Deathwing's human form.
Q: When the Shattering hit, it doesn’t seem to be clear how much time has passed between the fall of the Lich King and current times in Cataclysm. Do you have any idea how long it has been?
A: The answer is: no. The Blizzard creative development team has been very mysterious and elusive regarding the actual amount of time that has taken place between the fall of Arthas and Cataclysm. Some community managers, who aren’t the first go-to source for lore information, have insisted that it has been less than a few months, or even a few weeks. Some quests, like the Night Elf mage starter quest, suggest it may have been at least a year. The bottom line is that until we hear an official announcement from the creative development team; treat the transition as literally as possible. Blizzard has never made a significant time jump between any of their expansions before, so they probably won’t start now. As cool as it would be to age your character by a few years, it probably isn’t going to go down that way.
Q: What’s the deal with Night Elf mages anyway?
A: Night Elf mages can be one of two things: original Highborne mages, or new Kaldorei trainees. After the Shattering, the Highborne were re-introduced into Darnassian society after a ten thousand year exile. The Highborne and their ilk were responsible for bringing Sargeras’ etheric body into Azeroth, and thereby, the Sundering. After Deathwing ravaged the world, Tyrande Whisperwind and the Sisters of Elune reluctantly accepted the help of Archmage Evenshade and Estulan, a powerful Highborne scholar. Offering their ancient magic to the Alliance, they were unofficially initiated into its ranks, given the charge to help defend Kalimdor from the Horde. Their main theatres of operation are Feralas and Azshara, and they battle constantly with the traitorous Grimtotem tauren and the Sin’dorei in skirmishes across the two regions. As I said before, they can either be Highborne or Kaldorei. The difference is merely their origins. If you are a Kaldorei mage, you will be a new initiate into the arcane, trained by ancient Highborne masters. If you are a Highborne, you would have been a part of the Shen’dralar magi who hid in Dire Maul for the past three expansions, avoid the persecution of their former brethren.
Q: What about Dwarf shaman?
A: Dwarven shaman have an interesting bit of history behind them. After the War of the Three Hammers, the Wildhammer moved in an exodus to the hilly region of the Hinterlands. From Aerie Peak, they continued to devote themselves to ancient arts unheard of in Bronzebeard society. They crafted totems and paid tribute to ancient gods and goddesses; some Wildhammer even claim to worship the goddess of the Night Elves, Elune! Because of their traditions, the elements deemed the Wildhammer worthy enough to hear their ancient call. Wildhammer disciples flocked to listen to what the elemental lords had to offer. Crafting their totems from the ore of the mountains that surround their home, the Wildhammer are some of the most formidable shaman on the face of Azeroth.
Q: What’s the deal behind Orc mages?
A: Orc mages have a number of different speculated origins. Some claim that the Orcs of Orgrimmar learned their new talents from their Darkspear Troll allies, who have already adapted to the art. The shadowy history of Orc warlocks would certainly allow for the Orcs to expand their knowledge of the fire magic that both magi and warlocks alike deploy on the battlefield. The third and most interesting theory is that of Thrall’s expanded studies influencing the Orcs to take up the role of the mage. Originally slated to acquire Atiesh from the body of Med’an, there have been whisperings from the creative development team in the past that have hinted at Thrall becoming the new Guardian of Tirisfal before he replaces Deathwing as an Earth Aspect. It would be natural for Thrall to learn new magic and teach this magic to his followers, in order to turn the elements and the arcane in tandem against Deathwing and his dark army.
Q: Blood Elf warriors. Explain this.
A: Easy. If you can pick up a sword and swing it around as a paladin, you can easily swing one around as a warrior. Originally, Blizzard told us that the Sin’dorei thought it too barbaric to take up the warrior’s mantle, but spending all of that time around the Horde has definitely had an effect on the proud race of elves.
Q: Guns. Do Night Elves ever use them, or have anything against them?
A: No. It is evidenced in Cataclysm that Night Elves do in fact marvel at guns and new technology, and openly use them on the battlefield: the Gnomish Spec-ops quests in Stonetalon show that the Kaldorei are not afraid to deploy new arms, and just as well; the instinct of the hunter is to adapt to new prey with new weaponry, to evolve one’s own repertoire with a wide variety of tools.
Q: Why doesn’t anyone talk about Deathwing in the quests early on?
A: There’s a saying about Deathwing: if you ever get to see him up close, you’ll not live the night. Most people who witnessed Deathwing in Stormwind were killed by him. Estimated losses are massive for the city of Stormwind, as can be told with the complete eradication of the Park, which housed over 50,000 Kaldorei according to the RPG book. Also, Deathwing struck in the middle of the night. Most probably assumed it was just a firestorm from the elements.
Q: Troll warlocks?
A: The Trolls have shadow priests and mages. Put two and two together, along with some demonology, and you’ve got warlocks. Trolls have a long-spanning history of ****ing things up with their evil magic and associated rituals, so it’s not a stretch to say they could also become warlocks.
Q: Okay, but what about Dwarf warlocks and mages?
A: The Dark Iron recently joined Ironforge, bringing their ancient sorcery and dark arts into the society. Previously, warlocks were banned from Ironforge. Now that the art is accepted (reluctantly) by the Council of Three Hammers, learning the art is as simple as going to a trainer. As for mages, the Gnomes have spent a lot of time around Ironforge, which means that their Dwarven allies would have easily picked up the art if they paid attention.
Q: Gnome Priests?! What?
A: The keyword here is amalgamation. When multiple races band together, it is inevitable that their traditions and professions will eventually spread. Since the Dwarves have some of the most dedicated priests of the Light on Azeroth, it follows that the Gnomes would also utilize this magic, being pragmatic little buggers themselves.
Q: TAUREN PRIESTS AND PALADINS. You’ve got to be kidding me.
A: We’re not. Tauren priests are paired with Tauren paladins, or “Sunwalkers”. They are a part of a new movement in Thunder Bluff: warriors and casters who worship the light of An’she, one of the two “eyes” of the Earth Mother. Tauren paladins do not call upon the same “Light” as the humans or Blood Elves, but call on a primal force of nature like Moonkin, which is the “Sunlight”. Suppose you could think of them as potentially-dangerous photosynthetic flowers with swords and/or staves.
Q: Who are the Twilight’s Hammer?
A: The Twilight’s Hammer are unlike any other “cults” in the World of Warcraft. The Cult of the Damned was a well-organized and well-structured cult that focused on a single goal, which was to establish the Scourge as the dominant force over Azeroth. These goals are almost imperial, because the Scourge was simply trying to convert every living thing on Azeroth into undead, so to spread their disease and convert followers. The Sargeron cults of the Burning Legion were also similar, as their mission was to take convert warlocks and powerful heroes to help the Burning Legion push through the Dark Portal and assimilate the races of Azeroth. The Twilight’s Hammer doesn’t care about assimilation or dominance; the Twilight’s Hammer just want to destroy the world and everything with it. They’re all about chaos and awakening the primal forces of Azeroth to bring about its destruction.
Q: What happens to Mankrik in Cataclysm?
A: Mankrik buries his wife, having recovered her body. He also dawns a badass Blademaster flag. I really hope he ends up being the person to kill off Deathwing, I really do.
Q: How do the new zones like Uldum and the Twilight Highlands pop up out of nowhere in Cataclysm?
A: Uldum was an ancient titan land hidden behind a gate that was once thought inaccessible. The gate appeared to open into some kind of underground chamber or cave, and explorers couldn’t get near it due to the massive sandstone guardians who patrolled the area in Tanaris. Finding it in the ancient desert was a feat in and of itself, if you didn’t die of dehydration or exhaustion first. When the Cataclysm hit, it was revealed that Uldum was actually on what was previously thought to be the South Sea. A cloaking generator hid the city from sailors, and it just looked like a few sandy spots on a patch of land. The Cataclysm ruined the cloaking generator, revealing Uldum to adventurers and opening the gate for them to explore the ancient secrets of the desert kingdom. The Twilight Highlands was a shelf on the mountains above Wetlands. Here, thousands of farming families from the Wildhammer made their home, constantly battling with the Dragonmaw. Flash floods and earthquakes brought the shelf down in a landslide, and the Twilight’s Hammer began to corrupt the land and use it for their draconic rituals. Now, the Wildhammer and Dragonmaw battle at the Twin Peaks for control over the region.
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