WARNING: Patch 12.1.7 and Patch 12.2 Spoilers in this post!
Throughout the upcoming Titan Lorewalking questline in patch 12.1.7, we join Assistant Lorewalker Li Li on a comprehensive recap of the Titans and their impact on Azeroth throughout WoW. We learn about their part in creating the Titanforged that would one day become the mortal races we play as, and the role they played in cleansing Azeroth of the Old Gods and allowing mortal cultures to exist in the first place... but we also learn about their willingness to wipe out all of those cultures to protect the Worldsoul. At the end of the tale, she leaves us with this final piece of reflection.
Li Li Stormstout says: It is because of the titans' aid that the Old Gods and the Legion were defeated, the Dragon Aspects empowered, and why many of the mortal races on Azeroth exist.
Li Li Stormstout says: And yet, it's clear the titans care about Azeroth's Worldsoul above all else. We must not forget the re-origination we narrowly escaped.
Li Li Stormstout says: Despite all the good they have done for us, we must ask ourselves: is the Pantheon's vision for our future all that different from what Sargeras desires?
Read through the entire playthrough of Lorewalking: Titans here.
Li Li's words leave much to ponder, especially with patch 12.2 and The Last Titan looming on the horizon. As citizens of Azeroth, we've largely been able to benefit from a lack of attention from the Titans... a lack of attention we learned in Legion was not exactly of their own making. And while the Titans themselves parted from us on good terms at the end of Legion, it remains to be seen if their return to focus in The Last Titan will be nearly as friendly -- especially when you take into account the information we've learned about them since then.
Revelations in Dragonflight
Right from the start of Dragonflight, we were exposed to a new perspective on how the Titans and their servants view Azeroth, directly from the mouth of Odyn himself. As the original Prime Designate, Odyn seems to be most directly aligned with the Pantheon and their ideals, and in one of his message logs to his fellow keepers, he explains a number of important ideas to keep in mind when handling mortal cultures.
Edicts of the Prime Designate, Volume 742
Keepers,
It has been brought to my attention that, as of late, many of you have become fascinated by the emergence of mortal beings. That is, creatures born of flash rather than crafted of stone and steel like our loyal titan-forged.
While my initial impulse was to eradicate these aberrations before they evolved further, I now believe they may prove useful if properly controlled.
Yet even as we guide their development according to the edicts of the titans, we must always remember that mortal minds are destined to be small and incapable of complex understanding.
Therefore, as your Prime Designate, I must establish a few minor--but necessary--regulations to govern your interactions with these nascent beings.
First: All historical records documenting the advancements of the Black Empire are to be purged immediately.
Paint that age as one of chaos and misery, a pernicious blight that we keepers eradicated. With the Old Gods locked in confinement, there should be no evidence available to contradict our assertions.
Surely if you care for these mortals, you would not wish to see them led astray into darkness.
Second: Attribute all accomplishments and works of wonder to the titans alone.
Despite the relentless arguments made by some of you, this is not a fallacy. After all, can anything truly be said to exist until it has been ordered? Of course not.
Therefore, it is irrefutable that the titans are the source of all creation.
Third: Do not share knowledge of the First Ones.
Mortals could not conceive of the wonders that the makers granted to the titans in Zereth Ordus. Thus, learning of the Progenitors would only confuse them.
It is enough that mortals know the titans brought Order to the cosmos, and that they are owed deference.
While some among you would prefer to argue these points further, such debate can no longer be tolerated.
I remind you that I speak with the authority of the titans, and any further dissent may cause me to question whether you have succumbed to outside influences.
Remember: Life is chaos. It must be controlled.
Your Leader,
Prime Designate Odyn
In addition to the implication that the Ordering of Azeroth may not have been as unanimously good for the planet’s inhabitants as we previously believed, and that information about positive aspects of the Black Empire were covered up by the Keepers, Odyn's stance on mortal cultures is clearly not a harmonious one. While he gladly accepts mortals who worship him like the Vrykul, he was distrustful of bringing the Dragon Aspects into their sacred charge, and the ideology presented here of "Life is chaos, it must be controlled" is not one that will mesh with the increasing acceptance of diverse powers in our player cultures.
When the Dragonflights reunited, Odyn was forcibly relieved of his command of the storm dragons by Vyranoth, who was subsequently appointed as one of the Dragon Aspects who were empowered not by the Titans, but by the Worldsoul herself. It's highly unlikely that he will take such a slight kindly, should the Titans call upon their creations to protect the Worldsoul in The Last Titan. For Odyn, life is permitted so long as it serves them or benignly exists, but if it threatens the TItans' creations? It is unlikely he will be as amicable as he was in Legion.
The Titans themselves have also been given further exploration in side books in Dragonflight, with a myth surrounding Aman'thul and Eonar shedding light not only on their ideals about life, but potential conflict within the Pantheon.
Seeking to bring hope and healing, our patron titan, Eonar, carried a gift given to her by Elune--a branch of G'Hanir, the mother world tree.
The titan believed that the influence of Life would drive the darkness away.
So she reached down her hand and shaped the soil of Azeroth, planting the branch where it could be fed by river and sky.
The branch swiftly grew into a tree, its roots extending deep, deep below the surface. Eonar smiled, for everywhere the roots stretched, new life emerged.
She called the tree Elun'Ahir, in honor of her great love.
When Aman'Thul saw what Eonar had done, he chided her. "This is not Order!" he bellowed. "You have infected this world with uncontrolled chaos!"
The Highfather took hold of the world tree's trunk and tore it from the earth.
Eonar wept bitter tears that rained down upon the resulting crater.
But as she peered down upon the sundered earth, the titan realized a truth she did not share with the Highfather. Though he had destroyed the tree, its winding roots still held firm beneath the soil, hidden from Aman'Thul's gaze.
The truth of this myth is entirely unknown, and as its description says, "details of this tale are oft disputed". However, the text certainly illustrates Blizzard's intent with Aman'thul and Eonar, two of the Pantheon's more notable members. As its leader and creator, Aman'thul clearly views the Pantheon as a force that exists purely to order the universe, not to seed more chaos into it. Eonar, meanwhile, seems to have a more balanced view, with her obvious connections to nature seemingly making her more sympathetic to life and its cultures.
Whether or not this myth is true, it seems likely that should they return, the Pantheon may not be as wholly orderly and united as they present themselves. However, if this myth proves true, it shows that Aman'thul will certainly be subscribing to the same ideals we've seen from Odyn -- that life on Azeroth comes second to the Worldsoul.
The Pantheon's Role in the Worldsoul Saga
In addition to their desire to protect Azeroth's Worldsoul, it is evident from story in Dragonflight and The War Within that they do not merely want the Worldsoul to be safe: they want it to be theirs. Just as Sargeras attempted to corrupt Azeroth with Fel at the end of Legion, the Titans have taken immense measures to ensure that when Azeroth eventually awakens, it will be as an Order-aligned Titan.
Most notably, Archaedas' messages in The War Within detail the creation of the Manifold, which served not only to heal the planet from the damage inflicted by the Old Gods, but also to ensure that the Worldsoul was isolated from any influence other than the Titans. Within the Worldcore, which we will be entering as a raid next patch, she has sat isolated since the Ordering of Azeroth... but if Li Li's implications are correct, she may still have been responsible for much of Azeroth's diversity.
When discussing the Curse of Flesh, Li Li's wording is very peculiar: the Titans merely think the Curse of Flesh is a result of the Old Gods. While it is incredibly likely that the conversion of stone to flesh is a result of their corruption, this questline implies that the factor granting the Titanforged free will is not the Old Gods, but Azeroth herself. She parallels our own free will with that of the Thraegar, Earthen who were exposed directly to Azeroth's Worldsoul and granted freedom from the edicts of the Titans.
Li Li Stormstout says: The titans believed it was the Old Gods, powerful Void monstrosities, that turned their titanforged mortal. They called it the Curse of Flesh.
Li Li Stormstout says: The Curse of Flesh. The titanforged believed it weakened them, but it also resulted in flourishing communities and unique cultures.
Li Li Stormstout says: Earthen became dwarves. Mecha-gnomes became gnomes. Iron vrykul became vrykul, and eventually, humans!
The titan archives tell us that the Curse of Flesh, a poison of the Old Gods of the Void, is to blame for the titanforged races becoming soft and rebellious.
But look at how these cultures have flourished since breaking from the titans' influence. Could the Curse of Flesh truly be something of the dark and hopeless Void? And what does it mean that the thraegar deviated after being exposed to the Worldsoul, not the Old Gods?
Brinthe and Dagran discussed similar matters during The War Within, speculating that Azeroth granted the Thraegar free will as a means of calling out for aid against the Titans’ actions. She has done similar in recent times, with the awakening of Magni as her Speaker being a way to fight against the Legion, or her Radiant Song as a means of warning us about Xal'atath and the Void.
Now, in patch 12.2, we will be meeting the Thraegar directly, which will perhaps allow us to compare their own free will against our Curse of Flesh, and see just how involved Azeroth might have been.
High Speaker Brinthe says: I... do not recall this happening. That should not be. This "Worldcore" seems as if it was a monumental undertaking.
High Speaker Brinthe says: And the earthen malfunctioning? How would the Worldsoul's "energy" cause that? This is very confusing.
Dagran Thaurissan II says: By the way, what does he mean by "repaired?"
High Speaker Brinthe says: Unclear... But what he said about the thraegar rebelling is most disturbing.
Dagran Thaurissan II says: The thraegar? That's what they called gran'da when he first got to Khaz Algar!
High Speaker Brinthe says: We regard them as legendary champions, almost demigods... to learn that their directives were just... corrupted? That they were anomalies?
High Speaker Brinthe says: Was everything we believed mistaken... or even... a lie?
Dagran Thaurissan II says: Wait--you don't suppose... if the earthen were affected by the Worldsoul's "radiation," the closer they got to it...
Dagran Thaurissan II says: Could it be that it was actually trying to reach your people? Asking for help, like it did with my grand'da?
Dagran Thaurissan II says: And undoing their directives... was it actually giving them free will?
High Speaker Brinthe says: I... do not know.
With Xal'atath now threatening to corrupt the Worldsoul in the upcoming patch 12.2, we see the direct results of the effort put into protecting the Worldsoul. While Xal'atath does force her way inside, the holographic projection of Archaedas seemed insistent that the Titans did not rest on their laurels with a mere doorway to the Worldsoul.
In the preview shot of 12.2's raid, we see the Worldsoul itself flanked by the tip of Sargeras' sword on one side, and the void-corrupted entry of Xal'atath on the other. Given their involvement in protecting the Worldsoul from the former, it seems likely that we will see the Pantheon's involvement against the latter as well in 12.2 and beyond.
While Xal'atath threatening the Worldsoul is our most imminent threat, we also know that the next expansion will involve the Titans in some form, with our return to Northrend and Ulduar in The Last Titan. Information about the expansion is sparse so far, but we have been given one teaser: a massive Titan robot firing upon the continent.
Our actions in previous expansions like Cataclysm and Battle for Azeroth caused the usual route of Reorigination to no longer function... but it seems likely that the Titans have other measures in place to purge the planet of life should their nuclear option either fail or not be fully needed. Whatever happens in 12.2 to cause this massive robot to show up remains to be seen, but given our extensive battle against the Void during The War Within and Midnight, it's possible that the threat the Titans seek to eradicate won't be Xal'atath, but us.
With all of that set-up in mind, the core questions about the TItans remain: Are they good-natured protectors of the universe? Evil villains seeking to enslave Azeroth like any other cosmic force? Or are they simply too high above us to comprehend their actions. Do we consider ourselves villains for how we treat ants, or are they merely on a level of life we don't deem important?
Based on Li Li's dialogue, and the information showed throughout their history on Azeroth, it seems that the Titans are being framed as more than a simple good or evil force in the Warcraft universe, and rather as a force simply too large to understand mortal concerns. Just as Sargeras saw the eradication of life as necessary for the greater good, the Titans likewise see the protection of Azeroth's Worldsoul as their top priority.
What that will mean for The Last Titan remains to be seen. Will they be a fractured Pantheon split between eradicating us and allying with us? United in saving the Worldsoul despite any ideological differences? Or will they even be enemies at all? Regardless of the answer, we'll certainly get more information in 2027 with the release of Patch 12.2 and the reveal of the final expansion in the Worldsoul Saga.
