Will 9.2 deal with the Sword in Silithus/Chamber of Heart?

[ZazuuPriest]

I realize that. I was just wondering (and potentially speculating) if the expansion-long talk about the "soul of your world" will come into play at all since we are coming to the end of the expansion, if it had really any narrative significance or was it just generic bad guy talk.

considering this entire expansion and every facet of it is as generic as it can possibly be (in an attempt to shoehorn the big bad guy into relevance) I'd say that its just generic bad guy talk

[KOUNTERPARTS]

There's evidently a Blizzard e-mail going around that repeats the "Soul of Azeroth" bit. Seems as much as they have repeated it through the expansion, there must be something planned. If not 9.2 then maybe in the pre-patch for 10.0.

https://www.wowhead.com/news/the-sou...evealed-324887

Yeah I saw that too. A part of what prompted me to create the thread.

considering this entire expansion and every facet of it is as generic as it can possibly be (in an attempt to shoehorn the big bad guy into relevance) I'd say that its just generic bad guy talk

Starting to look like this for sure.

[Progenitor Aquarius]

If this constellar dies there will be no way to reset the damn thing and remove the sword. We could have such a nice world rewamp here, but it seems narrative doesn’t think so.

[mizzie]

This is true currently as the expansion isn't over yet, and we won't know for sure until the expansion is in fact over, but that's not what the thread is about.


Once again I need to try attention to me not stating that the world-soul will have relevance next patch, only that given the language that has been used going into the expansion and during the expansion up to this point, as well as the same language being used for the next patch... that could there be a possibility?

There's a possibility Magatha Grimtotem could show up.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

There's a possibility Magatha Grimtotem could show up.

Should have known better engaging with a brand new burner account.

[exochaft]

What sword? Nothing to see here...

But seriously, I can see Blizz not using it in the very near future... because if they don't, the pacing of WoW storytelling typically says they won't use it again. Do I think the use of the sword will be shoe-horned in? I think at the very least, it'll be very questionably used, probably coming off almost like deus ex machina since the sword itself (as far as the narrative goes) has been long forgotten and not doing anything.

I can't remember, and I don't really care to check, but what is the exact origin of Sargeras' sword? Is it something he made himself, or is it something that he could've gotten from Zovaal via the 6D chess narrative we have? I suppose it doesn't matter in the long run, as Blizz could just change its known origins arbitrarily, using logic a la Chronicles of "unreliable narrator." Regardless, I could definitely see Blizz going the route of "Well, Sargeras was on our side all along! He intentionally left the sword for us to use in the future, that's why the world wasn't destroyed when he stabbed it!" or something along those lines. At this point, my cynical side doesn't rule out elevating 6D chess to 7D chess.

I think a much better option for a resolution to the story would be that the sword plays no role in this story. Considering the tidbits in the novels (ugh, and if this is true, it's going to seem very awkward if you only play the game), having the Shadow/Void play a role in everything makes more sense. It has been shown that Shadow/Void has a unique resistance to the Domination magic, and the novels show that Anduin actually has Shadow auras even visibly manifesting on him just prior to Shadowlands... so how we free him may have less to do with us, and more to do with Anduin letting Shadow influence or overtake him to break or weaken the Domination magic. How that ultimately resolves itself against the Jailer would likely be that the players would actually embrace some Shadow influence to win the day... whether Zovaal actually does something or not that affects reality, anything could happen. Going forward, such a resolution would allow us rescuing Anduin who embraced the Shadow to survive actually coming into conflict with Turalyon and the Light when going back home.

Anyways, the sword would just feel weird to use at this point, especially since there's been no mention of it nor any reason to indicate that it's even useful after the events of BfA.

[mizzie]

Should have known better engaging with a brand new burner account.

She might perform a striptease for you.

[Comfortable]

I think a much better option for a resolution to the story would be that the sword plays no role in this story. Considering the tidbits in the novels (ugh, and if this is true, it's going to seem very awkward if you only play the game), having the Shadow/Void play a role in everything makes more sense. It has been shown that Shadow/Void has a unique resistance to the Domination magic, and the novels show that Anduin actually has Shadow auras even visibly manifesting on him just prior to Shadowlands... so how we free him may have less to do with us, and more to do with Anduin letting Shadow influence or overtake him to break or weaken the Domination magic. How that ultimately resolves itself against the Jailer would likely be that the players would actually embrace some Shadow influence to win the day... whether Zovaal actually does something or not that affects reality, anything could happen. Going forward, such a resolution would allow us rescuing Anduin who embraced the Shadow to survive actually coming into conflict with Turalyon and the Light when going back home.

Maybe Sylvanas dies during the Anduin fight and that triggers him to summon the void? "Her third death will usher in our coming" or something? Maybe the first part of the fight is fighting undead powered Anduin, Sylvanas dies in a cutscene between phases, Anduin calls the void, and the second part of the fight is us fighting him with both powers. At the end of the fight the void wins and he becomes Voiduin.

[Coolface330]

It's plausible.

I presume 9.2 will have a Ensemble Cast of EVERY. SINGLE. DEAD. Warcraft Hero to come back and have another go.

I mean, it is the land of the dead. There was a lot of war.

Where ma man Tyrion Fordridge at??

:/

[sensei]

I spoke with my friend who has been away from the game for a few years and sent him a link to the developer video and he watched it and replied "lol nice way to avoid any commitment" and I asked him what he meant and he said "Well they basically have a deus ex machina built into the damn patch, they are talking about the creators of reality, sounds like a nice way to be able to not worry about anything they have you do because at the end they can just wipe the slate clean and start over". And well he's not wrong, short of time travel, being able to change reality is a one of the biggest clichés in lazy writing. So considering the way things have been going and how lazy Blizz has been about the way they've handled the story, I could totally see them having you reset everything at the end of 9.2 and the sword is gone, Pandaria is fixed, everything destroyed in the Cataclysm is restored and everyone that died is alive again. Rainbows, unicorn farts and everyone rides off into the sunset until the next expansion or WoW 2, whatever the case might be.

[huth]

There were a few developer interviews in which it was said that Shadowlands would deal with the sword and tie up that story, so to speak, but it hasn't materialized as of yet. You can see the interview with Danuser and Taliesin here, the sword/Silithus question being near the end.

Do they actually say that it'll happen in SL specificially? No time to scour through the video for the particular quote, and the writeup only says "it will play a role", but not when.

[Skirdus]

If Sylvanas can get a redemption arc after burning Teldrassil I don't see why Sargeras can't get a redemption arc after stabbing Azeroth

[The Stormbringer]

We're at Eternity's End. We're still somewhere in the Shadowlands. Zereth Mortis is tucked away in the Shadowlands. It's the behind the scenes command center they used to create the Shadowlands. We're as far removed from Azeroth as we possibly can be.

Then why is there an Azerite-colored energy beam shooting up from some hole in the group behind the Jailer in one part?

[Doffen]

Should be a legendary drop from the janitor.

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If Sylvanas can get a redemption arc after burning Teldrassil I don't see why Sargeras can't get a redemption arc after stabbing Azeroth

Always liked that guy. I mean, he did/do have the intention in the right place, just not the execution.

[Archmage Xaxxas]

What could Azeroth's world-soul have to do with the desire to change the laws of reality? Do you think one will have to do with the other? Do you think the Jailer needs to first "rewrite these laws of reality" in order to gain access to Azeroth's world-soul? Do you even care at this point?

We'll hopefully see what exactly is implied by Azeroth being titled "The Great Cycle" in the Shadowlands Cosmology, and that could clear up some questions.

I think you're on the right track focusing on the Jailer's desire to claim Azeroth. I believe he also referred to it as a 'grand prize'? and in the same sentence, "the secret The First Ones sought to hide" irc.


This kind of gave me an idea just now. The Red Energy that disables the Arbiter has mostly been chalked up to two major suspects. Simply Denathrius, or perhaps still Argus' Soul.

Occuring at the same time as Argus' death is Sargeras stabbing Azeroth's Heart, where presumably her World Soul is located.. What if that Red Energy was from Sargeras stabbing her Soul and 'injecting' something into The Shadowlands through her?

That becomes wild lorewise but with the Azerite flow behind Zovaal in The Sepulcher, I'm kind of buying into Zereth Mortis possibly being a plane/realm within the core of Azeroth at this point.


It was a key announcement point that 'our connection to Azeroth' is what helped us escape the Maw, and activated The First Ones waystone there.

[Aucald]

Do they actually say that it'll happen in SL specificially? No time to scour through the video for the particular quote, and the writeup only says "it will play a role", but not when.

It was an interview about the story and events of Shadowlands, so that would be the direct implication. There's wiggle room in there, of course.

[Moozart]

I've been thinking about the recurring theme of "death comes for the soul of Azeroth" that has been present in this expansion.


From the pre-release media describing the theme/story, to the Jailer proclaiming it during the escape from the Maw scenario (Death comes for the soul of your world!), to the Primus repeating that same line (Death comes for the soul of your world, mortal. But together, we may yet save it.)... and now for official descriptions of the next patch by Blizzard themselves uses the same line: the soul of Azeroth depends on it!


So thinking about this while also thinking about what we know about the world-soul of Azeroth since Legion and BfA, I can't help but think the Chamber of Heart and Sargeras' sword coming into play.


The Jailer so fixated on getting to the Sepulcher of the First Ones in order to "rewrite the rules of reality" yet he still wants the "soul of Azeroth" at the same time.


What could Azeroth's world-soul have to do with the desire to change the laws of reality? Do you think one will have to do with the other? Do you think the Jailer needs to first "rewrite these laws of reality" in order to gain access to Azeroth's world-soul? Do you even care at this point?



EDIT: Yes, this question came about after seeing this post on the WoW Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comment...tory_is_going/

Doubt it as we aren't leaving shadowlands. If that gets taken care of chances are we wont find out until next xpack prehatch when we, the hero finally leaves shadowlands.

[Powerogue]

It'd be the best time to do so but I am genuinely worried they've forgotten about that line considering my absolute bafflement at them seemingly forgetting Thrall's promise to Tyrande in the SL prequel book.

I'm up for being surprised, they have mentioned we'll see more of Tyrande, but as is I'm hesitant to get hopes up.

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It's plausible.

I presume 9.2 will have a Ensemble Cast of EVERY. SINGLE. DEAD. Warcraft Hero to come back and have another go.

I mean, it is the land of the dead. There was a lot of war.

Where ma man Tyrion Fordridge at??

:/

I admit I would be a huge sucker for a big Endgame moment like that.

[Progenitor Aquarius]

I think Azeroth is a First One who wasn’t born yet.

[Aresk]

Given that they set up Zovaal's motivations to involve Azeroth's soul as early as Shadow's Rising, it'd be very disappointing if further expounding upon that doesn't show up at some point. I could see the sword having some minor effect in that (e.g. Azerite shooting out of the wound in a geyser, dislodging the sword as Zovaal siphons it for his own aims), but I don't expect it to play a major role.