Originally released in 2016, the Chronicle book series set out to codify the past lore of the Warcraft universe, and among its many illustrations was the cosmology chart that included details such as the six cosmic forces, their power structures, and the planes of existence attached to them.
Now, in his thread on Bluesky, Dave Kosak explains the process of creating such an iconic piece of modern Warcraft lore.
Dave Kosak
World of Warcraft is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary! To commemorate, here are some of my original notes and drawings surrounding the creation of the Warcraft cosmology.
As we were preparing the first World of Warcraft Chronicle, Chris Metzen and “the gang” at CDev wanted to codify Warcraft’s vast and complex set of powers, elements, magic, Gods, etc. There was a desire to create a unified “map,” something we could put at the front of the book.
As we were preparing the first World of Warcraft Chronicle, Chris Metzen and “the gang” at CDev wanted to codify Warcraft’s vast and complex set of powers, elements, magic, Gods, etc. There was a desire to create a unified “map,” something we could put at the front of the book.
At one point, I pitched a “three dimensional” cosmology with three axes. I don’t have that first sketch, but here’s a re-creation. Super fun idea but… Imagine trying to illustrate this? Or explain it to players?
Still, the six-points created by that graph were interesting to me. I took one of my long walks around the Blizzard campus and when I got back I scribbled this, the first image I could find. Unfortunately, these notes aren’t dated!
You can see it’s almost there. It’s tipped over to one side, Life/Light are conflated, and the elements aren’t incorporated… but I was really vibing on this so I drew a version into software often associated with open-ended creativity: Powerpoint!
Here’s my “final” design, with a little touch of designer-art. Shadowlands and the Emerald Dream have found a home as mirror-images of Azeroth oriented toward life and death. Six major sources of power are all placed in opposition. I was really proud of this!
We added “Spirit” and “Decay” – bringers and takers of life – to bring the elements to six. I arranged them thematically around the chart and found lots of synergy. “Spirit/Water” is associated with healing in the game. “Spirit/Fire” fits Paladin’s holy retribution, “Fire/Air” is associated with the Legion, who invade planets as balls of fire from the sky. Legion-corrupted beings like Illidan are granted wings. Kinda cool. Titans are associated with “Earth/Water” – after all, they build planets.
It felt like I was uncovering some sort of primal truth about the World (of Warcraft)! The team over at Creative Development was equally excited. My goofy powerpoint illustration was locked in and I introduced it to the team. I used it as a teaching tool while onboarding new designers.
One of the best parts of being a designer is creating something and knowing “an artist will make it pretty.” It’s always a delight when art exceeds expectations. French artist Joseph Lacroix created this incredible interpretation, immortalized in the Chronicle:
I love the intricate little details: the spirit healer in the Shadowlands, the grasping undead, the grand cities behind the Titans… Chef’s-kiss awesome! You can even see the decorative twin-circles from my PowerPoint echoed in the final illustration of the Emerald Dream and the Shadowlands.
Sadly I didn’t write the date on any of my sketches. I believe these discussions took place after the release of Cataclysm, while we were starting the concept phase for Pandaria. Follow me for more GameDev notes and behind-the-scenes!
About The Author
