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N'Zoth, the Corruptor is a legendary neutral minion card from the Whispers of the Old Gods set.


Sounds[]

Alternative summon (When the friendly hero is N'Zoth (hero))

Lore[]

N'Zoth is notable as the one Old God which had not previously been revealed in any form in World of Warcraft or other media prior to Whispers of the Old Gods. Little is therefore known of the form, powers and details of N'Zoth.

While the character is long established in Warcraft lore, this is the first time it has been depicted, revealed or even described in detail, making it in a sense original to Hearthstone.[1][2] Its full art was intentionally revealed to players in advance of the card itself, providing a first ever glimpse of the elusive horror.[1] It was portrayed as a nightmarish beast of the sea, rising above the waves with countless tentacles reaching to ensnare anything nearby.

The Hearthstone team collaborated "a lot" with the Warcraft lore developers when conceiving N'Zoth,[3] knowing that however they chose to depict the Old God was how both Hearthstone and Warcraft players would remember it.[4] The artist for the card, Tyson Murphy, is lead character artist for World of Warcraft. While the card itself is part of the game of Hearthstone, the art for N'Zoth is intended to be canonical.[5]

One of N'Zoth's tentacles features as a separate minion: Tentacle of N'Zoth.

Wowpedia iconThis section uses content from Wowpedia.
N'Zoth the Corruptor is the Old God of Madness an Old God who is likely imprisoned beneath Azeroth's oceans, and is responsible for the spark of the Emerald Nightmare corrupting the Emerald Dream. Due to its oceanic nature, it is possible that it is the Old God which turned night elves into naga, corruption of Neltharion into Deathwing and it likely makes several indirect appearances in the quest-chains of the Vashj'ir zone. In ages past, N'Zoth engaged in a long war with C'Thun and Yogg-Saron, with Warlord Zon'ozz leading N'Zoth's army. During the events of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, N'Zoth was a driving force behind the actions of Deathwing.
During the days of the Black Empire, N'Zoth controlled a vast territory in the east of Kalimdor, covering much of what would later become known as the Eastern Kingdoms. Countless ages ago, Warlord Zon'ozz and his soldiers waged endless war in the name of N'Zoth against the forces of C'Thun and Yogg-Saron. N'Zoth was the first of the Old Gods to be sealed beneath the surface of Azeroth by the titan-forged after Y'Shaarj's death, though it is not known exactly where (only that its bastion was located somewhat southeast of the Well of Eternity).

In Hearthstone

Very little is certain about N’Zoth (pronounced nuh-ZAH-th or /nə'zɑθ/)—most beings on Azeroth don’t even know its name, much less what it looks like. Scraps of obscure lore claim that the Old God has been imprisoned beneath the darkest depths of the ocean for millennia beyond counting. There are also whispers that N’Zoth desires nothing more than to twist what was once noble and pure to its own inscrutable ends. Ultimately, most of what is “known” about this most insidious of beings is mere speculation.
Still, looking at the evidence, it seems like N’Zoth feels a compulsive need to redecorate, and has the aesthetic sensibilities of someone that’s super into skulls, black leather, and knee high platform boots. Emerald Dream? How about Emerald Nightmare. Neltharion the Earth Warder? Nah, let’s go with DEATHWING THE DESTROYER! Prissy Night Elf nobility throwing a hissy fit? BAM! You get a snake body and actual hissing! Yes, it’s rumored that N’Zoth was involved with twisting the Emerald Dream, corrupting one of Azeroth’s most powerful dragons, and mutating the Highborne into the despicable Naga . . . but it’s just getting started.[6]

N'Zoth "embraces chaos", as reflected by the randomness of his Battlecry effect.[7] Despite some confusion from other sources, in Hearthstone lore, while Yogg-Saron "opened the door when it corrupted Vordrassil", it was "not the only Old God at work in the Emerald Dream".[8]

Trivia[]

  • Earlier iterations of N'Zoth included a version that replaced the entire player's deck at the start of the game with "30 tentacle cards".[9]
  • N'Zoth limits the design for future Deathrattle cards, due to his synergy with them, requiring the designers to "[not] put a lot of good Deathrattles out for a while". The designers have discussed the possibilities of creating some N'Zoth counter-play cards if the card becomes too dominant or stale.[9]
  • The N'Zoth Hero comments on this card, warning his opponent that he "is multitides".

Gallery[]

N'Zoth, the Corruptor full

N'Zoth, the Corruptor, full art

References[]

 
  1. 1.0 1.1 So... N'zoth.. (2016-03-21). 
  2. Ben Brode on Twitter. (2016-03-20). 
  3. Ben Brode on Twitter. (2016-03-30). 
  4. The Art of Hearthstone Vol. 2, pg. 23
  5. Ben Brode on Twitter. (2016-03-29). 
  6. Whispers of the Old Gods – The Enigma of N’Zoth. (2016-03-24). 
  7. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named C
  8. PlayHearthstone on Twitter. (2016-03-24). 
  9. 9.0 9.1 IGN - BLIZZARD ON DESIGNING HEARTHSTONE’S OLD GODS. (2016-06-20). 
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