With The War Within expanding upon the Void threat and the deeper cosmological layers of Azeroth, I’d like to propose a narrative arc that reintegrates the Old Gods not as villains, but as a morally gray, necessary evil in the fight against the Void Lords themselves.
This suggestion draws from existing lore, voice lines, and cosmic setups across expansions (especially BfA, Shadowlands, and Dragonflight) and would further develop the Void storyline with complex themes of corruption, pragmatism, and survival.
As the Void Lords begin to manifest their will more directly in The War Within, it’s discovered that Old God corruption is uniquely resistant or outright immune, to full Void assimilation.
The reasoning is rooted in existing lore, Old Gods are beings of Void twisted by ambition and anchored to reality. Where the Void seeks nonexistence, the Old Gods corrupt and persist. Their corruption mutates but doesn’t unmake, making it a natural counter to true Void entropy.
This revelation leads to an impossible choice:
- Reactivate or revive elements of Old God corruption
- Use it as a strategic buffer to shield critical zones of Azeroth
- Engage with former enemies to repel an even greater existential threat
I believe this to fit within lore due to the following facts.
Xal’atath refers to the Old Gods as “messy and loud,” suggesting she represents the Void’s original will, while they strayed.
Old Gods built the Black Empire, an organized structure—directly against Void principles of unmaking.
N’Zoth sought to rule Azeroth, not destroy it, suggesting self-interest and rebellion.
Players have already wielded corrupted essence via the Heart of Azeroth, showing controlled corruption is possible.
Bronze Dragonflight’s recovered time powers offer a way to pull alternate-timeline versions of the Old Gods back into the story, as we have seen done with Garrosh and Warlords Of Draenor.
It honors existing lore without retconning.
It creates emotional, narrative, and mechanical tension.
It brings back iconic Old Gods in a totally new context.
i did have AI help with writing a summary that i have also edited for this, but the idea was original thought based on the idea that xalatath stood against the old gods, as beings in service of the void, it doesnt make sense for their goal to create a “black empire” when their goal is to help the ultimate goal of void annihilation. the only reason they could have created a black empire i can think of is to stand against something. such as the void when they realised how powerful azeroth actually was and that they could use it to defeat the void once and for all and become the true masters.