Dark ranger
- This article is about the character class. For the The Frozen Throne hero unit, see Dark Ranger (Warcraft III). For other uses, see Dark Ranger (disambiguation).
| Dark ranger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Affiliation |
Forsaken (Horde), Darnassus (Alliance),[1] Unseen Path Formerly: Scourge, Banshee loyalists |
| Favored by |
    Darkfallen  Forsaken |
| Weapon types | Axe, Bow, Crossbow, Dagger, Scythe, Sword |
| Armor proficiency | |
| Skill(s) | Archery, Necromancy |
| Could also be | Hunter, Scout, Ranger |
Dark rangers are undead archers mostly in service of the Forsaken. These cunning individuals, adept at manipulating opponents, are mainly Darkfallen composed of forcibly raised Farstrider rangers of Quel'Thalas. They now enjoy nothing more than sowing dissension and hatred within the enemy ranks.[2] They are considered as the elite agents of the Forsaken on the battlefields, and once, served as the personal guards of the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner.
By the time of the third invasion of the Burning Legion, the Ranger Lord Nathanos Blightcaller trained a new generation of dark rangers comprising of undead humans.[3] Following the War of the Thorns, numerous night elves were raised to undeath and became dark rangers under the lead of their captain, Delaryn Summermoon. At the end of the Fourth War, some of the dark rangers joined Sylvanas and her loyalists after she abandoned the Horde, the others remained loyal to the Forsaken and their faction.
After the Ruins of Lordaeron were reclaimed by the Forsaken, the Desolate Council allowed the kaldorei dark rangers to rejoin the Alliance, for those who wish to return to their people.
History
Third War
When Prince Arthas Menethil invaded Quel'Thalas during the Third War, he raised the fallen members of Sylvanas Windrunner's army either as incorporeal banshees or as intact bodies. These fallen high elves would become known as Darkfallen, prowling the lands as dark rangers for the Scourge.[4] Over time, some returned to the forests, others were sent on missions, and a few simply stayed put. When Arthas' power began to wane after his return from Kalimdor, Sylvanas called the dark rangers to her side. They accompanied her to Deatholme to reclaim her body.[5]
Wrath of the Lich King
During the war against the Lich King, the dark rangers joined the Forsaken assault into Northrend, and many were seen as part of the Hand of Vengeance. After the liberation of the Undercity from the traitors Putress and Varimathras, the Forsaken as a whole came under scrutiny, and the Kor'kron Elites were stationed in the Undercity. Among the changes made were the additions of dark rangers Clea, Cyndia, and Anya, now serving as the elite patrols within the Undercity, replacing the Seekers.
As the war in Northrend drew to a close, Lady Sylvanas Windrunner herself traveled to the Frozen Halls to take vengeance upon Arthas Menethil. Dark Ranger Vorel enlisted agents of the Horde to meet with the Dark Lady along with dark rangers Loralen and Kalira. Loralen was ultimately slain by the Lich King, though Kalira managed to gather reinforcements in the form of Orgrim's Hammer in order to escape the halls.[6]
Cataclysm
Following the death of the Lich King, the Forsaken reinforced their territories and took a far more aggressive stance against the remnants of the Scarlet Crusade, the Scourge, and the Alliance across Lordaeron.
During the invasion of Gilneas, a number of dark rangers accompanied Lady Sylvanas and discovered the Scythe of Elune, the likes of which would allow the Forsaken to have full dominion over the worgen, though it escaped from their grasp.[7]
Under the command of Dark Ranger Alina and Galen Trollbane, the Forsaken set their sights on the Arathi Highlands. Later, Alina believed that the fallen nation of Stromgarde would make a fine setting for a new Undercity.[8]
During the Hillsbrad Foothills conflict, dark rangers empowered by the necromancer Helcular could be seen fighting the Bloodfang worgen with domesticated spiders.[9][10]
With the Scarlet Crusade in decline, Forsaken troops led by Dark Ranger Velonara were sent to remove the last traces of it from their territory.[11]
Legion
At the time of the third invasion of the Burning Legion, Ranger Lord Nathanos Blightcaller finished training a new generation of Forsaken rangers made up of undead humans, making the undead racial composition of the order more diverse.[3]
Prior to the Battle for Broken Shore, dark rangers could be seen at the Dranosh'ar Blockade in Durotar, preparing for the assault. They were later present on the battlefield, alongside the forces of the Horde against the demons. They protected their Lady when demons invaded Vol'jin's funeral. Later, a contingent of dark rangers led by Velonara joined the Unseen Path, the union of all hunters on Azeroth, and traveled to Trueshot Lodge in Highmountain. Across the Broken Isles, several dark rangers were stationed at the Warden Towers as part of the Queensguard.
Before the Storm
As the Gathering occurred in the Arathi Highlands, Sylvanas took 200 dark rangers with her to Thoradin's Wall. When Sylvanas noticed the Forsaken of the Desolate Council walking towards Stromgarde Keep, defecting to the Alliance, she ordered the dark rangers to kill every Forsaken on the field but spare the humans. The rangers mounted bats and carried out the task, harming no humans. Then they regrouped with their queen where she just killed Calia Menethil. As King Anduin Wrynn gathered Calia's body, Sylvanas and her dark rangers simply left.[12]
Battle for Azeroth
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This section is a lore stub. |
During the Fourth War, dark rangers participated in the War of the Thorns and other major conflicts. After the fall of the Undercity, a group of them conducted a guerilla war from the abandoned town of Strahnbrad against the Alliance.[13]
Numerous night elves slain during the War of the Thorns were raised to undeath as Darkfallen by the Horde. These undead kaldorei became Kaldorei Dark Rangers,[14] and are since led by Delaryn Summermoon who acts as their new captain. The Warden Sira Moonwarden was also raised to join the Forsaken, but as a "Dark Warden".[15] They later participated in the Battle for Darkshore as part of the Horde forces.
During the conflict, dark rangers were generally used as elite enforcers of Sylvanas' will, executing the warchief's secret orders and protecting its loyalists. While some of them sided with Sylvanas when she betrayed the Horde, many more remained with the Horde however.[16]
Shadowlands
Following the end of the war against the Jailer, a number of dark rangers joined the Forsaken as they mustered in Tirisfal Glades. In the rebuilding Brill, they took a position to protect the town and destroy the blighted undead in the area. After the Ruins of Lordaeron were cleansed, the dark rangers moved there and began to patrol the area, while Dark Ranger Velonara joined the Desolate Council, the new governing body of the Forsaken.
Among the night elves raised as Darkfallen during the Battle for Darkshore, Delaryn and other dark rangers decided to stay with the Forsaken, while others had the right to return to their own and rejoined the Alliance.[1]
Dragonflight
Dark rangers helped defend Lordaeron Keep when the reinvigorated Scarlet Crusade launched their attack on the city and participated in the counterattack against the Crusaders on Fenris Isle.
Several dark rangers came to help defend Amirdrassil in the Emerald Dream from Fyrakk and his forces.[17] After the World Tree bloomed on the Dragon Isles and Bel'ameth was established, Tyrande Whisperwind offered Darkfallen kaldorei forgiveness. Delaryn left the Ruins of Lordaeron and rejoined their people.[18]
The War Within
Following the destruction of Dalaran, dark rangers were part of the Horde forces that sailed to the Isle of Dorn to aid in the war against Xal'atath.[19] Velonara could be found talking with Lilian Voss and Deathstalker Commander Belmont as the Horde and Alliance forces trained the earthen.
Races
Nearly all dark rangers are undead high elves with blood-red eyes and deathly pale skin, once Farstrider rangers of Quel'Thalas, killed by Arthas Menethil and his Scourge during the Scourge invasion of Quel'Thalas.
Before he trained a new generation of Forsaken rangers comprising of undead humans, making the undead racial composition more diverse,[3] Nathanos Blightcaller was the only one human dark ranger.
Numerous night elves killed during the War of the Thorns were later raised from the dead by Sylvanas and her Val'kyr, turning them into loyal dark rangers.
Appearance and attire
Elven dark rangers are typically clad in a leather-looking outfit complete with a hood, which could be seen as a dark twist of the Farstrider attire. Nearly all of them are seen with a cloak. Dark Ranger Anya is a prominent example of this style. Another dark ranger outfit, as sported by Dark Ranger Lyana, is also not an uncommon dark ranger style of choice.
The generation of Forsaken rangers, comprising of undead humans trained by Nathanos, appear to favor the woodsman axe and the crossbow in contrast to the bow and arrow typically employed by their undead elf counterparts. Like Nathanos, they sport a leather-looking outfit and optionally a hood and face mask.[3]
A female dark ranger with the old attire.
A male dark ranger appearance during patch 8.0.1 until 8.1.
A female dark ranger with the modern attire.
A male dark ranger with the modern attire.
A female Kaldorei dark ranger.
A male Kaldorei dark ranger.
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Known
Unnamed
- Dark Rangers - Howling Fjord
- Veteran Dark Rangers - Blackwald, Gilneas
- Dark Scout - Blackwald, Gilneas
- Dark Ranger Elites - Gilneas City, Gilneas
- Dark Rangers - Silverpine Forest
- Dark Rangers - Hillsbrad Foothills
- Dark Rangers - Durotar
- Dark Rangers - Battle for the Broken Shore
- Dark Rangers - Cove of Nashal, Stormheim
- Forsaken Dark Rangers - Warden Towers in the Broken Isles
- Dark Rangers - War of the Thorns event, Darkshore
- Dark Rangers - Ruins of Lordaeron, Battle for Lordaeron
Dark Rangers - Tiragarde Sound - Dark Rangers - Tol Dagor
Kaldorei Dark Rangers - Darkshore - Dark Rangers - The Swift Vengeance, Tiragarde Sound
- Dark Rangers - Stormsong Valley
- Dark Rangers - Underhold
- Dark Rangers - Tirisfal Glades
- Dark Rangers - Tirisfal Glades
In Warcraft III
- Main article: Dark Ranger (Warcraft III)
In The Frozen Throne, Sylvanas Windrunner — after being raised as a banshee by Arthas — regained her physical body and became a dark ranger. Dark Rangers are a playable hero class.
Dark Ranger icon from Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.
Dark Ranger portrait.
Dark Ranger hero unit.
Dark Ranger from Warcraft III: Reforged.
In the RPG
When Sylvanas Windrunner, Banshee Queen of the Forsaken, regained her physical body, she realized that the natural world would never respond to her wishes again. Angered by this development, she turned to the arts that were becoming more and more natural to her: Necromancy. She altered her elven ranger teachings into a new form. Thus, the dark rangers were born.[21]
Abilities
Dark rangers are similar to their high elven cousins but focus on shadowcraft more than nature. Dark rangers are silent and invisible stalkers of the shadows, felling unsuspecting opponents with a single arrow. Dark rangers still favor the bow as the ultimate weapon, using the same arts that Quel'Thalas taught for millennia. Their spells work with manipulating the essences of life and death, as well as various horrible curses and mind-enslaving abilities.[21]
Dark rangers' senses grow sharper than even those of other Forsaken. The dark ranger learns how to fade into dark conditions, wrapping herself with shadows. The skilled dark ranger can notice the tiny movements of her enemies along with other visual and auditory cues that allow her to react more quickly in combat.[22]
While they no longer study nature, dark rangers remain some of the best trackers in the world. Naturally, most dark rangers hail from the scout class, but many newer rangers are former rogues, who use their stealth abilities to act as silent and near-invisible slayers for the Dark Lady.[21]
Relations
Once fully trained, Sylvanas's dark rangers once again assumed their roles as guardians and hunters, now working for the Forsaken. Some undead, especially former elves, view rangers as a necessary force and trust them implicitly. Other Forsaken view these shadow killers as relics of an old past, with an inability to move along with the times.
Dark Rangers serve as generals for Forsaken armies, as well as elite scouts and assassins. Like most Forsaken, dark rangers remain in the back lines, performing precision attacks and curses.[23]
Conversion
An elven ranger who dies and returns as a Forsaken undergoes a great shock. She can no longer cast elven ranger spells and loses her woodland stride ability. While some may choose to let things be, most immediately seek out a dark ranger to relearn their arts.
An elven ranger seeking to convert to a dark ranger must, of course, have died, returned as a Forsaken, and seek to learn the arts of the shadow rather than the wild. This ordeal is difficult, as the dark ranger must twist everything she was taught about nature to start learning her darker trade. Then comes the hard part. A dark ranger-to-be must undergo a lengthy trial, where she unlearns everything she was taught as an elf and learns the new arts of a Forsaken.[21]
Faith
A recent movement among the Forsaken has taken hold of dark rangers. The Cult of Forgotten Shadow moves like wildfire among the undead, and the dark rangers are no exception to the obsession with the faith.
To fill the void left by the "loss of their druidism,"[21] the dark rangers latched onto the Forgotten Shadow. Most dark rangers sympathize with the origins of the Forgotten Shadow and perhaps understand the Shadow more than any other undead in Lordaeron. While this movement disturbs Lady Sylvanas, she allows it to continue.[21]
Items
[Dark Ranger Coif]
[Dark Ranger Shoulderguards]
[Dark Ranger Wristguards]
[Dark Ranger's Hauberk]
[Dark Ranger's Hood]
[Dark Ranger's Quiver]
[Dark Ranger's Spare Cowl]- [Dark Ranger's Vest]
[Ensemble: Dark Ranger's Attire]
Character customization
The quest achievement 
[Return to Lordaeron] unlocks "Dark Ranger" customization with white skin and glowing red eye options for blood elf, void elf, and night elf characters. The customization isn't available to death knight and demon hunter characters.
Before patch 9.2.5, it was possible to almost fully replicate the dark ranger look and outfit in World of Warcraft. A blood elf female using extremely pale skin (a death knight often works) can acquire the 
[Stormshroud Armor] (legs, hands, and shoulders), 
[Tombstone Breastplate] (chest), 
[Dar'toon's Cloak] (cape), and 
[Traveler's Boots] (boots, or a similar model) can be found. The red eyes are difficult to bypass, though 
[Stealther's Helmet of Second Sight] or an identical model conveniently offers both a hood and cosmetic red eyes.
Notes and trivia
- Unlike the others, Velonara was brought back as a dark ranger by Sylvanas Windrunner and not the Scourge.[16]
- Many dark ranger NPCs can use the Black Arrow ability, like their Warcraft III counterpart.
- The death knight Lady Alistra uses a dark ranger skin, something not available to death knight player characters.
- Dark rangers did not play a particularly large role in the original World of Warcraft, presumably because of the lack of unique high elf/blood elf models.
- Since the addition of the base high/blood elven model, they have a more visible presence in the game.
- Their reappearance during Wrath of the Lich King would foreshadow the introduction of the hunter class to the Forsaken in Cataclysm.
Speculation
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This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.
|
Imhadria, a stable master of the Knights of the Ebon Blade at the Shadow Vault, may be a dark ranger.
Gallery
Sylvanas in the Legion cinematic.
Sylvanas's original model in World of Warcraft was a night elf model until WotLK, when she was the only dark ranger in WoW.
Nathanos Blightcaller model in Legion was a reskin of a standard human model.
A dark ranger in Curse of the Worgen.
Dark ranger from artwork for the 20th anniversary of Warcraft.
Unique Starcraft II editor remodeled asset from Warcraft III.
Sylvanas in Heroes of the Storm.
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Patch changes
- Patch 8.1.0 (2018-12-11): Given unique voicelines.
References
- ^ a b
[60] Path of the Dark Rangers
- ^ Warcraft III
- ^ a b c d
[10-45] Making the Rounds
- ^ World of Warcraft: Sylvanas, pg. 184
- ^ World of Warcraft: Sylvanas, chapter 13
- ^ [25-30D] Wrath of the Lich King
- ^ Curse of the Worgen
- ^ [10-30] Call to Arms
- ^ [7-30] Helcular's Rod Giveth...
- ^ [7-30] Helcular's Command
- ^ [30D] Into the Scarlet Monastery
- ^ Before the Storm
- ^
Dancing with the Dark Rangers
- ^ [50] Dark Ranger Round-Up
- ^ [50] The Dead of Night
- ^ a b Dark Ranger Velonara#Quotes
- ^ Dark Ranger (Emerald Dream)#Quotes
- ^ Delaryn Summermoon#Gossip
- ^
[80] The Fleet Arrives
- ^ Horde Player's Guide, pg. 41-43
- ^ a b c d e f Horde Player's Guide, pg. 41
- ^ Horde Player's Guide, pg. 43
- ^ Horde Player's Guide, pg. 202