WOW’s ‘Zappy Boi’ to become an actual NPC in-game

Zekhan, the beloved troll from World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth’s cinematics, will finally find a place in-game in its next patch. In the upcoming Tides of Vengeance patch, players have datamined voice lines for Zekhan. On the public test realm, Zekhan is currently using a generic model, but that could change before the patch is officially released. If everything makes it out of the public test realm without getting cut, it seems like players will get the chance to go on a quest or two with him as well.

The datamined text — you can read all of it on WoWHead — shows Zekhan introducing himself to players, and then telling them where to find Lord Saurfang. It seems that Zekhan then accompanies the player to find the Orc general, as Zekhan remarks on his performance in the battle as well as insists that he won’t let the player go alone.

Zekhan also remarks that he has become a community meme in a pretty cute way.

It seems that the quest with Zekhan will revolve around finding Lord Saurfang after he escapes the Alliance stockades. Zekhan approaches the player and asks for their help in retracing his steps and bringing him back into the fold of the Horde. After some battles against Warchief Sylvanas’ soldiers, Saurfang insists that the troll and the player return back to the Horde without him, so Sylvanas doesn’t exorcise them as traitors — associating them with the banished Orc.

Zekhan first became known to World of Warcraft players during the cinematic for Battle for Azeroth. When players first saw the young troll shaman on the field of battle, they deemed him “Zappy Boi” for the lightning he shot from his fingers.

Months later, he was introduced properly as Zekhan in the Old Soldier cinematic, where players first got to see his burgeoning relationship with Lord Saurfang.

Since then, players have remained attached to Zekhan — and for good reasons. And it looks like players will finally get their wish and be able to hang out with him in-game when patch 8.1 is released later this year — likely in early to mid-November.