Given that Alexstrasza was secretive about Bolvar's fate (in the Draconic part), it would make sense. It'd imply they didn't get there in time to incinerate him as the Lich King managed to snatch his corpse before scurrying back into his fortress.

I don't see how you can even get Bolvars voice out of someone screaming or gasping for air (I cannot hear any similarities) and it probably is meant to be Arthas being overcome by Ner'zhul (and it fits with the description in the book Arthas). More than likely the same voice actor did Bolvars and the new Arthas voice in CoT also. The entire scene matches exactly with the conversation between Ner'zhul and Mathias in Arthas.

But judging by how things look right now it seems he was retconned unless Blizzard just will make him show up later and explain that only 4 Watchers were selected for Ulduar.

That's what Wrathgate SHOULD have been, but we all saw how Wrynn handled that. I mean, the guy didn't even TRY to talk things over with Thrall. With him at the helm of the Alliance I don't see things getting smoothed over anytime soon, unless those crazy ideas in his head are a product of Yogg's influence (which is a fairly tenuous supposition).

Varian tried to talk things over with Thrall before and apparently it didn't end well(See current WoW Comic ark). Those "crazy ideas in his head" are the product of a lifetime of dealing with the Horde and seeing them as monsters, with them not doing much to change that outlook.

I really don't think his absence in Ulduar is proof of his being retconned out out of Watcher status. Is there anywhere that specifies the Watchers were meant to watch Ulduar and not just be Watchers of Azeroth?

Why would the then-Arthas need any breaking? Last time I checked, Arthas was pretty happy to don his new thorny hat. If you're referring to the purported 'internal struggle', I doubt Blizzard would want to try to reference that using in a voiceover. More than likely, it's something that has happened fairly recently, given how the Lich King there sounds exactly the same as he does now.

I suspect that the answer to that would require figuring out what the Archivum meant when it referred to the planet's "life support system". It's likely that the Old Gods are somehow tied to that. But we have no idea what this actually is.

I read it that the watchers (completely inactivated) were the planetary defences, and the dragonflights (partly inactivated) were the life support system.

The Lich King part is pretty interesting. Metzen in the interview with medieval dragon talked about the three acts to the story, Wrathgate being Act I. It would be safe to assume that Act II might have something to do with the same characters and would serve to tie Ulduar to the Lich King in some way. I think that the 3 rooms will be sort of an interlude in the Ulduar raid (or a post script maybe). The way I see it is either Bolvar or Saurfang is being tortured and the other has already been corrupted and turned into a death knight. ICC would then include a mission to save someone (Bolvar) and put to rest the soul of a fallen hero (Saurfang). Could work as a reconciliation between the two factions as horde save Bolvar and alliance honor the memory of Saurfang and release him. It would include Thrall and Saurfang the elder for horde quest givers and Wrynn as an alliance quest giver.

Back to the age old Wrathgate discussion, are we? Well, as far as I can see, Varian is a pretty good example of the saying 'He who fights monsters should be wary lest he become one himself'. Okay, granted, he's not a monster yet, just an unhinged loon, but he's obviously trying to beat the horde at a berzerking contest.

And, off the record, that's a damned awful way of heightening inter faction tensions.

The new book clearly states otherwise and that Arthas is nothing now with Ner'zhul in control for the most part and a power struggle between him and Mathias.


Arthas more or less was manipulated by Ner'zhul and seems to have been further so in the book. In the little snippet from Arthas we got to see how Arthas is basically being controlled by Ner'zhul and there was a beaten down kid there also who is Mathias (Arthas' heart). Mathias is still fighting Ner'zhul to try and 'save' Arthas and that storyline is likely going to be greatly expanded upon in 3.2 and 3.3 and after we get a bit more from the book. The Lich King sounds the same in the vision as he does now since the only voice we have heard is Ner'zhul since Arthas is more or less nonexistent now and that is Ner'zhul speaking in the vision also. The entire vision basically is just referring to the breaking of Arthas and the current struggle between Mathias and Ner'zhul.

Hell I guess you can still even say Alexstrasza did say the whole thing about the 'the young paladin' but she could of also meant Arthas. Considering what her domain is it is quite possible she would know things such as the internal struggle. But to say Bolvar is still alive/undead to me is just wishful thinking no matter how much you try to explain around the whole dragon fire incinerating the whole place and his body going away with it.