Guild Wars 2

Having just completed the (fairly anti-climactic) boss fight in Arah against Zhaitan, I’m now wondering whether Zhaitan was actually the evil monster that the game makes him out to be; throughout the level he didn’t seem to be interested in actually fighting us, given that he was about three-four times bigger than the ship, and all he would have needed to do is fly into the middle of it and crush us all – instead he just clung to a tower and roared at us. Could there be anything more to this? :O

‘Press 2: The Game’ aside, what actually sets Zhaitan apart from other Necromancers, given that the only power he really uses in the story is to raise the dead? Considering that Necromancers do this as part of their class, and there are a multitude of said Necromancers in Tyria, including Trahearne, for kitten’s sake, what is it that makes Zhaitan any more immoral than the regular Necro?

The EDs being evil is debatable, from the races’ point of view, they are (bringing death and destruction), from their own, they are just doing what’s in their nature, feasting, until there is nothing left to feast on, then go back to hibernation.

However, Zhaitan wasn’t seen as evil because he used the dead, he was seen as evil because he attacked everyone and killed thousands, for reasons which are not understandable to most Tyrians (I guess). While using undead as his means of corruption brought necromancers in a bad light (I don’t think they were ever the role-model for mages), necromancy is still widespead and tolerated.

Well I guess it does make at lot more sense when you put it like that

To put in a nutshell: corruption.

Other necromancers work with death in a “natural” way: they see the cycle of life and death, and accept it as the fundamental part of nature. They use parts of what has fallen to do their own bidding, but those minions are not corrupted nor can spread undeath. And last but not least, they don’t use souls in the heinous, wicked way Zhaitan does.

Zhaitan, on the other hand, not only creates an army made of walking corpses, but corrupts both the body and the soul; twisting, mutating corpses into horrors that spread its corruption ever further. A corruption that kills all life and would make undeath the primal state of existence on Tyria.

At the same time, it steals souls from the Mists (something that offsets the equilibrium of the universe, as proven by Shiro Tagachi), and those who fall prey to its corruption become entrapped and indoctrinated in their own dead bodies.

While Zhaitan doesn’t seem that different from a powerful lich like Palawa Joko, it’s important to note that Palawa isn’t hell-bent on spreading undeath either (heck, living people and undead are “living” side-by-side in his kingdom, some mortals are actually commanding parts of his armies), and the draconic corruption that destroys life in its natural form is also not part of his necromancy. At the same time, his undead seem to be entirely free-willed, as proven by those who rebel and form own factions after his fall at the Battle of Jahai. All the other mummies that serve him do so because they want to, and not because they are forced to (with a few unfortunate exceptions like King Sahlahjar).

VikingDrummer.8301:

instead he just clung to a tower and roared at us.

That’s because you crippled him. He was unable to fly because his right big wing was damaged to the point of no-flying with it, and 2 of his smaller wings were cut off with the laser. He was stuck on that tower – or he could have just fell down to the clouded depths. And we were pretty high up – he wouldn’t go away from that unscathed (though would have had a better chance of survival, imo, if he did).

As for why he’s hated, the others said it just as good.