World of Warcraft is facing a time jump of 30-50 years. At least, that is if a well-thought-out theory proves to be true.
Patch 7.2 of World of Warcraft has been on the live servers for a while now. Although not all content is unlocked yet, there are more and more hints about the future of the lore. The latest data from the PTR (and thus Patch 7.2.5) is starting to fit together into a larger picture.
A theory has now emerged on Reddit from user Lionhearte, which is so far-fetched that it might actually be considered. Because it would give World of Warcraft a completely new appearance. The theory essentially states:
The transition to the next expansion will make 30 to 50 years pass in World of Warcraft.
Spoiler alert: The theory contains some spoilers from the current and upcoming patch. You have been warned.
Different Laws of Time and Space in the Nether
We already know that we will go to Argus with Patch 7.3 – into the Twisting Nether. Within the Twisting Nether, time is not a constant flow, but a strange variable. One does not age there, nor does one experience hunger in the usual way – the known laws are nullified in the Nether. While time passes in the Nether, it is faster or slower in other places. This has been proven in several instances, but a new Paladin quest with Turalyon and Alleria provides certainty.
During the Paladin campaign, they say that they have been “hunting the Burning Legion across the stars for a thousand years. ” This is unusual, as neither humans nor high elves live that long – and above all, the two just set off only about 20 years ago. This proves that the flow of time in the Nether follows different paths.
Another piece of evidence is the comic about Anduin, which was released before Legion. In the last picture, Anduin is seen with the Prophet Velen in the Exodar. However, Anduin appears to have aged significantly – surely 40 or 50 years.
According to the theory, Anduin remains on Azeroth while the heroes travel to Argus in Patch 7.3. Because the saying still holds: there must always be a Stark in Winterfell “there must always be a Wrynn in Stormwind”.
Time Continues on Azeroth While We Fight on Argus
While we fight on Argus and deal a devastating blow to the Legion, 40 to 50 years pass on Azeroth. The Old Gods are stirring again, as the absence of the strongest heroes has left the mortal races with little to resist them. Azeroth is changing – the Black Empire is rising once more, and the corruption of the gods is spreading further across Azeroth.
If we now return to Azeroth in Patch 8.0 – the next expansion – then most of the living will know us and companions like Illidan, Maiev, Khadgar, and all the other great heroes – including all NPC characters from the Order Halls – only from tales. Once Turalyon and Alleria were considered lost legends, now it’s us!
This would create an exciting, new world. We would have to re-establish ourselves as heroes since we have “abandoned” Azeroth in recent years while we were on Argus. The entire world – or parts of it – could be reshaped like during the Cataclysm. Thanks to the scaling mechanics from Legion, this would not be content just for “fresh characters,” but for all heroes, big or small.
Sure, such a time jump would be a massive intervention in the game world. But it would also provide a fresh start through which new stories could emerge. Only the role-players might go up in arms about it – at least for a while.
What do you think of this theory? Would that be a cool implementation? Or is it all way too out there for Blizzard to ever implement it? What are your theories about the future of Azeroth?
