What we know about Ozumat, the Fiend of the Dark Below

By Matthew Rossi
Due to some news that's come to light this week, people are curious about The Dark Below, and its relation to World of Warcraft. As a result, the end boss of the Throne of Tides expansion, Ozumat has come to people's attention. The dread beast's title is Fiend of the Dark Below, and therefore (with the news that the next Diablo III expansion is likely to be named Reaper of Souls) a possible connection to the new expansion, always assuming of course that The Dark Below is in fact said expansion.

So, what do we actually know about Ozumat? Well, turns out, not a heck of a lot. Here's a rundown of the kraken to krak all krakens.

  1. If you played through Vashj'ir you ran into Ozumat really quickly, because he's the one who dragged your ship under the waves. Those massive tentacles that sprouted up everywhere? That was Ozumat.
  2. The Dungeon Journal has this to say: Tales of the monstrous kraken that terrorize Azeroth's high seas were once relegated to myth... but no longer. By some ill means, the naga have bent Ozumat – the patriarch of all kraken – to their will and unleashed him against Neptulon and his followers.
  3. From this we know the following – Ozumat is under the control of the naga somehow. Ozumat isn't just any kraken but likely the progenitor of krakenkind, or at least a huge and powerful example of them.
  4. Ozumat is responsible for the naga victory over Neptulon's forces at the end of the Vashj'ir storyline. He assaults and directly attaches himself to Neptulon's face the way the Mindbenders assault humanoid-sized prey.
  5. Ozumat is present throughout the Throne of the Tides, his vast tentacles encircling the structure. When forced to flee during the final battle, Ozumat ensnares Neptulon and takes the Elemental Lord himself away. Yes, Ozumat is powerful enough to subdue an elemental lord.
  6. He also used to do the WoW Insider show back in the day. Good cohost. We eventually had to release him.

What we don't know about Ozumat is far more interesting. We don't know where he comes from (some believe that hints from the Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron relate to Ozumat's origins, such as At the bottom of the ocean even light must die and In the sunken city, he lies dreaming as well as references to Ny'alotha, although none of this is confirmed) – considering his ability to control Neptulon, who himself has been known to summon and use kraken against mortals in the past, it seems likely that Ozumat is a creature of the old gods, perhaps on loan to the naga during their alliance with Deathwing. Why Ozumat took Neptulon and where is as yet a mystery to us.

One thing is for certain – if Ozumat is connected to a new expansion, then we're facing the old gods or their servants again, this time potentially directly.

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