There was no previous lore for ghosts and spirits, we didn’t know how they worked before Shadowlands either. Undead is def a retcon though although one I am happy with. Undead shouldn’t be a tool of demons, undead should be some horrifying unstoppable force from hell, which they are now.
I think the fact that Shaman don’t play a role in Shadowlands says a lot.
Thrall doesn’t count.
I don’t think Thrall is even a shaman anymore, pretty sure he’s still lost his connection. It’s also entirely possible that Shaman wouldn’t be of any use in Shadowlands. When Thrall visited Outland for the first time, he mentioned that the elements did not respond the same way in Outland that they do in Azeroth. In Siege of Orgrimmar, Thrall was cut off from the elements because Garrosh’s Dark Shaman had “twisted the elements for miles around”, indicating that elements have to be present nearby for them to be of use to Shaman. It’s entirely possible that Shaman would have no power over the elements in the Shadowlands. (Obviously that’s not going to be represented in gameplay.)
Shaman weren’t exclusively about elemental spirits. They also had a thing for ghosts and contacting ancestral spirits and things like that. It seems like that aspect of the class fell by the wayside, though.
2 Likes
Not really. DK’s have been to the Shadowlands and have abilities that phase out at will. The horse even lives there when we don’t ride them. Like I said higher up, we straight up talk to Uther’s purified spirit at his tomb in Cata.
I’m not against retcons if they improve the world. nu-Blizzard just seems to make it worse with every step though.
None of that has been retconned though. Where have you seen evidence that it was? It was indeed Uther’s spirit, we just only saw the purified part, and there’s been nothing contradicting what Salanar does or how we get Deathchargers.
Retcons aren’t retcons until there’s clear contradictions, at which point Blizzard comes in, says “option b is correct” and then that’s a retcon.
First off, the shadowlands before was a classic layered dimensional deal. This is shown in the Salanar mission by us being in the same spot, just the “shadow” layer. Same with wraith walk. The fact that we go through a whole rigamarole to get there now shows it’s not simply layered, it is now it’s own pocket type dimension.
For Uther, the whole point of us being able to talk to him in Cata was because he was released from Frostmourne. He was whole again. Resting peacefully in his tomb with the light shining on him. Other examples are the Orcs at Oshu’gun (Naaru or not, they just hung out there) or the guy from Northrend whose soul just straight up gets taken by the light.
All this would be fine if the story was actually good. Unfortunately the sacrifices made in BfA to get to these retcons just haven’t been worth it so far and the future ain’t lookin pretty from what I’ve seen.
Wraith Walk (according to the Wowhead change logs) has referred to “sidestep into the Shadowlands” since it was implemented in Legion. There still are layers, although we perceive them as islands in the expansion, and it’s been stated that there are infinite realms/layers of the Shadowlands, which means there’s no contradiction that the Realm of Shadows Salanar dwells in isn’t canon. Heck, in Legion, the same expansion that implemented Wraith Walk and thus gave us the first hint of the Shadowlands, Salanar even says he came from the Realm of Shadows to help, which means they are both canon.
Again, none of this is contradictory. There are infinite realms of the Shadowlands and there’s some sort of Light-infused heaven where people like Bridenbrad and Uther (at least one half of his spirit that was trapped in Frostmourne) go apparently. Considering that the Shadowlands was a planned expansion by the time of writing the Legion questlines, they knew exactly what they were doing.
Not everyone who dies goes to the four realms in Shadowlands we visit, again, infinite realms. One of those infinite realms is the orcish ancestral plane hunting grounds that resemble Nagrand that Thrall and Aggra saw which explains why Shamanism and ancestral spirits still fit with the Shadowlands. You only go to one of the four realms if you can serve a greater purpose there.
Retcons, which stands for retroactive continuity, are a number of methods that change the way things are interpreted after the fact, it’s not strictly contradictions.
Like the Scourge getting their architecture from the Neubians, who apparently got it from Maldraxxus. The Scourge still got it from the Neubians, but where the Neubrians got it from it is a retcon.
I think they said he went to the hard Light realm outside of the Shadowlands. There is another instance where Velen passes someone to the Light as well. Supposed to be a paradise but sounds like a nightmare.
1 Like
Right, but until there’s a contradiction in-game or through other official sources (or Blizzard just states so without having a contradiction to clear up) then that’s just speculation on the canon and not actually changing anything. Retcons specifically deal with new events that contradict old events, which is why it’s retroactive continuity. Too many players get hung up on their own beliefs, views or expectations and then claim that Blizzard is changing the lore just to suit their ends.
I really hope that with the Light and Naaru in Revendreth that we’ll get a peek at what the afterlife is like for devout practitioners of the Light as well as those who do not go to the administration realms of the Shadowlands. It would be pretty weird to have an entire expansion dedicated to the afterlife not explore the afterlife for a large group of mortals. Maybe something like Legion invasions but instead of the Legion it’s us going to protect the other realms from the forces of the Jailer once he starts… his invasion? W/e the heck he’s doing.
“No, I need to go back. I need to see my family.”
“No, you need to come with me! I’m sure a wonderful afterlife will be waiting for you!”
/chunks him in the maw
“OH MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE!!!”
JUDGED