The Artifact Series Finale is here, featuring an artifact interview with Nobbel87!
The Artifact Series Finale has arrived with the Mages, as well as an interview on artifacts with the Loremaster himself: Nobbel87!
It's been a long journey, but here we are, at the final edition of the Artifact Series! In case you've missed any of the previous posts, you can check them out here:
Death Knight
Demon Hunter
Druid
Hunter
Monk
Paladin
Priest
Rogue
Shaman
Warlock
Warrior
Before we get started on the final installment of the series, we've got a very special treat for you all. We managed to sit down with Nobbel87 and ask him a few questions concerning the artifacts and his opinions. Take a look!
B: What's your overall opinion of the artifacts so far?
N: Overall, I'm excited for the artifacts and the possibilities they offer. If done right, the progression system could offer a nice addition to the system that we are familiar with. My hope is that the current system that we see in Alpha is not finished yet and that they'll add additional ways of obtaining artifacts points; this includes the Brawler's Guild, pet battles, achievements etc. We also don't know how all the different skins are going to be unlocked so I hope that those things are going to be a lot of fun and offer some additional content.
B: Do you think it was right to introduce the artifacts or should they have stayed out of the player's hands?
N: It personally feels weird to be placed in such a high position within the game. You are the Highlord or Shan'do and you will lead all the established characters of your class to victory. Well, you and every other player of your class in the game. Some say that it is only natural progression and that it's fun to be the centre of attention, but I personally liked the status of the unmentioned adventurer. This comes down to personal taste though.
(Comment from B: Nobbel continues to discuss this idea in his Doomhammer artifact video, with examples included from an actual questline. I'd recommend checking it out.)
B: Are there any artifacts that you thought, on a purely lore and visual basis, weren't good enough?
N: I don't have a single artifact which doesn't feel good enough. I've heard feedback from Warriors that they would have loved to get their hands on Broxigar's axe. I personally felt like the Fist of Ra'den could have just as easily been used for the monks, but overall I'm happy with the artifacts they have picked. Some come from established characters and positions within the lore, while others are new and add to the existing lore.
B: Favourite artifact? Why?
N: Ashbringer, because it's the one that I will be running around with. Icebringer and Frostreaper (Frost DK) had the best lore moments for me. You can't go wrong with the Lich King and I really enjoyed going through the Fist of Ra-Den questline. I enjoy playing Heroes of the Storm and the references gave me a lot of fun while playing.
(Comment from B: The references include things like Li Li Stormstout casting Healing Brew, Chen Stormstout rolling around in a keg. There are definitely flashbacks to be had here if you played a squishy ranged!)
B: From a story point of view, do you see any way for Blizzard to remove the artifacts at the end of Legion, without ruining it?
N: This is asked all the time and is very difficult to answer. I don't think Blizzard themselves have a clear answer for it. They mentioned an idea in the direction of placing it on a mantle piece to display your past deeds, but I'm not sure if weapons like the Doomhammer or Ashbringer belong there. I've thought about this question a fair few times and its very hard to give a good solution.
You could have an event at the end of the expansion where everyone's weapon is dragged into the twisting nether, but that would leave you empty handed after defeating the final boss.
You could reverse time and make a doomsday scenario where the only possible way of salvation is to go back and prevent Legion from ever happening. This feels like a cheap answer though.
You could simply keep the artifact system going into the next expansion, but I wonder if players would enjoy going through the same level-up system again.
Realistically, I think the simple answer would be us stepping down from whatever position was given to us in the next expansion, turn the weapon over to its previous owner or hang it up within the order hall. We can then leave it behind and go and find new adventures. Who knows!
B: Do you think Blizzard pushing Warriors towards "Vrykul" lore is an indication that we might be re-visiting Northrend with them in future expansions?
N: It's always very hard to predict the future since anything is possible, but I personally don't see a reason why the current Vrykul lore would push us back into Northrend. These Vrykul have left Northrend thousands of years ago in search for their holy land, so they're pretty disconnected from the events of Wrath of the Lich King. Like I said, anything is possible though.
(Comment from B: For those of you that don't understand this question, it relates to the idea that there is no longer a Vrykul leader in Northrend, since we killed King Ymiron in Wrath. Also, I'm just praying for a Yogg-Saron return and this would be the perfect way to get us back there!)
That's it for our interview with Nobbel, but it has indeed been an insightful one! We'd like to issue our thanks to him and hope you all enjoyed seeing his opinions and ideas. If you want to check out more Nobbel, make sure you find him on his various channels here:
Twitch
Youtube
Twitter
Now that we've had a chat with the Loremaster, let's hope we can do him proud with some proper lore discussion! Here are the specialisations of the Mage:
Arcane channels immense levels of power into direct attacks of pure arcane energy.
Fire focuses on the destructive nature of forging balls of fire and flame.
Frost aims to drain the heat from the body of their opponent, freezing them in their path and then shattering the ice with their magic.
Arcane Mage - Aluneth, Greatstaff of the Magna
My excitement is beyond compare for what's to come, so let's check out the story:
"Aluneth was most notably wielded for a time by Aegwynn, the only female Guardian of Tirisfal, although stories indicate that it is far older than she. She is said to have found the staff roughly a century after she took up the mantle of Guardian, and to have wielded Aluneth in many battles against the Burning Legion. Several years before relinquishing her title, she retired the staff, but none know where she might have stored it." (source)
That's right, this artifact was wielded by arguably one of the most powerful Mages to have ever lived on Azeroth. Magna Aegwynn, the only female Guardian in history, was trained in magic by another Guardian, Magna Scavell. She was trained alongside four male apprentices, but she did not let their jibes get in her way. They constantly mocked her, saying she could not become a wizard, but she proved them wrong.
Within a year of beginning training, Aegwynn had mastered the entire incantations of the Night Elf Meitre. In the past, humans didn't even attempt to cast these incantations before they had fully finished their training. The information was deemed so imposing that it was hidden from apprentices in Dalaran and Silvermoon until they were seen to be ready.
This was the feat that led to her being chosen as the Guardian after Scavell. Despite complaints from the male apprentices, the position of Guardian had no room for choice based on race or gender, only raw ability, and Aegwynn was by far the best. After gaining her powers, it seemed as though Aegwynn was going to be plagued by controversy no matter where she went.
Her first task sent her to remove a demon by the name of Zmodlor, who was possessing the children of a schoolhouse in Jortas, in the hopes of gaining further power by sacrificing them. Aegwynn rushed to the schoolhouse and banished the demon straight back to the nether, hoping to avoid any further pain being inflicted on the children.
She succeeded, but the Council were unhappy. A gnome, Erbag, and a High Elf, Relfthra, chided her for acting rashly. They believed she should have first surveyed the situation, ensuring the demon did not have a greater plan that he was working with to inflict more widespread damage. Aegwynn defended herself, believing it was better to ensure the children quickly lest they suffer further.
Aegwynn as the Guardian of Tirisfal.
500 years passed and Aegwynn still stood as the Guardian of Tirisfal, ensuring that the Council's will was fulfilled and Azeroth was kept safe. It was at this time that arguably the greatest, and worst, moment of Aegwynn's life happened. On a routine trip to Northrend to vanquish a group of hunting demons, Aegwynn encountered an avatar of Sargeras himself. With the aid of the dragonflights, Aegwynn defeated Sargeras and buried his physical form near the Maelstrom, in the Tomb of Sargeras. Little did she know, she had started a trail of events that would change Azeroth forever.
After vanquishing the Dark Titan, Aegwynn, by her own words, grew extremely arrogant. She became distant from the Council, seeing herself as the ultimate power after finally dealing with Sargeras. She believed that she should be the one to choose the next Guardian, not the Council.
In order to do this, she needed to have a child. Aegwynn decided to choose the father of child based on their magical prowess, rather than any true feelings for the individual. She ended up deciding upon Nielas Aran, a conjurer of Stormwind and Archmage of the Kirin Tor.
That year, Aegwynn gave birth to her son: Medivh. His name is from the Elven language, meaning Keeper of Secrets. She left the child with his father, instilling within him the knowledge of her powers and the powers of Tirisfal. When Medivh reached maturity, the power was too great for him. The power exploded from his body, completely uncontrolled, and ended up killing Nielas and forcing Medivh into a coma.
Medivh stayed in his coma for twenty years, but eventually woke up in Northshire. He assured those around him that he was fully in control, but Aegwynn wasn't convinced. She was forced to watch as Medivh brought the orcs to Azeroth by communicating with Gul'dan.
She eventually confronted him, demanding that he return to using his powers to fulfill his duties as Guardian. Medivh refused and Aegwynn attempted to force him through magic. Medivh easily overpowered her as he possessed the powers of Tirisfal and revealed to her what had happened. When Aegwynn battle Sargeras, she had vanquished his physical form, but his essence fused itself with her body.
When she got pregnant, Sargeras merged himself with the unborn child Medivh. This meant that when Medivh came into his powers, he would also become his true demonic form. After telling her, Medivh attempted to kill Aegwynn, but she used her magic to teleport away.
She demanded an audience with King Llane, a childhood friend of Medivh. She warned him that Medivh was the one that had caused the orcish invasion and that he had to be dealt with.
Medivh was eventually killed by Khadgar, Anduin Lothar and Garona.
Aegwynn left Stormwind and used her remaining magic to teleport across the world to Mulgore. She wanted to live in solitude near Ratchet, but she still found some power within her. She saved up this power over 21 years and used it to bring Medivh back to life.
It nearly killed her, but Medivh disappeared shortly after returning. She was severely weakened after using her power, so she decided to finally live out her years. This was once again disrupted, this time by Jaina Proudmoore. Jaina sought her help in dealing with a herd of thunder lizards that needed relocating. It irritated Aegwynn that Jaina constantly referred to her as Magna, since Aegwynn had left that life behind her.
"Don't go calling me 'Magna'. That was another time and another place, and I'm not that woman anymore." (Aegwynn)
They quickly found that they were sealed within Aegwynn's house by some form of demonic magic. They discovered that it was from Zmodlor, one of the first mages Aegwynn banished. He was attempting to create a war between Durotar and Theramore, but they confronted him in battle. Without her Guardian powers, Aegwynn had little to give to the battle. Jaina was incapacitated by Warlocks and the battle seemed lost. Aegwynn contributed the last thing she had to help Jaina, the magical power of her life.
Aegwynn came extremely close to death, but the inherent powers of being a Guardian previously saved her. She became Jaina's advisor, but refused to allow anyone to know who she really was. Aegwynn's story was expanded upon in the World of Warcraft comic, where she helps Jaina in recovering Varian's memory after his separation caused by Onyxia and helps Valeera Sanguinar with her magic addiction.
In the comics, we also see Aegwynn present when Garona attempts to kill Varian, After the attempt, she catches a glimpse of Med'an, Garona's son, and realises he bears a striking resemblance to Medivh. Despite finally discovering that Med'an is her grandson, she is adamant that nobody must know in case it puts the child in danger. Aegwynn then goes on to be a part of the founding of the New Council of Tirisfal. According to the comics, she ends up sacrificing herself when the New Council battles Cho'gall. She gifts Med'an the remaining power she has in order to help him defeat the ogre. She ends up being buried in Karazhan, where her son was.
Aegwynn was an unbelievable character in lore and started the long strain of events that led to the world being as it is today. The length of the lore behind this character is, without a doubt, testament to the impact she made. Her powers were exceptional, even before becoming the Guardian, and to wield her weapon is a truly special thing for the Mages of Azeroth. I can't be happier with the way they've introduced this weapon and I can't think of a Mage I would have preferred to have the weapon of.
Fire Mage - Felo'melorn
If there was ever a sword to match the Fire Mage, this might just be it! Let's check out the story:
""Flamestrike" in its native tongue, Felo'melorn was borne into battle by members of the Sunstrider family as they proved their valor in the War of the Ancients, during the Troll Wars, and against the death knight Arthas Menethil. After it was destroyed, Prince Kael’thas Sunstrider reforged the sword to be even stronger and used it against the Lich King, trading several blows with the demonic runeblade Frostmourne. Ultimately Kael’thas was forced to retreat, and the sword was lost in the frigid wastes of Northrend." (source)
This sword has been present in lore for over 10,000 years, but one of the first wielders was Dath'Remar Sunstrider. For those of you who don't know who he is, he led the Highborne after the War of the Ancients. He was once a servant of Azshara, as all the Highborne were, even being offered by Xavius to be turned into a satyr. He was unlike the others, instead attempting to slow the process of summoning the Legion.
It eventually found its way into the hands of Dath'Remar's great-grandson, Anasterian Sunstrider. Anasterian was present during the Third War when Arthas marched on Quel'Thalas with the Scourge. Arthas attempted to break through the gates, but the high elf Sylvanas Windrunner and her band of defenders quickly became a nuisance. Arthas continued through every obstacle that Sylvanas left for him and he captured her during a raid on her camp.
Arthas tortured the Ranger-General and forced her into his submission as the first banshee. He continued on to the capital city of Silvermoon and slaughtered every high elf in sight. One of the high elves killed was Anasterian, but he didn't go down without a fight. When Arthas arrived at the city, Anasterian stood with his people, but he was no match for the relentless scourge. He fought Arthas valiantly, even wounding his horse, Invincible. Eventually, Anasterian fell to Frostmourne, Arthas' blade, and Felo'melorn was shattered.
At the time of the invasion, Anasterian's son, Kael'thas, was studying in Dalaran. He rushed back to his homeland and attempted to help, hoping to evacuate as many survivors as he possibly could. He took control of the remaining forces and renamed his race the blood elves in remembrance of his kin.
He recovered the skull of his father and the shattered blade of Felo'melorn; he used his own power to reforge the blade and sought vengeance on Arthas for the destruction of Quel'Thalas. He had to ensure his people's safety first, so he created camps within Silverpine Forest for the blood elves to live in. The undead around the area, however, began to act strangely. Kael'thas gathered his forces and attempt to move them to the other side of the river to safety.
Kael'thas pledged himself to Illidan in order to hunt Arthas, alongside Lady Vashj.
The lore of the blade continues after Kael'thas returns to Northrend. As soon as his forces land, they are met by the Nerubian forces commanded by Anub'arak. The forces kept Anub'arak at bay until Arthas arrived. Kael'thas had known Arthas before he became the Lich King, having met him as a friend of Jaina in Dalaran. Kael'thas warned Arthas that the forces of Illidan were moving to the Frozen Throne in order to destroy it and that he would never reach it in time.
Arthas moved through the tunnels of the Nerubian empire in an attempt to get there quickly, but he was confronted with the full might of Illidan's forces. Kael'thas, Lady Vashj, the naga queen, and Illidan stood between Arthas and the Frozen Throne. Arthas' forces were slowly winning the battle, but the war was decided between Illidan and Arthas. Arthas defeated Illidan and tossed his body aside in view of his forces. Kael'thas and Vashj retrieved their leaders body and retreated swiftly to Outland.
It looks like the weapon is lost during the retreat from Northrend, to be found by the Mages in the artifact questline. The sword itself has seen an incredible amount of bloodshed through the years and has been used by some incredible people, but I do think its slightly race-biased. Kael'thas, while he does pledge himself to Illidan, is devoted to the blood elves. He is first and foremost a blood elf and he always saw the Kirin Tor as a secondary entity compared to his race.
Let's see if we can find an alternative!
Alternative Artifacts for Fire Mages
Staff of the Dragonheart
The Dragonheart, also known as Draig'cyfail, is a title given to arguably one of the most important Mages to have led the Kirin Tor: Rhonin.
An incredibly powerful human mage, Rhonin has seen some of the most important events in history first-hand, despite not technically being alive at the time. His mentor, Krasus, is also known as Korialstrasz, one of the consorts of Alexstrasza. It was this mentor that summoned him one day to help investigate an anomaly. It was in fact a rift in time which threw them back to the War of the Ancients, along with an orc by the name of Broxigar.
Rhonin ended up fighting the Legion alongisde the beings of legend, the Ancient Guardians, such as Cenarius, Aviana and Malorne. He even found himself fighting with the four dragonflights and witnessing one of the most horrific acts in the history of the dragons. He watched as Deathwing decimated nearly the whole blue dragonflight, right before Malygos' eyes. He served as Illidan's mentor in an attempt to control the young elf, he served as the leader of the Moonguard when Illidan eventually defected.
He served as the leader of the Kirin Tor, he stormed the fortress of Grim Batol to save Alexstrasza. He leads the discussions between the Alliance and Horde during our assault on Ulduar.
Rhonin, as depicted in Hearthstone.
There is a long list of amazing things that Rhonin has done, but even in death he continued. Rhonin's death was caused by his own sacrifice. He chose to save those he loved over himself. When Garrosh dropped the mana bomb on Theramore, Rhonin concentrates his entire magical power on shielding those around him.
He saves his wife, Vereesa Windrunner, the elf general Shandris Feathermoon and the parties they led. Kalecgos, the leader of the blue dragonflight, notes that without Rhonin's input, the bomb would have caused even more devastation.
So, there's no doubt that that Rhonin was an amazing mage, but why would we choose him for Fire?
He fits the bill perfectly, even down to his hair. Rhonin is noted as having flame-orange hair and his personality is that of fire itself: quick to act and reckless, jumping around without any care of what might be on the other side. We also see a hint at the fact that fire is Rhonin's most proficient type of magic, based on his use of it in the Day of the Dragon novel. When Deathwing controls his body, he always uses fire as a method of attacking. Whether this indicates leaning towards fire is not known, but Rhonin does summon a fire spell that easily engulfs a goblin zepplin as well.
Nevertheless, I feel like Rhonin is a character that deserves to be recognised as a big figure in Mage lore and would loved to have seen him in the artifacts.
Frost Mage - Ebonchill
Interesting. Let's take a look:
"This greatstaff was wielded by Alodi, the first Guardian of Tirisfal. He bore the staff into many battles against Legion forces for the century in which he served as Guardian, then stepped down from the role of Guardian, but he retained the staff to his dying day. Upon his passing, the Kirin Tor stored the staff safely away for fear of what might happen if a lesser mage attempted to wield its power without the ability to control it fully." (source)
I'm extremely torn on this one. On the one hand, I absolutely love it. On the other, I'm not sure it was the right choice. Let's take a look nonetheless. For those of you that don't know, Alodi was the First Guardian to take up the fight against the Legion. He was a half-elf with incredible capabilities when it came to magic. He changed the Council by reforming the way in which they could communicate with the Guardian, through the use of a spell constructed by him and Meryl Winterstorm, now known as Meryl Felstorm. This allowed the Guardian to use the Council's power, while allowing the Council to remain safe.
The first demon that Alodi banished was Karthra'Natir over 3000 years ago. This demon actually made a return, possessing Valeera Sanguinar. Med'an, the son of Medivh, managed to save her, but the dreadlord went after Med'an soon after. Meryl sacrificed himself by taunting the dreadlord and Kathra'Natir was contained within him. It stayed chained to him until Meryl cleansed the Base of Atiesh for Med'an, which ended up granting the demon enough power to break free. He immediately went after the source of Med'an's power, the Council, and killed Dalynnia Wrathscar, one of the members. He drained her power for himself, but was eventually defeated and contained once again in Meryl. Meryl refused to put the Council at risk any longer and exiled himself.
Unfortunately, there is very little known about Alodi. He lived so long ago that he isn't mentioned in-game, but there is lore within some of the comics. He is undoubtedly a powerful basis for the weapon and, as a lore enthusiast, I love that they are looking back at the older Guardians, but I think he was a strange choice. If you compare him to characters such as Thrall and Tirion, he is no doubt just as, if not more, powerful than them, but he doesn't have the same status within the current players of the game. The response to his name is often: Who?
I think there might have been an opportunity missed to clear up a few things in lore and give out a better artifact. Let's take a look.
Alternative Artifacts for Frost Mages
Staff of Antonidas
So this suggestion is going to cover two pretty big lore figures, one of which is much more well known than the other. The first one being covered is, of course, Archmage Antonidas.
Antonidas was the leader of the Kirin Tor during the Third War and was present when Arthas marched on Dalaran. Despite being warned about Arthas by Medivh, Antonidas chose not to believe the disguised magus. Arthas eventually led the Scourge to Dalaran in search of the Book of Medivh, which the lich Kel'Thuzad needed. Antonidas attempted to defend Dalaran with magic, summoning a formidable barrier, but it was not enough to stop the Scourge. Arthas marched through Dalaran into the Violet Citadel, where he was met by Antonidas. He murdered the Archmage and claimed the Book of Medivh.
The staff wielded by Antonidas was passed on to his student upon his death, Jaina Proudmoore. I won't go into a deep discussion of Jaina's story because it's not relevant, but I will discuss why I think Jaina should have either given up the staff or died in Legion.
Blizzard have a certain way of writing lore. There are a number of characters that are given a story arc that is completely different from the character description, but then do nothing with it. Jaina is one of those characters that was written into a corner. If we go back to the Tides of War novel, Jaina sought the help of the Kirin Tor in order to defend Theramore against Garrosh.
Despite being bound by their neutrality from the faction war, the Kirin Tor agreed to send representatives to help. A mage from the Sunreavers, the Horde representatives in the Kirin Tor, was sent by the recommendation of Rhonin. It was soon revealed that Thalen was actually a spy working for Garrosh. He abandoned his post and allowed the forces of Garrosh to pass through undeterred. He even created the mana bomb for Garrosh.
The Sunreavers attempt to defend themselves in the streets of Dalaran.
Theramore was completely decimated by the bomb and Jaina was devastated. Despite adamantly denying any involvement, Jaina persecuted the Sunreavers relentlessly after being elected as the new leader of the Kirin Tor. She imprisoned Aethas Sunreaver, their leader, and removed any Sunreavers from the streets by force. Many were simply civilians living there, but they were rounded up and their belongings were taken from them. Dalaran descended into a war zone as the Sunreavers attempted to defend themselves, but it was to no avail.
This was a pretty intense act by Jaina, but it was completely forgotten in the lore. She negotiated with the blood elves and everything was just removed. Blizzard essentially wrote out one of the biggest things Jaina has ever done, despite attempting to remove half of the Kirin Tor from the city. I personally feel like this basically shouldn't have been ignored.
There is no chance that Antonidas would have agreed with what Jaina was doing, so how can she still wield the staff? She is misrepresenting everything the Kirin Tor stood for, but she still stood as the leader and wielder of the staff. I think she should have had the staff taken from her when she stepped down as the leader of the Kirin Tor, or she should have been killed in the artifact quest.
Legion is an expansion of big lore deaths and Jaina could easily have been another. Either way, she isn't fit to wield the staff anymore given her actions in Dalaran.
The End!
That's the end of our Mage artifacts and the end of the Artifact Series. I'd personally like to thank you all for reading the various articles and I hope you've at least learnt some new lore about the game. Make sure to let us know if there's anything you'd like to add about the series!
The next series coming to the Icy Veins WoW page from Blainie will be "The Road to 300". We will explore the different ways to achieve 300 mounts in the current patch of WoW, as well as the ways to earn every available mount currently. There will be maps of quickest routes, rankings of the coolest mounts and tips on how to farm quickly.