Darnassus is NOT What It Seems! - Lore Theory | World of Warcraft

[@Jediwarlock]

Important Clarifications: 1.) Yes, it turns out the most widely-accepted pronunciation is TELL-Dra-Sil, not Tel-DRASS-IL like I was saying it in this video... I honestly use the correct way most of the time but thought it was wrong for some reason XD Will remember for next time! 2.) I probably could have mentioned this or said this better, but yes, the Night Elves were immortal from the time of the Sundering until the end of WC3. As such, there are probably some architects/builders who were still alive and capable of building the old-style temples and monuments. However, with the general trend we see of pretty much every other modern Night Elf building in Classic WoW tending to be the wooden, organic variety, I am theorizing that it makes more sense for the temple to be from an older time. This theory is still just a theory of course, and so this point is pretty much just conjecture for fun. :)

[@christopherdaffron8115]

Which is correct pronunciation of Hyjal; HI-JAL or HI-Jil ?

[@BootyCrusader]

Also… it’s “Auberdyne” not Auberdeen???? Mind blown. I’m gonna keep calling it Auberdeen

[@domination2970]

we will see when the replacement gets planted in retail. If you‘re right (and blizz doesn fk this up), there wont be any stone buildings there

[@BlinkyB23]

Don't be too hard on yourself; people are so into correcting each other on the internet. I bet people have lots of funny mis-pronunciations from this game 😂 I've always been confused about Nagrand. I thought it was Nah-Grand. Then I listened to some audio books (I think, can't recall) and heard it pronounced like Nay-Grynd? I still stand by Nah-Grand. It sounds more, well...Grand lol. I thought your video was very thought-provoking and well-done, thanks for putting it out there!

[@christopherdaffron8115]

@@BlinkyB23 I agree. Correct or not, some Name Place pronunciations just sound better than others.

[@Jakeito413]

It's worth noting that Teldrassil was actually grown on a pre-existing island named Kalidar. It's possible that these older buildings were already there and were lifted up with the tree. That's the only way I can see this theory holding water beyond them just having built them after Teldrassil was grown and then used druidic magic to bind the stones with vines.

[@Hypnotically_Caucasian]

Druids: *use magic to raise giant tree out of the ocean* Tree: *resurfaces ancient kaldorei structures* Night elves: “It’s free real estate!” Sylvannas Windrunner:

[@CadaverJunky8]

I never liked that Darnassus was only supposed to be a few years old, because the whole vibe of the place feels ancient. All the buildings and ruins LOOK like they've been there for thousands of years. But I suppose they could have just been raised with the tree, or moved there.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks for the comment! :)

[@Kunk_Manjeroon]

I figured that Darnassus was an old island where the night elves studied their religion and culture. Especially because their language is called Darnassian.

[@joezar33]

​@@Jediwarlocktell me you heard of the "Tartaria theory" before ? 😅

[@Jediwarlock]

@@joezar33 A little yeah XD

[@Lazydino59]

A small part of me was expecting this dude to start carbon dating the marble structures

[@Jediwarlock]

Haha, nah, that's what the WoW Rocks series is for XD

[@johnotero7714]

Yaaass 😂

[@RetroOrion]

These are the type of videos KZbin was made for! Congrats on the massive jump in subs, Jediwarlock! I hopped in I think just after you hit 1k, and honestly the growth in subs is well earned! Great voice, great video recordings, a non-rambling script, and edited together just right!

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much for your support! I appreciate the kind words. :)

[@tehjamerz]

When youtube came out nobody was making videos like this, it wasn't worth the bandwidth

[@rikaika4178]

There's an easy fusion of the "white stone was brought..." story and your theory. None of those ruins we've found on shores, deep in oceans, or scattered across the world were in perfect shape. After the sunken ruins were lifted by the growing tree, the elves could have been using that transported stone to repair the temple and rededicate it. I always thought of it as an "Atlantis being risen from the water" location, especially when considering it's very recent creation.

[@Jediwarlock]

Love that idea!! Very good point :)

[@cole8834]

Counterpoint: the architects who built Darnassus were also alive and kicking 10,000 years ago and carried the same style in their own head* all the way into the present. Talking "modern vs ancient" Night Elf society is kind of not useful. Most Night Elves are presumably over 10,000 years old. And talking about Teldrassil having rock... well, the thing is... in classic WoW they very consciously omitted all mining nodes from the zone. It is the only zone in the game without them. I think it's pretty hard to read that as anything other than "yeah this is just a giant tree." soil on top yes, but soil =/= prexisting rock. Additonally, although it's from Catacylsm; the lower city of Zin'azshari in the CoT dungeon uses the wooden architectural style you say is the "modern" style. It seems, in reality, like many real life cultures, there are tiers of building styles. The most expensive and complex Night Elf buildings are marble and built in a pseudo-classical style. The cheaper common buildings are wooden and pseudo-oriental. Compare the hut-like dwellings of rural Romans to the lavish palaces of the Emperors, for example. A single culture can have multiple coexisting styles of architecture. All this taken together with the novel excerpt about the transportation of stone to Teldrassil, I think we can assume that 10,000 year old architects used the same style of architecture they learned 10,000 years ago to build Darnassus recently. They did not just so happen to know the ancient building styles; they were around when said styles were taught. sorry for effortposting in direct opposition to the video premise lol. this is a great video or else I couldn't effortpost about it :)

[@theoran7968]

Exactly, for example High Priestess Tyrande and Malfuion have been alive and married for over 10,000 years. Additionally, The sisterhood of Elune existed before the sundering. So of course they would want to use similar architecture for their temple as back then. Which is probably why the stone is said have been brought to Teldrassil.

[@Jediwarlock]

Very good points! I appreciate the time you put into your thoughtful reply... this type of discussion is great! :)

[@mw2984]

yeah not onyl they were most likely kicking still, elves in general and mostly the kaldorei were not really the progress oriented kind of being. With immortality comes stagnation (very often hand in hand in literature) So that falls bit apart. And one other really important point... the tech was just not good enugh to have a vast variety of different assets in the coding :D IMO never fixed on only ingame stuff.

[@cruros9084]

I always felt that the lore surrounding teldrassil was kinda a plot hole and never considered that Darnassus could have already existed on an island and been lifted up by the growth of teldrassil beneath it. Good theory.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! :) I like your thinking.

[@Donnirononon]

Keep on going mate, you are going to be known WoW KZbinr if you stay at it

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! :)

[@kattn01]

@@Jediwarlock yeah, you've got that voice and cadence too of a good wow "lore" and curiosities youtuber

[@joshstraub6972]

He's got that wow tuber spirit for sure

[@ytwoquake]

@@kattn01 He's also got that "I have to put a finger on the page when reading something so I know where I am otherwise I'm confused and get lost" vibe

[@SnugMoney]

While I think the reason is mainly that the programmers forgot that the island is only four years old, I very much prefer your theory. Keep of the good work, Jediwarlock! These videos are highly entertaining.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks so much! :) I'm glad you're enjoying them.

[@jofvenom]

absolutely epic video. keep em coming because this is beautiful, authentic and just what true and oldschool wow enjoyers appriciate

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you so much! More adventures soon to come :)

[@Duude34]

"Ancient Apocalypse" Azeroth edition :D. Nice job, keep rocking!

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! :)

[@allonzehe9135]

Is it Tell-drasal? I always pronouced it tel-dra-sil.

[@PandoricaLost]

I've always pronounced it Tel-dra-sil too 🤷‍♀

[@RetroOrion]

@@PandoricaLost TBH, either works as long as the other person knows what you're talking about, but the official way (The original NE intro, and how Anduin pronounced it in the one cinematic) is Tel-Dra-Sil. ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3qtn2WbodBoqJY ) I had always said Tel-Dras-ill before that, and sometimes still do when I don't instantly remember the official way. Also, how do you pronounce Feralas? I say "Feral-As" but I know somebody who calls it "Fer-Ralas"

[@bashvash]

Same

[@Jediwarlock]

You all are correct, I am wrong XD I usually pronounce it the correct way but switched entirely for this video because I thought I always said it wrong!

[@allonzehe9135]

@@Jediwarlock Happens to the best of us. Loving these WoW vids. It's not often anymore that there's something about that game I haven't already learned. Speaking of, video idea; deep dive on grey items.

[@forteh]

Another great video, I really appreciate your calm storytelling

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! :)

[@Daneeeeeh]

There are no words to describe how much I love your videos You make me feel like I were young again, exploring and living wow with the same awe as the one I had back then

[@Jediwarlock]

Aw, thank you very much for the kind words! That means a lot :)

[@GhostWarrior334]

I remember leveling here as a kid, love this video. They could have also used the white stone to help rebuild it (but idk if rebuilding it could have been possbile, plus here is the Kaldorei language Darnassian we have never been given a reason its called that. It could be when they raised this ancient city of Darnassus they named their language after it to show a new start for an old race/city.

[@Jediwarlock]

I like your thoughts! Thank you for the thoughtful comment :)

[@DrFunk-rk6yl]

Darnassus is my favorite capital. The whole starting area for the night elves (pre-cataclysm) is gorgeous.

[@Jediwarlock]

Yesss! One of my faves! :)

[@johnotero7714]

That's why I could never level anything in eastern kingdoms. You REALLY get the fantasy while leveling there. Fighting demons and nagas, harpys. Imagine your first toon as a human in West fall?? Borrrinnnggg

[@warlordtf9608]

I thought the asset was just used to tie in the Naga and the night elves personally. More of a technical constraint rather than a lore implication. Although you make a point the marbled structures are solely used for High elf, or naga construction. Understand that Hyjal was going to be part of the base game and it connects the dots a bit more actively as I'd imagine they would've paid that off at that point. But suspending the technical part of this. Teldrassil was planted in retaliation to losing the World tree, so assuming Kalidar is an island that once married to aurberdine, of which there are many ruins of white marble so, plausible i guess

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you for the thoughtful comment! :) I like those points a lot!

[@warlordtf9608]

@thewanderingm2670 all of the 'dorei stem from highborne no? I thought it was only the loss of the font that lead them to find other sources of power, hence the divide of Moonwell elves, sunwell elves, nightwell elves etc.

[@joe1478]

The night elves were immortal, so it could be the same architects that built Azshara. It wouldn't be long lost knowledge... Just playing devil's advocate, I actually prefer your take on it.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you for the feedback! I like your thinking :)

[@TRG29338]

This is like the warcraft version of tartaria

[@Jediwarlock]

Haha, I suppose so! :)

[@bin4ry93]

So Teldrasil is like a reverse-atlantis?

[@Jediwarlock]

Somethin' like that haha

[@Aerthal]

You're bringing some great lore and logistical points. Probably devs at the time didn't give much thought into it but finding a way to make it all click is a great way to revive our collective love for lore and warcraft stories... Thanks for such a great video, it's great content, keep it up!

[@Jediwarlock]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! You are very welcome :)

[@MrKaar9012]

love this, glad i found ur channel

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! :)

[@Graven-Ash]

It is very common historically for old monuments to be carved up for new structures, you can see this all across the ancient world, most notably with the Pyramids of Giza having their white marble exteriors removed to be used for later pharohs temples. Given the Night Elves access to holy & druidic magic, and thanks to their Ancients I could totally see them not even just moving white stone to Teldrassil, but moving the whole temple, piece by piece from wherever it was originally located like the novel says. I was recently questing through Teldrassil & one of the quests I believe along the Delan questline with the timberlings mentioned "taking the samples to Azeroth" likely a holdover as originally the Eastern Kingdoms were called Azeroth & it never got changed in the quest text. I don't remember exactly which quest but it's one that ends in Darn city.

[@Jediwarlock]

Ooh interesting! Thank you for those details :)

[@Moormanar]

As always one of the best video on WOW!

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you so much! :)

[@goshlike76]

never put much thought on that, but this makes me want to dive deep into the lore of Darnassus. Great video!

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! :)

[@CoverCode]

They could also just have moved parts of old structures up there, it’s very common in real world history to take parts of ruins as building blocks, so it could just be that

[@Jediwarlock]

I like that idea as well! Instead of building brick by brick more of a large-scale transportation… very neat idea! :)

[@GustavoNoronha]

Great choice of song ;D

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks! ;)

[@Machuell_DuLac]

I'd imagine that when the world tree grew, it pulled up ruins in much worse shape than we see in game (ie no two stones on top of each other). I imagine they basically used them as lego blocks to build some of the pretty buildings, but since the temple of the moon was so large, they had to import more stone from the mainland to finish it. After all, there's plenty of old ruin blocks on the beaches of Night Elf territories.

[@Jediwarlock]

I like that idea! It makes sense that the ruins wouldn't be fully intact at that point in time.

[@vanhasydan4754]

Considering there are multiple locations in the would that match the temple especially, yes, it only makes sense that some of Darnasas is ancient but cleaned and repaired.

[@Jediwarlock]

Definitely a possibility! :)

[@depressedpacito7024]

Giant hole in your theory. In the lore of WoW before the Sundering the Elves all lived closest to the middle of Azeroth, closest to the Well of Eternity which was a massive source of arcane energy the High elves as they were initially magic users and post sundering all elf tribes ushered their own origins. Blood elves kept magic, night elves went to nature, trolls are deformed elves. And so on. In the end Teldrassil is just another landmass that was once the elven capital, hence the architecture being similar to all elven structures. Before Teldrassil became their home however the dragon aspects gave them Mount Hyjal and a world tree seed, which they gave another after the destruction of Hyjal by Archimonde. Now Teldrassil has a world tree without the magical properties. The magical properties came from the tree's location being on top of magic ley lines. Hence giving the Elves immortality, same thing with the well of eternity. Elves are ancient, and due to that their architecture is everywhere on all sides of the globe. Even pandaria and Northrend before the sundering. Just a reminder also that the more wooden structures are a night elf only structure. Meaning those are their recent developments. Including making homes in trees.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you for the thoughtful comment! I am not seeing exactly what you are emphasizing as the theory hole in this, though. Not all Night Elves lived close to the Well of Eternity, the Kaldorei Empire stretched across a vast region of Old Kalimdor and included the west coast as well (old Darkshore, area near Teldrassil, etc.). You can see this in Classic WoW in places like Ameth'Aran where there is lore discussing how those cities fell during the Sundering. As far as I know, the elves' immortality does not come from the new Well of Eternity at Hyjal as it did at the original Well; it is dependent on the blessings of the Dragon Aspects placed on the tree, specifically Nozdormu, who did not grant his blessing on Teldrassil and is the reason the elves do not get immortality from the new tree. Nordrassil was created to shield Azeroth from the Legion's attempts to use the new Well... the energy source itself does not grant the elves immortality, hence why when Nordrassil is damaged at the end of WC3 by the wisps, that is when the elves begin to age. The energy source here is still intact as we can see when it re-opens in Cataclysm. I am agreeing with you the wood structures are recent, Night Elf-only structures. My main point here is that when Teldrassil was created, the old marble parts of an ancient ruin were lifted up and possibly restored to their current state, and the wooden houses and shops were added alongside them to complete the city.

[@mw2984]

Just one thing. Trolls are not deformed elves because I believe the elves origin was that the massive arcane magic formed trolls into the elves. So basically elves are deformed trolls... guess that was the intent joke with that from the story writers

[@NealioSir]

"In the lore of WoW before the Sundering the Elves all lived closest to the middle of Azeroth, closest to the Well of Eternity" Incorrect. the Kingdom of the Elves spanned over 70% of the continent with remote outposts and cities everywhere. "Blood elves kept magic, night elves went to nature, trolls are deformed elves" Incorrect. After the Sundering Malfurion exiled all elves who chose to continue using arcane magic. These were high elves. The night elves continued to practice nature magic imparted them by the Wild Gods. Technically from game mechanic standpoint they still used arcane spells as Moonfire and Starfire are arcane. Blood elves was not even a term until after Arthas sacked Silvermoon City. Trolls are not deformed elves. Elves evolved from a specific clan of dark trolls that first discovered the Well of Eternity and were altered by the arcane magic within. "Before Teldrassil became their home however the dragon aspects gave them Mount Hyjal and a world tree seed, which they gave another after the destruction of Hyjal by Archimonde. Now Teldrassil has a world tree without the magical properties. The magical properties came from the tree's location being on top of magic ley lines. Hence giving the Elves immortality, same thing with the well of eternity" Mostly incorrect. Nordrassil was planted by Alexstraza in the center of the Well of Eternity. It was the blessing of Nordrassil by the Aspects that gave elves their immortality. Teldrassil was grown by Staghelm planting an acorn from Nordrassil. Teldrassil is indeed a world tree with magical properties. It was not blessed by the Aspects to impart immortality.

[@johnotero7714]

@@NealioSir all the elves had their own wells. Sunwell, the Well of Eternity , the Nightwell, kinda wild.

[@IceCaller01]

Randomly came across your video and I’m so glad I did! 10+ year WoW Alumni here and seeing the places in your video was so nostalgic!! Really enjoyed your theory as well!! Subscribed!! ☺️☺️

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you so much! I appreciate the kind words :)

[@roundninja]

I feel like the devs were just running out of time and reskinned a few ruin models to use as Teldrassil buildings. But it would be nice to get a canon explanation of why the city has two drastically different types of architecture mixed together, and why some of it looks at least a century older than the rest.

[@Jediwarlock]

Yes! You make some good points. :)

[@s1cktrcks]

another Jediwarlock banger

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you! :)

[@danieliliev1028]

ahahah, teldrASSL :D . Obviously old gods messed up with staghelm

[@Jediwarlock]

I usually say it the correct way but thought the way I usually pronounce it was wrong :')

[@Amalgtaid]

Very nice :) I played a long time as a night elve, but I never saw this kind of obvious different between buildings

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you! :)

[@vernemeton]

night elves who "just so happen to know the ancient building style" ... i mean, there are several night elves around that were alive during the sundering. sure, the most well known are their leaders, but it's also possible that every day folk survived the sundering, so it is neither inconceivable nor far out there to think that maybe an architect or two survived the sundering and they would definitely know the ancient styles.

[@Jediwarlock]

I like your thoughts... you make a good point! :) I mentioned that a bit in my pinned comment... definitely there would be some people still around who would know how to make those buildings!

[@danielclow]

I like your videos, it helps me with my English, you pronunciation is clear and calm, I can understand the 99% :D Darnassus is my fav city too and I never thought about its age, your theory is good but as always, the scriptwriters of Blizzard would say: "It was magic :D"

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! Haha, yes, I think Blizzard does use that as an excuse sometimes XD

[@theonetruemorty4078]

"That which was sunken shall rise." I think we're going to see the ancient Kaldorei Empire emerge from the sea.

[@Jediwarlock]

That would be very cool! :D

[@zerofailepic7762]

Good video! I like the focus on the old zones

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you! The Old World is what I'm all about :)

[@yetigaming8711]

Dont need to use jedi mind tricks on us to click on the video looking forward to more!

[@Jediwarlock]

Haha, thank you! :)

[@ensar3752]

Earned a new sub, keep this up. Good stuff!

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! :) Welcome to the Jedi Order!

[@nakenmil]

Damn, I've been theorycrafting on and off (mostly off these last years lol) in WoW since vanilla, but I've never seen this before. I really like this idea, it makes a lot of sense, and perhaps more importantly, it just adds something interesting to Teldrassil.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! If you think of any ideas for future videos let me know… I’d love to make a theory or two with ya! :)

[@DIEGhostfish]

I did always wonder about the marble yeah

[@murphybeats8695]

This is a pretty cool theory! Great content as always Jedi!!

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! :)

[@justdontinquire7576]

It’s also possible that when they say white stones were moved for the building of darnassus, that they actually just dismantled and reassembled a standing or recently fallen temple from the old world. Hence why the stones still have vines on them. The only explanation that fits with the current timeline is, being that teldrassil is fairly young, perhaps the vine growth is just a reflection of the trees continual growth and Verdance

[@Jediwarlock]

Yes, I like those ideas and that makes a lot of sense! :D

[@VITTOREIMPERIALE777]

The ruins of Isildien have some buildings that are exactly the same like in Darnassus , the Temple of the Moon for example. So I would guess Blizzard just uses the same building models cuz its more practical.

[@Jediwarlock]

That's probably the most likely scenario :D

[@teej143]

Gosh I love and miss Darnassus. I hope the new night elf home will be worthy of it's beautiful, yet doomed, predecessor. I just might visit it again tonight before tomorrow's patch.

[@Jediwarlock]

I hope the new capital city will be awesome! :D

[@josejuanandrade4439]

Ok so.... Tyrande, Malfurion, Fan dral, etc... they all were alive before the sundering. This "old style" of architecture, is not old style. Is the Style they knew. The Sundering happened 10 thousand years ago, it was at the end of the War of the Ancients. It was caused because of the manipulation of the Well of Eternity by queen Aszhara to open a portal to bring Sargeras into Azeroth, then Illidan, Tyrande and Malfurion closing it. Tyrande is a priestess of Elune. When building the new city, she would have made the temple be built like the ones she knew before the Sundering. The wooden style of the houses was also used in the elven architecture before the sundering. You can see the city in the Well of Eternity dungeon looks like this. A part of it. The style of architecture used in the important parts of Darnassus is akin to the style they used in their big cities such as Suramar or Sin'Ashari. But the less ostentous style of buildings were common in places like Val'shara and other smaller elven settlements. The night elves that studied druidism are the ones that liked to build in this less ostentous, more nature friendly style. The followers of elune, and the high ranks of the elven society were the ones that liked the temples and white cities. As an example of this, the elves that migrated to the Eastern Kingdoms built their city in a more advanced way using magic, with their architecture being an obvious evolution from the old white temples. None of the elves that followed Anasterian was a practicer of druidism. They were all upper classes, practicers of arcane magic. The elves that built Darnasus were basicaly druids, priests... no arcane users... in fact, they were against it, blaming the arcane for the destruction of their society, and aware of the addiction it caused in their kin. That is why most of the city was built in this nature friendly way, because most of them where druids, or hunters, and the rest were priests, and it was the followers of elune who solicited to have the temple build the way it was. So there you have it, That is why the city looks the way it does: Most of the population were practicer of druidism, hunters, and then there were soldiers (warriors) and finaly the priests. The temple was built for the priests, the part in the middle was built for the soldiers and the rest are the houses of the rest of the population. Absolutely understandable the city looks like that.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment! I appreciate your feedback and that all makes a lot of sense! :)

[@tranquilcoast]

Love the deep dives! I got really into WoW again this year and these are so interesting

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! I'm glad you are enjoying them :)

[@Shredow2]

Ahh, the old "Darnassus were Highborne Ruins lifted up by the growing tree" theory. There's a great deal of evidence that this is true as you've covered. It's a shame Darnassus is no more but maybe now that Metzen is returning somebody can ask him about it. Also, yeah, the Stormrage novel crap is just another example of Knaak not thinking too deeply about World Building. A VERY common problem with the majority of WoW's novelists.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you for the thoughtful comment! You make some good points :)

[@havokan45]

Reports are a new Night Elf Tree will be add back to the game the fun part is where it will end up . One of the rumors it may end up in the Gilnaes revamped area but we aren't given a timeline when both are said to be updated .

[@Shredow2]

@Jack Marcuson You're an idiot. Metzen created the warcraft lore. Warcraft 1 was a barebones warhammer clone, warcraft 2's story was Metzens brainchild. Its so silly that people are still angry about the Draenei Retcon nearly twenty years later and also blame Metzen for TBC's character deaths when those were almost certainly pushed for by the game design leads who wanted big name figures as raid bosses.

[@TE-eq1dc]

False advertising. You’re right it looks beautiful in pics but when I go there it’s just a bunch of ash and ruins with no elves well except the burnt ones.😎

[@Jediwarlock]

Oh no! Gotta check it out on Era ;)

[@stevek4070]

Honestly I think it's a split between druidism and priestly structures. Vanilla wow it was just reusing assets because of time and not worrying about it all that much. There was a time before the tree that an island stood there and as the tree grew it consumed the whole of the island. Another thing to consider is that the elves were immortal for a majority of time on Azeroth which means that a lot of the builders of those original sites could still have been alive and easily remade certain structures to reflect their past memories. I hope in the near future there's an elf questline that takes us back into the tree now that it's been turned to a charred ruin and we get to see what remains. We could collect momentos for survivors and help put spirits to rest.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you for the thoughtful comment! :) I like your points, especially with how the Teldrassil story could continue in the future!

[@johnotero7714]

Ugh. This is an AWESOME idea. I'm really hoping they make the new seed into a capital city in the future.

[@joaoandarilhodosol1781]

Great as always!!! 👏👏👏

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you! :D

[@andreaskallstrom9031]

Absolutely amazing video. Thank you so much!

[@Jediwarlock]

You are most welcome! Glad you enjoyed it :) I plan on making more in the future!

[@jameschristophercirujano6650]

Yes. It seems that the point is moot, since those structures are probably rubble, or disintegrated from the extreme heat of the burning tree. However, for the sake of discussion, it can go either way, that its new, however, it has to do with the assets made for reusability, but its newly made in reality. Or they scooped an old ruin from the island or sea as the tree grew.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you for your thoughts! I appreciate the comment. :)

[@Leid4733]

Thanks for the fresh take on the wow content community!

[@Jediwarlock]

You are most welcome! Thank you for the comment. :)

[@Garouwerks]

First time I have heard this theory. Really great take on things!

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! :)

[@Nopeahuoli1]

Was just thinking... there is this massive landmass missing west from Ohn'ahran plains near greendragon place on dragon isles, could they have summoned that area from there to be landmass for teldrassil? I mean it almoust fits it if you check world map.

[@Jediwarlock]

Interesting theory! I always like hearing new ideas :)

[@FishboyAbzu]

Nah thats for the new teldrassil ;)

[@RandomGuy-uj4hn]

I don't think so, since the dragons severed their connection since the wars of the ancient and reconnected quite recently on other side teldrasil were built somewhere after wc3 and beforr vanilla.

[@Nopeahuoli1]

@@RandomGuy-uj4hn yeah its more likely area that is linked to emerald dream and made it vanish from this "dimension"

[@RandomGuy-uj4hn]

@@Nopeahuoli1 hmm, maybe I should look at the dream bough questline again to confirm is the dreamway connection to Ohnaran plains also dormant during that time or not. Interesting theory, btw 👍

[@SoftClip_Q]

I personally chalk it up to old blizzard reusing assets being smaller and newer to the games design and how every small detail has implications in an mmos story. I think there’s a chance your right too maybe time will tell. Very interesting perspective can’t wait to see more videos.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you for the thoughtful reply! :)

[@johnotero7714]

I swear the writing team watches videos like this to come up with their ideas. We think we are predicting the storyline but really they are just using the idea they think they can make fit into their story. The jailer was a perfect example. Blizzard scraped all of the zone story lines and focused on retconning the jailer into stuff and ruined a LOT of lore.

[@tysondowney3659]

Yay, a new channel to binge

[@Jediwarlock]

I’m glad you’re enjoying my videos! :)

[@charlesv5h975]

Great vid! Love the pseudo-history! It’s fun to speculate

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks! I find it fun as well :)

[@mauritsponnette]

Very interesting theory, I like the points you make! The only thing I was thinking that breaks the theory is: how do you lift up a city when you're starting out with a sapling of a tree that has yet to grow as big as Teldrassil? Of course, this is but a small scientific nitpick as I'm sure Warcraft druids are capable of something more than would seem possible 😅

[@Jediwarlock]

Very good point! :) thank you for your idea!

[@iwidowqueen2276]

Keep up the good work love your wow videos:)

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! Your WoW selfie profile picture is very cool! :)

[@iwidowqueen2276]

@@Jediwarlock ❤

[@Draedaja]

Ooh, it's been so long since I've seen Darnassus...

[@Jediwarlock]

It's been a while since Battle for Azeroth :')

[@grafspe807]

I dont think a lot of ppl who play wow know that Darnassus isnt very old its not really shown in game out side of maybe a few mentions in quests or npcs perhaps

[@Jediwarlock]

You make a good point! People who are not paying attention to the lore aren't given many other indicators about this.

[@maricelsereda1169]

nice theory man, it does explain the stone

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! :)

[@Solo_Traveling]

It's TELdrasil, not TelDRAsil.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you for the feedback! XD That is actually the way I usually pronounce it but I thought it was wrong so I somehow ended up messing myself up more by switching to the actual wrong pronunciation!

[@GuyverQ30]

I am sad that this city is gone. It was beautiful and I loved leveling my night elves there. =(

[@Jediwarlock]

Agreed! When I heard about if burning down in Battle for Azeroth I was very sad! :(

[@johnotero7714]

Can't wait for the new one!!! They BETTER make it a capital city in a later on expansion.

[@hotshot461]

...my guy... Darnassus (and TELDRASSIL) were created 10,000 years ago, so yeh thats why the marble buildings look ancient instead of brand new, and the rest of the buildings look [somewhat] new too, though im pretty sure they have been very well maintained over the millennia. it even states in the first cinematic for WoW "After *10,000 years*, the drums of war sound once again..." xD

[@Jediwarlock]

Haha, good point good point. :)

[@shii5795]

I had a similar theory. But mine centers around growing Teldrasil beneath an island.

[@Jediwarlock]

Great idea! After hearing some other people's comments, it seems like Teldrassil was grown on an island named Kalidar, and so maybe that's where the scooped-up earth and ruins came from? :)

[@shii5795]

@@Jediwarlock Good chance of it. And if the Elves did import stone. It probably was just to repair structures, rather than build anything holey new.

[@lycos94]

i audibly laughed when he said tell drassle

[@Jediwarlock]

I will improve on that for next time XD

[@Bramandin]

Oh man, I am so thirsty for this type of speculative vanilla content that looks deep into meat of the world and picks apart everything that doesn't make sense in the lore.

[@Jediwarlock]

Haha, I'm glad you are enjoying this type of video! :)

[@blackefeltsch7459]

The white marble structures look Greek/Roman inspired.

[@Jediwarlock]

Agreed! :)

[@diablo.the.cheater]

Yes, it turns out it was not a tree but a island sized campfire

[@Jediwarlock]

Indeed! XD

[@selwrynn6702]

When they say "imported stone from the mainland" it could be that they imported existing structures from the continent, we have seen this in the real world where rich people have imported entire castles from Europe over to America where they were then rebuilt stone by stone so that they return to the form of the original castle, simply in a new location. Now typically this process takes quite a lot of time and money, but the Night Elves have magic that we don't. I won't totally rule out that your theory may be correct, but this is a plausible alternative that, at least from what you presented here, seems to remain within the established canon a bit more.

[@Jediwarlock]

Ooh, I like that a lot! Thank you for sharing :)

[@Wayclarke]

You are the successor to Hayven Games.

[@Jediwarlock]

Haha, thank you so much! That means a lot :)

[@cjfoshu]

Can druids raising entire city though? I feel like that is more a job designed for a shaman.

[@Jediwarlock]

Very good point! I am not sure, but it is fun to speculate :)

[@cjfoshu]

@@Jediwarlock I'd have to brush up on my history, but if I recall correctly the Shamans did some world sculpting work post Cataclysm, and while fighting Deathwing.

[@joaovitorreisdasilva9573]

Hmmmm, they could've built it tho. Remember, Night Elves are REEEEEAAALLY fucking old, there is probably a handful of builders/masons who were familiar with the "old style" and they could've built the "this look's older" structures. The problem with this, my counter, is that I can vaguely remember Darnassus being mentioned as one of Azshara palaces so it should be at least 10k y/o.

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you for the thoughtful reply! I added the elves’ age in my pinned comment… I like your thoughts! :)

[@joaovitorreisdasilva9573]

@@Jediwarlock hey ty a lot and sorry for adding to the pile, guessing other people also pointed that out, another thing, sadly blizz don't do this kind of world building, might be access to material. New buildings might be made out of "organic stuff" because that is basically what they have around. They probably can't mine/find the old building materials so they gotta work with what they have. This can go both ways tho, it might support your theory since they couldn't actually have built the stuff with white marble (it was aliens, THE LITTLE GRAY MAN OF WOW), buuut it could also be that they had limited access to it and made the "most important stuff" for their culture/society out of the fancy stuff. Jesus I've way too much free time, I am sorry fren but keep up with the cool/great content!!

[@Wordslay]

Nightelves are just trolls that got corrupted by the degen minds of Moonguard roleplayers

[@Jediwarlock]

Oh my XD

[@Dabluekitten]

After years of playing this is the first time I noticed the bear 😮

[@Jediwarlock]

Which bear is that? Haha

[@Dabluekitten]

@@Jediwarlock Tree bear above the bank 🙀🐻

[@radeon_7745]

Shame that only capital cities that are used are only Stormwind and Orgrimmar

[@Jediwarlock]

True! Darnassus is very sparsely populated most of the time :)

[@DaDunge]

Used to be ironforge and Orgrimmar before they created linked flight paths.

[@ChrisGlad1]

Love these cozy videos

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks! :)

[@DIEGhostfish]

6:23 I mean the elves that originally built them probably WERE still alive

[@Jediwarlock]

Check the pinned comment! ;) I agree!

[@DIEGhostfish]

@@Jediwarlock Odd it doesn't seem to show first on my mobile

[@deviltrigger187]

Im horde but i do miss darnassus

[@Jediwarlock]

Yes, I was very sorry to hear it was burned down! :'(

[@Johkah]

or the structures are reused.... why do you think a lot of blood elves in vanilla are night elf models or their own and poorly made? bc blizzard didnt want to put a whole lot of work into something that wouldnt matter that much at the time.

[@Jediwarlock]

Good point! :)

[@randomusernumber1]

this would explain several mysteries and my biggest peeve of all . Why was that giant wall built at the entrance ? It does not connect to the nearby mountains so it is not a gate . It is solid so it is not anything other that a big stone wall .And if it was intended as a gate who was it meant to stop ? It is on an island with the only way in being inside of the city . There is not enough wild life so that is not a legitimate threat to the city ,the sentinels can easily handle the furbolgs and the rest of the wildlife and the only other danger are the rogue druids ,and i doubt a handful of druids justify the effort , and those lame druids from 10000 years ago with 10000 elves could barely trap C'Thun , in present day 40 people went in and killed him and all his minions who had 10000 years to prepare . We only had a few weeks . I KILLED SO MANY BUGGS FOR NOTHING !

[@Jediwarlock]

Haha, I love that comment! XD I briefly thought about that darn wall too… if the theory is true they raised it up out of the ocean and just put it there as a decoration I guess?

[@randomusernumber1]

@@Jediwarlock I absolutely believe that they did .There is just no reason for it at all . And i would have preferred if it were not there to be honest. Night elves are a favorite of mine and that wall just never fit the hippy vibes they give out .

[@cujoedaman]

Well, just one small problem now. Everything got extra crispy after everyone's favorite undead waifu torched it because she was on the rag. Thanks, blizz. Ya dun guud.

[@Jediwarlock]

Haha, very true :’)

[@Gabronthe]

The white ruins do seen of high born design.

[@Jediwarlock]

That's what I think too!

[@janchada710]

I love it. Im Jediwarlock casual enjoyer.

[@Jediwarlock]

Glad to have you here! :)

[@ArcaneEther]

Oy, it is prononced "Tel Dra Sil", not "Tel Drassel". It is a play on Yggdrasil.

[@Jediwarlock]

I put that correction in my pinned comment :) I will correct this in my future videos... thanks for pointing that out!

[@nordicpush1452]

Ofc its not there are only ashes i guess:).

[@Jediwarlock]

I suppose haha ;)

[@technodrone313]

it was the old capital of legolii. but now thats orgrimmar :/

[@Jediwarlock]

Indeed!

[@denisblack9897]

i dont think stoned bearded dudes who built this knew as much as you do

[@Jediwarlock]

Haha, thanks? XD

[@JulianaBlewett]

Tell druh sill, not tell drassle. They even pronounce it in game. I see your corrections but you might want to pin it to the top of the page so people read it first. Just a suggestion.

[@Jediwarlock]

Pinned it! Thank you for the feedback, I have no idea why I decided to switch but I will say it correctly for now on XD

[@Flozone1]

You know what's weird? The Night elf language is called Darnassian? Why? The High elves and Blood elves call their language Thalassian after their homeland of Quel-Thalas, but wouldn't the Kaldorei not call theirs Kaldoreian or Kalimdorian or something like that? The Blood elves haven't changed their epithet to Sindoreian either. So why do the Night elves name theirs after a city, which is merely four years old. That's like as if Americans would call their language Washingtonian instead of just English. The only way this makes sense is if the name Darnassus is much older or means something different.

[@Jediwarlock]

"No, no... he's got a point" XD

[@evsanger]

I subbed. Had to do it. No other choice. Content too good

[@Jediwarlock]

Thank you very much! :)

[@donjan007]

Nice

[@Jediwarlock]

Thanks! :)

[@MrSanctuarys]

Good watch thanks!

[@Jediwarlock]

You are most welcome! :)

[@josephteller9715]

Druids can't work stone... more likely that there were Elven Shamans that worked stone... and that there was a falling out between them after the events that created Darnasus and the Shamans left the rest of Elven society....

[@Jediwarlock]

I like your thoughts! I hadn’t thought about elven Shamanism before :)

[@phoenix-ui9eq]

theres one thing that bugs me about your video, thats not to be rude of course! this is really well made but Teldrassil is pronounced tel-drasill all one word as it is based off the world tree yggdrasil from mythology

[@Jediwarlock]

Haha, check the pinned comment! For some random reason I thought I always said it wrong (I've always said it right) but decided to change it for the video to disastrous results XD