One of the most absurd fan theories about Hearthstone has now been confirmed. A certain character is actually a dragon – and it’s only because the fans wanted it that way.
Hearthstone is not exactly known for its deep lore among all Blizzard games, but usually takes a more silly approach. Much of it is over-the-top or just plain crazy compared to the more serious “real” story of Warcraft. Nevertheless, many players love the plot and have spun wild theories. One of them has now come true after several years – and probably only because the players invented the theories themselves.
What was revealed? In the last chapter of the latest story expansion “Galakrond’s Awakening,” an interesting revelation occurred. The explorer Reno Jackson is not actually a human, but a blue dragon. This was cause for celebration in the Hearthstone subreddit, as this theory had existed for many years, starting with “One Night in Karazhan.”
How the theory came about: The first theories appeared with the trailer for “One Night in Karazhan” almost 4 years ago. In the trailer, you can see the curator jumping into a pool. In the pool are Reno Jackson, a cow, and a murloc.
If you look at the curator in the game now, he has an interesting effect: He gives the player a beast, a murloc, and a dragon from the deck to hand. The beast (cow) and murloc are seen together in the trailer, but Reno Jackson made little sense there – unless he is the dragon.
This theory only gained more momentum throughout the expansions. Many players found it illogical that Reno should be a magician. After all, his personality was more that of a greedy rogue, and magical abilities didn’t quite fit him.
Finally, the side quest “Learning Draconic” also raised doubts. There, Reno is depicted learning the language of dragons from a book. Because if Reno is a dragon, why would he need to learn draconic at all?
How the puzzle was solved: At the end of the current expansion, the revelation finally came. Reno transforms into a blue dragon named “Renogos.” As a blue dragon, it is easily explained why he possesses such strong magical abilities. However, it seems that his memory is not quite right, as he simply forgot this fact. He says:
“I always knew something was strange about me, ever since I was left in the orphanage. In that egg.”
We have introduced some of the currently funniest cards here.
Blizzard has adopted the fan theories: In an interview with PCGamer, Dave Kosak spoke about Reno and his revelation. He explains that they observed the fan theories and took them up with joy.
[The revelation of Reno] came very late in the development process. The fan theories about Reno being a dragon were very funny. We already knew the rough storyline for this year, but we didn’t have an ending yet. We knew they would fight but didn’t know how it would end. At that time, the community speculated a lot about Reno. We thought that would be a fun reward.
Blizzard wasn’t quite sure yet whether they really wanted to implement the story this way, as Kosak continues:
I remember finishing the script and saying, “Let’s write one where we reveal it and one where we don’t, and then see which one we prefer.
The result of that can currently be played in Hearthstone with Galakrond’s Awakening.
Community is thrilled: The community’s reactions to this revelation have been largely positive. In the Hearthstone subreddit, there have been many comments referring to this development as cool or funny since the first leaks of “Renogos.” Complaints that Blizzard has adopted a fan theory are hardly found.
What does this mean for WoW? Essentially, Hearthstone’s stories are detached from the official “World of Warcraft” lore. Basically, they are two different universes with different stories. Nevertheless, both games frequently borrow interesting aspects from each other. The main theme of Hearthstone is based on WoW, and the MMORPG borrows some characters to use them as quest givers. Sir Finley Mrrglton and Elise Starseeker can now both be encountered in World of Warcraft. A “new,” somewhat confused blue dragon would also be an interesting quest giver in WoW. Perhaps we will see more of this in Shadowlands or the upcoming expansions.
What do you think about Blizzard simply adopting the community’s theory here? A cool thing that presented itself? Or should such decisions not be made based on fan theories?
