So what exactly does Azerite do?

[Wilfire]

So Before the Storm suggests that holding Azerite / being in close proximity to it makes you smarter. Yet only Sylvanas and Anduin ever note getting this spike in intelligence from Azerite and beyond the initial visions that they get neither of them really become noticeably smart. Sylvanas' plan falls apart because Saurfang refuses to kill Malfurion even though she should have foreseen that possibility, Azerite or not. Anduin's plan for peace falls apart even though he should have foreseen Calia's stunt at Arathi, Azerite or not.

Other characters seem to not be affected by Azerite at all. Neither the Blood Trolls, nor the Ashvane Company, the Mogu, the Heartsbane Coven or Zul's forces gain any power from it even though all of them seek to collect it. Actually Zul should've used Azerite to juice up G'huun but he didn't seem overly interested in it even though he was supposedly the smartest man on Zandalar.

In other cases Azerite seems to boost one's physical prowess. Earth elementals become enhanced by Azerite but at the cost of their minds. Other elementals seem to be completely unaffected by Azerite as seen in island expeditions. Then you have Therazane's forces try to collect it in the Crucible of Flame questchain and they don't lose their minds even though they are earth elementals.

Animals seem to either go crazy (Island Expeditions) or become depressed (Fey Dragons in Mount Hyjal) upon interacting with Azerite. So does Azerite improve your intelligence or does it make you go crazy? Do Fey Dragons become depressed because Azerite makes them self-aware and they realize the abject horror of their existence?

Some factions also try to use Azerite as a weapon or fuel for war machines but they don't seem to be more powerful or efficient than standards weapons or standard fuel. In all uses of Azerite war machines they got overpowered by conventional weapons and scored a grand total of 0 kills.

Is Azerite supposed to be social commentary about oil? Come to think of it, it's always found offshore (Island Expeditions, Nazj'vel, Seething Shore) or exotic foreign locations (Zandalar, Kul Tiras, Silithus). Is there any reason it only seems to pop up on islands, mountains and caves but nowhere else?

It seems like Azerite is just the cheapest and most abundant source of power / fuel available but it's not particularly more powerful or efficient than other sources of power / fuel. Its effects on intelligence are also questionable at best. So why exactly is it special? Am I missing something? What does it do?

[KOUNTERPARTS]

well , sounds like you just answered your own question

Seems like you did your research and found out what it is / what it does ... why post this ??

[Super Dickmann]

It advances the plot.

Or rather, it would have advanced the plot in an earlier draft. When they realized they could just have the Horde hit first for laughs instead azerite as a pretext for war was discarded.

[MisterBigglez]

It increases my neck level so I can unlock more essence slots.

[fatgunn]

From what I remember in the book azerite is a sorta magical catalyst/enhancer. It can make armor and weapons more resilient, boost the output of fuel, and increase the power of enchantments. When a small amount of azerite added to poison will enhance its lethality while small amounts of poison applied to azerite will be rendered inert.

Also apparently it can make goblins grow hair.

[Rozz]

Azerite is a cure all fuel that can essentially do anything. It can be used to boost intelligence, but I'm not sure if it's as good at this as kajamite.

I personally view Azerite's true potential as bringing peace and helping racial evolution, since its innate properties mirror the well of eternity. However since the races are already so functionally advanced, they focus on weaponizing it since there is nothing else Azerite gives that they truly need. All that's left is for Azerite to be used for war (Sylvanas), peace(Anduin), or infused back into the planet (Magni). Alternatively it can act as a catalyst for something all together different, such as a new well, freeing the old gods, etc.

[Dagoth Ur]

Azerite and possibilities of its application alone could've fueled this whole faction war considering what happened in Legion. Apart from where Heart of Azeroth plays a part in freeing N'zoth, I'm not sure why it was even needed in context of the war since from beginning they opted for retread of everyone's favorite morality lesson instead.

[Feanoro]

It increases my neck level so I can unlock more essence slots.

Pretty much this. They more or less abandoned it as a story element when they realized farmable AP wasn't that exciting, unless they were prepared to show its effects in game. As much of the stuff as we've absorbed by now we should be walking demigods.

[Powerogue]

Pretty much this. They more or less abandoned it as a story element when they realized farmable AP wasn't that exciting, unless they were prepared to show its effects in game. As much of the stuff as we've absorbed by now we should be walking demigods.

It's a good thing we put all that power into a necklace that can be easily shattered, corrupted, or stolen at the end of the expansion.

[BEYR]

It McGuffin's harder than an infinity stone.

[Lothaeryn]

It McGuffin's harder than an infinity stone.

A mcguffin so powerful it renders itself useless to it's own plot.

[Soon-TM]

It's a good thing we put all that power into a necklace that can be easily shattered, corrupted, or stolen at the end of the expansion.

Yes, it was basically a hamfisted way to reintroduce Legion's AP. It could have had some potential as plot device for the faction war, but having two world superpowers competing for natural resources looks like it wasn't as Morally Grey™ as MoP 2.0. At least for the current batch of writers.

[Necromind]

It is pretty weird how Azerite was painted as some sort of war-changing superweapon material just to be forgotten as expantion began.
War of Thorns still makes reference to Azerite control, making little sense strategicaly but still , but as soon as we step into Kul'tiras/Zandalar it becomes irrelevant as a plot point.
Sure, there is SOME azerite weaponry, total of like 5/½ Azerite-fueled war machines appear in BFA and they act the same as regular vehicles, but bigger and making boom louder!
What a missed oportunity to write a diferent kind of faction war. Although agruably Blizzard is incapable of writing any kind of sensical war as of late.

[Nadiru]

It's the best omni-tool since the Iron Star. It's a bomb, it's a fuel source, it makes swords explode when they slice into stuff.

[Kyphael]

It's like rainbow-hued cocaine. It comes from the planet, it's worth a lot of money, it drives people insane and people will kill for it.

[Combatbutler]

It should be the most powerful thing on the planet, pure arcane titan blood, it should enhance evolution, its vicinity should grant immortality and any mage worth their salt should be able to do unimaginable things with this kind of power at their fingertips, a single vial of the stuff can create things like the sunwell.

So what we have seen so far of Azerite is incredibly weak, indicating once again that blizz did not think this whole thing through.

[Aucald]

Azerite is many things - it's a power source, a general enhancement catalyst, and its essence brims with the energies of ingenuity and creativity apparently. I like to think of it as concentrated Titanic/Arcane energy, the essence of Order, tinged with powerful Spirit energies (responsible for its apparent beneficial effects on the mental state of sentient beings).

[sillag]

it does nothing. its just gunpowder. thats all they use it for. blizz can lie all they like about it being this wondrous world changing shit that can do "anything" but all they use it for is making weak looking flashy gunpowder that blasts open metal gates. also there are some mobs out there draining it and gaining all the strength of a non-elite quest mob. what a fucking sham. blizzard should be embarrassed at how badly they failed to make azerite interesting.

oh yeah and they made azerite siege tanks which look like and are just regular siege tanks. lmao you cant make this shit up

[bloomy]

it wastes your time.

[Shadowsgrace]

it wastes your time.

Beat me to it.