What is Mistweaving?

[Maljinwo]

I tried searching for information about the mists the monks use for healing, and All I found was that they use the spirit of life to do so.
But is that it?

Just the spirit of life? Shamans can, theorically, use it too but use water to heal. Does anyone know if the mists they use are something entirely different? (Apart from the whole mixing traditional herbal medicine with Pandaren martial arts.)

[Arrashi]

Its art of controlling your own brew-produced farts. It was orignally used by brew-heretics who thought that throwing lolbrew at your enemies is stupid.

It was forgotten for almost 1000 years, but reintroduced after great brew reform.

[Ozzyorcborne]

I just assumed "Mists" refer to vapors from one of their brews, like a healing beer or something.

[Arrashi]

It's herbal medicine with some ww fighting style and spirit/chi.

Old canon described them as weaving actual mists but it's been retconned in the chronicle.

It would be hilarious if their abilities worked like 1 day a week and only in certain seasons. Unless they live in england.

[Destinas]

It's chi - which is spirit energy. It's an elemental force related to the other elemental energies. Spirit energy is what keeps elementals either peaceful (when a planet has a lot of spirit energy) or raging (when that spirit energy is consumed by a world-soul, like Azeroth). It's opposite is the element of Decay.

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Spirit_(lore)

Basically, monks are shamans that specialize in spirit energy, using it in their martial arts.

[Maljinwo]

Basically, monks are shamans that specialize in spirit energy, using it in their martial arts.

That much I knew, since shamans can also use it.
But monks' mists look entirely different from the shaman way. That's what got me thinking if there was something else (specially with all the relationship Mistweaving has with Yu'lon)

[Destinas]

That much I knew, since shamans can also use it.
But monks' mists look entirely different from the shaman way. That's what got me thinking if there was something else (specially with all the relationship Mistweaving has with Yu'lon)

Shamans mostly use the four main elements and variations of them, so that's not a great comparison in the end. I suppose resto shamans use spirit energy in their spells to heal, but for years they had greenish energy as well. Dark Shamans that use decay have corrupted-looking elementals - look at the Dark Shaman fight in Siege of Orgrimmar.

Spirit energy is just spirit energy. Yu'lon is a Wild God that came from Pandaria, and most likely has some spirit energy in her, as well as arcane energy from Azeroth's "blood" like all other Wild Gods. The "mists" part of Pandaria has two parts to it, however - there's spirit energy, and the mists that surrounded Pandaria seem to have been partially spirit energy, and partially the Sha of Pride. Shaohao sealed away the other Sha Primes, but kept his pride of Pandaria to cloak it from the Sundering. Considering other races can use spirit energy as monks without being anywhere near Pandaria, we have to assume that it's simply how spirit energy works and looks.

Edit: The other major part of it is artistic choice. Warlocks, mages, and shamans all use fire spells, but they have different aesthetics to them. They don't all cast similar looking fire spells. Likewise, DKs and mages have different looking frost spells. Resto shamans use some spirit energy, but they want to keep their spells distinct compared to monk spells.

[Maljinwo]

Edit: The other major part of it is artistic choice. Warlocks, mages, and shamans all use fire spells, but they have different aesthetics to them. They don't all cast similar looking fire spells. Likewise, DKs and mages have different looking frost spells. Resto shamans use some spirit energy, but they want to keep their spells distinct compared to monk spells.

This might be it. I hope Blizz would have an actual answer though

[Aucald]

That much I knew, since shamans can also use it.
But monks' mists look entirely different from the shaman way. That's what got me thinking if there was something else (specially with all the relationship Mistweaving has with Yu'lon)

I view it as a different and specific wavelength of life/spirit energies, incarnated as jade mist-like effects. Essentially similar to the forces that Druids and Shaman employ in their healing magics, but passed through a specific cultural lens in a sense. Other magical forces in the Warcraft universe can appear in different forms or wavelengths as well - for example Arcane magic can manifest as temporal energy, energetic force, or even as physical manner in some cases.

[Veluren]

I view it as a different and specific wavelength of life/spirit energies, incarnated as jade mist-like effects. Essentially similar to the forces that Druids and Shaman employ in their healing magics, but passed through a specific cultural lens in a sense. Other magical forces in the Warcraft universe can appear in different forms or wavelengths as well - for example Arcane magic can manifest as temporal energy, energetic force, or even as physical manner in some cases.

There's also a thought that Mistweaver monks may be channeling purely through their own chi and mana, compared to shaman who are basically glorified warriors in pelts if they don't commune with the elements

It's channeling your own life energy versus channeling your life energy after empowering it via communing with the elementals

[Wildmoon]

Life manifested as nature magic is fundamentally not the same thing as spirit element. Druids mostly use the former. Shamans and monks use the latter.

I think "mist" is just a certian combination of basic elements that has the property of healing. Monks utilize spirit element to access it.