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The War Within Date Announce Cinematic Breakdown
Live
Publié
15/06/2024 à 14:48
par
DiscordianKitty
The War Within Date Announcement cinematic features Xal'atath once again narrating as we catch glimpses of other important characters from the past, present, and future of
World of Warcraft
. We break down the trailer below.
Warning: Minor War Within Spoilers Ahead
World of Warcraft: Past and Present
A major feature of this cinematic is the decision to play snippets from every expansion. First, we see the dwarf, night elf, and undead from the very first
first
World of Warcraft
cinematic trailer
. We move on to a blood elf, draenei, and Illidan Stormrage - snippets from the
Burning Crusade
. Next, Arthas Menethil from
Wrath of the Lich King
, followed by Deathwing from
Cataclysm
. Scenes from the Alliance and Horde conflict in
Mists of Pandaria
, alternate Draenor's Grommash Hellscream and the Iron Horde from
Warlords of Draenor
, Varian Wrynn from
Legion
, and Anduin Wrynn from
Battle for Azeroth
. We see Sylvanas Windrunner from the beginning of
Shadowlands
, the Dragon Aspects led by Alexstrasza in
Dragonflight
, and, finally, Anduin and Thrall in the
War Within
's cinematic trailer
.
In darkness... she slumbers... and dreams. And for countless generations, mortal heroes have risen to defend her. They faced monsters, tyrants, and beasts of primordial horror. Though they fought amongst themselves... their enmity following them to the most distant shores... "We will never be slaves!" ...and even across time... and space... their courage never faltered. Even upon the very threshold of death. While new hope blooms on the horizon, the final battle draws near.
The message is clear, and daring. The impression is that we are finally reaching the end of a story - one that reaches back to the very beginning of
World of Warcraft
. Xal'atath refers to "the final battle" - a battle that has been foretold by more than one character - a battle between the forces of the Light and the forces of the Void.
Renilash - The Final Battle
We have spoken more than once about
Velen's prophecy
of a battle between the Light and the Darkness. While Anduin was still a child, Velen saw a vision of a great battle between the Shadow and the Army of the Light - which would be made up of all the races of the Alliance and Horde, accompanied by dragons and the naaru, and led by an adult Anduin Wrynn. As
Midnight
looms after
War Within
, it's worth noting that Velen's vision did not end with victory - the final words are, "And the light began to fade..."
In Hallowfall, we will learn that the Arathi Emperor - the current, living one who rules over the Arathi Empire that's somewhere beyond the storms - also had a vision of a final battle between the Light and the Void. The Arathi of Hallowfall were sent to take part in this battle, which they have named "Renilash", a name that can't help but put us in mind of "Ragnarök", the final battle from Norse mythology, during which most of the major gods would die, and the earth would be destroyed and be made anew.
It's interesting that Xal'atath herself speaks of this final battle. We can see the Void closing in on Azeroth's soul, but Xal'atath knows we won't give our World's Soul up without a fight. After all,
she's been observing us for longer than we know
.
The Heart of the World
As we look forward now, the cinematics' focus switches to the characters we'll meet in the War Within. The Earthen, who built the Coreway that will take us deep below the surface of Azeroth. Faerin Lothar - an Arathi of Hallowfall. When she was a child, Faerin snuck aboard the expedition that was sent to take part in Renilash, chasing after a vision of a falling star - they were caught in a storm, and though Faerin survived, she lost an arm and an eye. Faerin is a devoted follower of the Light. The star that the Arathi followed is Beledar, the crystal that acts as a sun to Hallowfall - though ever since the Sword of Sargeras pierced the world, the crystal has started sometimes turning Void.
Most mysteriously, we see Orweyna, a harronir we will meet in Azj-Kahet. Very little is known about the harronir so far, only that these guardians are more important than they first appear, and they
protect the roots that we believe belong to Elun'Ahir, the very first World Tree
.
Certain hints
have also lead us to believe they may be a playable race in the future.
Now, in the darkness... ...at the very heart of the world... the drums of war thunder And Azeroth, at last, awakens. The World Soul, so long denied me, shall be mine.
From Xal'atath's own words, she has been planning to claim the World Soul for a very... very long time.
The Shadowy Figure of
Season of Discovery
on Classic
suggests strange deals she made with some of Azeroth's mortals back at the start of Classic. The history of the dagger she once inhabited is infamous - through it, Xal'atath has key figures from
World of Warcraft
's history
from Zan'do, the Gurubashi troll who first resurrected Kith'ix, to Modgud, the Sorceress Queen of the Dark Iron
. I can't help but remember why Xal'atath was in that dagger to begin with - according to
the Word of the Conclave
, Xal'atath may have been an Old God -
the fifth Old God
- who was turned on by her own. Some of her whispers support this - she has a tendency to call the Old Gods her brothers, and seems to seek revenge against them.
We may face some of my brethren in this conflict... a prospect that delights me. Their power will be mine! They will pay for what was done to me long ago.
If Xal'atath has been "denied" Azeroth's World Soul for "so long", is it possible that it was the other Old Gods who denied her first? A
trading post item
links Xal'atath to Dimensius the All-Devouring, a Void Lord who consumed the planet of K'aresh - the Ethereals' home planet. We recently learned that the
Ethereals experienced a Radiant Song just like ours before Dimensius consumed their world
. Old Gods are meant to simply infect a planet - preparing it for the Void - but what if one did consume a World Soul? Would it transform them into a Void Lord? Is this Xal'atath's plan? Perhaps the other Old Gods trapped her because of her ambitions... but this is just the wildest speculation.
All we know, for now, is that Xal'atath is indeed a truly powerful and deadly threat - arguably far worse than some of the previous Old Gods we've dealt with, such as N'Zoth. If she is an Old God, she's also extremely different to some of the previous ones we've dealt with. Xal'atath seems content, for now, to inhabit the form of a dead elf. Though we don't actually want her consuming our world, I can't help but admit I'd be curious to see what she'd look like afterwards...
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