Players can kill Old Gold and Titans can't, why?

[Grazrug]

We haven't killed ANY old gods yet. Only Yshaarij was killed by Aman'thul.

[Narzok]

i think this is just one of blizzard's "break in case of fire" loophole.
with how easy it is to bring something back from death/coma/whatever, it does not really matter if the Old Gods are dead or just dormant.

fact is, we fought against some form of them, won, and their actions stopped for a certain time.
i don't know the timeline of the books relative to the game, but i don't think the voidlords where meant as anything we ever come into contact at the time the first Old Gods where put into the game's story.

and now they have the void as a likely theme and need to build it up.
voidlords are a lot stronger than Old Gods.
so unless they want to blow up Voidlords as some cartoonishly over-the-top omnipotent stuff, they might need to tone down the power of the minions relative to their masters.
if the writing lets it open, they can always change how powerful Old Gods "really" are.

[Qualia]

We haven't killed ANY old gods yet. Only Yshaarij was killed by Aman'thul.

Blizzard literally just told us few months ago that the Old Gods we defeated are dead. That's what they have been saying since Vanilla and for some reasons, some people just tried their best to turn their eyes away from it.

I mean no offense: I don't know if you are new or just an alternate account, but this topic has been discussed here over and over more than a dozen of times here. Every times, someone claimed that the Old Gods aren't dead, that we only defeated their manifestation / pushed them back to the prison or push them to a dormant state and whatnot; Then, other more knowledgeable posters told them "nope, that's wrong" with proper references link to official source. The threads'd then go back and forth for a while before concluding, just for the same question to pop up few weeks / months later like a vicious cycle.

All in all, we killed C'Thun and Yogg. They can be resurrected - just like everything else in WoW (and this is not a meta explanation, resurrection is a thing in-universe) - but they are dead.

and here's where you shove your opinion into it and it loses relevance, the mortal followers of the old gods often are insane.
the faceless are APART of them, separate and not, in mind, body, and soul.
like the sha are parts of Y'shaarj the faceless are to the old gods in general.

The thing is that, it has always been - since Vanilla - that the Old Gods we killed (C'Thun and then Yogg) are dead. We are told that by Blizzard on various platforms, from in-game quest text, to the comic, then to a number of interviews. When something goes against everything else - including Word of God or the Omniscient Narrator, the most probable explanation is that that "something" (in this case, Volazj) is just wrong, intentionally or not. My opinion matters not here, what Volazj said is wrong regardless since it goes against canon, including WoG.

Mind you, Prophet Skeram - the one we fought in Sillithus in AQ40 - also wrote a story depicted C'Thun fighting and falling together with a Titan - which turned out to be not true at all. It's not the first time what the Old Gods related beings said (including the Old Gods themselves) aren't too trustworthy.

[Aucald]

I've always maintained that we did indeed kill the Old Gods, but that killing them doesn't matter a whole lot in the final accounting. They are, as several of their minions put it, "outside the cycle" - death is pretty much meaningless to them, and they only change forms (often into something worse) when their corporeal forms are broken. Y'Shaarj became the amorphous Sha that gripped Pandaria, and the death of Yogg-Saron somehow invoked the Cataclysm. They could and indeed may return in some form - echoes or shadows or altogether new beings with a sinister agenda. Death is a slap on the wrist for them, basically; and their insidious energies still reside within the planet itself.

[nothingsjim]

We've been outright told why they didn't kill any after Y'shaarj. To risky, probably would kill the patient.
If they wanted to keep some alive for study, they'd probably pick ones not situated on a World Soul-inhabited planet.

Not sure why you're trying to guess at something we already know the answer to.

Too risky if a Titan directly rips it out from the planet, never said anything risky about the Titanforged killing Old God, except in the Tribunal of Ages, which Chronicle flat out said is filled with false information.

[Izalla]

some tme ago i also got one island mission to go into silithus and find a ex-twilight hammer member who, after srgers stabbing azeroth, stop listening the whispers, and he talk about some old gods shenanigans too



black goat is also refereed in yog's puzzle box, and its believed to be Y'shaarj

Those islands quests hints are by far, the most intriguing and interesting things about lore they have done in this expansion, and i hope they don't just forget/scrap/ruin those stories in the future

Also, there is no much left to be "villain" they have to create more or just bring back the old ones, with a more "epic" story and more screen-time, and not just off-raid like yog'ssaron, so, its pretty possible they coming back

They could do more olds goods, but they would need to retcon their own book.

Yeah I mentioned that one earlier! They really are laying a lot of groundwork for the return of the Black Empire. I hope they don't waste it.

[Coldfrostzero]

We've been outright told why they didn't kill any after Y'shaarj. To risky, probably would kill the patient.
If they wanted to keep some alive for study, they'd probably pick ones not situated on a World Soul-inhabited planet.

Not sure why you're trying to guess at something we already know the answer to.

Killing one on a non-world soul planet wouldn't have the same lingering affects. Thus, studying what it does there wouldn't accomplish much. Considering Azeroth having one ripped out caused the Well of Eternity to form and two others dying causing the Cataclysm it probably wouldn't be as catastrophic without the world soul. Speculating of course.

[huth]

Too risky if a Titan directly rips it out from the planet, never said anything risky about the Titanforged killing Old God, except in the Tribunal of Ages, which Chronicle flat out said is filled with false information.

It still caused trouble even when we did it, so the answer is likely that Titanforged wouldn't have fared any better.

And the Titans definitely weren't about to try after what happened on the first attempt.

[nothingsjim]

Killing one on a non-world soul planet wouldn't have the same lingering affects. Thus, studying what it does there wouldn't accomplish much. Considering Azeroth having one ripped out caused the Well of Eternity to form and two others dying causing the Cataclysm it probably wouldn't be as catastrophic without the world soul. Speculating of course.

Honestly, I felt that "Killing C'thun and Yogg" caused Cataclysm is poorly done because Blizzard offered so little explanation and we have to fill the gap with our headcanon.

Was it the death throes of C'thun and Yogg that provided the final burst of power needed by Deathwing to explode into Azeroth in Cataclysm?
Was it because N'zoth intentionally held Deathwing back, and only unleashed the dragon after other Old Gods are dead, so that he will be the only OG freed on Azeroth after Cataclysm?

I very much prefer something more direct, like Sargeras stabbing Azeroth level of direct.

Just to add one more headcanon:
I believe we inadvertently set the C'thun and Yogg'saron free by killing them. The Titans only chained their physical form, and by killing that, we end up allowing Old God ghosts roam free in Shadowland, causing all sorts of trouble. This is their backup plan all along, since they can influence the world much more efficiently as ghosts, and they have no shortage of cultists ready to resurrect their physical form.

[Zandalariprelate]

I've always maintained that we did indeed kill the Old Gods, but that killing them doesn't matter a whole lot in the final accounting. They are, as several of their minions put it, "outside the cycle" - death is pretty much meaningless to them, and they only change forms (often into something worse) when their corporeal forms are broken. Y'Shaarj became the amorphous Sha that gripped Pandaria, and the death of Yogg-Saron somehow invoked the Cataclysm. They could and indeed may return in some form - echoes or shadows or altogether new beings with a sinister agenda. Death is a slap on the wrist for them, basically; and their insidious energies still reside within the planet itself.

So basically like demons, except even in the void they just transform into another thing or their energies are consumed by another? Quite possible considering the great old ones birth from a outer god that is a dark lake and probably they return there if their avatars in this universe is destroyed.

[Varodoc]

This is a very good article released yesterday on Wowhead, I recommend everyone who cares about Old Gods to read it:

https://www.wowhead.com/news=290180/...fa-speculation

It ties into Hearthstone, which is obviously not canon but had an Old God expansion, and it offers some very good speculation for the future of the Old Gods.

Regarding Y'shaarj, though there is seemingly no trace left of him, the Mantid who were his minions have been ominously active in the Island Expeditions after years of seclusion, hinting at the Old God's possible return.

Ogmot the Mad in Silithus has visions of the mysterious circle of stars nearing completion, so this could somehow play into C'thun's favour.

As far as Yogg-Saron is concerned, he called himself "The God of Death" and could somehow be Bwonsamdi's secret boss and the one who whispered in Vol'jin's ears. In Wrath, Yogg-Saron wanted the Alliance and Horde to fight each other so that they would not be able to stand up to him, and it's happening the same in this expansion with Sylvanas and Anduin. Furthermore, Yogg-Saron is also known as "Hope's End", and what did Sylvanas seek to annihilate with the Burning of Teldrassil? The hope of the Alliance. I could see Yogg-Saron having a hand in Sylvanas' ascension to Warchief and the whole mystery surrounding Vol'jin.

In the end, even if Afrasiabi (the same guy of Sylvanas and the Wrathgate) stated that N'zoth is the last Old God left, it is blatantly clear that Blizzard is obviously dropping hints at the return, or at least at the active state, of the seemingly destroyed Y'shaarj, C'thun, and Yogg-Saron. And with N'zoth's bold claim to the player in 8.1.5, the literal rise of the Black Empire is looking very likely:

"That which was sunken shall rise.
All that were sleeping... shall be awakened."

And why is Hearthstone relevant? Because its expansion Whispers of the Old Gods imagines a scenarion where all four Old Gods, revived, corrupt the world. And Battle for Azeroth seems to be heading that way. The last boss in the Shrine of the Storms was a simple Faceless One and he claimed that he would journey to Ny'alotha, so I bet that Y'shaarj, C'thun, and Yogg-Saron also journeyed to Ny'alotha upon their "deaths" on Azeroth, setting them completely free from the shackles of their prisons and allowing them to be reformed.

[Archmage Alodi]

Thats not what Chronicles says

What chronicle is telling us might not be the whole truth and just because something isn't in chronicles doesn't make it not true.
But on the subject of elemental gates weakening, i haven't seen anything ingame or in any other sources implying that.

[Aucald]

What chronicle is telling us might not be the whole truth and just because something isn't in chronicles doesn't make it not true.
But on the subject of elemental gates weakening, i haven't seen anything ingame or in any other sources implying that.

I don't think "Chronicle" contains any mistruths or outright falsehoods - but it also doesn't contain the entirety of *everything* that happens in the Warcraft universe. It's a reference book that tells the story in broad strokes, more a chronology than anything else. Specific events, interpersonal things, and some secrets are left unsaid; so there is always the possibility that there is more to any given thing than the "Chronicle" books tell us.

[huth]

I don't think "Chronicle" contains any mistruths or outright falsehoods - but it also doesn't contain the entirety of *everything* that happens in the Warcraft universe. It's a reference book that tells the story in broad strokes, more a chronology than anything else. Specific events, interpersonal things, and some secrets are left unsaid; so there is always the possibility that there is more to any given thing than the "Chronicle" books tell us.

I'd say it is even necessary for it to be written that way. If it was to all-encompassing, it would be very easy for Blizzard to write themselves into a corner and be forced to change things simply so they can actually continue the story.

[Aucald]

I'd say it is even necessary for it to be written that way. If it was to all-encompassing, it would be very easy for Blizzard to write themselves into a corner and be forced to change things simply so they can actually continue the story.

I agree - it makes certain things known but leaves plenty of room open for interpretation, subtle revision, or later clarification.