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Having been added later than some of the other player races inWorld of Warcraft, the Pandaren are a rarity within the player base, but their lore and visuals set them apart enough to still be a fan favorite. These monastic bear people may have their own charm, but few players know what makes them tick.
This is due to their whole story being told during the Mists of Pandaria expansion, and no new lore has come out about them in the years since. Not that they need any new stories being told about them since what is already there is compelling enough, even if most new players don’t experience it.
The Celestials And The Mogu
The Pandaren were always a peace-loving race, seeking to avoid conflict whenever possible. They were one of the few sentient races living in Pandaria, but onlythey drew the attention of the Celestials, four Wild Gods of Azeroth that made that small continent their home.
These Celestials were theRed Crane Chi-Ji, the Black Ox Niuzao, the White Tiger Xuen, and theJade Serpent Yu’lon.
With theguidance of the Celestials, the Pandaren developed greatlyin the fields ofphilosophy, medicine,and theunderstanding of nature. Yet peace is never meant to last in Azeroth, and the Pandaren would learn this when they were faced with the Mogu threat.
The Moguwere meant to bepeacekeepers,created by the Titansasmetallic constructs to watch over the planet.Since their hard exterior made them immune to the corruption of the Old Gods, these creatures created a way for the Mogu (and all Titan Forged) to be susceptible to them:the Curse of Flesh.
The Curse made Titan Forged mortal and susceptible to influence, at best bringing their worst qualities and at worst becoming minions for the Old Gods. The Mogu were only lightly affected, butover the years, this only brought the worst in them, turning them into war fanatics.
According to the lore, the Curse of Flesh is how some of Azeroth’s most noteworthy species, like Dwarves, Gnomes, and Humans, began.
Thus,the Mogu set out to conquer the land they were supposed to protect, and had all sentient races, particularlythe Pandaren, enslaved to their whim.The Celestials tried to protect the land but were brought down by the mighty Mogu and kept imprisoned.
Pandaren Revolution
During their enslavement, thePandaren weren’t allowed to learn to read, write or wield weapons.The Mogu knew the potential each Pandaren held, so they made sure to subjugate them to their utmost submission, but in reality,the Pandaren were just waiting for the right time to strike.
Thanks in no small part to the guidance of the Celestials,the Pandaren developed the way of the Monk, channeling their “chi” (or positive energy),making them deadly even without a weapon.When the Mogu were at their weakest (mostly due to their constant infighting), the Pandaren rose up and took their captors down.
This didn’t come easy or without a cost.The revolution lasted for years, with the Pandaren having to leave their peaceful ways behind to take on their current threat, forming their own empire to fortify their homeland.
Rise Of The Mists
With their empire established, the Pandaren were a recognizable force in the world, having relations with the other races, particularly the Night Elves. Butwhen these Elves unknowingly summoned the Burning Legion, the Pandaren retreated to their homeland to seal it off.
This was done by Emperor Shaohao, and thanks to his great power alongside the guidance of the Celestials,he conjured a great Mist around Pandaria that would prevent all from finding the continent.After this, the Emperor became one with the land, and since there were no enemies left for Pandaria, no new Emperor was crowned.
Although the intention of Emperor Shaohao was good, he was influenced by the Sha of Pride (a remnant of an Old God) to create the Mists so the Pandaren would have limited growth and be unable to aid the rest of Azeroth against the growing threats.
These Mists would last for over 12,000 years, keeping any dangers from the outside world from entering Pandaria but stagnating its growth in the process. Still, the Pandaren kept their hold of Pandaria, expanding their culture and forever wondering what lies beyond the mist.
The Wandering Isle
As the years passed, many Pandaren wanted to see the outside worldbut feared that they would never be able to return to their homeland. The one who finally succeeded in exploring the outside world wasLiu Lang, whoused turtles as mounts to ensure his safe returnsince turtles always knew the way back to the shore they were born on.
One such turtle,Shen-zin Su, grew to an astonishing size so Liu Lang could take other Pandaren with himto see the outside world. They still kept their interactions to a minimum and never settled on the other continents, and thanks to Shen-zin Su, they never had to.
The turtle never stopped growing, ending up being the size of a small island, able to hold entire villages on its back. This made the Pandaren call it theWandering Isle, with many settling in it and joining Liu Lang on his travels.
This is where most Pandaren found in the rest of Azeroth are from, including the famedChen Stormstout, who helped the Horde establish themselves on Kalimdor.
This is also where players start when they make their own Pandaren.
After The Cataclysm
The Cataclysm came with many disruptions in Azeroth’s natural cycles, and Pandaria was no exception. While they avoided any major land mass displacement,the event affected their protective Mists the most, dissipating them completely.
Not long after,the conflict between the Alliance and the Horde reached Pandarian shores, disrupting the balance of nature, igniting the corrupting force of the Sha, and allowing the Mogu to strike again.
Instead of considering these two factions as enemies, the Pandaren gave them an opportunity to prove themselvesand mend the damage they had done.
This led the warring factions to work together, beating back the Mogu and fixing the Sha corruption.The Warchief of the Horde, Garrosh Hellscream, had already gained the ire of his own faction, leading everyone to stand against him, from his own comrades to even the Celestials.
This turmoil eventually came to an end, but Pandaren needed new leaders to follow if they were to face the new dangers threatening Azeroth as a whole.This is why many Pandaren joined either the Horde or the Alliance, to better protect the world.
