When people talk about the women of Warcraft, they tend to go with old standbys like Jaina or Sylvanas, or new favorites like Yrel.  But I rarely see Liadrin getting much attention from either Blizzard or the fanbase.  And that, my friends, is a crying shame, because she is freaking amazing.

Here’s why Lady Liadrin is my #1 fave:

(WARNING: Contains serious spoilers from the novella “Blood of the Highborne.”  If you haven’t read that yet, and want to be surprised when reading it, then hold off on reading this article!)

1. She survived the Scourge invasion of Quel’Thalas.

Reminder that 90% of the elven population died during this thing.  Not Liadrin, a priestess at the time, who spent her time valiantly working to keep her injured allies alive even as they all fell around her.  She did this almost right up until the very end, when some old friends teleported her to safety (against her will, I might add.)

2. She decided to get revenge.

Because if there’s anyone who doesn’t sit around, it’s Liadrin.  Concluding pretty much immediately that it was time to take action that was more decisive than just healing (she was angry at the Light for failing her people, anyway), she strolled on up to Lor’themar about five seconds after returning to Silvermoon, grabbed a nearby club, and said “I am sure one of your men can show me how to use this.”  Then she went directly to Quel’Danas to decapitate trolls and undead, without stopping to pass Go or collect $200.

3. If her people are at stake, then she wants results.  Now.  No matter what.

One day, Grand Magister Rommath and Magister Astalor Bloodsworn came up with a great idea: what if you could channel the Light through a weapon like paladins did, but by force?  They had a pet Naaru (gifted by Kael) to practice on, so they asked Liadrin if she wanted to try it out.

She said yes pretty much immediately.  Why?  Because the Ghostlands was under constant siege from the remnants of the Scourge, which were still running amok due to the meddling of one Dar’khan Drathir.  If channeling the Light through a Naaru was going to be their ticket to the safety of Quel’Thalas, you’d better believe Liadrin wasn’t going to turn it down.

4. She founded the Blood Knight Order and trained new Blood Knights just because she could.

Liadrin wanted the Blood Knights to be the best damn fighting force on Azeroth and, welp, if you want something done, you’d better do it yourself.

5. All the Blood Knights looked up to her and respected her immensely…

…including Mehlar Dawnblade, who had previously been a paladin (of the Silver Hand) and had trained under Uther the Lightbringer him-fecking-self.  And he still answered to Liadrin because, like, you don’t NOT answer to Liadrin.  She is that good at what she does, and has that forceful of a personality.

6. She will never turn her back on a friend.

Unless that friend happens to be Dar’khan, in which case screw him for being the biggest traitor in the elves’ long and storied history.

…but that aside, one of Liadrin’s longtime friends was a fellow priest named Galell.  After the fall of the Sunwell his condition quickly deteriorated and before long he was giving in to his addictions and eventually became Wretched.  But Liadrin never gave up on trying to save him and was even there in his few last moments, right up until she was forced to kill him in self-defense.  After that she held his lifeless body and cried for hours, because she had failed him.

True.  Friendship.

7. She will change her opinion based on facts, without hesitation

One of my very favorite things about Liadrin is that if someone, or something, successfully changes her mind on something she doesn’t let pride get in the way of her opinion – she immediately adapts her position.

She turned away from the Light with no qualms when she felt it had failed her home.

She turned away from Kael’thas with no qualms when she realized what he was really doing.

She joined the Shattered Sun Offensive after talking to A’dal for like thirty seconds, and she even changes her tabard, in an in-game event, to reflect this.

And once the Sunwell was restored, she wholeheartedly opted to embrace the Light again.

Wishy washy?  Heck no, just damn intelligent.  Intelligent enough to know that sometimes things change, and you just gotta go with it.  As she has said frequently: “Times change.  People change.”

8. Basically if she decides she doesn’t like you, it’s game over for you

Liadrin has a really strong sense of justice.  You know why she’s in Warlords of Draenor?  Because “Liadrin is sickened by the depravity of the Iron Horde and aims to wipe them off the face of Draenor.”  Like, that’s her reason.  The Iron Horde is terrible and once Liadrin got wind of this she marched off to a distant world to feckin’ dispose of them herself.  This is what I love about Liadrin.  No nonsense, no messing around.

9. She wields Quel’Delar

Check it out:

Quel’Delar, for the record, was the sword of the katana used by Thalorien Dawnseeker to make a last stand against Arthas on Quel’Danas.  Liadrin’s got it now because come on, is anyone else going to make better use of it?  (The answer is no.)

10. Liadrin and Yrel are totally girlfriends.

…okay, maybe not.  (But they so are.)

So yeah.  Long story short Liadrin is 100000% my favorite Warcraft lady.  She’s smart, she’s strong, she takes no BS from anyone or anything, and I’m REALLY EXCITED THAT SHE’S GOING TO BE IN THE PALADIN HALL IN LEGION, I’M SO GLAD THAT I’M LEVELING A PALADIN SDK578A;LFGKHAS;DG

Lady Liadrin! <3

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(For more of Pike fangirling about elves, be sure to read Top Ten Reasons Why Lor’themar Theron is the Best Leader and Let’s Talk About Felo’melorn For Two Minutes.)