Posts with tag deathwing

The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

Last week, we took a minor plunge into the idea of Azeroth as a fully-connected entity, and what the implications of that entailed. But there's more to the story than just a matter of connectivity. We know everything is connected. But what we really don't know at this point is why. What is the purpose of Azeroth? What were the Titans thinking? Why did they choose to forgo re-originating the world after discovering the Old Gods? Why have they gone silent, ignoring Azeroth for thousands of years?

Why does Azeroth exist?

Today's Know Your Lore is a Tinfoil Hat edition, meaning the following is a look into what has gone before with pure speculation on what is to come as a result. These speculations are merely theories and shouldn't be taken as fact or official lore.

Supposedly the world is ending today. If you're reading this, it means we've at least made it through the first eight hours OK. Just 16 to go! Granted, I'm not sure how this end of the world thing works with the international date line, since technically the Australians have already survived the end of the world.

Anyway, assuming the world doesn't end today, how do you think the World of Warcraft is going to end? Let's say we digest a few more expansions and there comes a day where it simply has to end. What will be the reason? Will it be to lead into the next Warcraft RTS game? Or maybe the Warcraft film? Will Blizzard simply decide they need to upgrade the infrastructure and segue seamlessly into a new version of the game with a World of Warcraft 2? Do you think Blizzard would ever end the franchise, and would it end with WoW?

One also has to wonder how it would end from a story standpoint. We already showed Deathwing what we do to major lore figures who try to destroy the world, so I sort of doubt Azeroth would ever be destroyed. But how else could Blizzard wrap the game up? Will it end once we've killed all the bad guys we haven't faced yet, like Sargeras or the other old gods? Or will it all resolve when the Horde and the Alliance finally find peace? Or who knows, maybe the game will end with the formation of a new, third faction?

What do you think?

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The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

The Jade Serpent circled the Vale, and spoke to the beleaguered Emperor. "Pandaria is more than just the Pandaren Empire," she told Shaohao. "Your enemies to the west are as much a part of this land as your empire behind the wall." Seeing that all things were connected in an eternal whole, and that his beloved land was more than just the Pandaren Empire, Shaohao at least understood.

We know from the writings in The Emperor's Burdern that all of Pandaria is connected. But is it just Pandaria, or all of Azeroth? This week's Tinfoil Hat Edition leaps off of the theories presented by Matthew Rossi in Wednesday's Know Your Lore. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do so, because conspiracy theories abound in today's edition of Know Your Lore.

Today's Know Your Lore is a Tinfoil Hat edition, meaning the following is a look into what has gone before with pure speculation on what is to come as a result. These speculations are merely theories and shouldn't be taken as fact or official lore.

Sometimes we're so busy geeking out over the ways Blizzard inspires us with World of Warcraft that we forget that behind the curtain, the folks at Blizzard are busy geeking out over the people and things that inspire them. So when we learned that Blizzard had commissioned fantasy art legend Michael Whelan to create a painting of Deathwing for Blizzard's headquarters, we knew we had to bring you the inside story of how this singular vision of the iconic dragon came to fruition.

The most honored artist in science fiction, Whelan has created book and album covers for authors and musicians like Isaac Asimov, Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, the Jacksons and Meat Loaf. He was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2009, the first living artist to join such luminaries as H.G. Wells, Steven Spielberg, and Ursula K. Le Guin.

While Whelan actually executed the commission for Blizzard early last year, his enthusiasm for the project remains undimmed. The world-renowned painter of imaginative realism chatted with us about his rueful discovery of Deathwing's unique draconic qualities, his admiration for Blizzard's art team, and the special project he's working on now in memory of "Dragonriders of Pern" author Anne McCaffrey.

WoW Insider: Your artwork is such a part of the fantasy world that we need to go back a bit to get the full perspective of what you've done here, the long view you bring to an upstart like Deathwing.

Michael Whelan: It's been a little ways ... (laughs) I've been working at this for what, 35 years?

We have a Pern fan on staff who's curious about how you reconcile the stylistic differences between the art for Pern and art like what you've just done with Deathwing for Blizzard. Now that you're focusing more on fine art than illustration, was it odd to switch back to working on a commission with someone else's vision?

Yeah, it's really hard. Try as I might, there's always a period of adjustment between working on a commission piece and doing something for the gallery, where I'm just trying to satisfy my own aesthetic and intellectual sensibilities. It's funny; it can take me days, even, to switch gears and go from one mindset to the other.

Love him or hate him, Deathwing had presence.

Deathwing's gaping metal maw really personified Cataclysm as an expansion. His flying over zones and burning everything in his path to ash made him part of the world in a way that Illidan, Arthas, Kil'jaeden never managed. He combined the arrogance and sneering sense of superiority of a more human antagonist with the unfathomable menace and raw power of a destructive force of nature. He's the only raid boss to actually require two fights to finally defeat him.

I've always had a soft spot for ye olde Deathwing. I feel like we didn't get to see enough of his diabolical planning side, the schemer who manipulated the kings and princes of the Eastern Kingdoms into almost letting him take over Alterac and marry Calia Menethil. This was a plan with long-term aspirations and goals. We got to see a little more of his personality in the story Charge of the Aspects, but I would have liked to have seen more. Still, he's dead, the day has been saved, and we're moving on to those misty shores of Pandaria. But his legacy will live on.

Goodbye, Neltharion. Hopefully you rest quiet. You really were the Cataclysm.

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World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.

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The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

Sargeras: Fallen Titan, founder of the Burning Legion and destroyer of worlds. Since his fall from his place as the premier champion of the Titans, Sargeras has enjoyed utmost success in his mission of destruction, bringing down endless worlds and wreaking havoc across the universe. Yet one world has eluded his grasp, time and time again -- Azeroth. Though the Burning Legion has visited Azeroth countless times, it has yet to sink its claws into the world and wrench it apart.

Despite this, the Legion continues to try. There may be hundreds, thousands, possibly even millions of distinct worlds out there ripe for annihilation, but the Burning Legion and Sargeras himself have focused with certainty on our little world. Is it a matter of revenge? Is it a matter of stubborn persistence? Or is there some other reason we're the focus of the universe's heralds of hatred? What is Sargeras' fascination with our tiny planet, anyway?

Today's Know Your Lore is a Tinfoil Hat edition, meaning the following is a look into what has gone before with pure speculation on why and what is to come as a result. These speculations are merely theories and shouldn't be taken as fact or official lore.

The thrill of taking down Deathwing might be winding down in the MMO, but in the WoW TCG, those cylinders are just starting to fire. The Battle of the Aspects Raid Deck lets you and your friends use your decks of choice to take down the Destroyer's automated boss deck. Unlike previous raid decks, this one gives you options to adjust the difficulty. If you're running basic decks or you're a more casual player, the base experience will work just fine, but if you're a high-level player, you can ratchet up the difficulty with up to four Tentacle cards that give Deathwing new abilities.

The raid deck is augmented with one Treasure Pack booster with random cards from the 75-card Treasure set, including weapons, allies, and abilities (and a chance at Loot cards, too, since that's the question on your mind). Treasure Pack boosters are also available separately.

Battle of the Aspects is available in stores now.

P.S.: If you're wondering who wrote the brilliant flavor text on these cards, it was me. I did.

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The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

Seriously, what's up with all the things threatening to destroy Azeroth outright?

The Old Gods seem to want to destroy Azeroth to get out from their prison within it. Algalon wanted to reoriginate the planet, which would have effectively destroyed the planet entirely and remade the whole thing, entirely to prevent the Old Gods from getting out. Now, with Algalon sitting back to observe, we had to step up and stop Deathwing from destroying Azeroth as well.

Granted, Deathwing was all tied up in the Old God's agenda, but you get the sense that old Neltharion wanted Azeroth destroyed because, ultimately, he couldn't take his connection to the planet's soil and rock, its very earth, for one more instant. Killing Deathwing almost seems merciful, since at the end he was nothing but a destroyed ruined pile of mutated flesh erupting from his elementium armor.

The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

Long, long before the rise of human and orc, the world of Azeroth was far different than it appears today. Instead of the multitude of continents we know of, there was simply one: Kalimdor. It was essentially Azeroth's version of Pangaea -- a supercontinent that covered the world. Places that we travel to today, Northrend, the Eastern Kingdoms, even the islands off the coasts of the world were all part of the massive continent. This was Azeroth, back in the day -- one world, one continent, and a lot of Old Gods.

Theories seem to be mixed on which came first, the Titans or the Old Gods. The latest theory came from the Tribunal of Ages, which implies that the Titans ordered the world and left, then the Old Gods arrived, and then the Titans returned to deal with the problem. After imprisoning the Old Gods, the Titans created safeguards to protect the world, safeguards that would prevent the rise of the Old Gods -- and in the event that the Old Gods returned, safeguards that would go so far as destroying Azeroth itself. Watchers and Aspects were both created and charged with protecting the fragile world.

And, according to various pieces of history, the Titans created the Well of Eternity.

Today's Know Your Lore is a Tinfoil Hat edition, meaning the following is a look into what has gone before with pure speculation on what is to come as a result. These speculations are merely theories and shouldn't be taken as fact or official lore.

If you don't play an endgame rogue capable of getting your hands on the Fangs of the Father legendary daggers, you missed out on quite a bit of awesome lore surrounding the future of the Black Dragonflight. Worse, you don't get to meet Wrathion the Purified, Deathwing's son, at all. This has been an ongoing problem with legendary quest chains specific to certain classes or roles, but Blizzard has provided a solution this time around.

Blizzard has released a series of videos detailing the events that occur throughout the Fangs of the Father quest chain. Even better, the entire recap is narrated by Wrathion himself, describing the events of the quest chain from his perspective. The entire thing is capped off with an insinuation that we just might run into Deathwing's heir beyond the mists of the sea.

You can watch the first part embedded above and the following three parts either on Battle.net or behind the cut below. In addition to the videos, Battle.net offers a list of the first 100 people to complete their Fangs in each world region.

"It's just possible that the curious race we're going to meet in this mystic land, may just teach us a thing or two about who we are, and why we fight." -- Chris Metzen, BlizzCon 2011