The problem with Arthas appearing too many times was that most of his apperances made him look like a joke. The first time you see him in Light's Hope? He gets owned by Tirion and looses his largest contigent of new Death Knights. When you see him at the Wrath gate, he gets owned by a gas cloud ('STOMACH ACHES?!' to quote the guy from Vengeance Landing). Zul'drak, not only does he kill Drakuru personally for being a failure but he lets you live (yes, we now know he was letting you live so you could be at your strongest he faced and converted you, but even knowing that it seemed like a massive cop-out). I could list more, but it would become convoluted.

There were a couple of times when the Lich King was portrayed well, like the Howling Fjord quest for Alliance players, the Mattias Lehner quest (even though he gets owned, it happens in suitable specacular fashion and does a lot to show just what makes Arthas the monster he is), and Halls of Reflection, where you don't even fight or weaken him, you just run away like sissies.

The problem is after so many quests with him 'running away' shaking his fist at you, he comes off as more of a Saturday morning cartoon villian than a legitimate threat or a well-written character. They needed to have him with more moments that actually made you scared of him, or dare I say where he all but kils you in a stunning victory.

Actually these are two different issues.

In BC, players complained about Illidan because they didn't get to see him. This was a problem for some players because he was the promised enemy in BC - you know, "You are not prepared!" and all that.

In Wrath, players complained about LK for a different reason. It wasn't that "there was too much of him," it was the I'll-get-you-next-time-Gadget! nonsense. To some players - a lot apparently - this made LK seem like an annoyance rather than someone to fear.

There. Now you can agree/disagree with the actual core of complaints. It's harder to ridicule players when you accurately portray the underlying problem rather than presenting an easily toppled strawman, isn't it?

I wouldn't call it an "I'll-get-you-next-time-Gadget" type thing. It felt more like he was constantly watching and manipulating, he even says at the end of the Drakuru quest chain

"As for you... I spare your insignificant life as a reward for this amusing betrayal. There may yet be a shred of potential in you. Be warned... When next we meet I shall require much more to justify your life. "

He spares you're life simply for his own amusement. He doesn't need to kill you because you pose no real threat to him. At the end of the LK fight in ICC he even says

"No question remains unanswered. No doubts linger. You are Azeroth's greatest champions! You overcame every challenge I laid before you. My mightiest servants have fallen before your relentless onslaught, your unbridled fury... Is it truly righteousness that drives you? I wonder.

You trained them well, Fordring. You delivered the greatest fighting force this world has ever known... right into my hands -- exactly as I intended. You shall be rewarded for your unwitting sacrifice. "

Throughout the entire expansion from the Scourge Invasion to the assult of Naxx and Ulduar, to the Nexus War, to the Argent Tournament, to the siege and final assault on ICC has only been playing into the LK hands. To deliver him the strongest most capable fighting force in Azeroth.

For an MMO its quite good storytelling. Its an arc that covers the entirety of the expansion and gives meaning to everything that has happened, and provides a logical reason why the LK just didn't destroy the Horde and Alliance Capital Cities, and why he let their armies run rampant across all of Northrend.

While from a greater literary perspective its a bit cheap, but from an MMO design point I think it was really well structured.

Found it - http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/community/comics/gallery.html#292

@ Kaz - exactly. Arthas isn't an idiot, he was waiting to see who the best of the best were, and then turn them into his minions. If you haven't done the LK fight in ICC then you haven't really seen the full arc.

@ theRaptor - the ICC 5-mans do explain that you are attempting to get to the LK without a full frontal attack - you're basically sneaking in the back door. Additionally, almost all the quests in Icecrown are about advancing onto the the Citadel, and weakening the scourge at every turn, whether by straight-forward attacks (i.e. Battle Before the Citadel) or sneak attacks (pretty much all the death knight quests in Icecrown).

I've really enjoyed the build-up to Arthas and its made the fight in ICC seem really epic because of all the connections you've had to him since arriving in Northrend. And all the quests that you do in Icecrown really build up the anticipation of eventually getting to fight Arthas.