The Fall of Silvermoon The Fall of Silvermoon is the fifth mission in the Undead campaign Path of the Damned . It involves the final stand of the outnumbered High Elves under Sylvanas Windrunner against the overwhelming might of the Scourge led by Arthas . It would see the High Elves nearly annihilated , their kingdom and capital city in ruins , their greatest commander converted into undeath , and the fount of their magical powers defiled by Arthas to resurrect Kel ' Thuzad . Battle . Although the Elven ranger corps fought bravely against the relentless onslaught of Arthas ' Scourge , the elves were unable to keep the Death Knight from seizing the Key of the Three Moons and pushing into the Inner Kingdom . Arthas wasted no time in fortifying his position to the southwest of the city . Sylvanas then set up her own base across the river from Arthas ' right flank and began leading strikes against the Undead . As the battle began outside the Undead base , word reached Arthas that Sylvanas was sending runners ( by foot for some reason ) to alert Silvermoon of the attack and summon reinforcements . Arthas however , had anticipated this and positioned Gargoyles along the roadways . The flying beasts quickly and easily slew every runner sent , keeping Silvermoon in the dark and ensuring that Sylvanas would receive no reinforcements . After beating back several assaults by Sylvanas , Arthas advanced his forces to the bridge between his and Sylvanas ' camps where fierce fighting ensued . After a brief yet bloody stalemate , the Scourge gained the upper hand . As the attacks began to wind down , Arthas and his forces charged into Sylvanas ' camp , slaughtering all in their way . Sylvanas ' warriors fought bravely to the last man , but were inevitably overwhelmed . As her base crumbled around her , Sylvanas was personally approached by Arthas . Before she could load her bow , the Death Knight cut her down . In sadistic retribution for resisting him so fiercely , Arthas transformed Sylvanas into a banshee , binding her to the Lich King ' s will . With the Ranger Corps destroyed , nothing stood between the Scourge and Silvermoon . Arthas and his forces regrouped , reinforced and marched on the city ' s gates . As the Undead approached , Dragonhawk Rider s plummeted down upon the Scourge and rained missiles upon them , inflicting heavy casualties . Yet even these elite warriors fell victim to Arthas ' Crypt Fiend s who ensnared them in webbing and forced them to the ground where they were easily destroyed by Scourge warriors . Entering the city itself , the Undead encountered fanatic last - ditch resistance from the elves . Yet despite their fury , they could not hold back the dead , who rolled over them like a wave of carnage . Even the powerful arcane constructs built to protect the Sunwell could not hold out for long against the horrid wave of Undead . As the final defenders were wiped out , Arthas placed Kel ' thuzad ' s remains in the Sunwell , resurrecting him as a lich and fouling the well . Quel ' Thalas had ceased to exist as a nation . Briefly . . . A few lucky elves managed to evade their undead pursuers and escape into the wilds . These hardy survivors would eventually band together under Prince Kael ' thas Sunstrider and become the Blood Elves . Notes . Do not try to " chip away " at Silvermoon with rushes . A single failed attack will cause a devastating counterattack on your base that you will almost certainly not be able to defend from . Don ' t let the Runner get there , either . Only go for the Sunwell if you are sure you will make it in one try . It is possible to win this mission with an army of Human heroes or High Elven Spell Casters . To do so , destroy Sylvanas ' base camp , but spare at least one of the Elven workers . Once you gain access to Banshees , use possession on the worker you spared . This will give you access to the entire Human tech tree , including their heroes . But because the hero limit is not properly defined , it is possible to endlessly train heroes once you upgrade your keep to a castle , limited only by the food cap .