What Is In Store?

Friday, we are here and wondering how our weekends will unfold. So after we stop thinking about that we settle here and wonder what is up for this week's Reader Post. Well we haves something from Golden Yak regarding their thoughts on how the rest of the Legion expansion will play out. It is well thought out and might even come true, but you know I just love the speculation. So here it is

With 7.1 approaching which will continue the story begun in 7.0. I have some ideas about how the rest of Legion might unfold, based on speculation and tid-bits we've gotten about the future:

End of 7.0/Nighthold: Gul'dan tries to summon Sargeras's spirit and infuse it into Illidan's body in the Nighthold, turning Illidan's body into the new Avatar of Sargeras. We manage to stop it, killing Gul'dan and banishing Sargeras, but Illidan's body is lost, pulled into the Nether.

7.1: Helya is slain, breaking the curse over the Halls of Valor. Odyn and his Valarjar are freed and join the battle against the Burning Legion, who are bringing through troops in greater numbers than ever.

7.2: Azeroth's forces are barely holding against the Burning Legion, who have constructed a massive demon city on the Broken Shore around the Tomb of Sargeras. As if things weren't grim enough, a strange new land-mass suddenly rises south of the Broken Isles - Ny'alotha, ancient city of the Old Gods, where the Titanforged bound and chained the Old God N'Zoth. N'Zoth's bindings are finally failing, and the Old God is about to break free. He summons his strongest servants to Ny'alotha, including the naga, to defend him until he can break his bindings completely. The Alliance and the Horde are sent to destroy N'Zoth while the Titanforged and the Valarjar hold the line against the Legion. The forces of Azeroth suffer great casualties just reaching N'Zoth's prison, and just as N'Zoth is about to be destroyed, Azshara appears and offers an alternative - Azeroth is on the verge of being overrun by the Burning Legion, and is in desperate need of allies. Rather than destroy N'Zoth in a costly battle, Azshara suggests N'Zoth be set loose - N'Zoth agrees to turn all of his attention against the Legion and ignore Azeroth's mortals, for now. Knowing that N'Zoth wants the world to survive (if only so he can corrupt it later), Azeroth's mortals make the decision to release him - likely this will be done by someone hinted at in Il'gynoth's whispers, possibly Magni, Khadgar, Jaina, or whoever. There's candidates. N'Zoth's bindings are broken and the Old God is unfettered - true to his word, N'Zoth directs the naga and the faceless ones to assault the Burning Legion, ignoring the Alliance and the Horde. Azshara retreats.

End of Expansion: we push through the Tomb of Sargeras to Argus, meet up with the Army of Light, and destroy the place, killing Kil'jaden in the process (and Archimonde too, if he's even still alive). We come back to Azeroth, but the final battle occurs at the Tomb, with Illidan's body transformed into the new Avatar of Sargeras who attacks us there. During the encounter, Azeroth herself uses the five Pillars of Creation to transform someone (I'm guessing Jaina) into her own avatar - the Avatar of Azeroth joins us against the Possessed Illidan, driving Sargeras' soul out of Illidan's body. Sargeras' spirit then takes over his old avatar within the depths of the Tomb as one last ditch effort to attack us. Players + Azeroth's avatar battle Sargeras until Illidan's soul retakes his body and he becomes the Champion of Light. We destroy Sargeras, and Illidan goes off into the universe to gather the rest of the Army of Light and the naaru to begin preparing for the battle against the Void Lords. Meanwhile, we've got to stay behind and deal with Azshara and N'Zoth, who are missing, presumed up to no good. I figure this would be a good time for a great seas expansion or even an underworld expansion, going into the depths to try and stop N'Zoth from burrowing to the worldsoul within Azeroth.

Well? I think this could run pretty close, but as with anything the things closer to the current time are most likely to be the things that turn out to be right, but as you move further from the current point in time then most likely not to be true. With that in mind, enjoy your weekend!

Nightborne And The Night Elves

Friday is here and besides wondering where in the hell September went we look towards what is going on with this week's Reader Post. So what is on tap for this week's post? Well it has everything to do what the Nightborne will think about the Night Elves post Elisande. Well Mace is wondering the same thing so I am happy to let him take over.

I wonder how the Nightborne will actually regard the Night elves, who are actually the group that left Suramar to fight Azshara, and they won. Will they be ashamed that they hid under a shield? Would they venerate them? The Nightborne Thaedris Feathermoon seems to indicate that the Nightborne venerate the night elves who lost their lives defending the city. Which makes me wonder if they'll actually view the current night elves with awe - post Elisande ofc.. cos currently under Elisande, the loyalists seem to be the ones with the voice and they just look down on every one, like everyone. Therefore those who oppose them have been humbled and had to put away whatever arrogance they may have had to accept help, and as such will have more of an open and less judgmental mind especially after others have seen them grovelling for mana on the brink of death and have helped them. Thalyssra and the Nightborne alongside the rebels will never have that undiluted arrogance the loyalists and especially the Felsworn bunch have. 

I know how the Night elves view them, Valewalker Farodin, The Moonguard and Tyrande's views are being shown, and it seems to be endearing, the Valewalker really likes them and is confident they can be fully saved and are worth the efforts, the Val'sharah night elves and the Moonguard remnant have also found refuge under Thalysrra's wings and help the rebellion - Tyrande is upset with them, but it seems the kind of upset of a person who deeply cares and has been disappointed with a well loved family member they expected much better from is, it doesn't come off as a hate or disdain, but rather anger at a sibling who's been behaving foolishly - at least that's how it comes off to me. 

What I wonder is how the Nightborne populace will view their kin.. no one has really celebrated the Night elves victory over the Legion, twice - I wonder if the Nightborne under Thalyssra will find new heroes in their ancient kin who are from their city after all and probably have relations. I wonder if their memory is the stuff of Legends - The young High priestess who was thought killed before her time - the novel should be interesting. I wonder.. do you?

Well? definitely food for thought for the weekend. Enjoy!

Ask Gauss

Sunday! Yes, it is Sunday again and your weekend is once again coming to a close. Yes there is plenty of time as always to be depressed in one way or another, but before you get there why not sit back and enjoy the questions I have picked this week. 

So who do you think the whispers from Il'gynoth are from?

Well the ones I think are really up for debate are "The boy king serves at the master's table. Three lies he will offer you." and "The lord of ravens will turn the key". So who then? Well besides Wrathion being the boy king you could also look to Anduin. The question remains though if it is Anduin what about the comic with him on Argus fighting for the side of the light? Or is this a misdirection completely. Meaning he is a slave to the light. The lord of ravens seems to obvious to be Medivh, we do know Medivh was essential to bringing the Legion minions the orcs to Azeroth in the first place. Problem being what about his former apprentice Khadgar? We have seen on many occasions he used the same raven form as Medivh. Just some food for thought I guess.

Is Jania more powerful than Khadgar?

I don't even think it is close. Just like Khadgar is nothing to Medivh. Now that was due to him being granted Guardian powers. Medivh's powers could still be transferred to someone at some point, but the fact he was basically "buffed" changes what is actually attainable. Khadgar was chosen because of his potential something that wasn't seen in a very long time by Antonidas and the council of six. He later traned Jaina and nothing was ever mentioned of her potential. I know people use the bomb exposure to say how Jania might also be "buffed", but I just don't see the argument with all the other available evidence. 

How Old are the Old Gods?

Well Old.

There they are questions all answered for the week. Hope you all got something out of them in some way or another. Thank you to everyone who sent in something as always this would not be possible without all of your input. You may not feel free to enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Il'gynoth Whispers

So it is Friday and as always I am looking for a Reader Post. Also as always I am looking for something interesting lore wise Warcraft to think about. Well this week we got something with the Whispers before the Il'gynoth encounter in the Emerald Nightmare. What am I talking about? Well these specific whispers.

"To find him, drown yourself in a circle of stars.

"The boy-king serves at the master's table. Three lies he will offer you."

"Her heart is a crater, and we have filled it."

"The lord of ravens will turn the key." 

"Flesh is his gift. He is your true creator."

Being Old God things they always lead to be something interesting to talk about and Cirno writes in to give him his view of the them here.

1. Maybe this is referring to the a location in Suramar? The Nightborne have shown an interest in astrology (Star Augur Etraues, Court of Stars) and I think I remember hearing that N'zoth's prison was somewhere around there.

2. I think this could be alluding to Wrathion. Though his title is the Black Prince, maybe he felt he deserves the title of King. After all, he is the last black dragon, who have had a history of serving the Old Gods, who Xal'atath could be referring to as the master.

3. A tormented female character that felt dead inside, but was given a purpose by the Old Gods. This could mean that Sylvanas was somehow misled into pursuing immortality and power, which could be part of the Old God's plans. This could also be referring to Elerethe Renferal, who fell into despair after her death and then became empowered by the Old Gods.

4. Does this mean Medivh, or Lord Kur'talos? The Legion have shown interest in both, but I think it's more likely that Xal'atath is telling us that a treasure is to be found in Karazhan.

5. This could mean that Magni is being misled, somehow, or it could be referring to a yet to be revealed character. How interesting would it be, if Magni was actually being fooled by an Old God? We have seen that their influence still remains in Ulduar..

Well what do you think? I have my own thoughts, but I will leave those for Sunday that way you can think for yourself and enjoy your weekend

A Farwell

First of all if you have not read Chris Metzen's Farewell here it is.

I had just turned twenty years old when I started working at Blizzard. Seems like a lifetime ago. Guess it was. Those first few years were the start of a very grand adventure for me, one that would take me around the world, introduce me to thousands of wonderful geeks just like me—and ultimately shape the course of my adult life.

Of course when I started, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I had no idea how to make games or build entertainment products.…

But I had an insatiable passion for ideas. For stories. For heroes.

My only real training before joining Blizzard was the long-running D&D campaign I had with my closest friends—Sam, Mike P., Daniel, and Mikey C. (you know who you are, boys…HAMRO!). Building ideas—vast worldscapes, characters, and plotlines with my friends was my first great love. I lived for it. It was a safe space amid the tension and change of some rough teenage years. The grand refuge of D&D was a glorious meeting of minds and imaginations where I felt I truly belonged. 

It was a space where friendship and imagination were inextricably linked. 

The sharing of ideas on the fly, the crazy, unexpected turns other players would take—it stretched our imaginations in ways we’d never have dreamt of on our own. I loved how roleplaying through adventures taught us so much about each other—and, more often than not, ourselves. Imagining together helped us make sense of the crazy world we were growing up in. It made us stronger together. 

I wouldn’t really understand the depth of it for many years, but I had learned an important truth from my friends back then: 

Creativity is relational. 

Looking back at my years at Blizzard, I see now how profoundly this idea has shaped my career. I see how profoundly my friends and coworkers at Blizzard have shaped me as a person. 

For nearly twenty-three years I’ve had the very distinct privilege of shaping worlds and building games with the brightest creative minds in entertainment. I’ve walked with giants (and stood on some giants’ shoulders, too). 

In short, I’ve had the time of my life. 

I pretty much had the coolest job ever—but the truth is, sometimes it was really hard. Building games with dozens of brilliant, passionate alpha-geeks with their own red-hot instincts and perspectives can be pretty tricky. Coming to consensus about certain design decisions, story motifs, or courses of art direction takes a lot of communication, patience, and “give and take.” It stretches you. Sometimes it wasn’t all that pretty. But engaging with your teammates and collaborating through the potential quagmire of all that creative tension is where the real magic happens. 

It’s not just the decisions you come to—or even the final shape of the product you craft.… It’s bigger than that—and infinitely more important. True collaboration builds trust—and trust is the basis of all lasting relationships. With trust you build more than just a great product. 

You build a TRIBE…that can build anything. 

A family of craftsmen.

That’s what Blizzard has been for me. My second family, through all of life’s ups and downs, it’s always been there. The great, geeky backdrop of my life. I don’t just mean “the job” or even the creative mission—but the people. The people who over and over lifted me up, believed in me—and pushed me to find my potential as both an artist and as a leader all these years. 

To my Blizzard brothers and sisters…I wish I had the words.

Everything just sounds…trite. 

All I can think of is…

You helped me believe in myself and achieve every one of my wildest dreams. 
I am forever grateful to you. 

I love you all with everything I’ve got.

Thank you.

And to all of you out there in Blizzard’s vast gaming community—those of you I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in person and all of you around the world I’ve only heard about—thank you. 

Thank you all for letting me be a special part of your community. For letting me belong with you. We’ve shared countless adventures together and I’ve always been overwhelmed and humbled by your passion for our games as well your commitment to each other. Thank you for all the BlizzCon hugs, smiles, handshakes, and stories over the years. You will never know how much you’ve all touched my heart and inspired me to give my all into this craft. 

With that said, I’ll try to get down to the point, here. I’ve come to a turn in the road. A new, far quieter chapter in my life looms ahead. 

I am retiring.

Yup.

Hangin’ up my guns. 
Clockin’ out. 
Takin’ the last gryphon out of Stormwind. 
You get the picture. 

Crazy, I know.

It’s a massive change for me, but it’s one I’ve been looking forward to for a while now. It’s ironic given the fact that things have never been better or more energized at Blizzard. Just this year alone has been incredible. 

Legion’s arrival. 
The launch of Overwatch. 
The Warcraft feature film.

I’ve never been more proud of Blizzard and the quality of its products than I am now. It’s remarkable that even after all these years we can still reach new heights and take the world for an amazing ride. I believe Blizzard’s future is brighter than ever. 

I won’t lie—it’s going to be really hard stepping away from these worlds that I love. But I’m content that I’m leaving them in the hands of the most passionate, talented, and dedicated craftsmen ever assembled. 

I can’t wait to see where Blizzard’s worlds go next—and to experience them first-hand like everyone else does. As a fan. As an adventurer. Right back to the start. 

That’s just so cool…

The reason I use the word “retire” is because I’m not going to some other company or starting up new projects or anything remotely like that. It’s been a long, amazing stretch of years. Now it’s time to slow it down. Rest. Lay around on the couch and get fat. Well, fatter.…

Seriously though, I’ll be focusing on the one thing that matters most to me in all the world—my family. They’re the core of my life and the source of my deepest joy and inspiration. In addition to raising our two little ones, we recently welcomed our new baby into the family! Being home with them all, having time and space to really live…to love my wife with all my strength…that’s my career now. 

And I’ve never been happier.

Ever. ☺

Peace out, y’all.

I love you all.

I’ll see you online.

Chris

So I am sure there are many things going through fans minds. What is going to happen with the stories and lore of the games we love? Does this mean the final words Thrall ever speaks have already been recorded? Is this why Varian had to die? Does this mean no Chris Metzen speech at Blizzcon this year?

Honestly, I don't have the answers to all of those questions because I don't know the man personally. I do know he stated that he will continue to be the voice of Thrall. I also know it is hard to let people go when they have been apart of your life even if it is your gaming one for such a long time. Change is hard it really is, but it speaks volumes to Chris that people have all these questions about the worlds they love. So I like many others Say thank you Chris for everything you have brought to the world of gaming and in particular the world's Blizzard and you created for all of us to enjoy and love. It just isn't going to be the same without you.

The Current Lore Of Blood Elves

Friday, yes your weekend is approaching and you have yet to decide what you are going to do. Before you start to stress out about that why not check out this week's Reader Post. What is it about you ask? Well I am always having Lore discussions with Warcraft fans and one topic lately that has been talk about is the Bloodelves and Dalaran in Legion especially with everything that has happened in the past concerning them. The Blizzard thoughts on the matter to make it work in game are that the Legion threat is much bigger and the sides with put grudges aside to deal with the current problem. Here is what Loadbearer has to say about it.

That's what everyone says in order to explain away the whole "Horde are in Dalaran again after the Kirin Tor showed exactly how it felt about any Horde-affiliates like not even a year ago" thing, but the thing is, Blizzard never shows that in-game. They just show the Blood Elves being simpering pitiful asshats crawling back to the Kirin Tor when the Kirin Tor are so egocentric that they believe 

1. All the Sunreavers are to blame for the Purge
2. Don't find a blood elf willingly committing treason by handing over a priceless royal family heirloom historical national treasure of Quel'thalas to be enough proof of his obviously greater loyalty to Dalaran and the humans over his own people and homeland
3. Ask how they can be sure he won't betray them again
4. And then Aethas sits there nodding and agreeing when the no-name dickmonkey from the Dark Riders comic says "if he weren't trustworthy, he'd have given the sword to one of his own Sunreavers."

So recovering something that belongs to your people and returning it to your people is untrustworthy. Okay. Then frost and arcane mages who find Alodi's and Aegwynn's staves should hand them over to the Burning Legion then, right? By the Kirin Tor's own logic, finding something that belongs to your kingdom and happily committing treason against your entire nation to be a second-class citizen with their worst enemy is A-OK!

I wouldn't mind so much if it weren't for the part in Aethas' journal in the Felo'melorn quest chain that proves it's not just him, where it says that ALL of the Sunreavers believe as he and the Council of Six do, that it was all their own fault, and they're the ones who have to make reparations, and they're also tripping over each other to rejoin the Kirin Tor and be the humans' dogs fetching their slippers and newspaper and peeing outside.

The implications here are that the Blood Elves are inferior to the humans in every single way imaginable if they're willing to overlook the Kirin Tor proving THREE TIMES that they DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE BLOOD ELVES.

1. Doing nothing while Garithos slated for execution their most powerful and noble heroic 15% who were there for the sole purpose of HELPING THE HUMANS. And Modera and Ansirem are both still on the Council.
2. Doing nothing again while Jaina took Aethas' rightful statement that Dalaran was the Blood Elves' home too and that Jaina had no right to force them to leave, especially not without a meeting of the Council of Six to decide. This resulted in the murders, assault, and wrongful imprisonment of innocent civilians, as well as innocent combatants just defending themselves when the Silver Covenant expect them to take their word for it that the racist crazy Horde-hating Council of Six member said they could arrest the Sunreavers. That would be like the KKK walking up to a black person and saying "Hey, the president said we could arrest you, just trust us." and expecting the black person to just go along with it. Yeah. Not gonna happen.
3. Then they willingly went along with Jaina's spiteful pursuit of the Blood Elves on the Isle of Thunder, claiming the Blood Elves were only there to kill the Thunder King for his loot, not to save Pandaria, and this was apparently evil of them and they had to be stopped. Then Jaina proved it by...claiming his loot...when the Pandaren said it was too dangerous and had to be destroyed. And Jaina didn't spout off a lot of idealistic nonsense about killing Lei Shen to save Pandaria either. Most of her words were to the effect of "the best part is that the Blood Elves don't get any of this stuff." And Modera herself was sadistically pleased at the thought of the Saurok killing Horde.
4. Now in Legion, Modera is suddenly an advocate for the Blood Elves' return to Dalaran. Okay. And the Council has made it clear that they see the Blood Elves as the ones at fault for the Purge. I guess for...having someone in their ranks who wasn't completely loyal who acted without the knowledge of anyone else until it was too late for Aethas to do anything about it, with his entire race threatened with death?

And yet the Blood Elves still want to be in Dalaran.

At least in WotLK, they were there because the Kirin Tor needed them. In Legion, the Blood Elves have absolutely no incentive to be in Dalaran now, yet they're presented as though the Kirin Tor give off some powerful pheromone the Blood Elves are addicted to more than they ever were to magic, and if they go too long without the Kirin Tor's help on anything, they'll die.

Blizzard just can't seem to make anyone look good at anything, unless they take the foremost expert on that area, and make them completely dependent on the humans for it. In this case, magic. The thing that saturates every aspect of the Blood Elves' lives, that they study for hundreds or thousands of years. And they're always dependent on the almighty all-knowing 30-year old human magi of Dalaran.

So yeah. Not happy with Blizzard's treatment of Blood Elves lately.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Is it believable? Or is it a way for things to make sense in game? Something to think about this weekend.

Who Will Be The Big Baddie?

Friday. You know that end of the week day where we wonder what we are going to do with yourself for the weekend. While you are in the stage of deep contemplation with that you can read this week's Reader Post. This week it comes from Kazezoku and his thoughts on possible final tier possible bosses. Have a read.

Anyway, so ya... as the title suggests, what do you guys think will be the final raid boss for legion? Reply with who it is obviously and why you think its him/her based off what you have seen in the recent lore in the legion beta.

For me, I'm actually just gonna spitball here and give a few stabs in the dark:

Kil'jaeden: Mainly because the expansion is literally the word legion... not only that but i'm thinking he's probably pretty upset with Archimonde's failure, and either see's us as a potential threat since we were even able to woop archimonde's butt. That or Archimonde may have just told him how real the threat actually is, and therefore may get involved himself. Lets not forget the first time we flushed him back down the sunwell, in plateau. At any rate, they got some cool raid bosses lined up so far, and lezz be honest... a full scale Kil'jaeden with legs and everything as a raid boss would be... amazing.

Azshara: Got super hyped for the eye of Azshara when I heard about it, found out it was a dungeon and then was like... "really blizz"? But then found out she isn't actually in there herself, so that was refreshing. Naga or not... she is the queen of freaking night elves back in the day 10k years ago... there is gonna be some hefty power that comes along with her. What would be epic is if she is at least in a raid, even if she isnt the main boss at the end, which leads me to my final end game boss guess...

N'zoth: So... we all know this bamf has yet to make an appearance, and is last majorly heard of after making the deal with Azshara back then to save herself and her people, to which they become naga. The finally thing he says to her was "and for what we grant you, when the time comes, you will serve us well." Not only that but if we follow the current expansion old god trend, i.e. Vanilla (C'thun), BC (nothing), Wrath (Yogg), Cata (nothing), Mists (Y'sharaj), WoD (nothing), Legion (N'zoth?). 

Anyway... I'm going to leave Sargeras out of this, mainly because he is too major a figure in wow lore for me to really expect him comming over this soon. Not only that but sargeras getting involved in an expansion makes me feel like wow is on the downfall for its expansions, and they have stated that there is so far more future xpacs to come 

Of course this is all speculation and hopes

There you have it something to think about for the weekend. So now you can start enjoying it.

You Fail At Developing Good Lore If...

Fail Day! Yes here we are on yet another Tuesday ready to see who is going to be poked up of this week. While the title kind of explains it some people may not be smart enough to figure it out until I start writing. Also some people may not even read the titles I put so much time and effort into thinking up and you people should feel bad. So ya now I am just going to get on with it.

You Fail At Developing Good Game Lore If...

• The community boards are full of questions without any real answers
• Everything players conclude is speculation
• Your players skip dialogue because it just leads to more confusion
• Players know more about the combat system then the story
• The number one game request is a rewind button
• You ignore everything that happened in previous games when you develop a new one
• There is no real reason for the hero doing anything
• The games story finishes exactly where you started
• Every time you expect answers you are left with more questions which are the opposite of your previous questions
• Your answers to players questions use the word "magic"
• You often confuse yourself while writing story
• You think the ending twist to the movie "Signs" made sense

And Finally

• When someone  beats the game they truly have no idea what the purpose was

There you have it this week's edition of fail. Hope you all enjoyed it in some way or another. Maybe even while discussing some game lore cluelessly, but that might be just a little too ironic, don't you think?

Is Sylvanas Depressed?

Friday. Yes here we are at the end of the week wondering what the weekend is going to bring us. Now I was reading through a bunch of Reader Posts which I was going to pick when I came across this one by Snowraven who has an interesting take on Sylvanas. So sit back and maybe these points will make you think.

Now, at first I thought it's probably not true, but then I stood to think more. What if Sylvanas acts the way she does because she's lonely and depressed?

I mean, think about it:

• her sister Alleria disappeared during WC2. She was not found in the Burning Crusade anywhere.
• She was made a banshee by Arthas and forced to kill her people, friends, family. 
• When she managed to free herself, the feeling that controlled her most was revenge but she saw how humans, blood elves (at that time) disliked her and looked at her like at a freak 
• She was so lonely she made friends with a dreadlord (who later betrayed her), well, ok, she forced him to be her friend. 
• She did want revenge but saw how the forsaken are also shunned by their people, their former friends and family, like she was, so she made a faction with them and made an alliance of need with the Horde. Because she wanted friends too and Thrall offered to be friends. But the forsaken were still treated with mistrust and seen as outcasts. 
• Later on she played a vital part in rescuing the blood elves and inserting them into the Horde as surely her sisters and brothers would understand her, right? But they didn't really, they just saw her as some sort of freak and when she asked for help in her plight to Northrend, Loth'remar first refused her, she had to coerce them into helping her. Why didn't anyone want to help her she wondered? 
• She made the idea of a plague to finish the Scourge but have it ready to be used against others who would attack her and her forsaken and befriended an apothecary named Farnell who had found an anti-plague but even he betrayed her and ousted her from her city, treating her like a meaningless junk. 
• In the end, after WotLK, her final goal in life was done. She had killed the one that brought her to this state, now she could finally rest as there was no reason for her to remain alive so she tried to kill herself as she was now depressed, having no point in life. 
• She saw what awaits her in the afterlife and started feeling fear, in the end it would just be her, alone, cold, in a void of darkness and her pets, those she bunched up together after she thought they felt the same, wiped out by Garrosh. 
• She came back, but Garrosh forced her to obey him and attack Gilneas. Still, she started raising new friends from graves, but it wasn't really the same. Some of them even betrayed her again and shot her. 
• She became paranoid when Koltira made friends with Thassarian, what if another would leave her? And this time a blood elf too, who should understand her! So being scared at the thought she dragged him to have a chat with him, so that he'd never leave her. 
• During the War Crimes novel she reunited with her sister Veressa and was so happy! Finally someone whom she loved! She would feel happy and loved again, and she would ensure Veressa would never leave her and they'd lead the forsaken together like best sisters forever! She'd only have to kill her and raise her as forsaken and all would be amazing again! 
• But Veressa betrayed her too. Sylvanas was so angry and depressed, she just went to kill animals as she could no longer even cry and she felt so much rage at how lonely she was. 

Think about it? What if the whole "tough spiteful bitch" is actually just a façade and she's just lonely and depressed and she uses the façade to hide that. And she's become so lonely and depressed that she's psychotic, willing to kill others to have friends, willing to force others to be her friends as her pets and constructs are loyal, not like the living?

There you have it this week's Reader Post. What did you think? Is it possible? Guess Legion will tell the tale.

Is Azeroth Already Done For

Friday! Meaning it is time for me to go through all of the posts sent in and make a decision. This week I went with Mace's post which relates directly to the Warcraft Chronicle and if Azeroth itself is already corrupted. Have a read and let me know what you think.

I mean the nascent titan-soul ... from the old gods.

We know the Titans are victorious over the old gods before they get to corrupt the world soul - but knowing Chris Metzen, do you want to bet after everything happens, she's still going to end up corrupt? The man doesn't seem to miss an opportunity for great catastrophe to happen to generate a new set of drama, especially on what would appear to be possible victory. Creates a situation where you are hoping your efforts succeeded, but it's not clear. When the the reveal finally comes to confirm, the thing you feared is what happened - and he does that 10/10. Still that's just me guessing.

From what you've read so far, what do you think?

Titan's kill Y'shraaj - but his corpse remain keep on corrupting, even Ra-den gathering his heart and locking it away seems to leave an option open for restoration back to life for Y'shraaj or corruption spreading even further.

The tendrils have sunk too deep into the earth to be removed completely - even if a titan is dead or contained - they have shown that the things can still continue to corrupt.

Yogg-saron's prison has been weakened enough for him to affect and control all the keepers for Millennia till we get to Ulduar and kill him, if he was strong enough to corrupt them millennia ago, part of me thinks or at least wonders whether he hasn't already got to Azeroth.

Same with C'Thun and we know their tentacles were deep in place for a long long time before we killed them, does that mean those remains are continuing deeper and deeper to corrupt?

Finally, N'zoth - no word from what he has done all these millennia, and if he other two's prison was weakened, it sounds like his would have been the most damaged if the land broke apart and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Also it sounds now more likely that it was he who directed the naga's birth.

The emerald dream is affected by Yogg Saron at first, this is the titan-world soul's dream. Fandral's foolish efforts may have made all that effort be for nothing. Azeroth's soul is now receiving a nightmare. I'm also not sure how it has continued without Yogg-Saron , and after all the efforts of Stormrage - how has both Xavius and the nightmare returned...?

Is the nightmare now been controlled by the legion and not the old gods? to what end? I thought the idea was to destroy Azeroth not corrupt her?

So what do you think? Agree with Mace? Think about it while you enjoy your weekend!

Ask Gauss

Sunday, and Easter Sunday at that. Well that is if you celebrate Easter or if you even know what it is. I know most of the time I just assume everyone does exactly what I do, but apparently that is rude, so ya. Well regardless of that it is Sunday and besides watching Walking Dead and wondering why Game of Thrones is not on yet I have some questions to answer so here we go.

Why haven't you been talking more about Overwatch?

Well, because Blizzard is back to hating me and not giving me Beta access to things. Once the game is out though I will be all over it. Just a fun concept and reminds me back when I played way too much Team Fortress 2. Also just seems like a great game to play while taking a break from other games which is always a good thing.

So after reading you Reader Post it seems I am way beyond confused. What did that information come from?

The Chronicle books that Blizzard is putting out are there way of explaining the story so far and filling in the wholes that we as fans just assumed to know the answers to. In doing so after reading them they either had the idea of Void Lords the entire time or they changed what we were lead to believe. Now they didn't change any lore, but they just gave us information that we have never had access to before, which is a big deal. Now as we get the chronicles which is more of the the story that we have played through with various games this won't be the case.

Is Dark Souls III easy?

Really how troll is this?

There they are questions all answered for the week. Hope you all got something out of the answers in one way or another. To those celebrating Easter hope you have a great one, to those not well enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Void Lords Beyond Comprehension?

Friday, and Good Friday at that. Regardless though it is time for the Reader Post. This week there is a tad bit of Chronicle spoilers involved so if you have not read it and are planning to I would lay off the rest of this post. If not then you should keep on reading. So what is this post about? Well the Void Lords. Now there is a bit of an error in Coolguyry post in terms of the how and why Sargeras. Sure the Void Lords are responsible for who he is, but he was never corrupted. I left that in the post well because I can point out the error this way and seem smarter. Besides that though great read!

Ok, first things first: the void lords it seems are the *main* villains of the Warcraft universe (using the term *main* very lightly here of course), due to their supposed influence of Sargeras downfall, his corruption, his formation of the Burning Legion, and the destruction of the Pantheon. From my perspective it seems that the sheer amount of power that the void lords wield is absolutely terrifying. Their existence was considered a more grave and dangerous threat to the universe than the demons that Sargeras fought, and in turn caused him to ally with his former prisoners and to ultimately betray the Pantheon he once fought for.

Even though that previous paragraph sounds absolutely insane, well it's supposed to be. The void lords in their brief description seem to be depicted as unfathomable, unknowable, and indescribable. That's how fucking terrifying these void lords seem. Their vessels, their old gods, seem to be their corporeal vessels in which they are able to manifest their chaos in a stable state; the void lords on their own are probably completely consuming, all devouring, absolutely unfathomable. The void lords can in short be described as void incarnate.

Void lords also seem to be a very lacking term for their powers. Their sheer presence is more of that to dread gods than actual void lords. They are completely chaotic, insane, and unstable in their pure unhinged forms. Due to the fact they are able to utterly corrupt young Titan seed worlds and turn them into void lords, it also seems that their sheer power allows for them to never be truly eradicated. As stated the void lords are perhaps best summed up as void incarnate and due to the expanse of the Great Dark Beyond, perhaps their is something truly terrifying waiting out there in the unknown reaches of the Warcraft universe. 

There you have it. What are your thoughts? Do you think the Void Lords are just beyond comprehension? Let's hear it.

Enjoy your weekend!

Warcraft TV Spot

So anyone who is from around here knows I am a big Warcraft Lore buff. You also know that I am super excited to see it be brought to life in the movie on June 10th. The most recent TV spots have me ever more excited, which is why I am going to make sure none of you missed the most recent one for my Showcase this week. I will say though the best part of this spot is the shout out to the Warcraft III Reign of Chaos trailer. Made me remember the hours I waited for it to finish downloading.



Now aren't you pumped?

The Next Expansion

So here we are on a nice peaceful Friday wondering what to do with ourselves. Well I have just the answer, figure out what is in store with the Reader Post this week. It comes from Magik and his interesting thoughts on the next Diablo Expansion and what it will be about. Have a read it is quite interesting.

Have you ever thought what the next Diablo Expansion will be about?

I'm sure The End of Days prophecy is the key.

. . . And, at the End of Days, Wisdom shall be lost
as Justice falls upon the world of men.
Valor shall turn to Wrath -
and all Hope will be swallowed by Despair.
Death, at last, shall spread its wings over all -
as Fate lies shattered forever.

Wisdom shall be lost.

This is Malthael when the worldstone was destroyed. He went off, abandoned heaven and its status of angel of wisdom.

As Justice falls upon the world of men

Tyrael being a *%@!!%*% ripping its wings and falling like a meteor

Valor shall turn to wrath

Imperius being really mad at Tyrael and the Nephalem. He needs all the help he can have and still want to kick our !@#. We can also argue that this line describe how Imperius becomes crazy in the book "Storm of light". In fact, he only wants to murder every men, women and children.

All Hope will be swallowed by despair

Before reading the book, I thought it was when Rakanoth captured her. But, I feel this line is also tied with how Auriel acts in Storm of Light. We feel the corruption of the Black Soul Stone start altering her view of humanity. I wouldn't say she lost hope in humanity. But she changed for sure.
She doesn't see Tyrael as her equal anymore.

Death at last, shall spreads its wing over all

This is Malthael, the trailer is self explanatory :p.

as Fate lies shattered forever.

This is the interesting part. This event hasn't occurred yet. Itherael voted for humanity which means he's not our enemy (technically). Also, when demons stomp over the heaven, he seeks our help. Which means he has some kind of faith in humanity and knows we can be allies. According to the book of Cain (if I'm right), Itherael knows how the conflict will end. He always knew, it is written in the scroll of destiny.

But Itherael does not know the fate of human kind.
Something will happen, maybe it has already happened. Something tied with Ithereal and destiny. I don't think he'll go mad and try to destroy us, but the next expansion is tied with him.

So technically, if we want to find out what will, DIII-3, be about, we need to understand what "as fate lies shattered for ever" means. What is shattered? The scroll? Itherael itself? The black soul stone(not sure the link with Itherael tho) The destiny of both angel and demons. Like... nephalem become too strong and affect the balance of all things?

Well what do you think? I think this is pretty interesting and truthfully haven't thought too much about what the next expansion will bring, but this sure makes me.

The Great Exile?

Friday, and time for a Reader Post. You know the post of the week where I look through what was sent to myself and pick one to showcase. Well this week I had a very interesting entry from Magmaer who seems like an obvious Alliance friendly player. Regardless of that he does make some pretty good points and it is an interesting read about how the Horde should be exiled. So have a read.

It's clear by now that the Horde has no future in Azeroth. Initially it was a demon-driven invading army that ultimately failed and got scattered. Then came Thrall with a vision of a new Horde: based on honor, companionship and, some might say, something more spiritually balanced than "kill all, take all".

When WoW started the Horde was a new family made of wild races looking for peace and prosperity. There was a dream, a plan. 

And it failed. 

Its very author, who used to seem wise and balanced, suddenly abandoned his post and chose, by reasons that defy logic, a unprepared new warchief that was the embodiment of everything that went wrong in the past.

The thing about rehabilitation is that it requires patience, work and continuity. It's a delicate work, and any fallback might ruin it indefinitely. Someone that starts over and falls again will, quite understandably, lose the trust of those around him. The dream of a new horde was first shaken, and them ruined. The inhabitants of Azeroth don't belive in them anymore- they'll always expect them to go bloodlust batshit crazy again. And - more importantly - the Horde members themselves don't belive in the vision anymore. Now broken, the core of the horde has no place in Azeroth anymore: a world filled with people committed to honor and decency, fighting against all evils. Now a invaded world, there is no more place for the unstable, crazy, maniac horde anymore. It would be a mistake to dismantle the horde: that would only create other, perhaps more complicated, future problems. Extinguishing them would go against the azerothian ideals.

The Horde should be exiled.

A golden opportunity showed up with ancient Draenor. The land is the original orcish world. It was preserved from destruction, ridden of the Burning Legion and of the most vile orcish leaders. In sum: it was cleaned up. It's a perfectly healthy world now and it's exactly what a group of wild and broken races need to forge a new future. How would this work? Orcs, trolls and tauren move to draenor, the native draenei move to their Azeroth settlement, the blood elves have the choice of remaining in Quel'Thalas or leaving, and the forsaken are left to their future in Azeroth. How often a chance like this appears for those that screw up hard and many times over? Some would say it's way more than they deserve, some would remind the things they suffered and how they do deserve a chance to start over.

In any case, it's way more than ever was offered the draenei.

There you have it. What do you think? Or is this too much thought for a Friday? As always thanks to everyone who sent something in, this wouldn't be possible without all of your contributions. Enjoy your weekend

Wrathion, What Is His Deal?

So here we are staring at Friday and wondering how the weekend is going to go. Well before you get ready for all that your should probably read this week's Reader Post brought to you by FroSanity. He wants to know what is the deal with Wrathion's Lore and where is it going. As you does make some good points he does make some appearances within Legion right now. So have a read and enjoy!

Wrathion. What the hell is his deal?

Cataclysm - really only "known" to the rogues who go through the legendary teeth questline to rescue this last black dragon egg, right? Turns out it's really Aladdin, Crown Prince of Future Visine Commercials.

Mists - he shows up in this wedged-in zone for a wedged-in quest to introduce the PVP faction war area of the expansion. You rep grind for your faction while he strokes his belly button and then says "whew, you're going to be daddy's little star!" and then he takes you on Dr. Doolittle's wild ride to commune with giant transparent animals. The animals read off some fortune cookies and he gives you a magic cloak, going on about how he believed in you the whole time and he's not anything like his dad at all you're a jerk for suggesting it gosh.

Mists ToT/SoO (oh yeah plot development) - You find out that Pandaria is really Titan Party-Down-South edition and he eats some body parts that are probably way expired which triggers an old voicemail about rebuilding a titan, but it's like a thousand years old and they didn't leave a callback number so it's probably not important let's just delete it. Fast forward to Garrosh going all megalomaniac, he's all "who's my little Judge Dredd? Go make daddy proud!" and you bust some heads and arrest the crazy warchief. Wrathion gets all pissed off because he thought he raised us better than this, and only taking a mortal's life which isn't anything like that mean old Deathwing would've done, was the only way to prove our strength to him and show we were worthy of Law School and/or fighting off the Burning Legion.

Warlords - Wrathion's pal Kaizersoze von Time Dragon breaks Garrosh out and gets in their time getaway car and goes back in time. Kaiserroll convinces Garrosh to build up an army that can fight the Legion conquer a ton of worlds (for, uh, profit?) and Wrathion... is.... uh... hanging out at a random Alliance guy's garrison... Wait, what the hell, guys.


Why does Wrathion give a crap about the Legion, how does he even know about them being right around the corner anyways? Why does he want us to kill to prove our strength if he's so determined to not be like Deathwing? Why did we get so much hinting at Kairoz and him being pals and then just dropping that plot like a bad habit the minute we step into the expansion? Has he shown up at all in Legion so far to be like "I waaarned youuuu, hee hee hee!" before menacingly fluttering off in his tubby little dragon vampire bat form?

There it is this week's Reader Post. Hopefully everyone got something out of it in some way or another. Also thank you to everyone who sent something in as always this couldn't be possible without all of your contributions.

Now feel free to enjoy your weekend!

The Flaw In The Fabric

Happy Friday everyone! Here we are at another end to the week wondering what is going to be happening on the weekend. It really is an interesting thought process. Before you get overwhelmed though I see you are here to check out this week's Reader Post, brought to you by Magemaer. As most of you know I am a big fan of Warcraft Lore especially when it comes to back story of how everything came to be as it was. So any theories on the topic always catch my eye. This is exactly what we get this week with a creation theory. So here goes.

Think about it.

Titans are not the actually creators of the universe. Regarding its origins, there is only myth and it states that Light and Shadow (Void) were there in the beginning. Titans are almighty beings that came to be really early in the universe timeline. They work on what's already created and improve upon it, bringing order and intelligence into what was mere being. Now the Naaru seem to be since the creation and in a way they represent it: they have a dualistic condition where normally the Light prevails. ("It is a facet of the Naaru condition - without the void, the Light cannot exist."—D'ore)

What about demons? They are described as twisted souls. Structurally they are the result of a (fel based) life corruption process. Morally they are a possibility as long you have beings with free will - they are free to choose evil.
Most demons are corrupted versions of what used to be a regular living being.

Now Old Gods. What do we know about them? Very little. They are known as "malignant beings of unfathomable evil", "entities of chaos and destruction". They are described as being closely connected to the Void, which itself is, as we've seen, connected to creation itself. While demons hang out in the twisting nether, which is between the Light and the Void, Old Gods are tied to the Void itself. While demons are somewhat connected to life (to its corruption) Old Gods are sometimes said to be neither living nor dead.

We so far have no idea of their origin or place in the creation. We know that they arrived in Azeroth and enslaved it, they weren't there in the first place. It was also hinted that Azeroth is a key place, we don't know why yet.

What about Sargeras and the Burning Legion? "Sargeras came to believe that a flaw in the fabric of creation set up an unwinnable battle against evil." As we know, his intention is making the universe better, but first he has to destroy it and for that he is using demons as a tool to his higher end. It is also mentioned that he thinks the universe has to be "remade without the underlying defect

What is this flaw in the fabric of creation?

a)Is it that there is a space between the Light and the Void where corrupted beings exist as immortals, always surging upon the worlds to corrupt and unmake? Is the flaw the unending possibility of demons?

b)Is it deeper? is it the dual nature of the universe? That the Void is necessarily part of it? And in the Void dwell beings of "unfathomable evil", possibly the whisperers behind the very madness of demonization?

c)Is it the existence of beings with free will? These beings are susceptible to whispers or to their own whim. Evil is always a possibility when there is free will, and this possibility can't be erased without erasing free will itself.

d)Something else entirely? 

What exactly is Sargeras fighting against? What is the flaw? And what is the status and connection of the Old Gods to it?

The overall impression is that Sargeras is a misguided (or not?) absolutist and the Old Gods are the quintessential evil of the creation. Are they as old as creation? Are they inherent to it as the Void is?

So far we've been told that their name is due to Azeroth's history: they were reigning over the world before the titans arrived. But what if the Old Gods were the rulers and the major force in the universe just before the titans and that's why they're called old gods, that is, old in relation to the titans that now shape the universe? 

Maybe, analogically to Greek mythology, the Old Gods are a pantheon of mighty beings antecedent to the titans, gods that were primal and evil, and were dethroned by the titans but not entirely vanquished. Maybe the universe as we know needed them to be during its formation and couldn't get rid of them afterwards. Or maybe they didn't play any constructive part in the creation: they were just unavoidable to it, like the void aspect of the Naaru.

There you have it. What do you think? Is it possible? Well you have the weekend to think about it while you are doing all that other stuff. So enjoy!

Pillars Of Creation

So here we are my first Friday back from vacation which means we have the first Reader Post of the new year. So what topic did I decide to go with? Well an interesting one because Warcraft Titan stuff always is interesting to me because of all of the theories that come from it. This one specifically has to do with the Pillars of Creation and there locations. So sit back and read up on Redfenix's theories.

So far we have 5 out of the 7 Pillars of Creation that are confirmed. Here are their names and their locations within the Broken Isles:

Aegis of Aggramar - Stormheim
Tidestone of Golganeth - Azsuna
Hammer of Khaz'goroth - Highmountain
Eye of Aman'thul - Suramar Palace
Tears of Elune -Val'sharah

I'm assuming that the other 2 relics will represent the remaining members of the Pantheon: Norgannon and Eonar

Where they are located I would probably guess would relate to the magical theme of the respective Titan. For Norgannon, I'd say it would be from the Suramar zone (being largely related to arcane magic use of the Nightborne). It might be some Scroll, Book, or even Disc (keeping with the theme, right?)! For Eonar, I'd say her Pillar of Creation relic would be in the Emerald Nightmare (perhaps Xavius is trying to use it or corrupt it). That relic might be a staff of some kind, if I were to guess.

As for Elune, I think it's curious that she is a part of list of the Titan relics that represent the Pillars of Creation. Elune as a deity has largely remained mysterious in origin, but a huge part of Night Elf culture (and mentioned in Tauren myth as M'usha alongside An'she as the "eyes" of the Greatmother). Maybe she was a Titan servant of Eonar (whom I'm assuming is the mythical Greatmother the Tauren speak of) and she represented the power of Astral Moon-Light magic through the manipulation of the Arcane (like all Titans) as opposed being wielded through purely "divine" magical means such as Paladins and Priests do. Perhaps An'she was her counterpart/partner that represented the power of Astral Star-Light magic.

Maybe Elune's power on Azeroth was the Well of Eternity and subsequently the satellite moonwells that spawned from it. Maybe Elune IS the Well of Eternity. Those waters could be Titan's blood for all we know. Her life force might be forever bound to the planet of Azeroth, with the magical waters constantly being replenished by the light of the moon/sun. Think about how the Dark Trolls that settled along the waters of the Well of Eternity became the Night Elves, with softer humanoid facial features and upright posture similar to the Dwarves, Humans, and Gnomes. The same can be said of the Zandalari Trolls. Zandalar is the closest Troll settlement to the Well of Eternity and the in-game Zandalari look closer to their Night Elf cousins than any other Troll tribe on Azeroth. Coincidence? I think not.

I think Elune represents the Titan's effort of trying to find a balance between their metal and stone constructs and the pure organic flesh beings created by the Old God's Curse of Flesh. The result? Night Elves, Humans, Dwarves, Gnomes, Zandalari Trolls, Pygmies, Goblins, and all the anthropomorphic humanoid children of the respective animal Ancients/Loa of Azeroth.

So there you have it the first Reader Post and it makes you think. Thanks to everyone who sent something in as this would not be possible if you all did not contribute. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

You Shouldn't Have

Well here we are yet another Wednesday and getting closer and closer to Christmas. With Christmas comes things that I enjoy in the world of being a gamer. So what better idea for a list than that? Well there isn't so let's just get to it.

5. Realizing Games in 2016 Are Closer

With Christmas comes the end of the year. With games marked for 2016 it is that tick of the year that makes these games that seem so far away seem so much closer.

4. Talking Gaming Lore With People

You tend to be around people with similar interests around the holidays. Sometimes with people you haven't seen in awhile and it is always fun to talk gaming lore from the things you have been playing during the year. I am guessing that the Starcraft ending is going to be a big topic this year.

3. Have Fun With Holiday Themes In Games

I love when the games I play do something special for the holidays. Especially around Christmas time. I take this stuff seriously so don't mess it up for me.

2. Wii Sports Tournaments

I don't know about all of you, but when I am with my family for the holidays Wii sports always happens. My family is pretty competitive and we always play for bragging rights.

1. Playing That New Game

You know it never fails. I always have a new game around Christmas time. Be it one that was given to me as a gift or one that I bought myself. New games and Christmas just go hand in hand.

There they are my favourite things about the holiday season. What are yours? Let me know in one way or another.

Evil or Not?

So here we are another Friday, another Reader Post. This one comes to us from MikeToss and his views on how Kerrigan might not be as bad or as evil as people think she is. I know I have been thinking about this since I have completed the campaign and as is the case with any lore I love opinions on either side of the coin. So have a read.

Well I guess there is last thing to say. Like already said Kerrigan story has always been to me more tragic one than a one about a villian a woman who was drafted into one of the cruelest soldier programs ever and experimented on zerg because she was psionic. When she was freed she had a chance to be happy and maybe do things other than being a heartless killing machine. But she was betrayed by her superior.

She became the queen of blades somewhat shallow villian who just killed, was cruel, manipulated because she could but had a few moments when some humanity surfaced some times (SC1 Z4 and BW Z5). On top of that there is the fact that she killed 8 billion people.

Then comes the Hots she goes after Mengsk wanting revenge for his deeds. Kerrigan is not exactly evil in the game she is just willing to do what ever it takes to win damn the cost and Furk your mercy Kerrigan is not cruel out of spite and she isn't completely unjustifiable either for her "work must be understood as a means to an end for in fact that is the only way by which that end can be properly accomplished, the end is both good and moral (and it really was) and" that "end" is her goal. Kerrigan is willing to do brutal actions in a fight where odds are stacked against her. Wouldn't you do what ever it takes to win and achieve that end that is good and moral? Wouldn't she? (we know that end is good and moral).

Then there is the epilogue Kerrigan is given a chance to become a Xel'naga Did she deserve that fate that we saw in the epilogue and in the final cutscene? Well with me it is not the question does she deserve it Kerrigan said that she had too much blood on her hands and this was her chance to wipe some of it off that by becoming a Xel'naga some of the sorrow and destruction can be repaired and undone however little however late.

So that is one opinion. I am still on the fence with the whole thing, how about all of you? Have a good weekend and think about it.