Around Azeroth: Spaceballs
by Elizabeth Wachowski 
Dec 2nd 2008 at 10:00AM
Do you have any unusual World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? We'd love to see it on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wow.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next!
Remember to include your player name, server and/or guild if you want it mentioned. Please include the word "Azeroth" in your post so it does not get swept into the spam bin. We strongly prefer full screen shots without the UI showing -- use alt-Z to remove it. Please, no more battleground scoreboards, "mounted mounts", or pictures of the Ninja Turtles in Dalaran.
Filed under: Screenshots, Around Azeroth, Galleries
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kozom Dec 2nd 2008 7:33AM
i think it's the hall of lightning.....also, i sure hope it's the golfball oen too...south seas xpac ftw?
Heenk Dec 2nd 2008 8:47AM
None of them are Azeroth. It's a separate bigger globe in the next (final boss) room.
Gyvien Dec 2nd 2008 10:10AM
Ah yes... the Slightly Less Squiggly Line has always been a favorite of mine.
It's a pretty neat picture, can't wait to see it for myself. :3
Matt Dec 2nd 2008 10:19AM
Halls of Lightning, one of my favorite settings in the game now
Zorko Dec 2nd 2008 10:45AM
Azeroth is more to the back of the instance, right before you encounter Loken as has been said before. Killing him sets the Orb representing Azeroth aflame, coinciding with Loken calling out that his death seals the fate of the planet.
Alorina Dec 2nd 2008 10:28AM
Definitely Halls of Lightning. Just a couple of pulls from the final boss. Very cool Planetarium like setting. Blizzard has outdone themselves with the scenery this time around!
Skarlet Dec 2nd 2008 10:28AM
We were discussing the globes when we found them for the first time. There is deffinatly a better Azeroth in the next room if that blue one isn't (can't remember off the top of my head) with a nice maelstrom effect. Our guesses were that the orange one was the Orc home planet and the purple one was the Draenei homeworld.
Cremean Dec 2nd 2008 10:35AM
The Orc and Draenei homeworld are the same planet, Draenor. Which is now the floating continent we know and love as Outland.
skreeran Dec 2nd 2008 10:40AM
Not entirely true, Cremean. I believe he means the Eredar homeworld, Argus.
Back on topic, I wonder if Xoroth or that other one whose name escapes me is in there, or if it's just random planets.
Skarlet Dec 2nd 2008 10:43AM
Yeah I meant Argus...the name escaped me lol
Todd Dec 2nd 2008 10:32AM
I wonder which one is, or was, Draenor.
Hohen Dec 2nd 2008 1:32PM
These models of worlds look like habitable moons in orbit of larger gas giant type planets. It is possible the Titans favored seeding of life in such planetary systems, for whatever reason; or said systems are common in the Warcraft Universe.
I feel the Azerothian system, is actually a smaller moon in orbit of a larger gas giant. Also, the remnant body of Draenor (now Outland) is in orbit around the same gas giant.
Note how; from the terrace of the Black Temple, Azeroth is clearly visible in the night sky. The same gas giant type planet is visible in the skies above Nagrand, and above Dalaran/Northrend. (The Dalaran view seems at a slightly greater distance and smaller, implying Azeroth orbits its primary at a greater distance than Outland. Radiation in such a planetary system would foster the rapid and strange evolutionary leaps seen in Azeroth and Outland. This, in addition to manipulation by the Titan race. ;-)
Strong gravity about the primary, close in to that gas giant, would fit with strong gravitational tidal forces constantly pulling on Draenor/Outland; and the scales being tipped over toward its breaking apart; by the Orc's "magic".
How is Outland floating in space as a non spherical world with a breathable atmosphere? Could it theoretically exist within a torus of breathable gases, like in the Sci Fi book by Larry Niven; "The Integral Trees". However there is a problem that the gravity of the primary would pull Outland's atmosphere away. The air could, I suppose, maybe hang around the remnants, IF the remnants held any type of gravity, though the whole thing is in free fall, (the floating tower in Hellfire, islands in Nagrand). There is gravity to hold one onto the surface of various Outland parts, so presumably the gravity is strong enough to hold atmosphere.
It would have to be a precarious balance or Lagrangian point to keep the air around Outland, and not have it sucked into the primary (gas giant) about which they orbit. Could the gas giant be close enough to the Stellar Primary (the Sun); to allow free gases to be in a torus or doughnut around the gas giant that Outland orbits within? This atmosphere of Outland would be stretched into that orbital plane occupied by Outland. Though its density would possibly be scarce (hardly breathable) if that were the case, it would have to consist of possibly gases from other sources?
I have to admit, when seeing Azeroth in the skies of Outland I was disappointed. I thought Outland was in an entirely different star system than Azeroth. Though it is possible Argus, and other worlds like Xoroth are in star systems other than Azeroth.
Any one of these smaller moons in the "planetarium" could be Azeroth, and the larger depiction of Azeroth in the boss chamber could be just a detailed or close in representation. Notice that the close representation of Azeroth features the continents as they are now. The view is post-Sundering; and the maelstrom can be seen. So the hologram or data is obviously updated. Could the Titans still have satellites of some type in orbit of Azeroth watching over their creations?
On the Larry Niven connection, it's not terribly unlikely. Larry Niven started the "Warlock" series of books in 1976. That series is in his "Magic Universe" which is unrelated and separate from his "Known Universe" books such as the "Integral Trees". The first of the Warlock Series; "The Magic Goes Away" mentions a "Warlock's Wheel" (remember "Wheel of the Black March" in our Dreadsteed quest?) and, also "mana" factors as a plot device. So; one of the designers is a Niven fan perhaps?
Koohkies Dec 2nd 2008 1:49PM
*cries trying to understand this*
Fourohfour Dec 2nd 2008 2:54PM
**head asplodes**
Cy Dec 2nd 2008 3:04PM
Okay, I knew there was an RP community for the game, but I had no idea there was an astronomy club too.
Bromnir Dec 2nd 2008 6:01PM
That's all freaking BRILLIANT! :-O You simply MUST write this all down somewhere for posterity... a website or WoWWiki or something...
And yes - I too was baffled and disappointed to be able to see Azeroth from Outland. I had made the same assumptions you had. Though I must admit, I'm surprised by my own reaction - I would have thought it would be a pleasant shock to realize it had been that close this whole time, not a letdown.
Hohen Dec 3rd 2008 10:34AM
Thank you Bromir!
/bow before Bromir.
I did pen it in MS Word before posting; I may put it in the Wikki if I can figure out where in the wikki to post it.
Each time I read it I remember stuff like solar winds could also possibly affect any gas torus in which Outland would orbit. And does it have a magnetic field to keep the atmosphere protected from solar winds?
Or is the Azeroth sun a quieter star? So many stuff to "noodle" upon!
I too was suprised at my reaction to Azeroth hanging above Black Temple. I did not want to believe it at first. I thought "It's wrong!! The artist took license and screwed it up!! Outland is in a different star system!!"
Then I thought, /meh it could work if they are moons of that big planet in the sky. Otherwise how could it be so near?
Chiper Dec 2nd 2008 7:01PM
I was a little perplexed by the post-sundering hologram as well. If they hadn't bothered to include the maelstrom I would have called it a mistake.
I would love to hear some official word about this from the blizzard devs. There doesn't seem to be anything in-game to indicate what these planets are.