Ancient of the Arcane

Ancient of Arcane

Ancients of Arcane are large ancients resembling Ancients of War, but with arcane crystals protruding from their bodies. Their origins are unknown but they seem to be quite intelligent.

Known Ancients of Arcane

Only two are known to exist:

• Warp Splinter
• Old Crystalbark

Speculation

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

Given the introduction of Old Crystalbark in the heavily concentrated arcane area of Coldarra, its possible these ancients exist where magic is most present. Since the night elves had abandoned such things, seeing an Ancient of Arcane would have been an extremely rare occurrence in Darnassus. This however could change when the Shen'dralar are welcomed back.

The Warp Splinter seems to be a twisted creation by Kael'thas' blood elf researchers in The Botanica. Deriving from the blood elves research on the naaru technology present in Tempest Keep and its effect upon living beings, the Warp Splinter seems to consist of both naaru crystals and what would otherwise be an ancient. Apparently the power contained by the Warp Splinter was too much for both the elves and the Splinter itself to handle, causing the nearby experiments to run amok and overpower the researchers. The Splinter itself is clearly confused with whether to refrain from fighting or to defeat the players, possibly due to its mind being twisted as well.