What Sword? and War Within Shirts on the Blizzard Gear Store

Key Takeaways

Blizzard added two World of Warcraft shirts to the Blizzard Gear Store: the "What Sword?" shirt and The War Within Key Art T-Shirt, listed at $35 and $30 at launch.
The "What Sword?" design riffs on a long-running community joke about the Sword of Sargeras, plunged into Silithus at the end of Legion and then largely sidelined for years.
Game director Ion Hazzikostas leaned into the meme, deadpanning "What sword?" in a 2022 interview and wearing the shirt at BlizzCon 2023, where the Worldsoul Saga was announced.
The Worldsoul Saga, a three-expansion arc running The War Within, Midnight, and The Last Titan, put the sword back at the center of the story.
The War Within Key Art T-Shirt features the expansion's three leads, Thrall, Alleria Windrunner, and Anduin Wrynn, from the original key art.
The full meaning of Sargeras's strike is still unfolding: Thrall says it was "aimed at something," with the antagonist Xal'atath tied to the blade's corruption.

For years, "What sword?" was the World of Warcraft community's favorite inside joke, and Blizzard eventually turned it into merchandise. The Blizzard Gear Store added two WoW shirts that any fan could buy: the meme-friendly "What Sword?" tee and a key-art shirt for The War Within. Both are worth a closer look, partly because one of them ties directly into a mystery that the game spent the better part of a decade dodging before finally picking it back up.

The "What Sword?" Shirt and the Meme Behind It

The "What Sword?" shirt, listed at $35, references one of WoW's most enduring running gags. At the end of Legion, the fallen titan Sargeras drove an enormous blade into Silithus, wounding the planet and leaving it bleeding Azerite, the resource that kicked off Battle for Azeroth. Then the story mostly moved on. For several expansions the giant sword just sat there, and players noticed.

Streamer Asmongold turned that into a bit, joking that the developers had forgotten their own world-altering plot device. In a 2022 interview, Ion Hazzikostas played along with a deadpan "What sword?", and the official WoW account echoed the joke. By BlizzCon 2023, where Blizzard revealed the Worldsoul Saga, Hazzikostas showed up wearing a "What Sword?" shirt, a wink to fans that the team knew exactly which sword everyone meant.

What the Sword Actually Is

The shirt landed at the moment the joke stopped being a joke. The Worldsoul Saga, the three-expansion arc made up of The War Within, Midnight, and The Last Titan, is built around the wound Sargeras left in Azeroth. The War Within sent players deep beneath the surface toward Azeroth's slumbering world-soul, and the question the meme had teased for years, what was that strike actually for, became the spine of the plot.

The answer the story has been building toward is that Sargeras was not lashing out blindly. Thrall states outright that the blow was "aimed at something." The strongest reading in the lore is that he was striking the titan apparatus meant to imprison and reforge Azeroth's world-soul, which is why so many forces now want to control or finish what he started. Chief among them is Xal'atath, the saga's primary antagonist, whose plans are bound up with the sword's lingering corruption. The complete reveal is being held for later in the saga, so the shirt's punchline now carries real weight: the sword is back, and it matters. One note for lore sticklers, the blade has never been given an official canon name beyond the Sword of Sargeras.

The War Within Key Art T-Shirt

The second shirt, listed at $30, prints The War Within's official key art. It features the three characters Blizzard placed at the heart of the expansion's marketing: Thrall, Alleria Windrunner, and Anduin Wrynn, each updated with the models and poses used across the launch campaign. The trio anchors the Worldsoul Saga's opening chapter, and the art frames them as the leaders carrying Azeroth into the conflict.

It is a clean piece of fan apparel for anyone who wanted to wear the expansion's identity rather than a meme. Blizzard later released an updated version of the key art that added Xal'atath to the composition, but the shirt uses the original three-character lineup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the "What Sword?" shirt referencing?

It references the Sword of Sargeras, the massive blade Sargeras drove into Silithus at the end of Legion. The story sidelined it for years, which spawned a community joke that Blizzard turned into a shirt.

Did Ion Hazzikostas really wear the shirt?

Yes. After deadpanning "What sword?" in a 2022 interview, game director Ion Hazzikostas wore a "What Sword?" shirt at BlizzCon 2023, the same event where Blizzard announced the Worldsoul Saga.

What does the sword have to do with the Worldsoul Saga?

The Worldsoul Saga centers on the wound Sargeras left in Azeroth. The War Within revisits that strike directly, and the trilogy is built around what Sargeras was targeting and who wants to exploit it now.

Who is on The War Within Key Art T-Shirt?

The shirt prints The War Within's original key art, which features Thrall, Alleria Windrunner, and Anduin Wrynn. A later updated version of the art added Xal'atath, but the shirt uses the original trio.

How much did the shirts cost?

At launch, the "What Sword?" shirt was listed at $35 and The War Within Key Art T-Shirt at $30 on the Blizzard Gear Store. Store pricing and availability can change over time.

Is the Sword of Sargeras officially named "Gorribal"?

No. In current canon the blade has no formal name beyond the Sword of Sargeras. The name "Gorribal" comes from older non-canon roleplaying sourcebooks, not the games.

Was the "what sword" mystery ever resolved?

Partly. Thrall confirms the strike was "aimed at something," and the leading lore points to the titan construct holding Azeroth's world-soul. The full answer is being revealed across the Worldsoul Saga rather than all at once.

Last reviewed 2026-06-24 against Patch 11.0.2 The War Within. Maintained by WowCarry's WoW team.