I thought that both Zodiark and Hydaelyn were handled pretty poorly despite a big deal being made about how this was supposedly their time to shine. As somehow who followed this story for years and who left WoW for similar reasons, it really felt like certain characters and factions were sacrificed at the altar of 'cool fite111' to appease those who either don't appreciate nuance or don't care what's going on so long as they get flashy battles and melodramatic cutscenes.