Invincible
- This article is about the horse. For his mount version, see
[Invincible's Reins]. For the music piece, see Invincible (song).
| Invincible | |
|---|---|
 Arthas on the back of Invincible | |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Horse (Undead) |
| Occupation | Steed of Arthas Menethil |
| Location | Icecrown Citadel |
| Status | Undead |
| Relative(s) | Brightmane (mother) |
Invincible was the steed of Arthas Menethil, both in life and death. He was the skeletal steed that Arthas rode throughout Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.
Contents
Biography
Invincible was born to the mare Brightmane on the Balnir Farmstead in Tirisfal Glades, in the winter of the year Stormwind fell. Prince Arthas, then nine years old, was present when he was born, and was given the horse by the Balnir family, who bred horses used by the royal family. The horse had a white coat, different from the usual Balnir stock, which normally had gray coats. Arthas had considered naming the horse "Snowfall" or "Starlight", but in the informal tradition of Lordaeron knights and nobles naming their steeds after a quality (Uther's was "Steadfast", King Terenas' "Courageous"), he named the colt "Invincible".[1]
Ten years later in winter, before Arthas was inducted into the Knights of the Silver Hand, Arthas' exertion in the numbing cold resulted in a crippling injury to his beloved Invincible. Too far from help and unable to heal the stricken horse, Arthas was forced to kill him in order to relieve his pain. He was buried on the grounds of the Balnir Farmstead at Arthas' request. Invincible's death was one of the events that inspired Arthas to become a paladin.[2]
After the fall of Lordaeron years later, Arthas - now a death knight - ran directly from Lordaeron after murdering his father, to the Balnir Farmstead where Invincible was buried. With the power of Frostmourne, Arthas resurrected the horse as his undead steed.[3] Now fully living up to his name, Invincible could become a spectre and disappear, to be resummoned by Arthas at any time.[4]
During the Scourge's siege on the Sunwell, Anasterian Sunstrider confronted Arthas in single combat, severing Invincible's forelegs with his runeblade, 
[Felo'melorn], to dismount him. Witnessing Invincible's injuries brought on a surge of memories and sent Arthas into a rage, during which he shattered Felo'melorn and struck down Anasterian. This time, however, Arthas was able to necromantically repair the injuries. It is likely that Invincible served as his master's steed, even after Arthas became the new Lich King, though Sindragosa has also been referred to as his mount.
Following Arthas's defeat, Invincible's saddle was lost beneath Icecrown. During the Burning Legion's third invasion, it was taken by the knights of the Ebon Blade.[5]
In World of Warcraft
In World of Warcraft, Invincible's empty grave can be found at the Balnir Farmstead in Tirisfal Glades:
INVINCIBLE
Beloved steed of Prince Arthas Menethil
Loyal and great of heart in life, may you find peace in death.
Pure streams and green pastures, devoted friend.
The open grave was introduced in patch 3.0.2, Echoes of Doom, but went unnoticed until just before the Zombie Infestation phase of the Scourge Invasion, which heralded the release of Wrath of the Lich King. However, Arthas: Rise of the Lich King indicates that the grave had already been open for several years.
Wrath of the Lich King
When defeated on heroic difficulty in 25-player mode, the Lich King has a small chance to drop Invincible as a flying mount called the Invincible Charger.[6]
Invincible as seen on the official site.
Invincible as seen on the official site.
Invincible as seen in the TCG.
Notes and trivia
- When described in Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, Invincible was said to not be a warhorse — he would be a horse used in ceremony, as warhorses were of a different, larger breed. Yet, in his appearance in Wrath of the Lich King, his sheer size, close to a full-size draft horse (evidenced by great height and large girth) contradicts this. It is unlikely for a kingdom to use draft horses, traditionally used for labor, for ceremony, which would traditionally see smaller breeds in use. Yet, Invincible is much, much larger than any other rideable horse in game, rather than the smaller size he was once described as having. This may be a retcon, magic, or may simply be Blizzard not thinking about the model size.
- Arthas' in-game model in Warcraft III, Rise of the Lich King, and artwork added to the official site during Wrath of the Lich King all depict Invincible during the events of the Third War as a typical horned skeletal horse. The mount version of Invincible in Wrath of the Lich King differs drastically from these earlier depictions, being a unique undead horse that has parts of his skin and flesh remaining (as opposed to being purely skeletal), lacks horns, and instead has unique armor and large, leathery wings. Artwork of Arthas and Invincible during the Third War in World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 3 depicts the horse as similar to his Wrath of the Lich King appearance, albeit without wings.
- The plaque on Invincible's gravestone is gone since the Battle for Lordaeron scenario.
- Like Invincible, Anduin Wrynn's horse Reverence also comes from the Balnir Farmstead.[7]
- A common joke concerning Invincible is to refer to the horse as if it were named 'invisible' due to the similarity of the words. The phrase is often "Why is it called Invincible if I can see it?".
- As part of the CraftWars event in Heroes of the Storm, a zerg-horse hybrid known as the Invincilisk was added as a mount as a matching set for the 'King of Blades' skin for Arthas. Its flavor text makes reference to the aforementioned invisible joke.
Gallery
Warcraft III: Reforged concept art of Arthas and Invincible.
Reforged model.
Arthas entering Quel'Thalas on Invincible.
Arthas rides off on Invincible after slaying Sylvanas Windrunner.
Fanart
Invincible in crossover.
See also
References
- ^ Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, pg. 26
- ^ Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, pg. 53 - 55
- ^ Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, pg. 195
- ^ Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, pg. 269
- ^
Fallen Steeds: Saddle of the Frozen Crown
- ^ http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/underdev/3p3/invincible.xml
- ^ Exploring Azeroth: The Eastern Kingdoms, pg. 107
