Blizzard smartly uses Artanis as the player’s surrogate. You feel his confusion when the UED arrives, his grief during the fall of Aiur, and his frustration when forced to ally with Kerrigan. He is the “straight man” in a campaign of betrayals, and his growing weariness is palpable.
Context: Brood War ’s Protoss campaign, The Stand , introduces Artanis not as a player-controlled hero unit, but as a young, untested executor serving under the aging Judicator Aldaris. artanis brood war
The campaign’s script also forgets him at key moments. After Aldaris’s shocking rebellion and death, Artanis barely reacts. The emotional weight falls on Zeratul and Fenix. By the end, when the Protoss flee to Shakuras, Artanis feels less like a character and more like a plot device—a placeholder for “young Protoss officer.” Blizzard smartly uses Artanis as the player’s surrogate
Viewed in isolation, Artanis in Brood War is a —an intriguing concept with minimal execution. He lacks the tragic grandeur of the first game’s heroes. However, viewed retrospectively (knowing his evolution into the high hierarch in Legacy of the Void ), his Brood War role becomes a necessary prologue. He is the witness to the Protoss’s darkest hour, the silent student who will one day rebuild. Context: Brood War ’s Protoss campaign, The Stand