As Midnight has been revealed, we have a much better idea of what’s to come in WoW’s 11th expansion. And it seems to be very focused on the duality of things!
A Tale of Extremes
Midnight is the middle expansion of The World Soul Saga. As such, it is uniquely positioned between the introduction to this trilogy’s story and its conclusion. And Blizzard have decided to lean in to that position and role, as they are focusing the expansion’s themes and stories on looking at extremes in both directions. We have two main ways in which this is presented. Destruction versus creation, and the Void versus the Light. Will the middle chapter prove to be the best in the trilogy?
Destruction and Chaos Vs. Creation and Order
The less obvious of the two themes lies in the addition of WoW’s most asked-for feature since its inception. Player Housing finally arrives with Midnight, and it is a pure manifestation of creation and order. While some players may not quite have… orderly homes, there’s still a structure to it. And the creative aspect is very obvious from the start. We’re getting to make a home for ourselves within Azeroth, which has itself been a home to so many players since its creation.
This is in stark contrast to the storyline of the expansion. Xal’atath and her forces are laying waste to Quel’thalas, destroying everything in their path. And so, as we players get new places to make our own homes, the Blood Elves and other inhabitants are having theirs destroyed by the Void. This reaches its peak in the Voidstorm, a zone of pure destruction where even its denizens live to consume and destroy everything, even each other.
Void Vs. Light
The more obvious theme is that of Xal’atath and the Void marching on the Sunwell. The forces of the Light stand in her way, as we saw in the initial reveal cinematic. Light versus dark is a classic theme, but there’s more to it than that in Midnight. We’ve seen how the Light can get… let’s call it overzealous, as the Mag’har orcs can attest to first-hand. This will be explored further. We’ll see the Light’s forces become increasingly desperate. They will gain a new willingness to do “whatever it takes” to prevail, as Blizzard explained. We already know about the Lightbloom, a dangerous overgrowth of powerful Light magic in Eversong woods, but there’s potentially more trouble the “good guys” might bring us. Hopefully they keep Yrel busy somewhere else…
And so as we absolutely can’t wait to get started with Midnight, we have a better idea of what it’s all about. Contrasts, extremes, and the lengths we might have to go to to survive Xal’atath’s attacks. Will the Light prove to be our undoing?
