World of Warcraft Confirms Xal’atath’s Backstory Ahead of Midnight

Blizzard recently released an animated short for World of Warcraft: Midnight that reveals a surprising backstory for the character Xal’atath. The short shows she wasn’t always a powerful being, but a mortal from a world destroyed by the Void. This new information gives players a better understanding of Xal’atath and her motivations before she launches her attack on Azeroth in the upcoming World of Warcraft: Midnight expansion.

Starting with World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, Blizzard has consistently released animated shorts or similar videos before each new expansion to give players more background on important characters. Before the release of World of Warcraft: The War Within, they did this by creating a motion story about Queen Ansurek and an animated short focusing on Alleria Windrunner.

World of Warcraft’s Xal’atath Used to Be Mortal

Blizzard has released the first animated short for Midnight, giving us more details about Xal’atath’s history in World of Warcraft. The short, called “Supremacy,” features Nexus-King Salhadaar, a leader who fell in battle during the Manaforge Omega raid. In it, Xal’atath tries to convince Salhadaar to join her while he’s attempting to escape. She does this by revealing a surprising secret: she wasn’t always a powerful being – she was once a mortal whose home world was destroyed by the Void when she was a child.

Okay, so I’ve been checking out Xal’atath’s new look, and it’s really interesting. She’s got these gold tattoos around her eyes and on her head – she’s completely bald, by the way – and this sun-shaped pendant. It’s kinda weird, because that all feels very ‘Light’-focused, which is strange considering she’s usually all about the Void. It makes me wonder if where she originally came from used to be a place that fought against the Void. I’m definitely curious to see if this ends up being important later on in her story!

Image via Blizzard

As a long-time fan, I remember whispers about Xal’atath actually being a former mortal! It came up during the Ghosts of K’aresh patch in World of Warcraft. We actually teamed up with her to take down Dimensius, and during the Public Test Realm phase, she told us about her past life. It was so cool! But then, Blizzard removed that line before the patch went live. Apparently, they wanted to save that big reveal for the animated short, “Supremacy,” instead. It’s a bit frustrating as a player who discovered it early, but I understand wanting a grand presentation!

Image via Blizzard

It’s definitely possible Xal’atath isn’t telling the whole truth about where she comes from. She’s a known manipulator, always saying what people want to hear, like she did with Ansurek, Gallywix, and others. However, she usually doesn’t lie directly, preferring to twist the truth or leave things out to get what she wants. So, even if some of her story to Salhadaar was changed, the main parts are probably true.

Xal’atath’s Schemes Come to a Head in WoW: Midnight

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Xal’atath was the one who started the trouble in The War Within, and her plans are now unfolding in Midnight. After consuming The Devourer, she’s using its power to build a powerful army connected to the Void. This army includes members of the Twilight’s Blade cult (seen during the WoW: Midnight pre-patch event), the Dominaar from the Voidstorm area, and now, Salhadaar’s Shadowguard.

Stopping Xal’atath from taking and corrupting the Sunwell will require the help of heroes all across Azeroth. But, according to the World of Warcraft 2026 plans, the attacks from the Void are expected to get worse throughout the Midnight expansion. This suggests players might not be able to completely defeat Xal’atath when the expansion first releases.

While World of Warcraft: Midnight has many unexpected boss fights, Xal’atath isn’t one of them yet. It’s unknown if players will directly battle the Harbinger of the Void in a future raid within Midnight, or if she’ll return in The Last Titan with characters like Iridikron. Regardless, Xal’atath is clearly going to play a significant role in the events of Midnight.

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2026-02-10 10:04