The World Soul Saga Cinematic: Everything We Missed

[@BellularGaming]

Join up at our new home on the internet: bellular.ghost.io

[@Zanodia]

Let's not forget about our little flower in the heart of the Dream. It's gone from a flower to a berry bush.

[@feywinterfox9630]

Here is a question for you. Is Azeroth really a Titan or are they trying to turn her into one as with the other forces trying to turn her into something else? I ask this because because who exactly told us she was one? Heck we still down know just what she is and what her waking up really means for us all, and why is she the one EVERYONE wants so badly???

[@arctrooper47]

I love how Bellular and Taliesen go back and forth at each other.

[@catrinastars]

Talie’s was better, Bell needs to work on his comebacks.

[@OrginalJSmith]

the beef is crazy lol

[@axlrose9460]

​@@OrginalJSmithwhat is the beef? I missed it

[@ArronRatliff]

I started playing Wow on day one of Vanilla and there have always been hints that the Titans were pricks not to be trusted. I loved this cinematic it was heart breaking. I thought the death of Varian was the most heart breaking cinematic but this one knocked it out of the top spot. The pain and doubt in Anduin's face and voice are just so well done you forget it's a game cinematic. I guess i''ll be coming back to wow again for the world soul saga.

[@jackfeldman8684]

Guys like this are the reason I can still be into WOW. It's been over 7-8 years since I've played the game because who has time to grind like we did when we were kids? I still find it interesting and when theres people like this who can put the whole story together it just makes it awesome to listen to. Thank you

[@biggusdongus]

To me in that cinematic, anduin is just representing the players that played through shadowlands lmao

[@ShadowsOfThePast]

Y that's why it hit so hard lol 😅

[@biggusdongus]

@@ShadowsOfThePast 😁

[@Shallowleaf]

"The story that got us here is kind of rough." Talk about a massive understatement. But Bell has always been good about not giving into emotional diatribes in his videos.

[@mrbonanza2606]

Something I noticed that wasn't mentioned was Thrall ageing, he got a lot more grey.

[@Amplifymagic]

Glad he’s grey, not bald 😂

[@Darkvega2k7]

Stress'll do that to you. Thrall is barely past hus mid 30s right now.

[@GioFan201051]

​@@Darkvega2k7 Thrall is 40 in Dragonflight so probably 42 here

[@drtyprior]

Kids are stressful, ok? Lol

[@Dataraptor-v9l]

Thrall is a reflection of Metzen in WoW

[@deansheets]

I like the little jokes between bellular and tali.

[@TheAmenez]

PTSD is actually extremely common, it takes form in most people in hypervigilance, and a lot of the time your body is in fight or flight, even if your brain doesn't realize. I absolutely understand why people would see it as a veterans disorder, but it affects so many more people who will never even consider they have it.

[@balintkolonics]

It is certainly not extremely common, it affects about 3.6% of the US population But sure, it's not just war veterans

[@kshepherd940]

I'm guessing there is a huge bias in that statistic as it will really likely be 3.6% of people who have sought help and been diagnosed with PTSD. I have experienced PTSD from sleep deprivation, it's not counted statistically in the UK. @@balintkolonics

[@wiseferret4745]

@@balintkolonics You should always assume that half of the people who exhibit symptoms of trauma will refuse to seek help for a variety of excuses. So that 3.6% is probably more of a 7.2%. Still not 'extremely' common but knowing that around 1/15 people have trauma that affects them daily is still a good way to observe how trauma reaches everyone.

[@ristuksenvittu]

@@balintkolonics depression is extremely common but most people with depression don't seek help. alcoholism and drug abuse are forms of depression, but not considered as such. instead depression is seen as a result of alcoholism and drug abuse, but no-one ever asked why would a healthy person ever even consider using drugs and alcohol? most drug abusers don't start on prescription drugs, but yes, that is also a possibility of how it begins.

[@RandomNexus]

I really do love how you present these info-dumps/lore-summaries/catch-ups. Thank you very much! 😁👍🏻💜

[@w0rmblood323]

I see what happened to Anduin as essentially the same thing that hosts of Goa'uld experience in Stargate SG1. They see and feel it all, all without being able to do anything about it.

[@catrinastars]

This, also the whole, involuntarily enjoying it, thing sounds scarily like something else we hear from another type of survivor.

[@craynak]

I loved SG1 as a child!

[@Kaotiqua]

Side-take on Thrall choosing to cheat against Garrosh: My take is that he felt that defeating Garrosh was more important than his own honor- that he had already given up the right to his own honor in that matter. Essentially, that he earned that shame through his own actions and inactions up to that point. That he _deserved_ that level of dishonor. Whereas Anduin is torn over things that he didn't choose. (And putting it into this context makes it clear just exactly how dark Anduin's story became.) I'm not sure that Thrall _fully_ understands Anduin's crisis of faith, but he certainly understands how that crisis _feels_ .

[@RainerFenixhart]

It's also important to point out that The Rules of Mak'Gora were adhered to exactly once out of the three times it was shown.

[@stankobarabata2406]

Bro people still think he cheated lol? My dudes, you clearly have no clue about Mak'Gora. Traditionally it was a fistfight, but the rules were flexible so as to allow Shaman and lesser physically able Orcs to participate. Weapons of choice, Magic, it was all allowed except the really devious stuff like hexing or poisons. After all, if magic is "cHeAtInG", then how are these supposedly hardened warriors supposed to survive a battlefield where there will most likely be magic? There's no cheating in a real battle, so if they're as good warriors as they pretend to be, and not just meatheads who like to throw their weight around, they'd be able to defeat magic casters. Or was a magic caster supposed to somehow beat a warrior in melee combat? Do you think the physics scientist can beat a heavyweight boxing champ in a fistfight? Lol. Shamans have been a thing since Orcs exist, and have definitely had to participate in a Mak'Gora at one point or another, and to not allow them to use their preferred method of combat would be utterly idiotic and one sided. And it's OFFICIALY stated that Mak'gora is flexible, people just didn't bother to look into it. You guys took the Warcraft movie to literally, they just wanted to portray Gul'dan as evil by him cheating with magic. Truth of the matter is that each duel is settled on what goes and what doesn't beforehand. Otherwise there's just no point in a caster even accepting a Mak'gora, and that would be a dishonor. And I doubt Garrosh would be satisfied if Thrall only tried to fight back without his powers. He even said it himself, he never was a true warrior - because he isn't. He's a Shaman, and always has been. Hell they literally made him into a Hermit BEFORE Pandaria to prove that point.

[@Neero_90]

every time i see the trailer im so damn impressed with how insane the quality of the VFX and how real it looks, also anduin looks like a chad here compared to the scuffed boy look he has ingame and in earlier cinematics

[@Zantsmith]

he honestly looks like jack septiceye make of that what you will

[@DadsCigaretteRun]

@@Zantsmithoh god…I see it!

[@sdrs2713]

I mean we knew as far back as WOTLK that the Titans built a ton of stuff on and into azeroth to shape it with their power. "Aman'thul says hi" has never been what it was implied to be. Hell, Titans shaping the world to their liking goes back to the introduction of the Titans.

[@howardhavardramberg333]

This video will vector me into the next 20 minutes of lore.

[@kaosmo4249]

In the Sylvanas book, she talks about how after Arthas turned her, she was awake for everything she was doing too. And that's what allowed her to break free.

[@Lockecole81]

yeah then in the wonderful writing of SL, she turns into what she hated most. That sure made a lot of sense...she's all "I hate Arthas!" *becomes the same*. Ugh

[@kaosmo4249]

@Lockecole81 I don't think it was that she hated Arthas so much as not having control over her own fate, and that the Forsaken should have been free to choose their fates as well. And that's what made her arc in SL so bad, because she allowed the Jailor to control her, and then out if nowhere stopped caring about the Forsaken.

[@Lockecole81]

The book certainly expanded on some stuff better. I just kinda thought it was a crap arc to have her always complaining about what Arthas did to her then turn around and do the very same things to others. Dunno if they were trying for a abused becomes the abuser angle, or if it was due to the internal issues at the company around the time or what. I was pretty burnt out on everything Sylvanas at that point. The book did have me liking her a bit more, mainly the General aspect, and it looks like she'll be more of that if she shows up again at some point in the future. There were a lot of parts of SL that I liked, but the stuff with the Jailer and Sylvanas were pretty weak. It was also odd how much of it felt like a straight Marvel rip off. I feel like they really could have done parts better.

[@kaosmo4249]

@Lockecole81 yeah SL really did Sylvanis dirty. None of it made sense. Seemed like the Jailor just needed a minion, and Sylvanis was the easiest choice because of Arthas. But like you said, there wasn't any apparent theme for her or the Jailor. In game, at least, which that's the biggest problem. Half of their story is in an alternate format that not many people use.

[@Sirbushyballz]

what allowed her to break free was Nerzhul loosing power as Illidan draws near so Arthas in turn also looses power and control over some of the undead with stronger willpower.

[@miggs8]

I never really think about it. but Thrall killed the only son of one of his greatest mentors, Grom Hellscream AND ended the legendary Hellscream line. Like DAMN, who wouldn't feel like crap after that

[@OhNoTheFace]

And likely knew he did it dishonorably but felt the man had to be stopped regardless

[@Darkvega2k7]

On top of kinda being responsible for everything that has happened up to that point. Including Varian's death. Imagine how much would've changed if he had listened to Cairne and Garrosh himself and not made him Warchief.

[@Lockecole81]

With the talk about N'zoth, I found it interesting that if you go back and read his whispers in Dragonflight from a few months back, he's literally telling us about the upcoming expansion. Kinda interesting how he says Azeroth's dreams sing beneath the surface but he dreams and song belong to them. I'm curious to see how this leads into the Midnight expansion.

[@mercaius]

A lot of people who disliked this cutscene for being slow are really missing the superior dialog and cinematic poise that it has over DF's scenes of "dragons talking a lot and saying very little."

[@audiolols]

It's better than DF's cinematics because those are actually the worst in the history of the game, but it's still not as good as basically any of the old ones. I just don't care for the heartfelt moments anymore. It's boring as hell. I will give credit where it's due to the sword reveal at the end, but the corny "what I've seen, what I've done" (which saurfang did in BFA) and the arthas sword point pose which Anduin again, already did in Shadowlands - it's lame.

[@francescoporcari8597]

​@@audiolols WoW's writers should stop trying to write complex character or heartfelt moment: they simply lack the skill to do that and the game is not built to support that type of content. We played WoW not because of Thrall being a conflicted leader, or because of Jaina's back and forth from craziness, that was just additional flavour. To be down to earth doesn't mean to centre your epic about characters instead of events. I mean Napoleon is an epic person in history for what he has accomplished, we don't need to know how he felt.

[@McTrollenstein]

Yeah, or maybe it's another 'anduin cries' episode. The apple really fell far from the tree. Fuck I miss Varian.

[@JustALittolBear]

The nature of the Titans pursuing Azeroth as a Titan reminds me a lot of Marvel’s Eternals stories how the Eternals create a seed world, build up its life forms on that world, and then when it comes time all life on that world gets sacrificed and fed into the Eternal seed at the heart of the planet so it can “hatch” and a new Eternal is born.

[@hambo9490]

That Taliesin banter hahahahaha

[@moocorp4574]

I feel extremely bad by just having a bad dream where I’ve done things I’m not proud of. Imagine being Anduin. Also, I’ve had sleep paralysis twice in my life and it’s fucking scary. If he had that for an entire expansion while he killed people, oh man.

[@kubi0461]

Personally, the hate on Anduin isn't fully justified. He's had a lot of great cinematic moments in legion through now, and especially the scenes with both him and sylvanas were great. The problem was everything else. To me, Anduin's mental state/impact after 9.0-9.2 couldn't have been more clear and I also found it very obvious even at the time that Anduin was inside himself as a sort of passenger on a ride he had no control over. This newest cinematic seemed perfectly fitting and great to me. And on top of that, this cinematic gave me things to be curious about and excited for.. the sword, what is azeroth, and what are those telepathic type messages about. That's a whole lot more than the DF launch cinematic which gave me virtually nothing to be curious about.

[@SmugHomura]

The hate is perfectly justified because Anduin is the driver and posterchild of the "World of feelscraft" era we are in right now where characters talking about feelings is 90% of the story and characters taking meaningful action is only 10% of the story. Whereas this used to be way more balanced

[@Darkvega2k7]

Anyone hating on Anduin is either a sociopath or an emotionally stunted, edgelord. Dude's been put through a damn ringer in a short amount of time. And these children who's only adversity in their lives has been at best, getting rejected on prom night are talking shit🙄? It's hilarious.

[@l-dog]

Agreed. But I think it's mostly just a select group of edgelords.

[@Darkvega2k7]

@@l-dog ...40k fans?

[@AkaiOtinashi]

When it comes to Anduin it shows how many people lack emotional intelligence. Like some really get triggered over him showing the normal emotions of someone who has experienced deaths, hardship, torture, etc. It's crazy.

[@lilesmw]

Your sponsor transitions are stuff of legend lol.

[@jeremyyoung8814]

Am I the only one getting anduin is Arthus's son vibes from this cinematic? It explains way better why anduin is so traumatised by the flashback of Varian calling him "my son" Why he feels like he has no light, because how can he have any connection to the light when he was the son of the most evil man he could think of and for a time was basically a death knight just like Arthus was. It explains why thrall saying "I trust you" hits home so hard for him when it kinda just feels out of place without the context of anduin being Arthus's son Not to mention the clear references to Arthus in shot with anduin brandishing shalamane at Thrall and even the as yet unknown voice which we assume is Azaroth calling out Anduins name being a reference to Arthus's father saying that his name was called out by nature ie. The world on the day of his birth.

[@ShadowveilAlchemist]

I hope Khadgar actually does something if they bring him along again. My favorite character, a big reason i was so hyped for DF, aaaaand he's just kinda doing nothing?

[@dallasscandling6329]

Glad he wasn’t in DF. He doesn’t need to be at the front of everything. His voice actor is annoying to

[@ButtslammerBob]

He was clearly supposed to be a big part of whatever was cut from Azure Span. There was clearly gonna be something with that frost tower in the east and... nothing happened.

[@Ackadacka]

This is the problem with Khadger / Malfurion, They are god lvl mary sue's who can just finger snap most of the problems. Malfurion needs to go away, suggestion i saw is that the new world tree is injured and he has to go inside it and heal it and this may take.. the rest of eternity. Khadger needs to just die in some epic battle and jaina takes over.

[@tekamer6566]

he literally was an integral part of 10.0 part of df wdym

[@NiekVL]

Can you explain why Khadgar is your favorite character? I feel like this character has always just been a standard quest giver. Never any meaningful character development.

[@OhNoTheFace]

Yeah, the domination magic was basically someone steering your body but you still being there otherwise. It's quite horrifying really

[@nonameimpotantlive9233]

Imperious curse in Harrypotter but worse and its a iligale spell in that univesre so yeah Andurian is right being so messed with

[@Leavinsies]

Too anime. Couldn't take it seriously. Pitiful storytelling.

[@OhNoTheFace]

@@Leavinsies No emotional maturity

[@Queldonus]

I think we’re going to see a split in the Titans, and them fighting amongst ourselves with us and Azeroth getting caught in the middle. Tyr will obviously be on our side, and possibly Freya.

[@Zhani_Beccharelli]

Tyr and Freya are not titans but titan keepers.

[@benjaminherzig6959]

@BellularGaming really appreciate your content. Thanks for keeping it up. On that note please don't make the mistake for the sake of pumping content out to sacrifice quality: This videos sound mix is horrible. A lot of time the sound clips and hurts my ears. Have not found a mail address so had to post it here.

[@Lorcana_Mr.Lucky_BigBrainPlays]

I've been watching you're vids for years and this is the best video u done yet props and congrats. P.s. more positive content and lore plz the gives hype to the game thank you 🙏

[@nicholasmutch1556]

This w one of, if not my actual favorite cinematic that I liked the most in years, (they showed thrall and anduin travelling together, and I was thankful Anduin returned from the last expansion, he went through alot more than I know of. I didnt know if he would be even half the same guy, but I do like how he looks even more matured, 35 + years old . Or.. but most of all, seeing thrall and andruin thumbs way up.

[@NinjaKhaos74]

I like the theory that the titans have actually imprisoned azeroth, with the rings that have domination runes carved into them always shown on globes of the planet, maybe sargeras was actually trying to free her

[@rachellschez]

my king the light will never forsake you ...this saga will be epic

[@Donovanlefferts]

Tali catching strays caught me off guard and nearly made me spit out my food

[@JamailvanWestering]

What were you eating ?

[@doctorcis3510]

I think it's mutual joshing, the Tali live show had Belular catching strays for their opening skit.

[@Donovanlefferts]

@@doctorcis3510 oh absolutely, and I’m here for it.

[@JamailvanWestering]

@@Vhaal-97 yeah I think we need to ignore Tali for a ehile. His shilling for Blizzard has lost its subtlety

[@Donovanlefferts]

@@Vhaal-97 No, they very clearly are having fun with each other ever since blizzcon

[@PoppyPockets92]

This was so damn good. Well done guys.

[@dannyb2239]

God I love the fact that Anduin stands up and poses exactly the same as Arthas does in his trailer, you can tell the domination left it's mark.

[@trefhi]

he already did it in the BFA trailer.

[@TripleTapHK]

Almost as if you stick them with the pointy end.

[@dannyb2239]

@@trefhi he holds the sword upwards to the front, in this trailer he holds it flat forward, its not a massive difference in general, but just a small hint of that arthas domination that the body remembers

[@dogfishlol]

I saw a screenshot of Azeroth with Sargeras' sword inside something that looked exactly the same as the prison the Incarnates were trapped in. Maybe Sargeras really tried to break her free from a prison the Titans put her in.

[@alms07]

Really felt like that cinemaric was just rafiki and simba from the lion king.

[@jessaphillips2846]

I feel like asking Taliesin about being dominated might have been too personal a question for him… Evitel might be pretty wild

[@marynraven]

Anduin is definitely suffering from PTSD. I'm not a mental health professional even though that's what I went to school for. Aside from my studies, I have also been diagnosed with PTSD. To me he looks like he feels utterly broken and ashamed of what he's been through. Wondering if he truly fought against the domination hard enough. Worried that the enjoyment felt throughout his body was the jailers or if it belonged to him. He doesn't realize that you can't get through PTSD without talking to people about the traumatic event(s). You need people you can trust, that you can lean on when you're in the thick of it. He needs whatever the Azerothian equivalent of EMDR is and many hugs. That's my prescription.

[@ralecgos3631]

I don't care if people dislike Anduin. I love him. I grew up with him. They did his character justice in this cinematic and I'm excited to see where he goes next.

[@cphtfluke7565]

I just noticed that the way Anduin is holding his sword when he's pointing it at Thrall is the same pose that Arthas used when he drew Frostmourne in the Wrath cinematic.

[@thehonorablebandit]

I really hope Oridokron evolves into something much meaner looking than a LEGO game villain. Honestly feel like all the baddies from Dragonflight were a bit lackluster.

[@roneasaurus]

you should take a peek at Pyromancers vids. looking at the incarnates prisons breaking open, the last titan expac pic and the color of "Azeroth" and the breaking of the incarnates prisons.

[@DagothDaddy]

It would be really lame to do "oh the light left him." I want the Hallowfell/Arathi story line to resolve with him realizing he isn't to blame and that the light never left him. Yes it cheesy and chiche but its in that good warcraft way.

[@romanmccoy5074]

As a veteran, I cant watch this cinematic still w/o tearing up. The facial animations are TOO real.

[@ZaZen___]

I recently had my life upended in heartwrenching betrayal and relate. Pain and horror change us. This cinematic hits the wounded hard, especially the quote about how time by itself heals nothing. Sending love on your journey.

[@litebkt]

I think it’s one of the best they’ve done recently. This is what real drama looks like.

[@ferno_verdugo82]

Your not the only one that felt anduins pain I’m also a veteran and man I couldn’t stop thinking about that cinematic I love when they do live action trailers I wish all their trailer were live action but I know they are very expensive to make 😅

[@neugassh3570]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@eliasnilsson6604]

Im not a veteran or even have any connection to the military and I deeply felt it too. Cant imagine how hard it hit those with real experience from it.

[@Magic2729]

Yes Bellular it’s quite fair for Thrall to use shaman powers. Mak’gora in Warcraft has been used in the story in a way where it is not simply brute force. Sylvannas didn’t cheat verses Saurfang either. Saurfang’s goal was not to live but to expose Sylvannas’s true feelings in the moment towards the Horde and in that way he won. Garrosh knew what he was getting himself into. Thrall being a shaman was not a surprise to him. His pride was his downfall. Much like his previous use of the sha.

[@TastyScotch]

This sort of recap just makes me wish the new player experience could get a revamp. Chromie time is neat and all, but you definitely get to lvl 60 and the dragon isles long before you get any amount of explanation of whats happened this far. WoW needs an MSQ style option for leveling that takes you through the major moments in each expac, through the cinematics and finishes up with defeating the jailor the time skip and heading off to the dragon isles. I weep for anyone trying to get into WoW in 2023 without any friends who’ve already been playing for years who can explain whats going on to them.

[@GoddessPallasAthena]

I know it won't happen (due to the amount of time and resources needed) but I wish there was an expansion-agnostic, brand-new leveling experience, a kind of extension of Exile's Reach (which I thought was very well done), but in a way that also explains some of the lore that came before. It would be the default "new player" experience, would be tailored to new players (though anyone would be able to do it) and include some quests that tell stories of the past, some that teach class mechanics, and ease you into the game for people without prior knowledge (or, for returning players, gently help them become accustomed to some of the changes). There would be no part of it that needs end-game to explain parts of the story, as happens when people level through zones that were MADE as part of an expansion with extensive end-game stories. It would be pretty much self-contained, except for the old-lore parts. (Those could be done as a "storyteller" kind of quest, or a "relive the past" kind of quest). They could even introduce Chromie so by the time the person is doing Chromie time on their subsequent toons, they'll have an idea of who she is. Just wishful thinking. As a guide in the Newcomer chat, from what I observe, I think this would be really helpful.

[@francescoporcari8597]

This!

[@moprophet_509]

@@GoddessPallasAthenain the next expac dragonflight is where new players will go after exiles reach at lvl 10 instead of starting in bfa like it is now

[@GoddessPallasAthena]

@@moprophet_509 Right. That is correct.

[@jimdevera2984]

I agree with most of what you said but I have a feeling the next expansion will require us to fight Azeroth herself to free her from influence before she leads us to fight against the Titans.

[@TheRealCeeJai]

17:00 She *has* been conscious. She was literally talking to Magni during BfA. I don't think this is the right choice of words. I'd say it's more like she's gaining power and influence.

[@anignorantbrit]

Loved the reference to Trek Mirror universe, they did some messed up things when torturing people.

[@herbertatchison3892]

I needed this explanation, thank you!

[@andreaswittur6083]

battling with mental illness myself, will to end it stronger than the will to live (thats how it feels when you are "there anyway", crushing preasure and selfdoubt. Anduins mental "breakdown" is realy on point. The "don't fck with me! i've been to dark places before i can go there again" feeling. Perfect. the person to wrote that story needs hugs. they have been through stuff. To anyone that need to hear it...... You are enough! You do you, don't let anyone tell you that you suck or isn't good enough. NO ONE can handle your battle, except for you! You take that fake demon in your head and kick his ass! You got this!

[@GorehowlBeardhead]

Going in, I have absolutely no idea how you're gonna make a full video out of this

[@MrTmac9k]

It's not from WoW lore, but I do think this applies to both Thrall and Anduin: "If you have it and you know you have it, then you have it. If you have it and don't know you have it, you don't have it. If you don't have it but you think you have it, then you have it." -- Jackie Gleason

[@RushavMohanty]

Why is no one pointing out that this also echoes Uther and Arthas' WC3 interaction? One is met with condemnation and the other with trust. Appropriate results follow.

[@InariusPrime]

Sargeras attempting to attack/injure Azeroth never made sense to me, as it was clear from the Warlock destruction artifact that he was enamored by her eye. Imagine that you are about to free someone from a a cage, get caught, and as a last ditch attempt to free them as you are being drug away, you slam your lock picking tools in the lock.

[@vansserafim]

What kind of saga can possibly be after we deal with the titans themselves and fight with the void? There will be nothing else left for wow

[@CallistaZM]

Thank you very much for this break down. I've been really upset by all these know-nothings calling Anduin a "weak crying pussy boy" in this cinematic." It's extremely hurtful and disrespectful to real life people who have been where Anduin is written to have been and who have suffered like he is supposed to have suffered. And we wonder why people, especially men in our society have such difficulties asking for help when they really truly need it and up resorting to hurting themselves and/or others.

[@cctakedown333]

I suspect some of it might be because people want to use the game as a form of escape from reality and don't want it to remind them of real world issues. Maybe people just want a stoic heroic character that goes against all adversity and does what needs to be done. That way they could look at the character as an inspiration.

[@CallistaZM]

@@cctakedown333 a lot of people do. Other people specifically look to media to reflect reality. The rest, like me, are somewhere between.

[@CallistaZM]

@@cctakedown333 hit enter too soon damnit was going to add that what people need to understand is that without our culture, our real world, there IS no media, stories don't exist, fantasy worlds can't exist because they are born out of the very culture some people want to escape. Like you said, some people are looking to create a stoic character. Culture and society created the idea of a stoic character. So you're not really escaping from it, just expecting a different reflection than someone else might

[@francescoporcari8597]

​@@CallistaZMhey, your last inference was a bit too far fetched. Stoic characters were more common in real life in the previous centuries, because there was little room for softness. They were not created by work of fiction. Talking about work of fiction, the problem with Anduin is the lack of a proper build up for his current status. He was never shown to be broken for his family losses, for everything Bell mentioned, and even in SL last cutscene he was more conflicted than broken. Now we have been told that his eperiences have broken him down: it happened offscreen! Anduin has always been sensitive, and emotional, but it's difficult to empathyze with someone who was more or less fine the last time we saw him and now all of sudden has PTSD. And even if they came up with a good explanation, it would have been better to show (not tell) us before.

[@CallistaZM]

@francescoporcari8597 I never said stoic characters created by works of fiction, I said they were created by society. They are a part of our culture because they were carried through time from the past via both history/non fiction writing and works of fiction. The point I was trying to make is there really isn't as big of a gap between culture and society and works of fiction/fictional characters as people seem to think. Everything ever created is the product of its time and place. Now I don't disagree at all with the second point that the storytelling that got Anduin to this point has been very lacking, thin and not well-explained even if you're a deep lore nerd like myself. But that aspect of the problem isn't what I was responding to, it was this knee-jerk reaction from many people that for some reason can't stand seeing emotion and reality in "their" game for any reason at all.

[@villainbog]

Great video, enjoyed that a lot!

[@Tharrilicious]

"Her dream sings beneath the surface. Our dream, our song"

[@ShadowTheHedgehogCZ]

13:28 - Now explain this loremaster. How is it possible that we were allowed to kill N'Zoth, while the Titans were not? It was said that Aman'Thul killed Y'Shaarj by ripping it from the world... but then realized it shouldn't be done for the other Old Gods, because it would cause too much damage to Azeroth. But then we repurpose the Titan technology to kill an Old God. It was told us like: "Wow, a random female Titan keeper was so smart she was able to recalibrate Titan facilities to kill N'Zoth". So we kept asking the question: "How was she able to do that when the Titans themselves couldn't." But the real question we should have been asking was: "Why were we allowed to kill an Old God now, when it was decided long ago that doing so harms the Azeroth?" I mean, MOTHER didn't protest. She actually initiated that plan.

[@TarisRedwing]

That color in Iridikron's eyes looks the same color in Anduins vision of Azeroth calling to him minus the blue Order magic.

[@KhalainBear]

The moment Anduin lifts the sword at Thrall, that is an EXACT copy of the Lich King summoning the souls from the snow in the WotLK cinemtatic

[@officerator]

@2:15 , joking or not. Well played, and well deserved.

[@connorswanson]

With Azeroth awakening and ultimately (what I imagine will happen) leaving, that would suddenly make the world way less interesting to all these cosmic powers. Would be a perfect time for the world revamp as there will be fewer world-ending threats with more focus on smaller conflicts while building up major through lines once again. I can hope at least lol

[@jabbiter3575]

Only Bellular can take a 2 minute cinematic and turn it into 23 minutes of youtube content

[@OhNoTheFace]

New to news channels?

[@ArkGullwing]

Did you like, run the cutscene through some sort of frame generation software?

[@KibblesDoesStuff]

People comenting all this time about the "beef" between Bellular and Taliesin, just to have Bell say "my boy Taliesin."

[@kingpingaming4503]

When he feels remorse for "the things I've done", I saw that as Anduin regretting being part of WoW's downfall over the past few years. He was THE main character for a lot of major story points that fell flat (at least in my eyes).

[@GoNotreDame]

Thank you Captain Obvious.

[@keithb6344]

Got’m

[@darkforce9149]

Go outside

[@cassiodalcin]

This cinematic really starts to make sense once you understand Anduin as the disgruntled and tortured players that left the game and Thrall as old school Metzen buff Blizzard of your member berries. You know, "we've changed back, forget paid tokens, we haver a soul".

[@philosophicalthirstworms6645]

Anduin should feel a lot of remorse for being a really terrible prince. He's barely there ruling because he's always feeling feelings and he hasn't produced an heir which puts Stormwind in a very weak position politically.

[@FoxBatinaHat]

The way I see it... If Elune is the moon. Could the Light be Azeroth as the Sun? The titans are related to the stars conceptually (alot of constellation designs etc ... ) Stars are simply other world's suns. Could it be, that the titans machine is to create a body to infuse it with the stellar sun's energy? Whether that soul or entity wanted it or not? I suspect that. Amun'thul (or the titans themselves) were flukes. And that he himself, simply artificially created the other titans.

[@danieldonnert3747]

The "Sun" is Elune's twin and the Winter Queen's brother who we only know by the Tauren name, An'she. In universe, he is believed to be closely related to the "Light", with some speculating that he is just the anthropomorphic depiction of the Light or that the power of the Light comes from him. Either way, Tauren myths state that he doesn't directly interact with Azeroth because he was severely wounded in an ancient battle against the Void (the elementals were allies of the twins, no one else), and he is only still alive because Elune has a uniquely powerful healing gift which is still only powerful enough to keep him alive for as long as she stays close to him and using it. Cool idea; you're close though.

[@shaneross1217]

To be honest I see character growth for him he lost his kingdom tournament experiences the death of Varok Saurfang they act as if these characters are in control but he was controlled same as Windrunner he’s also conflicted about everything every choice made or done thrall feels similar to thrall thrall is such a good character!

[@TheRealCeeJai]

12:15 I mean, I get that, but haven't you made several videos on how WoW needs to get "metal" again and get away from the touchy-feely, 'let me talk about my emotions' stuff? Also, fwiw, I got some cognitive dissonance from the "flashback" part of this to the Anduin ending cinematic. Anduin clearly had longer hair, and no beard in that cinematic, but here they just used the same model current model instead. I'm not trying to sound greedy, but it immediately took me off and out of the cinematic and I know Blizzard has the budget to have made a younger, time-appropriate version for the flashback, even if for just a few-second long scene. Also, honest question: how did he remove the runes from his armor and Shalamayne? The domination magic fell apart during his defeat cinematic, but it's never explained and from what we're shown, the runes are hard-inscribed into the object, not only some kind of magic paint put on them.

[@francescoporcari8597]

You are absolutely about WoW need to get metal and gore again.

[@cavetroll666]

im looking really forward to this triology,

[@ninnikuprobability]

Thank you, Bellular, for always making WoW more interesting than it is.

[@BaskingInObscurity]

I've never quite understood the guardian role Medivh's mother was supposed to have, and then Medivh himself after her death. Perhaps Azeroth's nature is such that she needed a guardian to protect her from all these forces that would use her. That implies she, and now her son, was bigger and more badass than we've even been led to believe, such is their mystery. But are they Igor? Or are they a part of Azeroth, part of her destiny? Chaperone, or faithful servant? I wonder if that information will also finally become clearer as she awakens and we learn just what she is..

[@treecat125]

The Guardian of Tirisfal is just a mage chosen and empowered by the Council of Tirisfal to fight the Burning Legion. They arent directly tied to Azeroth in any way, but it is possible that a future Guardian will play an important role in the next few expansions.

[@Energistx]

Everyone talking about the sword of Sragaras, no one is talking about the massive handprint he put on the surface somewhere.

[@rcee239]

i'm super curious to see how Iridikron plans to "beat the shit out of" the titans. I feel like people have forgotten just how powerful the titans actually are. one of them literally plucked an old god out of the crust of the planet like he was tweezing a hair. despite blizzard's mediocre writing i'm still super excited to see where the story goes now that chris metzen's back

[@imthrillz5255]

Cant wait for the amazing drawing of azeroth when she wakes up 😬

[@RunicSoulEater]

Bellular what are you talking about the 2nd half of the video, what sword?

[@michaelc657]

Audio is rough on this one compared to your usual videos.

[@GrimLock666]

This is actually making me way too exited. The last time I stopped playing I really thought it would be the end for me but I feel the pull.. WHYYYY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING?!?!

[@DoctorJohn_MD]

FYI it's spelled "excited", with a C. Exited means they left via the exit

[@GrimLock666]

@@DoctorJohn_MD I'm exciting this conversation.

[@stormstrider1990]

I think Xal'atath will survive the War Within, and be either a friend or foe in Midnight, given her void elf form.

[@savagex378]

Hearing a voice from deep within the world talking to our heroes? Where have I heard of that before... ...Hear. Feel. Think...

[@thehatter9400]

I hope in the end azeroth will be a whole new type of deity style being, where she fights off both titans and old gods and we, as the children of her world, act as her champions and raid other worlds to expand her influence

[@joshuaevans4301]

Here's my prediction: Iridikron's plan isn't to control Azeroth, but simply to set her free - we'll eventually learn this and team up with him, as well as Xal'atath, against the titans so that we can finally break Azeroth's bonds. We'll need the help too, because by this point Sargeras is probably a withered husk and they have most of their original power back Also, this ultimately ends with Azeroth awakening, which... completely destroys the entire planet. Oops We can still use time shenanigans to do old stuff if we want, though, so it's actually fine

[@chidy9699]

In regards to thrall using magic in mok gora, when guldan does it in the warcraft movie he tries to hide it, and when orcs see if they say "gul'dan cheats!". I think in the thrall cinematic maybe they just did it for the narrative moment, and kind of ignored the lore aspects of it.

[@WadeAllen001]

I just hope Anduin's character model still looks like the same person as before (but with shorter hair and a beard) rather than having a completely different face like in the cinematic.

[@amazin3353]

I thought the glow that’s shown on the cinematic when azeroth speaks is actually a prison similar to primal dragons prisons. They showed only a part of it not to give it away or smth

[@nil7118]

I think N'zoth actually wants to be free of void influence as he is the smartest of the Old gods, he might have been secretly working to push towards the timeline that frees azeroth of everyones influence, acting a role on purpose.

[@Mrverybusinessman]

If the void does help us, I assume it's going to be to prevent the titans from infusing Azeroth--so that the void can later have a shot at corrupting the world soul themselves. I imagine once the world souls been infused, its no longer useful to the void/unable to be corrupted.

[@DktrJ]

Azeroth will wake up, not as a titan, but as a being composed of all the cosmic magics: order, chaos, void, light, fel, life and death. Why? Because she's at the middle of that cosmic chart. Their hints are that literal. Her re-empowering the Dragon Aspects, I believe, is proof of that. She will be able to choose and wield all the magics. She's been confined with Titan magic - Order; Touched by madness with the Old Gods - Void; Wounded, nay infected, by Sargeras' sword - Fel/Chaos; Her mind touches the Emerald Dream - Life; Had Mr Happy Nipples attempt to steal her life essence - Death. The Light may be missing, but I foresee that as a function of Life and Order, although I do struggle to find a direct actual source interaction between the World Soul and The Light.

[@gregrout8626]

This should be renamed to "Everything we missed in past expansions", not the World Soul Saga Cinematic. The War Within trailer was beyond vague and empty of anything substantial.

[@bryand8829]

Surely they will do something with Yrel in this saga?

[@aetheriumwinds3439]

When Anduin raised his sword I got Arthas flashbacks from Wotlk cinematic

[@frenchbassguy]

We the heroes represent the balance and cooperation and integration of the various cosmic forces. The problems arise when one force tries to gain more influence than the others, esp trying to claim Azeroth as their own. The universe needs a balance of all the forces, not any one dominating.

[@stillnotchill2560]

They need to do something bold with Anduin. Please make him do something interesting, and with confidence. For the longest time it feels like he's been floundering and crying, but I can't recall any strong moments he's had.

[@CosmicCleric]

"They need to do something bold with Anduin. Please make him do something interesting, and with confidence." This. Really hated how he got mind controlled. The Light should have been more powerful, and kept him protected. People's faith can make them very unwavering.

[@cabellocorto5586]

Anduin threw two orcs twice his size around without any prior battle experience and demonstrated tremendous power on the battlefield, leading from the front despite his inexperience with battle. He stood up to Garrosh as a teenager, and also stood up to the god of death to protect the player character. People will see a man shed a tear, and completely disregard all of his personhood and label him as a worthless crybaby for having emotions. If Anduin expressed his trauma through anger, people would see it as a good thing. Men are only allowed to display anger.

[@jaratt85]

Am I the only one that sees the Shadowflame in the fireball that's supposed to be the world's core?

[@yesteryearr]

This is exactly what I needed

[@Vander101]

Why haven't the goblins mined the heck out of that sword yet?