A new short story in the style of mini-comics that has become customary for BfA came out a couple days ago and, like the other installments, this one is fantastic. The comic is all about Mechagon and giving the players a short but sweet introduction to the new content coming in 8.2, and the popular opinion seems to have been very positive. People (myself included) were surprised to have enjoyed a story that features solely Gnomes and Gnomish themes. I’ve been really loving that Blizzard has been spending more time on a race that hasn’t had much of a spotlight on it before, especially with Mekkatorque in the opening cinematic to Battle of Dazar’alor. As much as I can never get sick of a good Elf story, there are more races in the World of Warcraft (I suppose).
Why Mechagon? Why now?
My feelings on Mechagon have changed since Patch 8.2 was first announced. My first thoughts were that it was underwhelming and that the Gnomes were not interesting enough to me. Now, I like Gnomes for their quirky personalities and their Gnomish culture, I just wasn’t 100% Mechagon. To me this chunk of content seemed random and out of place when contrasted with Nazjatar, with its Naga and Old God themes. So why did Blizzard choose to release Mechagon Island, the lost and fabled home of the Junker Gnomes, alongside content that thickens the plot of Old God corruption?
A Little Bit of History
Way back in time when Azeroth was young, the Titans of the Pantheon cultivated the newly discovered planet and helped it grow into a world abundant with life. The Titans were drawn to Azeroth because of the World Soul that dwells within the planet even today, which will eventually mature into a new Titan. The whole concept of Titans being birthed from World Souls within some (not all planets have Titan World Souls within) planets is kind of weird, so imagine it like how Celestials are explained in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. In the movie Ego, a Celestial, is a being of great power who’s true form turns out to be the planet that he takes the guardians to. The humanoid being that he uses to communicate to them throughout the movie is merely an extension or avatar of himself. That is how I like to think of Titans, because every Titan in the Pantheon originated as a slumbering World Soul until it was mature enough to create a form for itself. One day Azeroth will mature and become the first Titan in a new Pantheon, and I think that day is soon.
The Titans helped Azeroth prosper. And to quicken that process the Titans created constructs with skin made out of stone, just like theirs. Some of these creations would be known as Dwarves, who shaped the mountains and the land, and Gnomes, who tinkered with and created Titanic machines deep beneath Azeroth. However, there was a huge problem with Azeroth: Old Gods. The Titans found that several monstrously huge Old Gods had embedded themselves inside Azeroth, seeking to corrupt the planet and spread chaos and disorder. After a time many Titanic constructs populated Azeroth, and the Old Gods saw an opportunity. The Old Gods could not corrupt these Titanic creations that were immortal and made of stone very easily, so they cursed them and turned the Dwarves and the Gnomes (and some other races) into mortal beings with skin made of flesh (1). This tragedy is known as the “Curse of Flesh,” and the Titans could not reverse it.
King Mechagon
In the mini-comic an old, flesh and blood Gnome finds Mechagon Island in the hopes that the Junker Gnomes will teach him their secrets of immortality. King Mechagon talks of returning to the old ways, the way that the Titans meant for all races to be. Mortal bodies made of flesh cannot be sustained forever, and are prone to error. Mechagon’s Junker Gnomes are notably different from the original Gnomes which were created by the Titans because they were created as mechanical beings called Mechagnomes. Junker Gnomes were originally mortal Gnomes that have gradually been augmented with machine parts.
I found the set up for the villainy of King Mechagon to be compelling because there is truth to what he says. He seems to be genuinely concerned with finding a solution to the Curse of Flesh not just for Gnomes, but for all races. He is right to be concerned, seeing as Azeroth’s intelligent races are only mortal because Old Gods wanted to find a way to corrupt us easier. But it’s the way he goes about it, using force and maybe other ill intentions, that make him a villain. I think that by replacing most of himself with robotic parts, King Mechagon has lost some vital mortal characteristics. But maybe the way that we finally defeat the Old Gods on Azeroth lies with studying the Curse of Flesh in more detail. Once I drew that parallel between Gnomes and Old Gods, Mechagon made more sense to me. I love Titan lore, so I’m excited to see what all this means for Azeroth.
