Who is Xal’atath? WoW: The War Within’s major antagonist explained

❘ Updated: 2024-01-03T17:58:14

The Harbinger as the antagonist of The War WIthin (Xal'atath)

With further details on the upcoming expansion World of Warcraft: The War Within emerging all the time, players are about to become very familiar with the new primary antagonist – Xal’atath.

For those who haven’t followed the story too closely in recent years, it can be challenging to understand. Various pivots in this area have created a branching narrative that has been one of the weakest areas for the game over the last few years.

The arrival of the Cataclysm may have been controversial at the time, but multiple expansions have failed to carry the story forward entirely. Even expansions with a strong premise, like the Battle for Azeroth, could not deliver on their potential.

But who is Xal’atath, and why is she primed to serve as the latest big bad among a pantheon of powerful figures in the WoW universe?

The origins of Xal’atath in the World of Wacraft

The name should be immediately familiar to those who played during Legion, as the spirit of Xal’atath was trapped within a dagger that served as the Shadow Priest Legendary Artifact weapon.

Relatively unusually for characters in World of Warcraft, much of Xal’atath’s story is mysterious and open to interpretation. Within the lore, the character is exceptionally ancient, existing during the height of the rule of the Old Gods and their Black Empire.

The sentient entity known as Xal’atath was bound to the dagger for millennia before finally ending up in the hands of the Naga. After a storyline in BFA’s Drustvar, Xal’atath takes control of the corpse of a High Elf and gains a (relatively) physical form at the same time.

This culminates with Xal’atath striking a bargain with N’Zoth (before his defeat), severing her spirit from the dagger before disappearing through a portal. That remained the last time the character was seen within the existing story, until she briefly appeared with the Iridikron in the Dawn of the Infinite megadungeon

Where has Xal’atath been and what will happen in The War Within?

Blizzard has been remarkably candid about their intentions for the story moving forward, perhaps in an attempt to address the failings of the past.

Essentially, the premise for the entire expansion is that the Old Gods and the Black Empire have fallen, with Xal’atath set to form a new legacy to take its place.

As part of these grand machinations, she has recruited the Queen of the Nerubians, Ansurek, intending to reestablish the true power of the void. These Nerubians will be far more potent than those made famous by the Lich King, a relic of a golden era for the species, safe within their enormous fortress.

In exchange for their loyalty, Xal’atath has granted the Nerubians dark evolutions that augment their existing powers and provide them with entirely new ones.

The power of the original artifact Blade of the Black Empire was lost when Sargeras pierced Silithus with *that* sword and it’s unclear what effect, if any, that had on Xal’atath. The evidence above suggest it’s a safe bet that none of her potency was lost but The War Within promises to go back to many of the unfinished story threads started in Battle for Azeroth.

What this will all look like when The War Within arrives is unclear, but the new dungeons, raids, and world experience will heavily feature the void and void-touched enemies. With the game set to release in the final quarter of 2024, there is still some time before players can take on Xal’atath and her minions.

For Dexerto’s breakdowns of The War Within’s upcoming Hero Talent trees, check out the guides below: