Considering that World of Warcraft was released in 2004, it’s not surprising that the game is flooded with incredible lore. Blizzard has filled WoW with many iconic characters, exciting storylines, and items that dive into the hidden lore of the game. With every new expansion that comes out, we are given more lore to follow. Throughout the stories, one could argue that the most interesting aspects are the four mysterious creatures known as the WoW Old Gods. If you are a raider, there is a high chance that you’ve met and killed some Old Gods, such as Yogg Saron, up north in Ulduar, and C’thun, down in Ahn’Qiraj.
@ Wowpedia
Who Are The Old Gods?
In simple words, Old Gods are pure evil. According to the lore, they are malicious entities that have ruled Azeroth in the past, long before the Well of Eternity and the introduction of the night elves. The nature of the Old Gods has been revealed to the players, but the timeline in which they appeared is a bit out of place. Some lore suggests that the WoW Old Gods were present during the creation of Azeroth and that they were the ones to blame for drawing the Titans to the planet. However, the lore from the Wrath of the Lich King Expansion suggests that Titans are the ones who created the world and took off parts of the unknown, then came back due to the alarms being raised because of the Old Gods.
Regardless of the lore you decide to trust, the Old Gods’ purpose is to corrupt a titan’s soul making it into an unimaginable evil, also known as a dark titan or a warped titan. If the Old Gods succeed in doing this, the corrupted titans will consume all the energy and matter in the universe, which will then push all the existence under the void lords’ will.
WoW Old Gods We Know
There are currently three, four, or five Old Gods imprisoned, which will depend on your source. Some sources even imply that there are more Old Gods. However, esports guides compiled a list of the most frequently mentioned Old Gods.
C’Thun
@ Blizzard
The first of four Old Gods to be named was also the final boss of the Temple of Ahn’Qiraj. Those of you enjoying the WoW Classic Hardcore challenge might soon be visiting this place.
During the dawning of the world, C’Thun was struck down in Silithus, a battle that might have resulted in the defeat of a Titan. It was believed that C’Thun was slain permanently, but the Old God reappeared as the driving force behind the Qiraji. Currently, C’Thun seems trapped beneath the ruined temples of Ahn’Qiraj for thousands of years and has exerted over its Quiraji avatars, who command the Silithid swarm.
Yogg-Saron
@ Wowhead
Described as “the beast with a thousand maws” by the demigod Ursoc, Yogg-Saron is the second God named the Old God. It refers to itself as the true face of death, the God of death, or the lucid dream, and it seems to secrete Saronite, which is its dried blood that was fashioned into armor by the mortals. This substance can be found across Northrend, and whoever is exposed to it is driven to murderous insanity. You fight this Old God in one of the best WoW raids ever created, Ulduar.
Y’Shaarj
@ Blizzard Forums
After being slain by the Titans, Y’Shaarj cursed Pandaria. This Old God infested Pandaria with shadows of his former self, which are known as the 7 Sha. It was revealed that Garrosh Hellscream used the heart of Y’Shaarj to empower himself and rule the true horde. But, after the final battle of the Siege of Orgimmar, Hellscream was imprisoned, the true horde was defeated, and Y’Shaarj’s heart was destroyed.
N’Zoth
@ Wowhead
This Old God still hasn’t appeared in the game. It is believed that N’Zoth was buried under the sea and is possibly related to the Faceless Ones. In addition, it was mentioned that N’Zoth was aiding Deathwing through his minion Warlord Zon’ozz. However, since N’Zoth has yet to appear in the game, there is not much known about this Old God.
G’huun
@ Wowpedia
WoW 5th Old God is called G’huun. While searching for a solution to the Old Gods in Uldir, Titans experimented upon the Old Gods’ unending needs to corrupt. This led to them creating the perfect avatar of that desire. Simply put, G’huun is nothing but pestilence, rot, and decay, the ultimate parasite who cannot stop consuming everyone in his path.
The Creation and Destruction of the Black Empire
During the primordial age, Y’Shaarj, N’Zoth, Yogg-Saron, and C’Thun, had complete control over Azeroth. These four Old Gods formed the Black Empire, a dark civilization. However, they were not the only ones with great power in the world. Soon after the formation of the Black Empire, the Titan Pantheon returned to help the people of Azeroth. These powerful protectors of the universe sent Titan-Forged armies to fight against Black Empire and destroy everything that the Old Gods have created.
Upon seeing the cities of the Black Empires burn, the four Old Gods were enraged and decided to fight back. They defeated many waves of the Titan-Forged armies until the Titan leader stepped in. Aman’Thul was the Titan leader who reached from Heavens and tore Y’Shaarj apart with his bare hands. This caused a massive rift in Azeroth’s surface, proving that the Old Gods were integral to the planet’s survival. Instead of destroying other Old Gods and risking destroying the planet, Pantheon decided to imprison the Old Gods.
However, while imprisoning the three Old Gods, Pantheon accidentally created and imprisoned another Old God named G’huun. The Old Gods have been jailed for thousands of years, but their power can still be felt throughout Azeroth today. They are still trying to influence the minds of citizens to help them escape.
The Return of the Black Empire
When Deathwing flew into Azeroth’s surface, it caused the barriers between the physical and elemental world to break, which resulted in the beginning of the Cataclysm, heralding the return of the Old Gods. During this period (known as the Fourth War), the Old Gods were able to reform the Black Empire. This led to them sending forces across Azeroth to try and regain control of the world.
The Fourth War ended with the defeat of C’Thun and Yogg’Saron, and the death of G’huun. Azeroth is currently free from the Old Gods’ dark influences in most parts of the world, but since N’Zoth has still to be seen, we can’t be sure what to expect from next chapters.
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