Planes of World of Warcraft

[He-man]

So cataclysm strongly features the Elemental Planes.. .. but what does that mean for Outland and the Emerald Dream.. With the Elemental invasion effecting Outland as well is it possible that the Planes structure is more inclusive than exclusive (to the elements)..

Outland is the Plane of Arcane?
Firelands is the Plane of fire
Vashir is the Plane of water
Deephome is the Plane of Earth
that other place is the Plane of Air
Emerald Dream is the Plane of life? maybe we will see the holy light there.. etc etc....

Whats the Plane of Death then ... sure the Twisting neither is in Outland.. but i think thats more to do with the nature of mortality being connected to magic in wow... like some where outside of Outland or close by is the Plane of death... via the legion perhaps?

Also going by this theory we see the Planes being very close and even possible of braking thru into Azeroth.. Could this mean for example.. just like the Plain of Air is in the sky above Uldum and Deephome is under the maelstrom .. could we perhaps .. see outland crashing into Azeroth.. much like the dranie mother ship? south seas etc..

and maybe perhaps rather than the emerald dream being a place to go to it will come to us... much like the Emerald drakes?

maybe abit to theory orientated.. but i think thinking the elemental Planes being exclusive in there behaviour is wrong with the envision taking place in outland as well!

[Deleted]

Outland was a completely diffrent planet (Draenor) the only connection it has to azeroth is the dark portal it isnt a plane and the twisting nether is like space basically iirc

[Leftineus]

Outland was a completely diffrent planet (Draenor) the only connection it has to azeroth is the dark portal it isnt a plane and the twisting nether is like space basically iirc

Which is why its stupid there are elemental rifts in outland for the current event, but I guess they have to do it for all levels for game play reasons.

[Skronk]

Which is why its stupid there are elemental rifts in outland for the current event, but I guess they have to do it for all levels for game play reasons.

exactly, it is so to ensure players in the 58-68 bracket dont miss it.

[Grumlin]

sure the Twisting neither is in Outland..

http://www.wowwiki.com/Twisting_Nether

[Lugo Moll]

Outland was a completely diffrent planet (Draenor) the only connection it has to azeroth is the dark portal it isnt a plane and the twisting nether is like space basically iirc

Actually, WoW's outer space equivalent is called The Dark Beyond. It's the physical void between planets.

The twisting nether is a bit more funky, to compare it to The Dark Beyond, you can think of it as the magical void between different dimensions rather than the space between physical planets.

On topic: OP is way off. The elemental planes has got nothing to do with Outland or The Emerald Dream.

[Elementlawl]

There's only 4 planes of Azeroth. They're: Air, Earth, Fire, and Water.

Description
When the titans defeated the Old Gods and
brought order to the world, one of their first acts was
to banish the Elemental Lords and their servants to
a prison within the Twisting Nether. These agents
of chaos could not be allowed to roam freely, or they
would disrupt the new order the titans sought to
create. Thus, the titans fashioned a separate plane
to hold their old foes. Over the course of a short
period, they cast all the elementals they could find
into this hastily crafted “jail.”
The plane the titans created is spherical and
comparatively small — about the size of a single
world. A glowing yellow orb, casting forth light and
heat, hovers near the top point of the globe, acting
as the “sun” for the entire plane. Normal levels of
gravity pull physical objects toward the bottom of
the sphere, where the realm of fire lies. A thick
layer of permanent, tunnel-ridden stone supports
the earth and water on the surface. Above, a layer
of air hangs over the ground, never reaching the
fiery turbulence beneath.
The sphere itself is curved in a curious way that
tends to baffle creatures of Azeroth’s reality. As
befits the plane’s prison function, escaping through
ordinary movement is impossible. A creature attempting
to move out of the sphere simply curves
inexorably around, moving toward the other side.
Thus, if one were to sail across the ocean in a boat,
he would eventually arrive on the exact opposite
side of the plane’s sole continent. The land itself is
slightly larger than Kalimdor, while the seas are
about the same width in all directions.
The four elements that make up the plane are
constantly in opposition and tend to shift and tear
at each other, sometimes violently. Volcanoes rip
through the solid mantle, assaulting both the land
and sea realms wherever they can. The air swirls in
unpredictable storms, producing whirlwinds and
hurricanes that rake the surface. Yet through all
this, life exists, filling the skies and lands with
creatures similar to those on Azeroth, as well as
those as yet unknown to sages.
Access
Reaching the Elemental Plane can be accomplished
through any standard method (i.e., those
spells that allow planar travel, such as plane shift or
gate). Elementals can also be summoned using the
appropriate spells, but these spells do not permit
travel in the opposite direction.
Some areas on Azeroth provide direct access to
specific locations upon the Elemental Plane. Scholars
refer to these areas as “transit nodes.” Although
no permanent gate exists, opening the transit node
can be accomplished through a simple dimension
door spell cast within 30 feet of the node. The
dimension door allows the traveler to step through
directly into the Elemental Plane at a specific spot
corresponding to that transit node. In other words,
a traveler can later use the same node again to reach
the identical location — a far more reliable method
of travel than plane shift, for example.
Transit nodes exist only in specific elementalbased
locations on Azeroth, such as within
volcanoes, underneath deep oceans or lakes, and
the like. Identifying one while traveling in the
appropriate terrain requires a DC 35 Knowledge
(the planes) or Spellcraft check.

[General Vezax]

Elemental Plane and Emerald Dream. Thats it.

The elemental plane is a prison for the elementals of Azeroth (the titans apparently cant kill the living manifestations of nature, so they just made them go away)

The emerald dream is the "ideal" version of Azeroth if sentient species didnt interfere, also created by the titans.


Therefore, outland is its own thing. It was the planet Draenor until Ner'zhul blew it up.

The Twisting nether is a part of space. If you go to outland and look at the sky, you see large streaks of color going from place to place. That is the twisting nether. It is how things are summoned from one place to another and how the burning legion gets around. Note that the Great Dark (outer space) and the twisting nether are not the same, as the twisting nether is an actual place.

[Elementlawl]

The twisting nether is a bit more funky, to compare it to The Dark Beyond, you can think of it as the magical void between different dimensions rather than the space between physical planets.

You've got that backwards.

It looks like this (obviously other planets and whatnot are missing):

[Lemming81]

Which is why its stupid there are elemental rifts in outland for the current event, but I guess they have to do it for all levels for game play reasons.

A big part of the Outland storyline is how Outland's elemental planes are screwed up.Also, it has it's own Elemental planes, it doesn't share the same ones as Azeroth. It's presumed each planet gets it's own elemental planes which makes sense as not every planet would necessarily have the same elements.

[Kaysha]

Which is why its stupid there are elemental rifts in outland for the current event, but I guess they have to do it for all levels for game play reasons.

Actually, if you do the invasion quest line, you learn that Dark Cultists are spreading the "mysterious devices". These devices create the rifts - so apparently, a number of Cultists have moved on to Outland to spread Elemental mayhem there as well.

[Documentor]

Actually, the rifts in Outland are apparently a 'natural' problem. Because Outland itself is so devastated the elementals have an easier time just breaking in on their own.

It's likely that the lore will state these elemental attacks have always been present in outland, it just wasn't convenient for them to be in-game.

[Mondroc]

The problem with the elemental planes is that the exact nature of them has changed quite alot and in fact some of their current lore doesn't even really fit in. Example? Murmur and Ahune, both elemental lords. All elementals must come from somewhere. There are theories that there are other planes amongst the 4, but are more sub-planes. Ahune > water (frost), Murmur > air (sound) however it has not been directly stated anywhere.

Edit: After further reading it does seem like Ahune posseses his own realm of ice but it is technically under the control of neptulon so I guess he doesn't count.

[Rhywolver]

I didn't know that there are elemental spawns in Outland too, but that might be just because you need to fight elementals of your appropriate level for the the quest items (as far as I know), you shouldn't take it that seriously regarding lore.

On the other hand, Azeroth and Draenor aren't that far away from each other physically, as you can see Azeroth from the top of the black temple.

[Kaysha]

On the other hand, Azeroth and Draenor aren't that far away from each other physically, as you can see Azeroth from the top of the black temple.

They're completely different planets.

[fushio]

From what I can understand, before Ner'zhul portal megaparty, both Azeroth and Drenor were normal planets, floating in the space(called the dark beyond) like planets in real life.
The twisting nether is some sort of alternate dimension, completelly chaotic in nature, were the law of physics does not apply. This place is where the power of arcane magic is born, and their malleable nature and chaotic nature is part of the reason magic portals exist: They are, in fact, temporal paths open in the twisting nether that uses that plane unique propierties to create shorcuts between two distant points of the normal reality.
When Ner'zhul opened so many portals, the very fabric of reality weakened due the exposure to the chaotic energies of the twisting nether, and the planet known as Draenor shattered, and several of the biggest fragments of the planet sunk into the twisting nether, forming what we know as the outlands. The outlands exist inside a bubble of stability inside a sea of pure chaos and energy, in a very precarious situation. In this peculiar environment, it is possible to find phenomena that defy the laws of physics, like floating rocks, storms of pure magical energy, a vision of a remote planet in the sky, etc...
The elemental planes are also alternate dimensions, with two differences with the twisting nether, they are artificial, created by the titans, and they are finite, existing as a shadow of azeroth. Depholme is at the center, the Firelands at the bottom, Skywall at the top and the Abisal Maw around Depholme (someone correct me if needed). They were created as a prison for the elemental minions of the old gods, giving them a place to figth at their leisure without perturbing the titan's works.
The emeral dream is a...very curious plane. It is tied with nature and dreams, and seem to work like a "plane of life", and as the memory of Azeroth, his "soul" if you prefer. The druids seem to obtain part of their powers form it, and are entitled to protect it in exchange.

[Zoroash]

Outland is not the Plane of Arcane. It is just a destroyed planet (Draenor).

[Rhywolver]

They're completely different planets.

Yes, I know that - Isn't Azeroth the name of the whole planet? When you look up at the moon, you realize that it's Azeroth.

Found a picture, maybe you can find better ones...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2744/...0417c6d7_o.jpg

Also, the Draenei used the Exodar to get from the one planet to the other, no use of portals here.

[Zanardam]

Outland is the Plane of Arcane?

/facepalm.....

[He-man]

yes but there is no portal to get the the Elemental plane of Air .. its just floating above uldum

and you could argue there is no portal to get to deep-home either.. its literally underneath the maelstrom

Now sure you could say.. well thats because Cataclysm is all about the Planes braking thru to the real world.. and in cataclysms case exclusively the Elemental planes... but then you start to question things in the past.

in regard to some thing like Rag in molten core do you think he ported to MC.. then chilled in the lava? or did he just travel there via lava via a more physical and elemental nature?

Also what about Murmur and Ahune who both appear in outland.. .. ??

what im trying to say i guess is.. more to the point

that perhaps the Elemental planes are not.. a "element" of each planet.. but rather a physical place. so drastically different to every where els . that it effects all other objects within that universe.. abit like moons and gravity etc.

I think its being hinted that its abit more universal and not just a unique element for that planet.. not alot to go on here really..

also you shouldn't use the role-play books as source.. they have already been officially discredited as non canonical in many aspects. But i do agree that talking about this kind of unknown they might be useful.. as Metzen does come from a simlare RP background i would guess? but maybe hes thinking differently now.

I hope you don't take this as me trying to be Way off for way off sake.. i just think its a interesting unknown.

Me riffing..

The main reason im thinking about this is the future of outland.. i just really digg the idea of outland finally being shuttered too far under the legions grip and crashing down form the sky into the seas of Azeroth in flames.. and forging a more advanced island chain.... maybe around Pandaria..?... i think that would be a wicked way to introduce the Pandarian.. as them looking up at the stars falling from the sky and realising that their people need to do more now than just drink brews.