At some point after WoD, Draenor began to wither and die, with the orcs blaming the Light and the Draenei blaming the orcs — but as far as I know it’s never actually clarified what doomed that planet.
Was the fate of Alternate Draenor ever expanded upon in other parts of the game or supplementary material?
I was under the impression it’s the fact that the planet shouldn’t exist, at least not where and when it is. It was unnaturally ripped out of another timeline.
It seems pretty clear that what happened to Alternat Draenor was a Light-caused extinction of the kind we saw in minature in Revendreth.
I’m a bit unconvinced by the idea that this timeline is progressively decaying because it supposedly “shouldn’t exist” by virtue of being an unnatural rip-off of the so-called One True Timeline (a purely nonsensical concept by the way, which doesn’t hold water no matter how you put it).
The Lightbound accuse the Mag’har of being the source of that state (but I… don’t see how/why ? Was building a railway system accross Gorgrond more than Draenor could handle lmao ?) ; the Mag’har accuse the Light of causing it. Judging by Midnight I’d say the latter explanation is the most plausible, especially since the sickly green tint in the air we saw when we returned to AU Draenor in BFA was very very reminiscent of the Lightbloom-infested areas in Midnight Eversong.
There is nothing officially stated on the matter. We just know that the Lightbound blamed the Mag’har’s industrialism, while the Mag’har blamed the Light.
Chronicles mentions that alternate timelines are natural but unstable and will eventually dissipate into nothing if they are left alone, but beings from their realities can remain in existence “indefinitely” if efforts are made to preserve them. So while Overlord Geya’rah and the Mag’har who joined the Horde were saved by being brought into the main timeline, Au Draenor and those within that timeline may have dissipated into nothing.
Yes, but not directly in Chronicles. It was mentioned alternate timeline cut off from the main timeline effectively disappear. Akin to a small pond cut off from a river slowly drying up.
I think its precisely what is happening but neither Mag’har or Draenei realize that. Yrel in her attempt to stop it effectively “lightforged” the planet to try and use light magic to anchor AU Draenor and prevent it from disappearing.
If that’s true that’s a very depressing fate for Alternate Draenor, especially after all the efforts we the players and the Alliance and Horde spent trying to save it
The Alliance and Horde should have made efforts to evacuate the planet after the events of WoD wrapped up
From my understanding of the quests there, draenor was a planet who sustained itself by spirit/nature magic, too much light, for some reason chocked that out and the planet started to fall apart
It’s not 100% canonically spelled out but it’s pretty obvious the most obvious answer is that Xe’ra showed up and started forcefully light binding/blighting everything for some reason. And in large enough amounts, light energy is just as corrosive as fel or void are in smaller doses.
We’ve seen similar damage done to Revendreth, and “industrialization” seems like a cop out given Azeroth’s been fine with goblin/gnomish being tech used for centuries and dark star tech being used for a decade now.
The AU Draenei perspective is just untrustworthy given we know one of their first named victims was an orc that never fought the Draenei and was stalwart against the Iron Horde from the start.
Don’t worry, this is 100% not what’s happening.
I want to point out how definitionally absurd the very notion of “True Timeline” is in a setting with alternate timelines. The theory according to which Draenor is decaying due to being an “unintended and unnatural rip-off of the Main Timeline” suggests the existence of a Canonical Future that ought to unfold because reasons. Such an idea implies the existence of predestination, which in turn implies the existence of an Ultra God of Warcraft, who for some reason can not only predict the future with absolute certainty despite all potential variables, but also has the power AND legitimacy to make sure that future happens.
…See the issue here ? If by miracle such an entity existed, they’d end up being a raid boss for us to kill. Because this setting has no predestination lol. Warcraft’s story at its core values free will above all things and would never tolerate predestination.
There’s literally no way to make sense of the One True Timeline thing besides making it simply the course of events the Titans/Pantheon of Order favors. That’s not predestination. That’s cosmic beings having an agenda.
Which reminds me that one of Geya’rah’s on-click lines is :
Listen, smartypants! Did you ever stop to think that YOUR timeline is the “alternate history” and MINE is the REAL one? Heh… bet I just blew your mind…
Funnily enough she’s 100% correct lol. There’s literally no way to determine what timeline is the “correct” one because all timelines are, by definition, correct, since they’re just the results of diverging choices, none of which is the “one choice that ought to be made” because there is no predestination in Warcraft.
They said only ours is correct cause its the only one where azeroth have a world soul
Even if that was true, why the hell would the timeline where Azeroth has a Worldsoul be the “correct” one ?..
Lol, that dialogue feels like something you’d expect to see from an Undertale/Deltarune character, or some old school science fiction RPG for kids xD
Not knocking it, it’s such a goofy characterization. I love it.
But yeah - the idea that a force of nature or God or entity arbitrarily commits omnicide for any timeline misfortunate enough to not be the arbitrarily decided “true” timeline is hardcore JRPG deity villain territory! Excellent thoughts lol
apparently that is super important and super special
I think it would be fantastic if Farahlon arrived at midnight with Patch 12.1 or 2, along with Yrel, AU Hellscream and her Lightforged forces of draenei, orcs, ogres, arakkoa, etc.
The Botani could be there too.
I’d give anything to see what Netherstorm looked like before its destruction. That would fit the expansion’s theme perfectly!
Is it omnicide if it never existed in the first place? Look, Blizzard has made it quite clear time is not something easily understood but the “one true timeline” is rooted in our reality that for us time truly is a linear thing and there is “one true time” that we follow.
Isnt this just the First Ones? Like no, I dont think they can predict the future but probably see “likely” possibilities and just have hand guard ready to help people willing to make their fate.
I dont think the Warcraft universe is “predistined” for anything but that the choices we players and our particular time is the one that ultimately counts in all of it.
…why though ? 
(Also going by the recent revelations I’d say it’s plausible the First Ones are just the actual Pantheon of Order more than the progenitors of the entire universe)
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How come it never existed ? It’s real. They’re people.