A new theory casts a dark shadow over King Anduin Wrynn in World of Warcraft. Is he unwittingly serving the Old Gods?
When the next expansion for World of Warcraft was announced at BlizzCon 2017, the surprise was great. Instead of an addon primarily dealing with the Old Gods, Battle for Azeroth focuses on the conflict between the Horde and the Alliance. However, this leaves several questions unanswered. A user on Reddit, Vorsa, has now worked out a theory that would answer many unresolved questions and explain the course of WoW in the time after the coming war.
Once again, the whispers of the boss Il’gynoth from the Emerald Nightmare serve as the starting point for these theories – and they are slowly beginning to make sense!
“The diamond king once was, now made a peasant.”
Most players are now clear that only Magni can be meant by the diamond king. But when exactly he commits betrayal is still uncertain – however, it could be the case in Battle for Azeroth!
There, he gives the players the “Heart of Azeroth” and demands that the heroes collect Azerite – the blood of Azeroth itself. It is oozing from the world after Sargeras’ sword has wounded it. At least that is what Magni tells us.
“Your heart, a crater. We filled it.”
This saying implies that the Old Gods have corrupted Azeroth. And when you “fill a heart,” you do so with a substance that acts as blood. Azerite.
It is therefore very likely that the Azerite is not the lifeblood of Azeroth, but some essence corrupted by the Old Gods.
This would be comparable to Saronite, the blood of Yogg-Saron, which could be collected in Northrend. This “ore” also had particularly corrupting properties. So what if Azerite is a mix of the blood of Old Gods and the original blood of Azeroth?
Then we would be collecting the corrupted blood for Magni, which he will one day use for the Old Gods. Because Magni has long ceased to hear the voice of Azeroth – only that of the Old Gods.
Anduin’s Lies – Is he unconsciously serving the Old Gods?
“At the table of the master of the child king serves. Three lies he brings to you.”
The child king is likely referring to Anduin, even though he (by now) is technically no longer a child. However, he is often still referred to condescendingly as “boy” in cinematics and dialogues.
But what lies could Anduin speak that serve the “master,” meaning N’Zoth? Quite simply: three lies that reignite the war between Horde and Alliance:
1. The Horde betrayed us at the Broken Isles
2. The Horde set Teldrassil ablaze
3. The Horde did [something else evil over the course of Battle for Azeroth]
The Old Gods benefit when Azeroth sinks into chaos and there are many dead. This is confirmed, for example, by the weapon of the Shadow Priest Xal’atath, which revels in deaths and devours entire souls to become more powerful.
This would also mean that Sylvanas is not responsible for the burning of Teldrassil. Strictly speaking, the developers never explicitly said at BlizzCon that it was the Horde – only that the burning of Teldrassil was the trigger for the war.
The World Trees as Torches
“Five keys to open our path. Five torches to light our way.”
“His visage of flaming splendor only masks the shadows of the deep.”
It gets interesting here. For a long time, players thought that the five keys referred to the five Pillars of Creation. But what if something entirely different is meant? And what could a “great torch that lights the way” be? Maybe … a burning World Tree called Teldrassil?
A closer look reveals that there are currently five World Trees in Azeroth, which would make excellent torches.
- Nordrassil (Hyjal)
- Teldrassil (Darnassus)
- Vordrassil (Grizzly Hills)
- Shala’drassil (Val’Sharah)
- Un’Goro Crater (Exists only in the Emerald Nightmare)
Whether it only stops at the burning of Teldrassil or if more World Trees will burn, remains to be seen. But it’s also exciting that Ragnaros wanted to burn Hyjal during “Cataclysm” as well, on behalf of Deathwing, who in turn served the Old Gods. Slowly but surely, the puzzle is coming together.
“The earth springs from its power. Our earth. Our power.”
What exactly corresponds to the ground in Battle for Azeroth and suddenly is a very strong source of power? Exactly – Azerite. The stuff we collect for Magni because “Azeroth instructed him to do so.” Yeah, right.
In summary, this theory assumes that Magni is commissioning the players to collect Azerite for the Old Gods to do something sinister with it. Meanwhile, Anduin is being unconsciously manipulated by the Old Gods and leads the Horde and Alliance into war.
What do you think of these theories? Did Blizzard really plan that far into the future? Or is this theory too illogical to be true?
You can find all information about “Battle for Azeroth” in our comprehensive overview article.
