Azerite Speculation

[RedNein]

I've been mulling it over for a little while and I'm not sure what to think about Azerite. A plutonium-esque magical substance kickstarting a factional conflict could be fun, but what can it do exactly and how does it change the setting itself with its inclusion? Are we going to have a brief flare up of tensions before settling into a cold war where both sides have proper world destroying class weapons pointed at one another? Will it even be relevant by the start of the next expansion? In the updated lore isn't the Well of Eternity essentially just a massive pool of Azerite or is it different somehow despite being described as the lifeblood of Azeroth's world soul?

What do you guys think?

[FelPlague]

the well was technically a pool of liquid azerite.


also yeah we do know the stuff can be used as explosives, or as super powerful fuel, or to power magical items all in the alpha.

also datamined horde and alliance seige tanks using it to power their cannons

[Aucald]

I don't know if Azerite will be relevant for the expansion after BfA given Brann's stated goal of gathering all of it using the Heart of Azeroth and returning it to Azeroth's world-soul once more - but it is definitely a key component and prime mover of the plot insofar as BfA is concerned. If Brann gets his way there will be no more Azerite on the face of Azeroth, it will be returned to where it should've always been. In BfA Azerite is being used in all sorts of things - from weapons of mass destruction to immense magical rituals and so forth. N'Zoth and G'huun also seem to have a vested interest in the material, probably using it to empower themselves and their minions.

[Deleted]

I think it was in Ogmot's journal where you could read that they are going to be swimming in Azerite soon and in the Alliance quests in Silithus the Gnome researcher tells you that it seems there's Azerite underground which revived and strengthened the Silithids, as they are coming back bigger and better after their hives had been destroyed.

So it can't be exactly Plutonium, because I very much doubt anyone in Silithus would still be alive after having been exposed to that amount, even only the amount on the surface. Also at Blizzcon they stated it's highly addictive when you eat it. So you can actually eat it and still feel the effect of an addiction instead of dying on the spot.

My take on it is it's the same thing that changed the Nightelves and powered up their magic and their artefacts by way of the Well of Eternity, the same thing that powered up Sholazar, Un'goro, the Eternal Vale and Hyjal and the same thing that made the Highelves and the Nightborne addicted. It's Titan blood.
And maybe a little Old God stuff mixed in.

I don't think we can equate any real life stuff to this, because it's simply purest magic. If ever there was stuff about which you can say: magic did it, it's this.

So I'll go with plenty of possibilities. ^^

[FelPlague]

I think it was in Ogmot's journal where you could read that they are going to be swimming in Azerite soon and in the Alliance quests in Silithus the Gnome researcher tells you that it seems there's Azerite underground which revived and strengthened the Silithids, as they are coming back bigger and better after their hives had been destroyed.

So it can't be exactly Plutonium, because I very much doubt anyone in Silithus would still be alive after having been exposed to that amount, even only the amount on the surface. Also at Blizzcon they stated it's highly addictive when you eat it. So you can actually eat it and still feel the effect of an addiction instead of dying on the spot.

My take on it is it's the same thing that changed the Nightelves and powered up their magic and their artefacts by way of the Well of Eternity, the same thing that powered up Sholazar, Un'goro, the Eternal Vale and Hyjal and the same thing that made the Highelves and the Nightborne addicted. It's Titan blood.
And maybe a little Old God stuff mixed in.

I don't think we can equate any real life stuff to this, because it's simply purest magic. If ever there was stuff about which you can say: magic did it, it's this.

So I'll go with plenty of possibilities. ^^

he means plutonium in power levels, not that it kills stuff just on its own, he means that it can be used for insane destruction, or for insane amounts of power.

[Deleted]

he means plutonium in power levels, not that it kills stuff just on its own, he means that it can be used for insane destruction, or for insane amounts of power.

Alright, that maybe. But in other discussions the Plutonium was brought up because the Azerite supposedly causes some kind of fallout too or corruption and I think using Plutonium for comparison in this case is just too misleading, because of the implications the usage of Plutonium would have.
But ok, the powerup potential alone, yes, that you could compare maybe.

[Ophenia]

Raw source of power but given that Sylvanas is a bit too much interested in it in my opinion, it could also "cure" the undead (aka the only people Sylvanas approximately cares about on Azeroth). After all, that's the only thing she cares about at all. When the Legion invaded Azeroth, the only interactions you had with her were "let's enslave Eyir and kill Worgens".

At least, that would be interesting if Blizzard doesn't stick with the "you can make fireworks and nuclear bombs with Azerite so that's cool I guess" line.

[RedNein]

One of my issues with Blizzard is how they have whittled away more moving parts to the setting than they've added over the years and we're starting to run a little low on Big Problems. Azerite I thought for a little while would be a good step towards that even if writing instincts tell me it would just become what Phazon is to the Metroid Prime series. If Azerite is dealt with neatly over the course of a single expansion though it won't have much of a lasting impact beyond whatever healing Azeroth entails.

So all those cool new tanks and lore will just be historical footnotes rather than ongoing aspects of the setting.

[vertigo12]

It is radioactive. In super-heroes/comics universe it turns normal creatures into upgraded version of themselves. It can also disfigures others on certain condition. It is a power source. A double-edged resource which like oil is being targeted across the world as it will be a prime commodity now. Not Lumber, not gold, not oil (WC-II).