Two World of Warcraft Races Just Got New Leaders

Highlights

  • The Night Elves and Worgen in World of Warcraft now have new leaders, Shandris Feathermoon and Tess Greymane respectively.
  • The latest content update, Seeds of Renewal, introduces Follower Dungeons and worldwide Dragonriding, along with a few epilogues to Dragonflight’s story.
  • Some fans are excited about the change in leadership, while others have concerns over the obscurity of Shandris and Tess.


Warning: Spoilers for Dragonflight: Seeds of Renewal below.

The Night Elves and Worgen, two playable races in World of Warcraft, are officially now led by Shandris Feathermoon and Tess Greymane respectively. Both of these Alliance factions got new leaders during the epilogue quests in World of Warcraft Patch 10.2.5.

Seeds of Renewal, the latest content update for Dragonflight, recently went live, introducing big new features to World of Warcraft like Follower Dungeons and worldwide Dragonriding. The patch also added a few new epilogues to the Dragonflight story, including questlines for the Night Elves and the Worgen.

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However, through the course of these two questlines, the Night Elves and Worgen actually get new leaders for their respective races. In a touching cinematic that features World of Warcraft’s first on-screen kiss, Malfurion Stormrage finally returns to his wife, Tyrande Whisperwind. However, rather than retaking their place at the head of the Kaldorei, Malfurion and Tyrande decide to take a much-deserved retirement. As shared by WoW fan Portergauge on Twitter, the two hand leadership of the Kaldorei over to Shandris Feathermoon, their adopted daughter and the leader of the Sentinels.

Meanwhile, the Reclaiming Gilneas questline finally lets the Worgen take back their home, full of special World of Warcraft cosmetic rewards. Once they liberate the city from the Scarlet Crusade, Genn Greymane and his daughter, Tess, share a touching moment, after which he passes the rulership of Gilneas to her. Unlike Tyrande and Malfurion, Genn will continue to aid the Alliance as an advisor unfettered by the obligations his daughter now carries as the ruling queen.

A lot of fans are excited about this change in leadership. While Tyrande, Malfurion, and Genn are all popular characters, they have all had plenty of time to shine throughout the franchise’s history. Many think giving Shandris and Tess – both beloved characters in their own right – their time in the spotlight not only lets players see these characters develop further, but allows the game world to feel dynamic and changing. Merithra impressed World of Warcraft fans as the Green Dragon Aspect when she was given the chance to step out from beneath her mother Ysera’s shadow, so fans have high hopes for Shandris and Tess as well.

That said, some players have concerns over these new leaders. While Shandris has been around since Warcraft 3, she is not nearly as popular as her mother and father. Tess, on the other hand, is a relatively niche character who has only shown up in the Worgen starting experience, Rogue Order Hall, and Darkshore during Battle For Azeroth, plus some appearances in comics, books, and Hearthstone. The new Gilnean leader in World of Warcraft is also not actually a Worgen yet, which is a point of contention for some. Neither character even has a unique model or outfit in the game yet, lending credence to concerns over their comparative obscurity. Only time will tell if Shandris and Tess will be able to carry the story as well as their predecessors have.

WoW Dragonflight

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight

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. 

Released
November 28, 2022