The Legend of Vox Machina season 3 dropped its final episodes of the season, delivering an emotional ending that set up season 4’s new villain. The critical hit Legend of Vox Machina season 3 continued and closed out the Chroma Conclave arc first set up in season 1, with Vox Machina finally defeating Thordak (Lance Reddick), Ana Ripley (Kelly Hu), Orthax (Matthew Mercer), and lastly Raishan (Cree Summer), putting an end to multiple villains that have been antagonizing them for the past three seasons. But The Legend of Vox Machina has always been a show that has smartly balanced high-octane action with emotional weight and character moments, and season 3 was no different.

Multiple relationships took center stage in The Legend of Vox Machina season 3, none greater than the love story between Vex (Laura Bailey) and Percy (Taliesin Jaffe). The romance between Vax (Liam O’Brien) and Keyleth (Marisha Ray) was also finally cemented. Scanlan (Sam Riegel) reconnected with his estranged daughter, Kaylie (Aisling Franciosi). Pike (Ashley Johnson) cast away her need for approval from the Everlight, and Grog (Travis Willingham), well, he was just Grog.

The final boss battles of the final three episodes, which really acted as one extended finale, happened without Percy. While Thordak was defeated at the end of episode 9, that left loose ends in Ana Ripley, Orthax, and Raishan, who had turned traitor on them. Vax and Vex hunted down Ripley and killed her as revenge for Percy’s death, unquestionably The Legend of Vox Machina season 3’s biggest gut punch, with the heartbroken Vex striking the killing shot.

Keyleth was integral to finding Raishan, traveling to the Earth Ashari and mastering a dangerous and largely forbidden locating spell that bound her to the earth and finally unlocked her Earth Guardian powers. Vox Machina tracked down Raishan, who tricked them by taunting Keyleth into killing her, freeing her soul to bind itself to Thordak’s body thanks to a powerful ritual Raishan had set up. With Raishan now in Thordak’s body and hellbent on revenge against the Ashari, it was once again Keyleth to the rescue, using her new Earth Guardian form to fuse with the earth and pull the diseased curse from Raishan’s old body and inject it into her new one, hastening the process and killing her from the inside.

In The Legend of Vox Machina season 3 finale, the team killed two birds with one stone, resurrecting Percy while simultaneously banishing Orthax. In episodes 10 and 11, Vax kept hearing Percy’s voice screaming out for help from inside Ripley’s pepperbox gun, which he swiped after their defeat of Ripley. Vax spoke to the Raven Matron, who showed him how he could free Percy’s soul from the gun, which served as Orthax’s domain, and his plan and the team’s resurrection spell worked, returning Percy to them – but not without a steep price.

How Percy de Rolo’s Resurrection Worked

They Needed To Retrieve His Soul

Those who watched the original Critical Role campaign know Percy de Rolo’s death played out very differently than in The Legend of Vox Machina season 3. Specifically, it’s what happened after his death that played out drastically differently. In the tabletop campaign, the other Vox Machina members were able to pretty quickly resurrect him, similar to how Vex was resurrected in the season 2 episode “The Sunken Tomb.” That was not the case, with Percy’s death seeming permanent and his eventual resurrection being even harder.

As such, a simple Revivify spell, and even a Resurrection spell, wouldn’t have worked on him as his soul was gone, trapped in the pepperbox, which acted as a pocket dimension for Orthax. It would have been impossible to raise his body, now a husk, from the dead without the soul to animate it. Thus, Vax had to go into Orthax’s dimension as a living person and literally tether his soul to Percy’s, but only once Percy was willing to return: as D&D rules state, a soul can not be returned to life if it doesn’t wish to be. Percy finally snapped out of Orthax’s spell, but it was Vax tethering himself to Percy as a lifeline that pulled his friend’s soul out of Orthax’s version of Hell and back into his body.

Is Orthax Really Gone?

It Would Appear The Demon Is Finally Banished For Good

The only question that remains is whether Orthax is well and truly gone. He certainly appears to be, but then, he also appeared to be banished the first time Percy defeated him at the end of The Legend of Vox Machina season 1 and Scanlan threw the pepperbox containing him in acid, destroying it. But as Ripley revealed, a small piece of him remained and found its way to her, so the demon is harder to kill than it seems, or at least permanently banish out of that plane of existence.

This time, the circumstances surrounding Orthax’s defeat were different. For starters, Vax’s daring raid of Orthax’s domain resulted in a soul escaping from his clutches, seemingly for the first time. Rather than being destroyed by acid, as Percy’s pepperbox was, Ripley’s pepperbox was destroyed by magical means, which is likely the only way to permanently banish Orthax. The glowing, golden-white light that surrounded the gun before it burst is generally an indicator of holy or divine magic, which would arguably be the only kind of magic that could well and truly banish a demon.

The glowing, golden-white light that surrounded the gun before it burst is generally an indicator of holy or divine magic, which would arguably be the only kind of magic that could well and truly banish a demon.

For that reason, and simply for narrative purposes, it appears that Orthax is finally gone for good. With the Vox Machina characters all growing and finding peace this season, Orthax doesn’t really have anyone to create an opening for him to latch on to. It would be quite repetitive for The Legend of Vox Machina to bring Orthax back a third time, nor would it make sense, as he was always tied to Percy’s story and Percy has now found self-acceptance and love. The show has already proven it doesn’t like to repeat things, hence the changed storyline around Percy’s death, so it does seem that we’ve seen the last of Orthax.

What’s Happening To Vax’s Arm – The Matron Of Ravens Vision Explained

Percy’s Life Required Someone Else’s Death

Unfortunately, as The Legend of Vox Machina season 3’s ending showed, getting Percy back came at an enormous price to Vax, and to the group, though they don’t know it yet. A general rule of thumb in Dungeons & Dragons is that if a deity warns you that something will require a great sacrifice or have dire repercussions, that sacrifice and those repercussions are nasty. There was never a doubt that Vax would go through with saving Percy, even after the Matron of Ravens’ warning: he’s reckless, brave, and tends to defy authority. Still, one does not defy the goddess of death and escape without consequence, least of all the champion meant to obey her without question.

As with many things in the adaptation, Vax’s story has already diverged, and will likely continue to diverge, quite broadly from his story arc in the Critical Role campaign.

As such, the ending of The Legend of Vox Machina season 3 revealed that Vax’s arm is starting to rot, infected with a black necrosis. The necrosis was revealed right after he saw another vision of a zombie in a puddle, and finally, the meaning of the visions he’s been having for the past two seasons of zombies makes sense: the Matron was warning him what would happen to him should he defy her. Everyone has a certain lifespan, but it’s possible that, by defying the Matron of Ravens, Vax shortened his own. As the Matron said, there must be balance: Vax’s hastened death is the price for Percy’s life.

Who Are The Cultists Worshipping The Orb & Who Is The Whispered One

In The Legend Of Vox Machina, Dungeons & Dragons’ Vecna Is Called The Whispered One

Those familiar with D&D will recognize the Whispered One for who he truly is: Vecna. However, The Legend of Vox Machina can’t use the name of Vecna as it’s not an officially sanctioned Wizards of the Coast production. So, the Whispered One, it is. We last saw the Whispered One’s orb in the season 1 finale, after Delilah Briarwood successfully summoned him before being killed by Cassandra de Rolo. One of the final scenes showed a Whitestone guard being flayed alive and absorbed, screaming, into the orb. So that was a dangling narrative thread that is now being picked back up.

The rights issue is the same reason the divine goddess Sarenrae is only referred to as the Everlight in The Legend of Vox Machina .

The Whispered One, a.k.a. Vecna, was a once-human king who later became a lich so powerful he ascended to godhood. To put it lightly, Vecna is one of the most powerful boss villains in D&D, and arguably the most feared. As an immortal lich deity, Vecna, unlike most deities, eschewed claiming a single domain for his own, preferring to roam the multiverse between dimensions, sowing evil wherever he goes. His powers are vast, as he’s cheated death multiple times, can wield any type of magic, and alter reality at will, among other devastating gifts.

The lich’s currency is secrets, as he believes gathering them will give him untold power by handing him the keys to any being’s destruction. As Delilah Briarwood’s arc showed, sometimes the Whispered One would whisper those secrets to a willing acolyte. She’s not the only one, however: the Legend of Vox Machina season 3 ending showed a cult has grown around the Whispered One, just like Vecna has a cult in the lore. The cultists are wholly evil, corrupted magic casters and clerics who, like Vecna, are devoted to collecting ancient relics and arcane knowledge to gain power over others.

How The Legend Of Vox Machina Season 3’s Ending Sets Up Season 4

The Emergence Of The Cult Of The Whispered One Provides A Reason For The Team To Reunite

The Legend of Vox Machina season 3’s final scene showed the cult worshipping the orb through which Vecna speaks, so he’s now set up to be season 4’s main villain, with the cultists as supporting antagonists. It appears the city of Whitestone, which has been through it in the past few seasons – first the Briarwoods’ hostile takeover, then the Chroma Conclave destroying much of it – will again feature prominently in season 4. It’s initially surprising that there would be a malevolent cult growing right under their noses, but now is the perfect time, as Cassandra de Rolo, Keeper Yennen, Gilmore, Lady Allura, Kima, and the others have been distracted by rebuilding the city and mourning their losses.

It’s initially surprising that there would be a malevolent cult growing right under their noses, but now is the perfect time, as Cassandra de Rolo, Keeper Yennen, Gilmore, Lady Allura, Kima, and the others have been distracted by rebuilding the city and mourning their losses.

This setup already provides the reason Vox Machina will reunite. The team split up at the end of The Legend of Vox Machina season 3, with Keyleth deciding to finish her Aramenté and Vax traveling with her, Scanlan leaving the group to spend time with Kaylie, Percy and Vex returning to Whitestone with Gilmore to help rebuild the city, and Grog and Pike sticking together, though it’s unclear if they’ll also return to Whitestone or go their separate ways. However, as the cult of the Whispered One is now growing in the caverns beneath Whitestone, Percy and Vex will likely request the aid of their friends once again.

The Real Meaning Of The Legend Of Vox Machina Season 3’s Ending

They Had To Learn To Trust – In Multiple Ways

The finale of The Legend of Vox Machina season 3 was a thematic culmination of story arcs that have been threaded through the show since it started. While it’s clear each of the characters still has a lot of room to grow and evolve, they are all, for the first time since the show began, in happy, healthy places:

Percy’s character growth arc has come full circle, with him finally forgiving himself and looking to the future instead of being consumed by the past
Vex has made her peace with their father and gained his acceptance, and has learned to give love and accept the love Percy has for her
Keyleth has finally learned to trust in her own power and gained the self-confidence to finish her Aramenté
Vax, like Vex, has overcome his trust issues and fear of being vulnerable and finally cemented his relationship with Keyleth
Scanlan has become less selfish, reconnecting with his daughter and making the decision to be a better father
Pike has learned that her ultimate strength is not found in an outside deity, but within herself, and her self-belief is what makes her strong
Grog – well, the childlike Grog already dealt with his real demons in previous seasons, and now he’s just happy that he’ll see his friends again one day

The theme that binds all their stories together is trust, in whatever form it takes. Some of the characters, like Pike and Keyleth, had to learn to trust themselves. Others, like Vax and Vex, had to learn to trust others. The lesson they all had to learn was one each has been grappling with since season 1: radical self-acceptance. They could only defeat their biggest threat once they learned to trust themselves and the others fully, and that meant flaws and all.

Will There Be A Legend Of Vox Machina Season 4

It Has Indeed Been Renewed

Luckily, they will continue to have an opportunity for further growth as Prime Video has officially renewed The Legend of Vox Machina for season 4. The Legend of Vox Machina has been a hit for the streamer, as evidenced by the fact Prime Video announced its season 4 renewal before the final three episodes of season 3 had even dropped.

It’s no surprise: currently, The Legend of Vox Machina holds an astounding 100% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes for all three seasons, and a 95% audience score. The show has been wildly popular since it began, one of Prime Video’s most in-demand show, and according to Parrot Analytics, the most in-demand animated show, period. With its high viewership numbers and the relatively lower budget of animation, it was a no-brainer to renew The Legend of Vox Machina for season 4.