World of Warcraft’s eighth expansion, Shadowlands, was guilty of many things in players’ eyes. However, one aspect that flew under the radar for most was the disappearance of a tertiary profession, one that hasn’t resurfaced since.
Tertiary professions are those that all characters can learn regardless of their other profession choices, such as fishing or, in the days before Battle for Azeroth, first aid. Archaeology is one such profession. Introduced in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, it provided an intriguing method for collection-hungry players to learn more about the world of Azeroth.
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Archaeology Is World of Warcraft’s Lore-Centric Profession
It’s a simple enough concept. Players travel the world, looking for dig sites marked on their maps. Then, they use a ‘hot or cold’ indicator to narrow in on artifact fragments. Amassing enough of these lets players assemble artifacts, each one adding a bit more depth and realism to its respective civilization. The snippets of lore were nothing to sniff at, but there were also permanent rewards like WoW toys and even mounts to be collected.
Archaeology doesn’t just explore still-existing cultures like the ogres of Draenor or the Zandalari trolls. It fleshes out the everyday lives and practices of long-lost peoples like the Highborne night elves or the Drust of ancient Kul Tiras. Everything from artwork to effigies and cutlery is discoverable, breathing life into the imaginative races that make World of Warcraft so immersive.
Shadowlands Dropped Archaeology Out of the Blue
But when Shadowlands was released at the tail end of 2020, enthusiastic archaeologists were quick to notice that there were no dig sites in any of the five zones. This was odd. Surely, World of Warcraft was aware that the minimal effort of including this profession could only serve to enrich the expansion’s lore and provide extra content for bored players. Perhaps this was the fault of the pandemic, many thought, but then Dragonflight arrived, and The War Within after that, and still no archaeology to be found.
Most peculiar of all, Dragonflight introduced Secret Finding as a new sort of side activity to entertain curious players. It satisfied the same spirit of adventure and attention to detail that archaeologists craved, but as a mere echo of the neglected profession it tried to replace. Now, there was no way to keep track of the discoveries one had made and what they meant to the wider world. Players could no longer place pristine artifacts on display in city locations, and the nuances of mysterious races like the centaur, dragons, niffen, or gnolls remained a secret.
Archaeology Should Be Brought Back to WoW
World of Warcraft doesn’t depend on archaeology by any means, but it does miss out in its absence. Its importance is particularly evident when archaeology is the only means of engagement one has with that culture. For example, the Burning Legion has been featured in loads of World of Warcraft’s zones over the years, but it was archaeological digs on the Broken Isles that showed how not all the races who joined the Legion’s ranks are given to unbridled rage and violence. Many Legion soldiers carry a small Orb of Inner Chaos to help them behave in a manner befitting of a force for extermination.
Information like this may not seem a big deal, but one aspect above all others allows fantasy worlds to come alive, and that’s attention to detail. Games like Baldur’s Gate 3 have shown that players are more than willing to trawl through every corner to find the tiniest scrap of lore, even if it’s for mere speculation. Leaving clues to Azeroth’s vast history scattered about for players to find is vital when keeping such a complex fictional universe alive in their minds. Players should always feel like there are more mysteries to uncover, keeping their sense of wonder alive.
In this opening chapter of The Worldsoul Saga, you’ll journey through never-before-seen subterranean worlds filled with hidden wonders and lurking perils, down to the dark depths of the Nerubian empire, where the inscrutable Harbinger of the Void has gathered her arachnid forces to bring Azeroth to its knees.