Wisp

This article is about the race. For the Warcraft III unit, see Wisp (Warcraft III). For the NPC, see Wisp (NPC).

Wisp
Faction/Affiliation	Nature, Great Alliance (Ancestral Spirits), Darnassus, Guardians of Hyjal
Racial capital	Grove of Aessina (presumed)
Racial leader(s)	Aessina (presumed)
Homeworld	Emerald Dream, Azeroth
Environment	Forests
Area(s)	Darkshore, Felwood, Feralas, Mount Hyjal, Stonetalon Mountains, Teldrassil, Wetlands

Wisps are ancient spirits of nature that inhabit the forestlands of Kalimdor. They are actually the disembodied spirits of deceased night elves who have become one with the forest, though their minds and the way they perceive things is very different than in life. They are capable of navigating the spirit world much faster than normal spirits.

The wisps act in unison with the night elves and serve to strengthen the demigod-like trees known as the ancients. Beckoned by the night elves, wisps are capable of animating various trees and expanding themselves into rough-hewn structures of living wood and stone. Wisps have always lived in harmony with night elves, and the elves depend on them for many things. Some help with new construction and repairs. In Warcraft III, wisps can gather resources for night elf forces without destroying trees and have the power to detonate, causing a backlash of mana.

Wisps are mostly silent except for a low humming sound. Oddly enough, some are able to communicate with mortals through thoughts.

During the final battle of the Third War, thousands of wisps, known as Ancestral Spirits, gathered at the call of the Horn of Cenarius to destroy the demon lord Archimonde and save the world.

During the quest Quest:Coaxing the Spirits, the spirits of the dead inhabitants of the Ruins of Auberdine are coaxed from their bodies and appears as wisps.

Notable

A wisp in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.

•   Aessina, the Mother Wisp, is one of the Ancient Guardians.
•   Chaos
•   Forest Wisp
•   Kali
•   Spirus

Types

•   Ancient Wisp
•   Darkshore Wisp
•   Feralas Wisp
•   Grove Wisp
•   Hyjal Wisp
•   Ley Sprite
•   Mana Sprite
•   Night Elf Wisp
•   Shen'dralar Wisp <House of Shen'dralar>
•   Stonetalon Wisp
•   Talonbranch Wisp
•   Wisp

As a companion pet

 [Captured Flame].

•  [Captured Flame] can be purchased from  Midsummer Suppliers and  Midsummer Merchants at a cost of 350 during the Midsummer Fire Festival.
•  [Hyjal Wisp] has a chance to drop from Archimonde in the Battle of Mount Hyjal.
• Nordrassil Wisps can be captured in pet battles around Nordrassil in Mount Hyjal.

Notes

• [Wisp Spirit] is a night elf racial trait that allows night elf characters to move much faster than the ghosts of other playable races, as well as fly in certain zones.
• Untargetable wisps can be found on several night elven boats, seemingly helping to guide the ship to its destination.
• Troll druids visiting the Moonglade have been overheard calling the wisps who reside there as loa. Night elves and tauren have tried to counsel these trolls on "correct" druidic nomenclature, but the trolls thus far have been stuck in their ways.
• An article "announcing" that wisps were to be a new playable race appeared on the official World of Warcraft website as part of 2006's April Fools.

In the RPG

This section contains information from the Warcraft RPG which is considered non-canon.

A wisp in the Alliance Player's Guide.

Wisps are mysterious "forest spirits" of unknown origin. Wisps are forest spirits that heal ancients and keep the forest clean and pure. They are dedicated to the well-being of night elf forests. They are connected to the forest on a supernatural level rivaling that of Cenarius' children; indeed, many believe that wisps often evolve into mighty ancient protectors and other creatures. Wisps play a major role in night elf life by creating and repairing their wooden structures. In addition to healing living wood with their mere touch they can detonate themselves to banish or kill summoned monsters (such as any outsider, elemental, or several kinds of undead). Wisps show little intelligence, free will or self-interest. They appear to exist purely to serve the will of the night elves. Whether this is reality or whether they serve the night elf leadership out of some personal agenda or sense of duty is unclear at this time. A tremendous number of wisps were destroyed at the end of the Third War in Malfurion’s gamble to destroy Archimonde. As a result, they are nowhere near as numerous as before the Third War, but nevertheless they play an integral part in the lives of all night elves. Some human scholars think that wisps are the souls of deceased night elves, but these claims have yet to be proven, and are met with near mockery among the night elves. The glowing ball of light hovers a few feet off the ground. Within the eldritch glow, inside can be seen the translucent features of an elven face.

Wisps avoid combat and will flee when attacked if they can. Instead, they follow night elf orders, which usually means they act as support troops, healing ancients and repairing night elf structures. They detonate if ordered to do so, or if they cannot flee. If pressed, they slam into mortal foes or detonate themselves to destroy or banish outsiders or undead. A wisp may sacrifice itself to seed an ancient. It takes decades for the ancient to grow to maturity and centuries before it reaches its full potential. Wisps have the ability to safely extract wood from a tree without damaging or harming the plant. This is a slow process, but over the course of a day, a single wisp can produce about 20 pounds of lumber from a large tree. Wisps have the capability to mold wood into nearly any form. A wisp can change the shape of up to a 5-foot cube of wood, shifting the wood’s dimensions at will. This potent ability allows wisps to swiftly create structures for the night elves. A wisp can sacrifice itself. Creatures within 30 feet suffer the simultaneous effects of the spell's banishment, dispel magic, and mana burn. A wisp may heal an ancient, plant or wooden structure. The wisp must touch the plant or structure, to heal it.

Gallery

• 

  A wisp of the "Ancestral Spirits" faction, slayers of Archimonde.

• 

  The destruction of Archimonde by a multitude of wisps.

Videos

• The Story of The Wisp

Patch changes

• Patch 2.3.0 (2007-11-13): Wisps were added to the elven ships.
  

See also

• Wisp TCG Card
• Will-o'-wisp
• Forest Spirit