Those who complete the current raid in World of Warcraft might rub their eyes. Because the whole world is changing.
The first raids of World of Warcraft Midnight are live, but the story feels more like a finale. Correspondingly drastic are the consequences for Azeroth – for what happens in the raid has dramatic effects on the entire game world.
Spoiler warning: If you have not yet completed the raid “The Void Peak” – this article discusses its consequences and story implications.
World of Warcraft is sinking into Midnight
What happens at the end of the raid? Even before World of Warcraft Midnight, it became known that we will likely lose the expansion as heroes. After seemingly endless triumphs, it is time for us to truly fail – and that is exactly what happens at the end of the Void Peak.
Xal’atath stabs Alleria with her dagger and brings forth the dark Naaru that had been trapped in Alleria. She then unleashes the Naaru’s power and amplifies the Void flow, which then overwhelms the Sunwell and plunges it into the Void.
You can watch the cinematic on Twitch.
How does this affect the world? This spectacle is not only part of the raid, but nearly affects the entire game world afterwards. You can see the darkness not only in Silvermoon but also in numerous other areas – in the housing zones, in Dornegal, and to a large extent in the old world of World of Warcraft as well. Midnight breaks into the world – and it is noticeable everywhere.
But there are not only visual changes. The musical background in Silvermoon also changes significantly. Where there were previously heroic sounds full of confidence and heroism, the music now sounds more depressed and eerie. The impression created: The end of the world is near, and this time it is hardly avoidable.
How long will this last? Although the finale of the expansion is still far away, we already know that this state will not last forever. For one thing, that would be a bit gloomy in the long run (just think of the Maw from Shadowlands), and at the same time, there has already been datamining about the fate of the Sunwell. In the future, we will likely manage to purify the well again – but then Xal’atath may have long achieved her goals and may no longer need the well.
What do you think of the visual changes that come with the transformation of the Sunwell? Do you find it impressive and interesting, like Argus in the sky many years ago? Or does this omnipresent darkness bother you?
As epic as the change of the world is, something else did not go as heroically as hoped – whoever wanted to be a legendary champion only had 9 hours to do so.
