Gorgoa: River of Souls

Gorgoa: River of Souls (written as Gorgoa, River of Souls in the Sanctum of Domination) bisects the mainland of the Maw from southwest ^[16, 58] to northeast ^[55, 11]. A protean force,^[1] Gorgoa represents all of the souls passing from Oribos to Torghast and is what the Soul Pillar becomes after it enters the Maw. Upon entering Torghast, Gorgoa continues flowing up through the Sanctum of Domination, whirling around the tower's central spire until it reaches its end at the Crown of Gorgoa just below the tower's peak.^[2]

The countless Stygian Souls flowing through it causes the interior of Gorgoa to be filled with an unbearable cacophony of voices.^[3] The river is filled with strong emotions that can be harvested for magical purposes: many of the damned seethe with unrestrained anger,^[4] while others shed large amounts of tears of crystallized grief.^[5] The Mawsworn harvest the misery of the river's souls for unknown purposes.^[6] Soul seekers patrol the head of the river—the Crucible of the Damned—and watch for any souls who try to escape.^[1] During their initial escape from the Maw, Helya plunged the Maw Walkers and their allies into Gorgoa.^[3] After his defeat in Maldraxxus, Kel'Thuzad retreated to the soul river's apex in the Sanctum of Domination, allowing him to draw on an unlimited well of power.^[7]

On its route through the Maw, Gorgoa is bordered on the south by Zovaal's Cauldron and Detrithos, and on the north by the Crucible of the Damned, Calcis, and the Planes of Torment. A special mechanic is the Gorgoan Lament, which increases damage taken and dealt by 3% a stack indefinitely while in the area, stacking 10 times (+30% incoming/outgoing damage).

Notable inhabitants[]

Ekphoras, Herald of Grief
Obolos <Prime Collector>

Notes and trivia[]

If the player attempts to jump into Gorgoa while accompanied by Darion Mograine during the early parts of the Shadowlands intro experience, Darion will [Death Grip] them out and say: That river is no place for the living. Best to avoid it at all costs.
Gorgoa is thematically similar to the Felstorm from World of Warcraft: Legion. Both are massive streams of energy centered on the fortress that serves as the second raid tier of their respective expansions (the Sanctum of Domination and the Tomb of Sargeras). In both cases, players travel to part of the stream to fight the raid's penultimate boss (Kel'Thuzad and the Fallen Avatar); however, in Gorgoa's case, they travel to the stream's apex (the Crown of Gorgoa), while in the Felstorm's case they travel to its source (Felstorm's Breach).
As a river of souls, Gorgoa is likely a reference to the various rivers of the Greek underworld, such as Styx. However, its name is more similar to the ancient Greek word gorgós, meaning "grim" or "dreadful", which is also the origin of the word Gorgon.