Did I dream this, or is there canon lore that at least one of the vials of waters of the first well of Eternity Illidan stashed away during the war of the ancients is still unaccounted for?
I’m pretty sure there is still one missing.
Back in MoP the warlock green fire questline kind of implied that he used it to create a mini-well in the Black Temple room with the big soul-head boss, but was never explicit about it.
Kanrethad Ebonlocke says: The powers of this room are not unlike the original Well of Eternity on Azeroth.
Jubeka Shadowbreaker says: So this is how Illidan bound so many demons to his will…
On the other hand the Illidan novel instead implied that the power source in that room was souls he siphoned from Auchindoun to power his Argus portal.
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So basically either they’ll forget it or there’s a fair chance it becomes a really obscure lore drop in Midnight or TLT
TBC is a patchwork and equally full of plot holes.
It’s best not to question anything.
You say this like it’s a bad thing but for me it adds a certain verisimilitude and complexity that lends to mystery and mythos of the lore… something that has been sorely lacking in modern WoW with overexplaining and accounting.
Well it would be highly useful if, for example, the sunwell were to be lost in mid-patch of Midnight that a new one could be made I suppose.
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That too, but I was thinking about the process of making the arcan’dor and a certain other leyline network in Quel’thalas
One that was as important as the Sunwell and whose heart shaped the forest and the elves of said forest seemingly equally.
Overall, the story was a disaster in the truest sense of the word… It lacked a central thread, was incoherent, told in a one-sided way and full of contradictions, especially with Keal, Illidan, Vashj etc.
Plus, everything felt so isolated…
Yes, not everything was bad. For example, the idea of ​​delving into the ruined orc world was good, with unique areas like the Netherstorm, which showed how Outland is slowly crumbling or Nagrand with its orc cults, etc.
There were interesting approaches like the Ethereals and Naaru, as well as interesting cultures. Yet, it all remained very superficial. There were even interesting characters like Vashj, Keal, Illidan, Kargath, Zul, Magtheridon etc. The backstories were there, but they were just memberberries!
(I personally like the Draenei retcon)
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I firmly believe the Shrine of Lost Souls is the result of the final vial. It should have been a bigger part of the story. I like to imagine it was unfinished and potentially stronger than the Sunwell, but its magics were so chaotic it would have required demonic beings to harness it. Therefore, Illidan’s plan was to make the Blood Elves like him: demon elves.
Just my headcanon for an alternate Warcraft timeline, but the seeds for this exist in canon.
It definitely wasn’t told well, coherently, or directly to the point of “lol why are we here?”
However, that’s where my agreement ends, I am afraid.
full of contradictions, especially with Keal, Illidan, Vashj etc.
People always claim this and yet never have any solid evidence. Allies turning against one another is not at all unheard of, and it’s not unrealistic. If anything, in dire circumstances that is the setting of TBC, it’s almost natural and expected.
it all remained very superficial.
I really disagree! There is a lot to unpack in TBC and if we are calling it “very superficial”, then might as well call every expansion outside of Mists (where the worldbuilding and how the story was relayed was on a whole different level) “very superificial”.
bc meme
https://lorelol.ytmnd.com/
10char
You responded to my comment and I will do the same.
Sure, it’s normal for allies to argue or even betray each other sometimes. But with Kael, Illidan, and Vashj, it all came out of nowhere. Kael fights side by side with Illidan, entrusting his fate to him and then suddenly works against him without any real reason.
Vashj, who saved him in Warcraft III, suddenly appears as another raid boss without explanation. There’s no real character development here — these aren’t compelling conflicts, it’s just bad storytelling.
Do you compare the chaos in TBC to MoP, the best expansion ever?
TBC already had a template with Warcraft 3 that went deeper, and in the end, they messed it up. It couldn’t be worse…
MoP, on the other hand, has the disadvantage of a less epic backstory, but it’s still excellently executed.
We have incredible word formations, interconnected zones, new, interesting races and cultures whose history we learn more about, like Pandaren, Mogu, Mantid, Jinyu, etc.
And then there’s the thematic depth that was often only touched upon in TBC, like betrayal or corruption. MoP was essentially about peace vs aggression and war, about inner demons. All this thematic depth through the Sha and the Horde vs the Alliance fit well without feeling contrived.
And even the less iconic villains in MoP were portrayed much better with Garrosh, Lei Shen, and the Sha. Although TBC had it easier again and failed again…