Observer

Not to be confused with beholder or darkglare.

For the warlock minion, see Observer (warlock minion).

Observer
Imprisoned Observer in Hearthstone.
Classification	Demon / Aberration
Faction/Affiliation	Burning Legion, Illidari, Shadowguard, Independent
Area(s)	Great Dark Beyond
Sources: World of Warcraft

"Too many eyes to blind... Too many arms to disable... can't decapitate them..."

Observers are an intelligent race of demons and aberrations resembling floating eyeball squids. They are originally native to the Great Dark Beyond. Looking through the Twisting Nether, observers have the capability to see through forms of stealth and invisibility.

Background

"It is the way of the Observer to bear witness to all things that come to pass."

Biology

A plated crest covers the observers' forehead and the top of the head. Gills are present on both sides of their bodies; below them, ten tentacles hang down. There's also a sphincter on their backside that can be seen contracting when observers fight and dilating when they die. When Observers fall asleep or die, they will fall to the ground.

Adult members of the species feature two rows of teeth and seven eyes. Their eyes can shoot magic beams, with different types of magic coming from different eyes. Young observers only have two big teeth and a single eye that can shoot magic. They are also far less aggressive than their adult counterparts.

There are also examples of floating eyes using poison-based attacks, like Broggok.

Objectives and affiliation

The observers express a deep desire to bear witness to all forms of magic and are willingly offering their services in exchange for the opportunity to consume new forms of magic.

Some observers have joined the Legion, but nothing suggests that the race is a member of it as a whole. Other individuals, including renegade demons like Culuthas, have gained the allegiance of observers to their own ends. There are also examples of observers that pledged allegiance to no one but themselves, like Xeleth who was worshiped as a god by Zangarmarsh's native creatures.

Some observers joined the Illidari, among which some have stayed around Outland despite and since Illidan's death. Others appear in K'aresh as manifestations of the void and as companions to the Shadowguard in their efforts to assist Dimensius.

Summoning

The ritual to summon an observer is complex. They are highly migratory, and the summoning ritual must compensate for their travels. Without their willing assistance, summoning an observer would be nearly impossible. During her journey to Outland, the undead warlock Jubeka Shadowbreaker learned from the observers the above-mentioned ritual and transcribed it to one of her grimoires. The tome was later sent to Azeroth and its information spread among the members of the Council of the Black Harvest.

An observer called Xhu'daggab was summoned by the Horde forces under Ga'trul to watch the shores of the Jade Forest.

Locations

Powerful observers have been spotted in the Blood Furnace, the Portal Clearing, and in Twinspire Keep. Large groups were present in Blade's Edge Mountains, Shadowmoon Valley, Isle of Quel'Danas, the Black Temple, the Arcatraz, and the Ruins of Farahlon under the service of different factions. They are also present all over K'aresh.

Notable

Main article: Observer NPCs

Vile Watcher in the Trading Card Game.

• Broggok
• Collidus the Warp-Watcher
• Gorgolon the All-Seeing
• Illycor
• Moragg
• Veneratus the Many
• Xeleth
• Xhu'daggab

As a companion pet

•  [Cross Gazer] can be purchased from Orix the All-Seer for the cost of 1,000 Intact Demon Eyes.
•  [Dread Horrorling] and  [Impartial Watcher] are rare drops from  [Wriggling Pinnacle Cache].
•  [Ixthal the Observling] is looted from the Skeletal Tail Bones on K'aresh.
•  [Looker Gaz'kreth Jr.] is sold by Ba'choso for 6500 after reaching Renown 13 with the Manaforge Vandals.
• Penumbral Terror is sold by Shad'anis for 4 in K'aresh.
•  [Rhay'Dahr] was sold by Materialist Ophinell for 30 during the Midnight pre-patch event.
•  [Sleepy Willy] is a possible reward from  [10-90] Back to the Orphanage during Children's Week.

As a warlock minion

Main article: Observer (warlock minion)

In Mists of Pandaria Observers became a new summonable warlock minion, available through the [Grimoire of Supremacy] talent, replacing the Felhunter minion.

Notes and trivia

• Though appearing like them, Shirrak the Dead Watcher and Durumu the Forgotten are not observers. Shirrak is an undead creature created by Exarch Maladaar, and Durumu is an aberration created by Lei Shen's sorcerers.
• Observers are called Beholder in the game files. The name "beholder" also appears on eyes dropped by one of these creatures named Collidus the Warp-Watcher ( [Crimson Beholder Eye],  [Fiery Beholder Eye],  [Emerald Beholder Eye], and  [Amethyst Beholder Eye]) and an item from Moragg ( [Shoulderplates of the Beholder]). Blizzard developers have also been known to use the term in interviews to refer to observers, suggesting it may be the more common term within the company.
• They vaguely resemble (and formerly got their name from) Beholders of Dungeons & Dragons fame, and are also similar in design to Cacodemons from Doom, as well as Octobrains from Duke Nukem 3D. A creature with a similar name, Cacodaemons, was found in Appendix three of the Manual of Monsters.
• The World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Battle Chest Guide and TCG referred to them as "floating eyes".
• In patch 11.2.0 Ghosts of K'aresh, observers are categorized as aberrations.
• While not Void-creatures, Culuthas at the Ruins of Farahlon summoned an army of non-Legion creatures that included both observers and void hounds. On K'aresh, they once again serve the same masters together.

Gallery

• 

  Collidus the Warp-Watcher in the Trading Card Game.
• 

  Shadow Demons in the Trading Card Game.
• 

  Scheming Watcher in the Trading Card Game.
• 

  Chaos Gazer in Hearthstone.
• 

  Crow's Nest Lookout in Hearthstone.
• 

  Patches the Pirate in Hearthstone.
• 

  Sightless Watcher in Hearthstone.
• 

  Xol the Unscathed, a female observer in Hearthstone.
• 

  Charged Call in Hearthstone.
• 

  Defend the Dwarven District in Hearthstone.
• 

  K'aresh models.

Patch changes

• Patch 11.2.0 (2025-08-05): Model updated.