Summary
AWorld of Warcraftfan recently shared an early concept map of Azeroth made back in 1999. This map, which predates bothWorld of Warcraftand evenWarcraft 3, shows a rather different Azeroth from the version players can explore in-game.
TheWarcraftuniverse has been around for close to 30 years now. That said, over the course of three RTS games and their expansions, dozens of novels, andnearly two decades ofWorld of Warcraftitself, Azeroth has changed drastically from its original version.
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World of Warcraftfan Oyku recently shared an old map of Azeroth that predatesWarcraft 3on their personal Twitter. Created in 1999 byWarcraftlegend Chris Metzen, this map was painted on the wall of the Team 2 area of Blizzard headquarters. The map shows a very different version of Azeroth; the Eastern Kingdoms are much the same, albeit further north than it is in modern days. Kalimdor, however, is significantly smaller than it would eventually become. Additionally, Ulduar was an entirely separate continent south of Kalimdor, rather than a small part of Northrend as it is inWrath of the Lich King.
This isn’t the only early piece ofWarcraftart circulating on the internet. Other early maps had the Tomb of Sargeras much closer to Kalimdor, spelled the continent of Northrend as “Northrond,” and referred to theNight Elves ofWorld of Warcraftas Dark Elves. This early version of the popular race was even more vicious and wild–early concepts by Metzen depicted them as telepathic, axe-wielding warriors who built mountain fortresses and carried vials of water from the Well of Eternity.
Fans of theWarcraftuniverse always enjoy getting a blast from the past by seeing old art like this. For many younger players, thisWorld of Warcraftconcept art is older than they are, so seeing it is like uncovering ancient history. Comparing and contrasting howWorld of Warcraftand its denizens have changedis fascinating to many–and bitter-sweet to others who would have loved to see some of these early ideas manifest in some fashion.
Either way,World of Warcraftcontinues to grow by the day.DragonflightPatch 10.1.7 just got a release date, meaning Patch 10.2 and its new zone will come soon after. What’s more, many fans expectWorld of Warcraftto reveal its next expansion pack during BlizzCon in early November. Though players from 25 years ago might never have predicted the directionWarcrafthas gone since then, many of those who are still around are eager to see what Azeroth has in store for them next.
World of Warcraftis available now for PC.
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