're seeing
[08:22] this sprint through the Nexus King's eyes, but in fact, it's more like we're seeing it through Zalat's eyes because she is very much in his head right now.
[08:34] A cascade of whispers repeating his name in a creepy teasing way. We see his panic grow as his head whips from side to side, trying to work out where that voice is coming from. And this field of vision shrinking as the black border
[08:49] vision shrinking as the black border around his sight closes in. This guy is terrified of Zalat despite his defiant speech just a moment ago. I think this is so well done. And also, I think Zalat probably says Saladar's name enough
[09:03] guilds might have learned it by now, which would be nice. And all the relentless action of this whole cinematic has been building to this one point. The pressure valve release of Zalat's appearance which is played as a
[09:18] scream. >> Zalad stay. Let this pointless resistance be done.
[09:31] Let this pointless resistance be done. >> Zelad as she swoops down right into our face. And I love Zali anytime as well, you know. But I especially love it when she's scary like she is in these 2.5D cinematics. I don't care if it's a bit
[09:45] goofy. Give me that mide manic grinning body horror corpse puppet. That is absolute peak as far as I'm concerned. Which is why for me it totally works that she is in this completely unnatural and weird floaty position above his head
[09:59] this on stream the other day when people were asking me about, of all things, Kadgar's magic floating wheelchair. Bear with me, okay? This is relevant, I promise. If you're not aware of the discourse around Khadgar's wheelchair,
[10:13] then congratulations. I'm very jealous. But there's a big criticism from certain parts of the internet that goes, "Why does Khadgar need a wheelchair? He makes it float with magic, so it doesn't need to be a wheelchair, does it? It could be
[10:25] to be a wheelchair, does it? It could be like an armchair or a magic carpet or a tank or he could just float around freely like Zalat. And you know what? I'm glad that we have this contrast comparison because it's actually a
[10:39] character reveal that he doesn't. Even in a world of magic like Azeroth, floating is kind of weird, kind of unsettling. And Khadgar is a lovely, thoughtful human man with lots of friends. So yeah, he
[10:56] makes the choice not to float everywhere and instead use the wheelchair normally a lot of the time because he's nice and he's humble and he wants the people around him to feel at ease. Zalatath, however, loves how unsettling her
[11:11] levitation is and uses it as a tool to intimidate and freak people out. So the answer to the question, why does Khadgar not just float like Zalat is because he is not Zalat? He is a different character who doesn't want to scare
[11:27] people. And the reason Zalat floats everywhere is in part precisely because she does want to scare people. It is amazing the insight that seeming characters if you just think about them for a moment instead of heading straight
[11:41] to Twitter to complain about how DEI and woke wheelchairs are. Anyway, yeah, scary, floaty, weird, unnatural angle. Zalatath constantly reminding us she is an otherworldly being. And now, just like in the last 2.5D cinematic with
[11:58] Queen Ansurk, she's got a ruler in her sights. Zalat always heads straight to the person in charge. And in the same way that we see the torch flames stop in time in Ashkahet >> for Eon.
[12:13] >> for Eon. You and your people have been slaves fed scraps. But I offer you a [music] freedom beyond imagining. She does the same sort of thing here and slows time down around
[12:30] herself and Saladar, giving them a private chat out of time as the battle pauses statuesque and silent around them. And now we start to see Zalat work her magic. The constant levitating and circling around her target. Not scary
[12:47] now so much as confusing, hypnotizing almost. As Sarah is putting up a fight here. Yeah, fair to say he's not Zelat's biggest fan. But fam, it's about to get very, very interesting indeed. >> What do you know of our suffering?
[13:04] >> Because if you've been bored by this analysis so far, then fair enough. trust me when I say you are going to want to pay attention from now on because the entire point of this
[13:16] cinematic isn't really to show us that Zatath is trying to recruit the shadow guard or that she has released Salahadar. It is to give us what I was Salahadar. It is to give us what I was so sure they wouldn't. The origin of
[13:29] Zalat. >> They say that I am the harbinger of the void. that I am the blade of the black empire that I am the blade of the black empire that was.
[13:45] me. And she begins by listing the things that we've known her as the harbinger of the void, the blade of the black empire that was. And then she rejects those
[13:57] titles. According to her, that is not what she is. I mean, we know she's not the blade of the black empire. That was just her prison. She was kept in an old god blade, but of course that doesn't make her an old god. In much the same
[14:10] way that just because Azeroth is currently in a titan core way prison, that doesn't mean that she is. We'll talk about that another time, I think. But this means that she's not the harbinger of the void either, which
[14:24] might seem a bit confusing. Trust me, we are going to unpack it in a bit. If she's neither of these things, though, what is she? Yes, please. What is Zalataf? But I'll tell you the truth no one
[14:38] living has heard. >> And I'm going to skip over that line helpful comment just yet. We're going to circle back around. All right. Enough foreplay. What is Zalat? >> Long, long ago,
[14:52] >> Long, long ago, I was mortal like you.
[15:05] because it is history time. As those who follow this channel will know, we have long speculated that Zalat was not an old god, not a void god, not a world old god, not a void god, not a world soul, but in fact a mortal from a world
[15:19] in our reality that got destroyed by the void. Now, the main reason we started speculating this is honestly because out of all of those options, Zali being more like us in Origin than not just seemed like the most interesting choice,
[15:33] speculation is based on around here. What we think would be the most interesting thing. Of course, since then, there has been, you know, actual evidence that appeared to back that up. The law walking flashback of Zalatath
[15:46] being imprisoned within the blade of the black empire where Yesharage says you betrayed the very darkness that embraced you implying that she wasn't originally
[15:58] from the void realm in any sense since the darkness had to embrace her. And that line on the Kesh PTR where Zalat references a non-existent reveal about how she was originally a mortal whose world got destroyed by Demensius. a line
[16:13] that never made it to live. And now we know why that reveal was kept for this cinematic instead. I think it's worth it. We see the figure that we assume to be Zalat emerge from the darkness against the pompeied already destroyed
[16:28] planet and population. She looks shell shocked and is wearing what appear to be religious robes and insignia. The other most obvious thing, she's a child. Or at
[16:40] most obvious thing, she's a child. Or at least she looks like one to us. >> I lost my world just like you.
[16:59] beyond a familiar tear in the sky and extend towards Baby Tath, she looks up and we see her eyes are adorned with what looks like golden makeup or tattoos. tears streaming down her face as her golden fiery and with the purple
[17:14] glow from the void portal above her. Let's say it because we're all thinking Let's say it because we're all thinking it. The zothlike eyes fill with the void and change to an inky deep blue and then the cosmic purple glow that we've
[17:27] associated with the void more recently. Is this the moment that the darkness embraces her? As Yashiraj put it. Then, and there's no other way of putting this, she gets disintegrated by the void. [music]
[17:40] void. [music] >> I drown in hatred and vengeance. >> I drown in hatred and vengeance. Just like you. Just like you. But the one thing I've learned
[18:05] >> is that survival is all that matters. Like it appears her whole planet already has been. And like Locust Walker will be thousands or maybe millions of years later, her skin peels off. The light leaves her eyes and the
[18:19] ashen husk of the mortal Zalatath is left forever frozen in her agony and terror. And I think we can all agree the disification of WoW has really got out kids now. I was basically just for girls. What's up team? Evetel here and I
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[20:15] [music] And remember kids, you're not mid, you're midcore. debate here because I'd rather do literally anything else. But it is a bit funny that after a few days of incredibly intense discourse about the
[20:30] tone of WoW, prompted by the Hearthstoneesque art style of the latest Metson made in a creative meeting one time, Blizz then casually puts out a cinematic where a child screams in agony as her skin is flaided off by an Eldrich
[20:46] horror and turned to ash. Honestly, it's not that surprising either, because of course, the real ones know that WoW has always from the very start been both of these things. Goofy, cartoonish fun and over-the-top darkness and everything in
[21:03] probably worth pointing out, though, since we're here, that there is one very important difference between the housing ad and this cinematic beyond their very different styles. This one, Supremacy, will actually play in the game as part
[21:19] of the questing, just like all the other 2.5D animations before it. Unlike Bella and her chunky rumble mates, this one is actually a part of the game, a part of actually a part of the game, a part of the storytelling of WoW. This is quite
[21:34] literally what an in-game World of Warcraft cinematic looks like. And if you had to, like absolutely had to say which one better represents the tone of don't know, the one that actually appears in game as part of the questing
[21:49] is probably the more honest example to use, I would say. And of course, WoW in-game cinematics also look like this. And in-game cutscenes look like this, or this if you're really unlucky. But that just further highlights how many
[22:02] different aesthetics and styles have always combined to form this world. Anyway, back to Zalatath because, okay, let's start to properly unpack this glowing shiny lore treasure chest and decode what all of this means. First, I
[22:18] think a fair question would be, how do we know Zelat is telling the truth about any of this? She is the baddie. That could make her an unreliable narrator. And this could all be one big fib to get Saladar on side, couldn't it? Maybe.
[22:32] Yes. But I'm going to say no. And only because in my experience, and I'm a shadow priest, so I've known her for a while now, Zalat doesn't tend to lie, actually, does she? Yeah, she might only mention certain parts of something, but
[22:47] mention certain parts of something, but she won't explicitly tell untruths. Even definitely was lying when she told the oracles that the Kesh world soul was still alive and could be saved, I thought that was a massive fib to
[23:00] manipulate them. But no, even that turned out to be true. And I'm sure not a massively important plot beat for The Last Titan. No. So when Zalat says that she was mortal, I believe her. When she says she lost her world just like the
[23:14] Atherealss, I believe her. When she shows us these things happening, I believe that's real. But that doesn't mean she's telling us everything. And if she were leaving something out conveniently, what might that be? Well,
[23:30] I've heard people suggest that perhaps this child that the story focuses on this child that the story focuses on isn't Zalat. And I mean, that's possible for sure, but I think it is for a couple of reasons. The first is the fact that
[23:44] Zalat's theme plays under her appearance. appearance. >> I was mortal like you.
[24:03] soundtrack work as ever. He never misses. Secondly, the narrative purpose of this cinematic. I think Blizz is doing the thing here that I said just cinematic that they needed to do. The purpose of this short is to reveal
[24:19] something of the origins of Zelat. Um, whereas I think there may be some deception by emission going on here, I think this character was never Zali to begin with would be way too large a con. The audience would feel cheated and
[24:32] wouldn't go with it. I also think that if it wasn't Zali, then there wouldn't be so many environmental clues attached to this depiction of her for us to speculate on. Like, well, first of all, we keep referring to Zalat as a child
[24:45] here because she looks like one, but she might not be. I want to say I really love the design of her character here. Obviously alien, but recognizable and relatable. And obviously here on Azeroth, yeah, she's a little girl or a
[24:58] gnome. And to prove it, I made my own gnome, Zat. And the likeness is uncanny. And also, if this is her true mortal form, then I'm really sorry to do this, but this is what her actual mortal feet looked like. This changes everything.
[25:12] and her being a child would certainly work to up the horror and empathy that we feel for her getting disintegrated in agony. So, it works dramatically for us, the audience, and for Zalat's story. But yeah, it could also easily be the case
[25:25] that this is just what a grown ass adult looks like on that planet. We haven't you know, all the other adults kind of dead at this point, alas. The next question would be, what is her role here? It appears from the cinematic that
[25:40] she is just about the last of her race to be eaten by the void, surrounded as she is by the ashen remains of her people. Remains which certainly appear people. Remains which certainly appear to be reaching out towards her as they
[25:54] died. Now, obviously, both of these observations could mean nothing at all. It could simply be an aesthetic choice because having Zachchild staggering out of the dust among her obliterated civilization looks really cool and more
[26:07] effectively conveys the story. Sure, but what if there is a clue here as to what is going on? Let's also reexamine those religious robes. The symbol on the front is like a sun, similar to the Argent Dawn or the Arathi or basically any
[26:21] other Wow group who worship the light. And Zali's eye makeup or tattoos are golden in color, too, which would seem to reinforce that point. I think Zalat here is a priest or religious leader of some sort. So, those bodies that appear
[26:37] to be reaching out to her as they return to Ash. Yeah, that could be her people their light worshipping leader at the moment of a void attack. That would make sense even if she were a child. And maybe Zali is the last one left standing
[26:52] here because the light power she wields protected her against the void onslaught for a few minutes longer than her less powerful or light faithful friends and family and or subjects were able to hold out for. And maybe the void took
[27:05] perverse pleasure in choosing the most pure, devout, and innocent light worshipper on the planet to take her soul, fill it with void power, and turn her into the harbinger of a void lord for all eternity. And I think that is
[27:18] obviously what happens here. Her body is ripped apart quite graphically by the ripped apart quite graphically by the void and pompade, but her soul, for want of any other word, is preserved. From a cinematic analysis point of view, it is
[27:30] not a coincidence that we twice see enemies being defeated and their essence being consumed into weapons in the cinematic before this point. It's just subtly putting that concept in our minds. And if this is the scenario
[27:45] that's happening here, it's a tragic backstory for sure. A whole civilization murdered seemingly at random by the void, it is easy to see why Zalat would be drowned in hatred and vengeance towards the void after that. But I am
[28:00] not certain that's the case. I think there might be a different, dare I say it, more interesting story being told here. And to uncover it, we have to be able to read between the lines and spot the things that Zalat doesn't tell us.
[28:16] the things that Zalat doesn't tell us. So what if Zalisath was the one who summoned the void to the planet in the first place? Maybe she was a student of the light, as her robe suggests. But maybe she felt there were limits to the
[28:29] light's power. Maybe a family member died of an illness that the light didn't save them from. Maybe Zalat just wanted more power than she thought the light could offer. Who knows? But what if she was tempted by whispers from the void or
[28:43] reached out to them, being persuaded to bring them to her home in exchange for the power that she craved? In much the same way that Ashara was secretly in Sundering. What if the bodies of her people appear to be reaching out to her
[28:58] because they were trying to stop her as she performed the ceremony? What if she simply expected the void to give her power and not to ravage the planet and she's horrified when it does? And her walking out of the shadows looking so
[29:13] walking out of the shadows looking so small and terrified isn't a what has small and terrified isn't a what has happened so much as a what have I done? When she falls to her knees, it is clearly in shock and despair, but it
[29:25] could also be in deference to the arriving void lord. a show of submission in an attempt to save herself. When her body is turned to ash, she does appear to be reaching out to the portal in the sky. Of all the speculation around at
[29:40] the moment, I like this idea the best because it explains why she was spared and why she was given the gift of becoming the harbinger. And also because her story is still tragic, for sure, but this way it's also totally her fault.
[29:55] She foolishly summoned the void to her planet cuz she thought they would turn her into like a baller shadow priest or something and she could rule as queen. they just kill everyone and turn her into their super voidpowered slave. The
[30:10] same word she uses to refer to Salhadar and his etherealss later. Easy to see why she would be drowned in hatred and vengeance towards the void in this scenario too. I call this the Ashara scenario. Like I say, Zali, a powerful
[30:24] light user who foolishly makes a deal with the void in pursuit of power and brings them to her home planet. And I think there are two huge design clues in this cinematic that hint this might actually be a good theory. The first
[30:39] being the amount of times Supremacy appears to reference the Ashara Warbringer. from the eyes to the framing of the tendrils and especially in the final image of both. It really does feel like Supremacy is trying to draw
[30:53] parallels between Ashara and Zalatath. And if that's a bit too subtle for you, well, don't worry, cuz there is another very strong reference to another character in this short too. And it's the line that she says before she starts
[31:08] relating any of this to Saladar. >> But I'll tell you the truth. No one living has heard. >> I told you we'd come back to it. This is a direct reference to the Guldan Harbingers cinematic that came out
[31:24] Harbingers cinematic that came out before Legion. of my birth. And just to recap, that is a story about
[31:36] how Goudan rejects the shamanistic power of his people, or rather is rejected by it, and instead embraces the fell, using it to kill his whole tribe. And I think Blizz may well be hinting here at a
[31:51] parallel to Zalatath. You know, maybe embracing a power very different to the light-based faith of her people and that new power destroying her planet. That just seems like a pretty strong hint to me. I'm sure we will find out the truth
[32:04] of all of this later, but either way, I think she is basically being sincere think she is basically being sincere with Saladar here.
[32:17] What I'm about to do ensures survival for all our kind. >> You are one of us. you are void. Now,
[32:32] >> I believe that Zelat is motivated by an almost superhuman will to survive. And while I don't think she bears any loyalty towards Salhadar and the Shadow Guard, I think she does see kinship in them. Like she says, she sees them as
[32:47] victims of the void, just like she sees herself, as a people whose bodies were torn apart and now inhabit forms not their own. When she says you are void now, she doesn't mean it like you are an old god or a void lord or a shadow
[33:03] priest. She means it as in everything about you has been stripped away. Your about you has been stripped away. Your humanity, your morals, your past. You are void and the only thing that fills that void is the will to survive.
[33:17] that void is the will to survive. Nothing else matters. Her soft, almost tender brush of the hand through her old ashen mortal form, symbolizing a rejection or moving on from everything that made up the old Zelat, scattering
[33:31] her old self to the wind and into oblivion. She is void now. And I think that dynamic is behind her leading of the Dominar, too. The actual land mass we visit in the void storm in Midnight is actually the remains of yet another
[33:47] planet that the void has torn apart. And the Dominar army is made up not of cool ass soldiers from the void so much as it is the void touch and corrupted life forms that were left behind on the planet's wreckage and forced to survive
[34:01] any way they could. She controls them in part by brute force and dominance, but she's basically just appealing to that will to survive in a different way. She touches Salad on the shoulder, and unlike when she makes physical contact
[34:15] with Ansurk, as she recruited her, Zalat looks the Nexus King straight in the eye uh face as she does so. I think she definitely does see something of her own struggle in the Shadow Guard. She is obviously manipulating him, though, as
[34:30] shown by her appeal to his vanity. Survival and more is at my side. Survival and more is at my side. And you can lead them all.
[34:51] Offering him command of her entire Dominar army. And whereas she was certainly getting through to him before, now this is absolutely the clincher for Saladar. Wait, I get to hold on to power and command even more people. Heck yeah.
[35:07] The other shadow guard ethereal are literally holding each other up in he's going to ask them what they think of this offer to start fighting in another new war. They are his ethereal and the choice is his. And this is the
[35:22] real reason that Zalat always goes for kings or queens or other leaders is because they are usually the easiest to sway with. promises of power. Power is their whole purpose, their whole identity. It will always be easier to
[35:38] convince a king or a president or a general to sacrifice normal people's lives than it would be to convince a normal person to do the same because the leaders do it all the time anyway. And so Saladam makes his decision and the
[35:52] so Saladam makes his decision and the shadow guard kneel.
[36:06] earlier and kneel to their new leader in a direct mirror of the shot from the Anerex cinematic down to the color palette. Although, if anything, Zalatas's flowing robes resemble now even more the void tendrils that came
[36:21] through the portal and claimed her own mortal form an eternity ago. Just as they gave her a new purpose, so she is setting the shadow guard on a new path, setting the shadow guard on a new path, one aimed towards Azeroth. Oh, yeah. And
[36:34] one aimed towards Azeroth. Oh, yeah. And then she says the thing, "Now midnight then she says the thing, "Now midnight shall fall upon Azeroth. [music]
[36:54] Silver Moon. And that's the cinematic. The 2.5D animations are generally my expansion. [music] And I like how over the past 15 years or so, the animation
[37:07] and art style have evolved while staying just about true to their original rough will always be the Jana Warbringer before BFA, but I think Supremacy is definitely up there with some of the best, mostly because of these juicy
[37:23] Zalat [music] reveals because it gives us something to latch on to in terms of the expansion's main antagonist that we were starting to really lack going into the game. [music] Is it specific and revealing enough? For the time being, I
[37:37] think so. And it also raises some really interesting questions about what her intentions with Azeroth [music] are, too. Like, is her plan for survival as simple as I need to consume this world soul so I'm powerful enough that no one
[37:51] can hurt me? That's pretty crude. But after this cinematic, I think that motivation would make sense and I'd probably buy it as a story, even though it is [music] pretty blunt. is her plan to survive by destroying the void. This
[38:05] and confusing [music] and ultimately unsatisfying, but also the potential to be much better and more interesting. Does she still hold such hatred for the void after it destroyed her planet that she wants to use Azeroth to somehow like
[38:21] kill the void? Perhaps that will involve killing the world soul, but perhaps not. Maybe she's come to the realization over the last eternity that actually the shest, safest way to kill the void is with the light, the source of her old
[38:35] power. Maybe that's why she works so hard to bait the blood elves into summoning the vanguard of the light in the midnight cinematic trailer. Or maybe it's kind of the complete opposite of that. Maybe that hate and vengeance that
[38:47] Zalat is drowning in is not directed towards the void at all, but to the light, who she blames for not saving her planet when the void arrived. After a lifetime of worshiping the light and believing in it, to see it seemingly
[39:02] forsake her and her people when they needed it the most must leave a pretty sour taste. Or or or okay, maybe the reason they get turned to ash is because actually it was the light that killed them all rather than allow the planet to
[39:17] [music] be corrupted by the void. It just scoured it. I could go on, but the point is there are so many possibilities here and I love it. There's obviously potential in some of these scenarios for Zalat to survive as well because she
[39:31] would no longer be a direct threat to our planet. And that's kind of fun to something completely different. But for the first time in the leadup to Midnight, I now feel I have faith that it is something and that we will
[39:44] understand it and that it will make sense. And that's a bit of a relief, honestly. But what do you think? Do you agree with my interpretation of the story that Supremacy [music] is telling? Or do you think I'm completely way off
[39:56] important that I've missed and you need [music] to put me straight. genuinely, because this is my favorite type of Don't let me down. And thanks for joining us today. If you like this
[40:10] video, don't thank us. Thank our [music] patrons who give their actual real life money to make all of our work happen. And seriously guys, thank [music] you. Because without you, there would be a whole lot less Tales and Inevitile.
[40:23] If you didn't like it, downvote the out of it. And remember, my name is Epiphania Housing. No, my name is Talia from me and Evatel and little gnomes Ali from me and Evatel and little gnomes Ali too.