Summary
The Old Gods are some ofWorld of Warcraft’s most notorious antagonists, combining aspects of mystery and horror within the game’s fantasy. Despite them and their minions being major characters across multiple expansions, not much is known about these eldritch creatures. However, they’ve been given a little more love inWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflight.
While each of the four currentlyknown Old Gods have been defeated, their influence lingers on. The prophecies they whispered have mostly come true by now, but not without years of speculation. What players do know for sure is that they must remain vigilant against these agents of the Void, for if they ever managed to consume Azeroth, all would be lost.
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Azeroth’s World Soul Makes It Vulnerable to World of Warcraft’s Old Gods
TheOld Gods have been inWorld of Warcraftsince its conception, mostly portrayed as massive, omniscient creatures with loads of eyes, teeth, and tentacles. Everything about them is designed to drive mortals to madness, furthering their goal. For many years, players had no idea what would have happened if they had failed to destroy Old Gods like C’Thun and Yogg-Saron, but it was eventually made clear.
Players have long been aware of the Black Empire, a timeeons ago when Old Gods like N’Zothspread unfettered over Azeroth’s surface. They worked their tentacles deep into the planet’s crust, corrupting the earth as void magic seeped into every crevice. The Titans arrived and battled the Old Gods, imprisoning them forevermore to protect the planet and most importantly, preserve its World Soul, essentially a baby Titan germinating within its core.
TheOld Gods' true objectivebecame clear once this World Soul was revealed. The powers of the Void want this nascent infant to serve their own ends, and if they ever succeeded in creating a void-corrupted Titan, the universe would be doomed to chaos forevermore. Thus, if the Old Gods had their way, and the Black Empire was restored, there would be no hope for Azeroth.
InWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflight, an event called a Time Riftallows players to view some of Azeroth’s alternate realities. One of these is a world where the Black Empire was never laid low by the Titans, and as expected, it mimics N’Zoth’s realm of Ny’alotha. Players delved deep into this fleshy, nightmarish lair during Battle for Azeroth and slew N’Zoth, but not before glimpsing the Void’s grand design.
If N’Zoth in particular had his way, the entire planet would be enveloped in giant tentacles, countless eyes watching. Every living thing would be corrupted, each sentient creature either mind-controlled or driven mad. TheWorld Soul within Azerothwould be helpless, succumbing to the darkness to be born as, for all intents and purposes, a god of chaos. After that, the madness would spread beyond Azeroth’s surface, as this new Titan would conquer the universe in the Void’s name.
The horror of this reality is the veryreason the Burning Legion existsin the first place. Sargeras believed that even a dead universe would be better than one that had fallen to the Void, and all things considered, he was probably right. From that point on, very little is known about the Void and its true masters, the Void Lords. All that has been revealed thus far is that the Old Gods are their creations, and the only means they have of influencing the known universe.
The Titans have done much to keep the Void at bay, but in more recent times, that charge has been handled by mortals. The various ancient warriors and magics that theTitans left behind on Azerothhave not been foolproof, and only the planet’s mortal heroes have managed to truly save the day again and again. Either way, the baby Titan in Azeroth’s core can rest easy knowing she is well protected from a disastrous fate.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflightis available now for PC.
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