Elemental


 * Were you looking for Schools of Magic as elemental types, or the Elemental shaman talent tree?

The elementals are potent and volatile elemental spirits of pure elemental energies and were once the minions of the Old Gods (and some may still be). Many are commanded by the most powerful elemental lieutenants called the Elemental Lords — Ragnaros the Firelord, Therazane the Stonemother, Al'Akir the Windlord, and Neptulon the Tidehunter — whilst others are commanded by primordial elementals known as Elemental Spirits.

There are four types of elementals, each corresponding to the basic elements of the world: earth, fire, wind, and water. Each elemental tends to be immune to damage from their element type. For instance, fire elementals are immune to fire damage.

History and Culture


When the Old Gods were defeated and imprisoned by the Titans, the Titans banished all elementals to the Elemental Plane. The Elemental Plane is a violent and dangerous place where elementals of one type battle with all others in a never-ending conflict to expand their territory. It is no wonder, then, that some elementals attempt to escape from the unceasing struggle by traveling to Azeroth, where they establish solitary lairs in suitable environments. Such transplanted elementals find it difficult to shake off the warlike existence they lived on the Elemental Plane; they guard their new territory viciously and constantly seek to expand their boundaries.

All elementals speak Kalimag and, whether summoned to Azeroth or there of their own free will, wear a set of magic bracers. These bracers form automatically when the elemental leaves the Elemental Plane. They tie the elemental to Azeroth and allow it to exist outside of the Elemental Plane. If the magic of the bracer's is disrupted, usually by prolonged physical or magical attack, the elemental loses much of its power and may inadvertently return to the Elemental Plane. Over the centuries, they have been finding ways to return to Azeroth, and now run rampant in many areas, though it's usually only the weakest of their ranks that are able to slip through the "cracks". All but the most powerful elementals are mindless beings, who carry out tasks at the whim of their masters. Recently however, more and more elementals have begun appearing on Azeroth, serving an as yet unidentified purpose.

Some intelligent creatures of Azeroth have found ways to summon elementals and bind them to their will as servants or guards. Human mages are fond of summoning Water Elementals for their brute force and imposing size. Ragnaros was summoned into the material plane by the Dark Iron Dwarves three centuries ago, and now resides in the Molten Core, though he is but a shadow of his original self there. When he was first summoned into Azeroth by Sorcerer-thane Thaurissan, the dwarf was killed by the unmitigated fiery powers that he had unleashed.

The four lieutenants, seemingly no longer under the Old Gods' control, are finding new ways to wage war against each other, and it's possible that one or more of their factions are working for the good of Azeroth. Though they fight each other, they still maintain an Abyssal High Council.

The elementals seem to have a complex royal power hierarchy. The most powerful elemental beings have titles such as Baron, Lord, and Duke. The closest, most powerful offspring of the Elemental Lieutenants are even known as Princes and Princesses.

Elemental Conglomerate
Elemental Conglomerates are elementals that share two or more aspects of the basic elemental types.

Nature elementals and plants
Plants are classified as elementals for gameplay purposes, this category lists both plants and nature elementals
 * Note that in lore some of these are not elementals at all, but a type of plant, application of elemental in game is for game mechanics.

Bog Beast


Bog beasts are classified in World of Warcraft as Elementals. They look like swamp monsters. You can find Bog Beasts and similar type creatures in Teldrassil (timberlings/swampwalkers), and Swamp of Sorrows (Mire Lords and Tangled Horrors), Wetlands (Fen Dwellers and Fen Creepers), Tanaris (Thistleshrubs), Dustwallow Marsh, Un'goro Crater (tar beasts) and Zangarmarsh. Bog beasts may represent a type of conglomerate elemental of earth and water as tar beasts suggest.

Denalan, the botanist and questqiver NPC in Darnassus, notes that timberlings are connected to the land around them: "The Timberlings are elementals of nature. In some ways they reflect the natural order of the plants and animals on our great tree." Brann also describes thistleshrubs as plant elementals. Tar beasts are conglomerate elementals of earth and water.


 * The plant creatures timberlings, and thistleshrubs, and conglomerate elemental creature tar beast, while using the same model as bog beasts are each considered separate types of creatures.
 * Bog beast is both a broad classification for the creatures but also refers to a specific species.
 * Depending on the species bog beasts may be elementals and/or ambulatory plants.

Spitters

 * Spitters are large carnivorous plants capable of spitting poisons. They were first introduced in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and classified as elementals in-game.
 * A more leafy version also exists. Besides poison attacks these are also capable of frost attacks.

Ambulatory Plants
Ambulatory plants with flowers or fruits as heads.
 * Lasher
 * Orchid
 * Pumpkin soldier
 * Singing Sunflower

Ancient


Ancients are huge plant creatures, relatives of the treants and other plant creatures. Often affiliated with night elves, these gigantic treefolk occasionally fall sway to demonic corruption and become twisted, hateful versions of their former selves. Ivus the Forest Lord is also a ancient who is found in Alterac Valley.


 * Ancient of Arcane
 * Ancient of Lore
 * Ancient of War
 * Ancient Protector
 * BTNAncientOfTheMoon.png Ancient of Wind
 * BTNAncientOfWonders.png Ancient of Wonders
 * BTNCorruptedAncientProtector.png Corrupted Ancient

Treants are Ancients who can be fought in the game. You can find them several places, such as in Felwood (Irontrees), Ashenvale (Withered Ancients and Crazed Ancients), and Stonetalon Mountains (Blackened Ancients and Charred Ancients).

Elemental Constructs
These are creatures that are classed as elementals in World of Warcraft for gameplay purposes, but are actually constructs which are either built on statues or powered by elementals

Golem
Some types of golems are mechanical constructs and are classified as elementals in World of Warcraft. They can be found in many places, mostly around Dark Iron dwarf lairs. You can find them in Darkshore (Cracked Golems), the Badlands (Siege Golems, War Golems and Stone Golems) and in the Searing Gorge (Heavy War Golems).
 * Note that in lore these are not elementals at all, but a type of large construct (although some may be held together or powered through elementals). Application of elemental in game is for game mechanics.



Murmur
Murmur is called Primordial Essence of sound, by the codex of blood and he has many similiarities with the elemental lords of azeroth
 * Note that he may not be elemental but in fact elemental-like being. Murmur may only be listed as a elemental for game mechanics.

Mercury Elemental
Mercury elementals are elemental which come in the shape of elemental and oozes

Mana Elemental
Mana elementals are crafted out of pure mana.
 * Mana surge
 * Arcane Wraith

Characteristics in World of Warcraft

 * Chaotic manifestations of the elements.
 * Will usually use abilities, attacks and spells related to their element. A fire elemental is for example likely to cast fire-spells, and a water elemental is likely to cast water-spells.
 * Some have innate abilities; many resist (or are immune to) attacks from the element with which they are affiliated.
 * Often found close to environments that resemble their elements; water elementals are often found on coastlines and in lakes, fire elementals are often found close to lava or areas which has suffered from fire, stone elementals are often found in hills and inside caves, and air elementals are often found in windy areas like steppes and deserts.
 * Will often drop elemental items related to their element. A fire elemental may for example drop a Heart of Fire, while a water elemental may drop an Essence of Water.
 * Cannot be skinned, although the remains of stone-elementals may sometimes be mined by miners.
 * Enchanters can enchant weapons with Enchant Weapon - Lesser Elemental Slayer or Enchant Weapon - Elemental Slayer, which gives them bonus damage. The former will also cause the weapon to glow red, while the latter will cause it to glow in all kinds of colors.
 * All elementals can be Banished by Warlocks.
 * A large number of elementals look similar to the Voidwalker; for example, many fire elementals use orange, flaming voidwalker models.
 * As hinted by Earthmender Norsala, elementals can truly die only when they're on their home Elemental Plane. If they are killed upon mortal plane (physical world), they are simply banished back to their corresponding planes.

Myth
An elemental is a mythological being that first appeared in the alchemical works of Paracelsus.