Arthas Menethil

Arthas Menethil was the prince of Lordaeron and the only son of Terenas Menethil II. Arthas was an idealistic, yet somewhat rash, young man who dreamed of one day succeeding his father as king of Lordaeron. Arthas became an apprentice paladin at nineteen and served as a favorite pupil of Uther the Lightbringer. Though Arthas loved the kindly Uther like an uncle, he longed to take command of his own destiny and become a hero like the brave veterans who fought the orcs during the Second War. Despite the heartache he felt when his brief affair with the sorceress Jaina Proudmoore came to an end, Arthas remained remarkably committed to his roles as both the prince of Lordaeron and as a holy paladin. He had a deep reverence for the Light and wanted nothing more than to safeguard his beloved people from harm.

Arthas was inducted into Knights of the Silver Hand at the age of 19. The ceremony was held in the Cathedral of Light in Stormwind City, and was attended by prominent figures such as Genn Greymane, Thoras Trollbane, Daelin Proudmoore, and Jaina Proudmoore, whom Arthas had not seen since childhood. Archbishop Alonsus Faol led the initiation process, which included four of the five original paladins: Uther, Tirion Fordring, Saidan Dathrohan, and Gavinrad the Dire. Arthas was presented with the holy warhammer called Light's Vengeance by Gavinrad, and had the ceremonial silver plates placed upon his shoulders by Uther. While in Stormwind, Arthas visited the newly crowned king, Varian Wrynn, and sparred with him while recounting old memories. He also met the recently born prince, Anduin Wrynn, who gripped his finger.

When Arthas took up the fight against the Scourge, he became increasingly frustrated and stymied by the seemingly unstoppable enemy. Arthas took increasingly extreme steps to conquer them, and his comrades warned him that he was losing his hold on his humanity. Arthas's fear and resolve proved to be his ultimate undoing. He tracked the plague's source to Northrend, intending to end its threat forever. Instead, the prince eventually fell prey to the Lich King's (Ner'zhul's) tremendous power when he took up the cursed runeblade, Frostmourne, believing that it would save his people. Though the sword did grant him unfathomable power, it also stole his soul and transformed him into the greatest of the Lich King's death knights.[2] With his soul cast aside and his sanity shattered, Arthas led the Scourge against his own kingdom. He murdered his father, King Terenas, and crushed the realms of Lordaeron, Quel'Thalas and Dalaran under the Lich King's iron heel.[3]

When the Lich King was threatened by the forces of Illidan Stormrage, Arthas traveled to the Frozen Throne of Northrend. He broke the ice surrounding his master so he could don the Lich King's Helm of Domination and merge with him. After taking control of the Scourge as the new Lich King, Arthas challenged the Alliance and the Horde by initiating attacks on their cities. They responded by sending forces to Northrend to wage war against him.

In World of Warcraft, Arthas is a raid boss and the primary antagonist of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. He was mortally wounded after a band of adventurers led by Tirion Fordring stormed his fortress, Icecrown Citadel, and defeated him in battle. He was succeeded as the Lich King by Bolvar Fordragon.[4]

Arthas appears as a playable character in the crossover game Heroes of the Storm.[5] In the game, Arthas is a warrior hero who performs a tanking role on the battlefield. His aim is to attract the attention of enemy players, as he can withstand a large amount of incoming damage thanks to his necromantic self-healing powers, meanwhile disrupting the enemy team with crowd control abilities.[6] Arthas is proficient against melee physical attackers, slowing their move and attack speed. His playstyle is somewhat limited and predictable due to his lack of mobility, yet he is extremely strong in almost any scenario involving teamwork.[7] One of the two heroic abilities allows him to summon Sindragosa, a mighty frost wyrm, that appears and flies over a portion of the battlefield, slowing and disabling enemies with her frost breath. Arthas Menethil is one of the six Blizzard characters who appear in the Heroes of the Storm cinematic trailer.[8]

In Hearthstone, the Lich King Arthas Menethil is the default starting hero for the Death Knight class, which was introduced in the 2022 March of the Lich King expansion.[9] He also appears in his original human form as an alternate hero for the Paladin class, which can be achieved as a visual alteration for the default paladin hero by defeating the Lich King in the final Knights of the Frozen Throne single-player mission with all nine classes.[10] In Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, Prince Arthas Menethil is an unlockable character after collecting 1600 stars in Quickplay+.