So with so much of Dragon flight focused on elemental power and these super elemental dragons there would have to be a connection back to Elemental lords and their planes right?
I know Dragon flight is just a poorly written copy of Cataclysm, but they wouldn’t forget that we have fought evil Elemental lords that followed the old gods before right?
Or by linking the two expansions would they indicate how much they are copying the formula from that expac?
The Elemental Lords were bound to the Elemental Planes thus severing them from Azeroth’s World Soul so that she would not revive them so when the Primal Incarnates arose they practically for all intents and purposes became the replacement avatars of Azeroth’s 4 Elements.
Severed from the World Soul the Elemental Lords are much weaker than they once were so the Primal Incarnates are the top Elementals of Azeroth not the Elemental Lords who are mere shadows of what they once were.
We are basically facing the 4 successors of the Elemental Lords!
At least two of them, Ragnaros and Thunderaan are dead. When last seen, Neptulon was kind of busy trying to wrest control of his plane from elemental usurpers.
is this the actual lore or a presumption?
I mean if Azeroth is empowering these dragons does that mean we are fighting azeroths will?
You mean Ragnaros and Al’Akir are dead.
Neptulon(despite having to claw his way out of Ozumat), Thunderaan and Therazane are still in power even if Smolderon is missing due to High Justice Grimstone.
Azeroth is stated in Chronicle to be empowering all Elementals that are not bound to the Elemental Planes so that includes both friendly and unfriendly Elementals.
Theradras daughter of Therazane was originally bound to Azeroth due to escaping the Titan Keepers only for the Twilight’s Hammer to unbind her costing her her inability to die.
Guess what I want to know is what makes these elemental dragons any different from the Elemental lords we fought back in Cata. Both appear to have been sealed away, Both seem to control the elements, Both are being released by crazy cultits/night elves angry with horde. Both have ties back to old gods.
Smolderon is straight up missing.
How that isn’t a humungous deal, I don’t know.
It’s probably because right after that happened, a hole ripped open in the sky, the dead walked among the living, a Zovaal happened and wanted to suck Azeroth, and then suddenly dragons.
I think it’s mostly the dragons. It is hard to be very concerned about a missing firelord when your entire city and the rest of the world is stuffed full of lazer breathing dragons killing your framerate.
All of the incarnates are evil. Only 2 of the elemental lords were. Those being Ragnaros and Al’Akir. For the other two. One of them was angry that we killed her only daughter but we earned her trust via her sons and the other fought a giant squid off screen cause blizzard cut a raid.
lol
lmao
we all know they aren’t going to include the Elemental Lords
Lets be serious
Maybe the dragons were the original elemental lords before the Titans took control, and after the dragons were altered, the other elementals had a civil war for dominance of the planes. Elementals don’t really die (I think), so like the Burning Crusade, they were always gonna come back for a rematch. Or, the ending of Cataclysm was such a disappointment they decided to try and rectify the mistakes.
None of that is necessarily concrete canon & is all mere speculation, some interlinked with a few merits of the truth …
The Elemental Lords were bound to Azeroth itself & thus the keepers knew that they could not utterly destroy the beings. The spirits of the elementals were bound to Azeroth itself, yes – so if they were killed, their corporeal forms would simply manifest again in time.
Ra found the solution of setting out to imprison the elementals, much as Sargeras had done to demons. Ra, with the aid of the titan-forged sorceress Helya worked together in concert to craft four interlinked domains within a pocket dimension known as ‘The Elemental Plane’. Ra and Helya then banished the elemental lords and nearly all of their servants to these enchanted prison realms.
SOURCE: Chronicles Volume I, page 32
The originated proto-dragons species that began to form over the world had a wide array of strengths and abilities. Some were gigantic winged beings of incredible fortitude, their spirits tied to the world itself (Not necessarily specified the world soul).
However the line that I’d wager would be the golden goose answer, from Chronicles would be —
SOURCE: Chronicles volume I, page 42
As per the above, I’d wager:
I’d say the laying claim to elemental latent energies after subduing the elemental lords that vied for its claim, along with the old gods that waged war with one other for it being toppled – The energies & power were united in the rise of dragons, those that had ties to the world and perhaps to some merit - the world soul also, could had gained even further power too.
— All this said, shared, discussed and speculated – we might get some more lore on ‘The Incarnates’ to shed further light on these matters ~ throughout Dragonflight! 
Like many things in Dragonflight lore: don’t think about it.
I only seen 3 of the Elemental Lords, have not seen the Storm Lord. He is missing in action.
Thunderaan wasn’t exactly a nice guy.
Was clearly talking about the OG 4 elemental lords…
Otherwise I would’ve mentioned Ragnaros’ replacement.
Doesn’t he mention that ragnaros and other elemental lords don’t really die?
I could have sworn the new fire lord said rag will be back, just as something else. Could be misremembering though
The power they represent can never be destroyed, but the actual individual can be. And they can only be killed when inside their elemental plane. It is why we haven’t seen Al’Akir since his death in Cata. As he was killed in the Skywall. Hence why Thunderaan was able to become the elemental Lord of Wind following his resurrection.
However it seems that a previous elemental lord can be brought back to life. As seen with the Cult of Ragnaros trying to bring him back.
Cenarius yells: Ragnaros has perished. But the primal powers he represents can never be vanquished. Another will rise to power, someday. - https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Ragnaros_(Firelands_tactics)#Quotes
Elementals are the ultimate expression of the wave and the water metaphor.
I don’t think we actually know if the cult’s goal of bringing Ragnaros back is even achievable.