World of Warcraft
The Awakening of C’Thun and the Qiraji’s Threat
The first notable emergence of Old God influence in the world of Azeroth during the events of World of Warcraft occurred in Kalimdor, where the Qiraji, an insectoid race serving C’Thun, began to breach the Scarab Wall in Silithus. This wall had long been a defensive barrier constructed by ancient mortals to contain the Qiraji and prevent the Old God’s corruption from spreading beyond its city.
The bronze dragon Anachronos, guardian of time and a custodian of Azeroth’s stability, observed the Qiraji mobilization. Recognizing the threat posed by C’Thun, he alerted the combined forces of the Alliance and Horde. The mortal factions undertook extensive preparations, which included the recreation of the Scepter of the Shifting Sands, a key artifact necessary to open the Scarab Wall safely.
Once the wall was breached, the combined might of Alliance and Horde forces engaged the Qiraji armies in a decisive confrontation known as the Gates of Ahn’Qiraj War Effort. Following the containment of the external threat, adventurers ventured into Ahn’Qiraj City itself, systematically dismantling the hierarchy of Qiraji generals and lieutenants. The campaign culminated in the defeat of C’Thun, the Old God imprisoned beneath the sands, whose lingering influence had driven the Qiraji to aggression. The destruction of C’Thun represented one of the earliest direct confrontations between mortals and the Old Gods in recorded history.
Yogg-Saron’s Corruption of Ulduar
The expansion Wrath of the Lich King explored Old God influence indirectly through Ulduar, a Titan facility in Northrend. Prior to the arrival of the Alliance and Horde, the corrupted Twilight Cultist Cho’gall infiltrated Ulduar and sabotaged the containment of Yogg-Saron, an ancient Old God imprisoned within the structure. This action restored a significant portion of Yogg-Saron’s power, enabling the Old God to extend its influence over the Keepers, the sentient constructs tasked with maintaining Ulduar. Among those corrupted was Loken, the Keeper of the Halls of Lightning, who subsequently sought to facilitate Yogg-Saron’s liberation.
Loken used the Forge of Wills to manufacture an army of iron constructs, mockeries of earthen, vrykul, and giants, which he deployed against invading mortal forces. During this period, Loken also enslaved the Titan-bound Thorim, forcing him into reluctant service. Loken was eventually killed by adventurers, but his actions set off a chain reaction within Ulduar, triggering the Algalon alert system, a failsafe signaling the need for intervention by Azeroth’s defenders.
Allied adventurers, alerted by Brann Bronzebeard in Dalaran, launched an assault on Ulduar. During the campaign, they liberated the Keepers and ultimately confronted Yogg-Saron itself, successfully neutralizing the Old God’s immediate threat. While Yogg-Saron was forced into dormancy once more, these events highlighted the Old Gods’ capacity to manipulate both mortals and Titans’ creations, demonstrating their enduring influence even while imprisoned.
The Old Gods’ Hand in Azeroth’s Cataclysmic Events
During the Cataclysm, Old God influence was revealed as a significant, underlying factor in the destabilization of Azeroth. Nozdormu, the Timeless One, disclosed that many of the crises affecting the dragonflights were orchestrated by the Old Gods, linking previously isolated events into a broader, malevolent conspiracy. The madness of Malygos, Aspect of Magic, the corruption and subsequent rampage of Deathwing, and the transformation of the Emerald Dream into the Emerald Nightmare were all connected to Old God machinations. Temporal anomalies affecting the Bronze Dragonflight, attacks by the Twilight Dragonflight, the creation of monstrous alternate versions of mortals such as Aedelas Blackmoore, and the emergence of cults aligned with the Twilight’s End all formed part of a coordinated effort to destabilize the Aspects and undermine Azeroth’s natural order. These revelations demonstrated that the Old Gods sought not only to weaken the dragonflights but to unravel the very structure of reality and stability across the world, positioning themselves as architects behind catastrophes that had long been attributed to chance or internal strife.
Y’Shaarj’s Corruption and Garrosh’s Obsession with Power
In the Mists of Pandaria expansion, the resurgence of Old God influence became directly observable through the appearance of the Sha, manifestations of raw negative emotion. Though initially believed to be tied to the deeds of Shaohao, the last Pandaren emperor, adventurers eventually discovered the Sha were connected to the lingering presence of Y’Shaarj, one of the Old Gods thought to have been destroyed millennia prior.
As the war between the Alliance and Horde escalated under Warchief Garrosh Hellscream, his obsession with power led him to excavate the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. There, he uncovered the Heart of Y’Shaarj, a still-beating relic of the deceased Old God. Garrosh harnessed this power to augment his personal army and forge powerful weapons, intending to dominate Azeroth through the newly formed True Horde.
Adventurers from both factions mounted a siege on Orgrimmar, Garrosh’s capital. The confrontation reached its apex within the Underhold, where Garrosh attempted to channel the Heart of Y’Shaarj’s energies directly. Despite the power drawn from the Heart, Garrosh was ultimately defeated, and the artifact’s residual energy dissipated, leaving only a fading trace of its former corruption. The events revealed the lingering capacity of Old God remnants to influence even mortal politics and warfare.
The Old Gods and the Burning Legion’s Alliance
In the Legion expansion, Old God’s influence became intertwined with the invasion of Azeroth by the Burning Legion. Adventurers, guided by Khadgar and Brann Bronzebeard, investigated ancient artifacts capable of countering the demonic threat. Several of these discoveries involved Old God-related relics, including Xal’atath, a sentient blade tied to void corruption.
During this period, the Emerald Nightmare reasserted itself in the world, led by Xavius, the Nightmare Lord. The corruption spread through multiple regions, including Mulgore, Grizzly Hills, Un’Goro Crater, and Moonglade, though it remained under the manipulative influence of the Old Gods. Xavius and the Nightmare ostensibly aided the Legion, exploiting the chaos to further the Old Gods’ long-term schemes.
Ultimately, adventurers defeated Xavius in the Rift of Aln, dispersing the Nightmare. However, a residual Void presence remained, indicating that Old God influence persisted even after the immediate threat had been neutralized. This ongoing corruption underscored the Old Gods’ resilience and their tendency to act indirectly, manipulating other powerful entities and events from the shadows.
N’Zoth’s Manipulations and the Battle for Azeroth
During the Battle for Azeroth expansion, Old God manipulation reached a peak as N’Zoth sought to exploit the renewed conflict between the Alliance and Horde. In Kul Tiras, N’Zoth and Queen Azshara corrupted the tidesages, transforming them into k’thir under their control. In Drustvar, the Alliance discovered that the Heartsbane Coven were drawing power from Thros, a death realm linked to the Emerald Nightmare.
On Zandalar, the artificial Old God G’huun formed a pact with the troll prophet Zul, establishing a blood cult that sought to free the Old God from its confinement in Uldir. A secondary agent, the C’Thrax Mythrax, was resurrected through the ambitions of sethrak and troll factions. While Zul was killed in the assault on Dazar’alor, Mythrax succeeded in damaging the seals containing G’huun.
Adventurers eventually confronted G’huun within Uldir, successfully defeating the entity and verifying its destruction through symbolic rituals, such as the dipping of Vol’jin’s glaive in its blood. Following this, the Old Gods attempted to interfere with the Heart of Azeroth, sending agents known as n’raqi to disrupt the artifact’s empowerment ritual.
The final act involved N’Zoth’s liberation by Queen Azshara, who used Azerite to activate a Titan device in the Last Prison. This triggered the awakening of Ny’alotha, the Sleeping City, the Old God’s stronghold. Champions of Azeroth mounted a final assault, confronting the Old God directly and ultimately using the Forge of Origination, empowered by the Engine of Nalak’sha, to annihilate N’Zoth and Ny’alotha. In the aftermath, Magni Bronzebeard declared that Azeroth had been freed from the grasp of the Old Gods, though the historical record emphasizes the scale and persistence of their manipulations over millennia.
Personal Thoughts on the Old Gods
While they would not be considered actual eldritch horrors due to their comprehensibility inside the game, they at least dabble in and take inspiration from the concept quite heavily. Beings of immense and unknown powers influencing mortals for their own plots, hanging behind shadowy curtains, the old gods of Azeroth have always seemed like a cool side story to me, even though their importance has grown exponentially throughout the expansions. At first being a plot device for various dungeons, raids and important NPCs, they have become the main villains after a while, endangering the planet as a whole, and the inhabitants living within. Sadly, the old gods have become quite a toy for the plot to continue in the latest expansions in my opinion, going as far as being able to be killed by heroes, albeit with huge powers at our hands.
That said, I still am amazed by how well they were integrated from the start into the lore of WoW, and can always be found where you do or don’t look. After all, it is the whispers that spark the curiosity, and the descent.