Blizzard Entertainment premiered the World of Warcraft: Midnight cinematic at GamesCom 2025. I have mixed thoughts about it. This doesn’t look like the past Blizzard cinematics in terms of the Warcraft style. We have seen some changes since the Battle For Azeroth cinematic with Anduin’s high-definition facial gestures, but nothing at the level we just witnessed in the Midnight cinematic.

There wasn’t much to be seen content-wise in the cinematic compared to the Battle For Azeroth cinematic — and that’s a bad trend when we consider the Shadowlands and Dragonflight cinematics. But let’s dive into the hand we were dealt and focus on what happened and the confusing conclusion.

The cinematic starts with an armor-clad Lady Liadrin praying before The Sunwell:

Liadrin: The Light guides my steps and illuminates my path.

The Light flows through me, and by its grace am I made one with all that is sacred.

The Light guides my steps and illuminates my path.

The Light flows through me, and by its grace am I made one with all that is sacred.

As Liadrin repeated these lines as a mantra, I chuckled because this is akin to Chirrut’s mantra in Star Wars: Rogue One.

I’m one with the Force, and the Force is with me.
I’m one with the Force, and the Force is with me.

Lor’themar Theron interrupts Liadrin and informs her that Xal’atath’s forces have begun their attack on Silvermoon Palace — which means The War Within finale event might have some sort of global invasion to weaken the Alliance and the Horde, keeping everyone busy while Xal’atath focuses on her goal — Silvermoon — as the main target.

We saw this play out in Hallowfall with the Nerubians assaulting the Arathi as a distraction, while Alleria traced the void trail to Xal’atath’s true target… The Priory of the Sacred Flame, where she began to siphon the Beledar crystal with the Dark Heart.

Lor’themar needs Liadrin at the wall. She says only the Light can save them now, but Lor’themar thinks they are past prayers and need to fight. He sounds very dismissive, as if prayer is not their main weapon. Doesn’t he believe in the Light? He seems hopeless, facing a massive hurricane-like eye of the storm made of Shadows above their heads.

A massive wave of elven soldiers charges toward Xal’atath’s forces. Liadrin says the Sunwell will not fall for as long as she draws breath.

Xal’atath’s forces mainly consist of juiced-up voidwalkers with detailed golden bracers. Xal’atath teleports near Lor’themar and Liadrin to taunt them. Their people are weary, and she wonders how long they can hold out against her void invasion.

She gives both the chance to flee and to save themselves. Liadrin abandons Lor’themar’s side, and Xal’atath pities him, encouraging him to follow suit, too.

Liadrin is seen returning to the Sunwell and resuming her prayer mantra. However, she stops the prayer in frustration. Instead, she surrenders herself and decides to open up her heart and talk to the Light, asking for aid.

Liadrin drops to her knees, drops her weapon, and forms the orans posture, palms facing up to talk to the Light…

“I know that I am unworthy. I don’t know if I deserve your help, but I know my people do. Please, give them strength.”

Lor’themar struggles to stay alive before the Void assault. Xal’atath continues to taunt him and declares that soon she will break the world of Azeroth.

Lor’themar snaps back at her. Xal’atath couldn’t even break one elf (Alleria). This truly angered Xal’atath and used her void power to cause some sort of mental feedback that forced Lor’themar and two soldiers to their knees and to reel in agony, holding their heads.

Liandra continues to pray at the Sunwell: “Without your aid, we will perish. I beg you, help us.”

Now, I don’t know what your interpretation is for what happened next, but I got a chill down my spine for the possibilities.

These are the facts:

  • There was no one around Liadrin when she prayed at the beginning and the end of the cinematic.
  • All elven soldiers were seen marching away from Silvermoon and into the woods to fight the Voidwalkers.
  • Some soldiers are seen on the inner balcony fighting off Voidwalkers that have infiltrated the walls.

In contrast with the Battle For Azeroth cinematic, where a hopeless Anduin calls out the Light with tears on his eyes to resurrect and empower his fallen soldiers, this Midnight cinematic doesn’t show Liadrin in the frontlines calling the Light to resurrect and empower her elven comrades. Instead, she goes to the Sunwell and begs the Light for aid.

Suddenly, we see an armor-clad gauntlet hold her shoulder. This chilled me … because if you remember, mere seconds ago, Liadrin kneeled before the Sunwell. But this glove is rising to meet her shoulder — therefore, if she is kneeling, and the hand is coming from below her torso area … the gauntlet is coming from the Sunwell itself.

As Xal’atath approaches a defenseless Lor’themar, a flash of Light catches Xal’atath’s attention. Liadrin leads an army of … what looks like hammer-wielding Paladins with armor and masks.

It is a bit mysterious to me what the developers tried to convey with this cinematic end. Is this supposed to be a new Crusader Class or a new Paladin hero power?

Are these meant to be… resurrected Paladins from beyond the veil of the Sunwell’s Light? Sorta spirits of Champions of the Light. Or … do you remember Crusader Bridenbrad? The fallen Paladin was afflicted by the Scourge plague in Icecrown (Northrend). The Naaru took him to the Light’s afterlife after we couldn’t find a way to cure him. Could what we saw in the Midnight cinematic signal the return of fallen Paladins? Crusader Bridenbrad, Uther, Tirion… Arthas Menethil?

It is just too vague. One can only wonder what that end meant.