Spirit healers, why do they help us?

[Razosh]

For a rather long while now I've been pondering who the spirit healers truly are. This has been a question I've had ever since Cataclysm when a spirit healer for the first time was included in the lore and not just game-play. The spirit-healer Anara fell in love with the blue dragon Azuregos in Azshara. This sparked my interest since originally I thought that their presence was gameplay only but this got me thinking and now with the information we've gotten from Legion I think I can finally make a functioning theory of who these astral entities are.

First things first the only time we've ever seen a spirit healer outside of the astral realm (the name of the realm you go to after your death) is the spirit healer Koiter. Koiter was added to honor Blizzards dead co-worker Michel Koiter and for this theory to work we'll have to assume that this was purely a symbolic gesture and not a part of the actual lore. Now assuming that all the spirit healers we've truly seen from a lore perspective are located in the Astral Realm we need to debunk what the Astral Realm is. To do this all you really need to do is look straight up at the sky any time you die in WoW and you'll see the entire sky spinning at a ferocious speed. This has led me and many other to calculate that the Astral Realm is really just a synonym for the Twisting Nether. If in fact the Astral Realm and the Twisting Neather are the same places then that would completely explain why we haven't seen any spirit healer outside of the Astral Realm. If my theory is correct than we have seen Spirit Healers in the living world several times over they just look nothing like spirit healers like we know them. From the WarCraft Encyclopedia

"The Twisting Nether is the astral plane between worlds. It is a chaotic and magical environment that overlaps with the Great Dark Beyond, yet is normally imperceptible to mortals."

Now first the fact that they use the words "astral plane" makes my theory of the Twisting Nether and the Astral Realm being the same location seem correct. Second we have this "yet is normally imperceptible to mortals." This would indicate that if we actually ever got to see the Twisting Nether it would look nothing like it really does to us since it is "imperceptible to mortals." This would mean that if we actually saw another entity in the Astral Realm it would look nothing like it would in real life. This in turn means that we might have seen spirit healers in the real world at multiple locations, so really what we need to do is find is an entity that at least somewhat reminds us of spirit healers so we know that it could be possibly for us to mistake them for looking something like this.

This

Second we need to know that they can resurrect the living as well as the undead. And quite frankly there's one life-form that fits that description perfectly, the Val'kyr. What do we know about them, we know that the holy Val'kyrs originate from the Broken Isles and at that very location 12 000 years ago Elune made history by saving Azeroth from a power that was about to devour the planet. Is it really then that far fetched to believe that the Val'kyr were all a product of Elune? Not convinced, well then look at the behavior of Anara, the spirit healer that fell in love with a blue dragon. It reminds me a lot of how Elune behaved around Malorne. Second Elune is claimed to be a Naaru (and a powerful one at that), as such she'd be the embodiment of light and for her to create a race such as the Val'kyrs. But wait then, when the val'kyrs resurrect Sylvanas they die in the attempt if you had one Val'kyr looking out for you wouldn't she die after resurrecting you the first time,
and if it was a different one every time wouldn't I have committed genocide by now? Well consider this if my theory is correct then the Val'kyrs who resurrected Sylvanas were all directly created by Arthas while the one resurrecting you on the other hand was created by Elune. It would be anything but far fetched to claim that Elune's powers far outshines those of the Lich King and as such the Val'kyr who ressurects you would be more than capable to survive the spell.

Now for the real question, why would the Val'kyrs want to help you survive time and time again you incompetent constantly dying twat? Well look at where they spend a huge part of their everyday life, the Twisting Nether. Now the Twisting Nether is home to the Burning Legion and Sargeras. If their original purpose also were to combat the Legion 12 000 years ago it would make sense for them to seek only to destroy the Legion. Does this sound far-fetched? Well it shouldn't consider the fact that they are warriors of holy light and one of the main focuses in the Legion expansion it doesn't seem like they're designed to serve Sargeras but rather to fight him. And if so maybe the reason why the player is resurrected constantly is because they see us as their hope to liberate the Twisting Nether and free the zone from the Legion. Just look at all the zones we're going to visit that indicate that there might be something to my theory. We're going to visit the place where Sargeras initially locked up all the demons he defeated, we're going to visit the home of the embodiment of light who came to be at the exact same location that Elune first healed a broken world she also an entity of pure light. The indications are all there and everyone constantly says that Sargeras is the ultimate end goal. Well what I'm saying is that the purpose of Elune, the Val'kyrs and you as a player is ultimately to destroy the Burning Legion and defeat Sargeras!

What do you guys think is my theory any good, does it have any ground to stand on and do you think that this is what Blizzard intends to do? If not to you think my theory is better than any alternative you think Blizzard will come up with?

 

[Chaosy]

TL;DR.

Funny story actually, when you select the spirit healer (click on it) it sometimes sounds like it says "give me your gold"
At least I have heard more than one source tell this rumor, I have not tried it myself. But it makes no sense to me

 

[Eagle XI]

Afaik it was due to hardware limitations back in the day.
They must have thought if there was mass death in an area and all victims would constantly auto-res then servers would struggle.
So on death character appears before resurrecter npc with time remaining in the resurrection queue until available again for that character.

I dont know why they didnt completely git rid of this in the long meanwhile. It could have converted to like it functions in battlegrounds or as its during Wotlk ICC instances(everyone appears as an wisp cause flight required for reaching the entrance again, nelves simply get +speed for their racial innate, or so i remember).

 

[PurgeandFire]

I like the Val'kyr explanation. I don't know if you necessarily have to account for the sacrifice thing--it seemed like a weird exception for Sylvanas in particular (not sure why). But plenty of other Forsaken have been resurrected without any sacrifice needed.

Some few questions: why did Garrosh refer to them as "against the laws of nature" (if they were widespread, surely they wouldn't seem unnatural).

And why does there need to be one for every hero? I always assumed that resurrection was only provided by spirit healers if we go up and talk to them.

And judging by your argument, there are two types--the "good" kind by Elune and the "bad" kind created by Arthas, correct? If so, that makes sense. The only issue is that Spirit Healers don't really look like Vrykul. :3

 

[Razosh]

Some few questions: why did Garrosh refer to them as "against the laws of nature" (if they were widespread, surely they wouldn't seem unnatural).

He probably didn't like it since it gave Sylvanas more power and as was evident from Sylvanas' short story, Garrosh was terrified of Sylvanas.

And why does there need to be one for every hero? I always assumed that resurrection was only provided by spirit healers if we go up and talk to them.

I don't know if there's one separate for each hero or if the entire group got one guardian. The exact details would be made purely on guesswork. Maybe it just resurrects you from a lore perspective, maybe you and your raid friends or maybe every hero ever created. (Though if it's the last one then they got a busy schedule.)

And judging by your argument, there are two types--the "good" kind by Elune and the "bad" kind created by Arthas, correct?

Correct one that uses holy powers and one that uses unholy.

If so, that makes sense. The only issue is that Spirit Healers don't really look like Vrykul. :3

"The Twisting Nether is the astral plane between worlds. It is a chaotic and magical environment that overlaps with the Great Dark Beyond, yet is normally imperceptible to mortals."

If it is imperceptible to mortals then that means that means that they might not look the same in the real world and the Twisting Nether. And is it that hard to believe that this

for this?

 

[PurgeandFire]

Yeah, they're really similar so it actually wouldn't be much of a stretch at all. I guess I was referring to the bulkiness, but now that I think about it, that probably isn't a good judge of race.

As for your last question--I think Val'kyr is most fitting so I doubt Blizzard could come up with better, and I like the connection towards Elune to justify the difference between the spirit healers and Lich King's Val'kyr.

 

[Razosh]

Yeah, they're really similar so it actually wouldn't be much of a stretch at all. I guess I was referring to the bulkiness, but now that I think about it, that probably isn't a good judge of race.

As for your last question--I think Val'kyr is most fitting so I doubt Blizzard could come up with better, and I like the connection towards Elune to justify the difference between the spirit healers and Lich King's Val'kyr.

Thank you it's fun to hear people approve of my theory. I've spent quite a lot of time pondering this question so I was really happy when Legion provided me with a solution. ^^

 

[Budbuds]

Still trying to wrap my mind around the theory but I like it.

 

[Razosh]

Still trying to wrap my mind around the theory but I like it.

Yeah I've tried explaining it as simply as possible but it's some advanced and deep shit.

 

[Budbuds]

Yeah I've tried explaining it as simply as possible but it's some advanced and deep shit.

Do you believe Elune is a actually being or just another form of the light?

 

[Razosh]

Do you believe Elune is a actually being or just another form of the light?

Elune was said by Velen to be a powerful Naaru and why she's on Azeroth no one knows. But yes I believe she is a Naaru an individual being and not the light. I also believe she has a mission of immense importance though we do not know of it yet. And I believe she is powerful and important enough to rival A'dal had she the desire. But I think she has her eyes set on saving not only Azeroth but the world from both the Legion and the Old Gods. I think she might even be the key to eradicating the Legion and the Old Gods once and for all.

 

[Chaosy]

I think she might even be the key to eradicating the Legion and the Old Gods once and for all.

Oh just great. When Thrall finally is gone (since we get the DH in Legion), another Jesus appears.

 

[Razosh]

Oh just great. When Thrall finally is gone (since we get the DH in Legion), another Jesus appears.

Well the only other possible key seems to be the Titans although they haven't cared about the Old Gods and the Legion the last few twimes they almost obliterated Azeroth so I don't see why they should start care now. The final alternative could be that the two can not be stopped and that nothing we do have any value... Not to mention the fact that the titans couldn't destroy the Legion when they fought them. The only thing up for the test really seems to be the Naaru as they are the polar opposite to the Legion and the Old Gods as the Naaru are light incarnate and the Legion and Old Gods are darkness incarnate. I would not be surprised if the Naaru have a part to play in this especially not if that Naaru is Elune because really what's the other possibility, she was bored and for 12 000 years all she wanted was some mortals to worship her even though she never has enforced her rule anywhere.

 

[Budbuds]

Oh just great. When Thrall finally is gone (since we get the DH in Legion), another Jesus appears.

The Doomhammer the player will be able to carry could be Wod's version of the Doomhammer, and the player brings it back some how. (or someone else does and they give it to the player later.)

 

[Chaosy]

There is only one Doomhammer.

There are more than one Gorehowl as far as I know though, but that's irrelevant.