It’s called a cycle for a reason-- not because it stays on one part forever.
Thats why I said it would make more sense if it was in the Life branch of the cosmos than Death.
But it isn’t about life. It’s rebirth. Dead things go to Ardenweald, which brings a select number of them back after a period of gestation. Just as a forest is constantly seeing a cycle of birth, death, decomposition, and repurposing. Just because it’s all nature-y doesn’t mean it belongs in the Life branch (not that this discussion matters that much, seeing as we haven’t seen a Life pantheon or “machine” yet like we have the Shadowlands).
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My point is if the cycle of death rebirth of nature is in the death domain then what does the life domain have?
Thats why this zone in particular seems misplaced to me.
This is purely subjective opinion though. Its just how I felt about it.
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We have no idea. They’re completely different domains, and one element’s inclusion in one domain does not automatically mean exclusion from the other.
In my opinion, I hope we never see a “machine of Life” or something that produces new souls to be sent to the physical realm. The randomness and potential of Life gives it much more meaning, and having it be a raw chaotic mess of unpredictable energy is much better.
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I didn’t even want to see Death.
We aren’t supposed to see these things.
Maybe a glimps or an invasion or little hints
But never ever a full blow reveal.
But if we are going to see them they have to be extremes.
In the Death domain there must not be anything but death.
Only the final stop. The final resting place or destination. Death should be one gear in the machine of universe and Life, light, shadow and etc… work together to make the universe work.
Maybe if they made Ardenwald a bordering realm where everything is in winter and frozen only to be funneled upwards towards the summer side for rebirth where the Summer Queen of the Life Lands lives to process the rebirth phase then I can accept it.
But this… just doesnt work for me personally.
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Theoretically there’s some implication that once upon a time, the Shadowlands may have been a purely one-way funnel of death and the final end of all living things, before it got reorganized into what we see now. It may well be that being the ultimate terminus for all things was leading to Death eventually overwhelming everything else and undoing existence, so the First Ones found it necessary to incorporate facets of the rest of reality into its “machinery” so that there’s enough give-and-take involved to create a balance that maintains creation as a whole.
Perhaps that’s even the point of contention that led to Zovaal’s imprisonment; he could have decided that Death is supposed to be the ultimate end of all things and tried to dismantle the balance to “claim what was rightfully his/Death’s” (i.e., eventually everything), then got sealed away in Torghast, with the very mechanism of rebirth and balance he opposed becoming the lock to his prison.
Arguably the only thing that allows existence to function is that these cosmic agencies don’t get to operate in a vacuum without bending to the laws of the other forces. None of them interact with our existence independently of one another, and when they try it threatens to upend the whole system and destroy everything.
If Death were “just Death, and that’s it,” that would contradict the way everything else works. After all, even Disorder has its own rules when it’s interacting with our reality. Not having such would amount to Death being fundamentally aberrant in a universal system wherein everything else otherwise has to operate in some form of balance. Which is what Zovaal seems to want, but wouldn’t be good for the continued operation of the universe, because it would mean the irrevocable death of everyone and everything to the point of Life, Light, Void, Order and Disorder no longer being able to play their roles in maintaining existence.
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I agree. But, welp, we’re here now.
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I can’t remember which character it was, but I remember one of the abominations you can make at the Abomination Factory talks about fighting in various conflicts in each Covenant. They even mentioned something for Ardenweald.
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I’m just waiting for a future expansion where we’re invading whatever realm the Void Lord’s or the Archdemon’s of Disorder occupy and their about to crush us like grapes, then a rip suddenly appears in space and a fleet of Necropolises (Necropli?) start flying through because the Undying Army are tired of the other respective cosmic powers stealing souls to devour.
Dunno how useful/useless it is lore-wise, but it’s my favorite place to do while questing and doing dailies. I actually got to exalted there before I got to it with my actual covenant on my Alliance main.
I’m guessing the civil war they are having has something to do with that. However in the necrolord campaign you do aid the Kyrian push back another assault on the temple of courage, this time led by the 2nd Baron of the house of constructs.
Also Draka does help the venthyr players take out the Tithelord, who was an ally of Denathrius and Kel’thuzad, thereby the Jailer as well.
Outside the civil war, Maldraxxus is basically Social Darwinism to the extreme. The strong survive while the weak die. Which is why the theater of pain exists.
When the void invaded Bastion, you learn that the Maldraxxri did send aid to repel the threat.
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I’m more wondering what exactly happens to souls who come from worlds were gunpowder warfare or even semi-modern-artillery (we’re talking about the equivalent of late 19th/early 20th century here) were the norm. Like Maldraxxus is so utterly primitive when it comes to technology that such people would be completely out of place.
The Maldraxxi World Quests show that killing a Maldraxxi’s Body will not harm the Soul itself. As long as the Soul itself is not killed the Maldraxxi can be put into a new Body in order to come back.
Maldraxxus normally has Souls fighting over Flesh in the Theater of Pain if I had to guess!
That’s not social darwinism? That’s just normal evolution?
Social darwinism is stuff like “the rich deserve to continue hording wealth because they are rich” and “racism and race science is correct because race is real and evolutionary laws can apply to humans and separate humanity into different species”.
Revendreth is social darwinism, where the entire caste of Aristocracy vs Everyone Else is based on vicious social ladder climbing and the elite are kept up top because they’re the elite.
Maldraxxus is more literal evolution: the more you win via adapting, the more you are able to adapt to continue winning.
Idk why nobody seems to be vibing with Maldraxxus, I love the zone. My main alt is a necrolord.
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You do realize that those who win in the battles get the ‘flesh’ of those they defeat right? The more ‘flesh’ you have the higher your standing is. Hell one of the bosses in the theater of pain dungeon references this (it is gorechop). While it is ‘standard’ evolution, ‘flesh’ is seen as a symbol of ‘wealth’ in Maldraxxus, at least in the eyes of the house of constructs, which is the largest house as it basically takes anyone. The other 4 are more experts in a certain field. Rituals = necromancy, plagues = poisons and potions. Eyes = spying, stealth, assassinations. Chosen = the best of the best.
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But that’s like… an extreme version of physical adaptation 
Maldraxxi guns exist. Warcraft as a setting just doesn’t have guns as better for no reason outside fiat.
The theory that individuals, groups, and peoples are subject to the same Darwinian laws of natural selection as plants and animals.
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Yes, in the context of socialization or constructs of socialization, like race.
Humans evolve. This material fact is not social darwinism, it is normal evolution.
Social darwinism has a specific meaning that, IMHO, doesn’t apply to the Necrolords whose bodies change via gains obtained through adaptation and survival. It is normal evolution.
It is both but the social theory also extends to groups.
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