As a developer, Blizzard has created a lot of popular game franchises, but even they could not have imagined that they would have created the most popular and successful MMORPG of all time. World of Warcraft was first released in 2004, and it was a continuation of the story that was told in the original RTS games which were simply called, Warcraft.
WoW is known for focusing on the conflict between The Horde and The Alliance, but the game is far more than that. The game’s lore is incredibly deep and complex, and it includes a multitude of different characters, races, classes, factions, and locations. The lore is so vast in fact, that Blizzard could never hope to tell the full story in a single installment, which is why they have so far released eight extensive expansions.
8 The Burning Crusade (2007)
The Burning Legion is an army of ravenous demons who have invaded countless worlds while being led by some of the strongest beings in the WoW universe. Burning Crusade focused on the Legion’s latest attempt to invade Azeroth, which happened because the Doom Lord Kazzak reopened the Dark Portal to Draenor, otherwise known as Outland (the original Orc homeworld).
The Horde and The Alliance fought the Legion and even went through the portal to deal with the enemy at its source. This ultimately led to the defeat of Illidan Stormrage, who had declared himself the ruler of Outland. The expansion also saw the troll warlord Zul’jin declare war on The Horde and The Alliance, and he summoned ancients Gods to destroy both factions. The disgraced Blood Elf prince, Kael’thas Sunstrider also tried to summon Kil’Jaeden through the Sunwell.
7 Wrath Of The Lich King (2008)
Wrath of the Lich King is still considered to be the best WoW expansion, and for good reason. After a time of relative peace, the forces of The Scourge began a massive assault on Azeroth, which prompted The Horde and The Alliance to send armies to the continent of Northrend to defeat the Lich King.
Players familiar with the lore of the RTS games know all too well how Arthas Menethil became the Lich King, and during his assault, he caused the original deaths of Sylvannas Windrunner and Dranosh Saurfang. Players were forced to deal with the Old God, Yogg-Saron, who had been imprisoned in Ulduar, and then the Crypt-Lord Anub’arak attempted to stop their assault on Icecrown Citadel. The final raid saw players face Arthas, and it was the first time that player characters actually died lore-wise.
6 Cataclysm (2010)
Cataclysm brought forth a lot of changes, as the evil dragon aspect, Deathwing the Destroyer, caused a massive cataclysm that reshaped Azeroth. This happened because he tore through the barrier which separated Azeroth from the elemental plane. As a result, evil elemental spirits invaded Azeroth, and tensions between The Horde and Alliance were reignited.
Aside from dealing with Deathwing, players needed to help Vol’jin stop the Zandalari trolls from attacking both factions. Players also banished the Firelord Ragnaros from Mount Hyjal, and then traveled to the elemental plane to defeat him once and for all. During the final battle with Deathwing, the other Dragon Aspects sacrificed their powers, thus leaving Azeroth’s protection in the hands of both faction’s heroes.
5 Mists Of Pandaria (2012)
Mists Of Pandaria introduced players to a new, mysterious island, but it also introduced the Pandaren race. With the Alliance and Horde in conflict again, they engaged in a major naval battle which left their forces to wash up on the island. Their conflict caused dark, ephemeral beings called the Sha to rise to the surface.
As the Horde and Alliance fought, the Mogu allied themselves with the Zandalari trolls and resurrected Lei Shen the Thunder King to reclaim Pandaria. The expansion saw the fall of Warchief Garrish Hellscream, whose thirst for power turned him into a Pandaren war criminal, but he also turned against the Horde and formed his own “True Horde” comprised of just orcs. The Alliance and Horde besieged Orgrimmar to stop him, and when they did, both factions agreed to stop fighting.
4 Warlords Of Draenor (2014)
Before Garrosh could be judged, he was rescued by a Bronze Dragon named Kairozdormu, who allows him to travel back in time 35 years to an alternate Draenor. There, he warns the orcs that they will become slaves if they accept Gul’dan’s gift of power. This new Iron Horde conquers Draenor and builds a new Dark Portal which allows them to invade present-day Azeroth, in a timey-wimey, convoluted way.
This expansion sees the return of many old faces, and it has the Horde and Alliance join forces with the Draenei. Garrosh meets his end when he battles Thrall, his former warchief and friend, as well as Gul’dan who goes on to take control of the Iron Horde. The same horde is later defeated in Hellfire Citadel. Gul’dan then summons Archimonde-one of the Burning Legion’s top lieutenants, and when he is defeated, he throws Gul’dan through the portal so he can set up the Legion’s next invasion.
3 Legion (2016)
The next demon invasion occurred in the Legion expansion when Gul’Dan stole Illidan’s body and opened a portal at the Tomb of Sargeras. The demons used this portal to pour into Azeroth which forced the Wardens to release the fel-enhanced demon hunters. When the Horde and Alliance go to meet the Legion’s forces, they take heavy losses, including Warchief Vul’jin and King Varian.
Players end up defeating Gul’Dan again and bringing Illidan back to life. The story comes to a climactic end when they travel to Argus by using a massive ship called the Vindicaar. The Horde and Alliance continue to battle the Legion on Argus, where they defeat Kil’Jaeden and two titans. The expansion ends with Sargeras being pulled away by the other Titans, but before this happens, he stabs Azeroth with his massive sword.
2 Battle For Azeroth (2018)
Many fans were not pleased with Battle for Azeroth, which saw the Alliance and Horde in conflict after Warchief Sylvannas burned Teldrassil, the home of the Night Elves. The expansion brought players to the troll kingdom of Zandalar and the human kingdom of Kul’Tiras, but it also introduced Warfronts which were massive PVE events.
Players end up dealing with a blood troll uprising, which leads to the release of the Old God, G’huun. Trouble also stirs in the depths, leading both factions to Nazjatar, where they finally battled and defeated Queen Azshara. This act led to the release of the powerful Old God, N’Zoth. Sylvannas also reveals that she has betrayed the Horde, and after killing Saurfang, she travels to Icecrown Citadel, where she battles the current Lich King and destroys the Helm of Domination, the crown of the Lich King. Doing so shatters the veil between Azeroth and the Shadowlands.
1 Shadowlands (2020)
So far, Shadowlands, has been very well received, as it brings players to the realms of Bastion, Ardenweald, Revendreth, and Maldraxxus. As the story progresses, longtime fans get to see the spirits of characters who died a long time ago. Players learn that Sylvannas has joined forces with the Jailer, who is basically a God of Death, that is trying to conquer the entire Shadowlands.
Players have rescued every hero so far except for King Anduin. They have defeated Sire Denathrius, another God who betrayed the Arbiter and sided with the Jailer. The expansion also added an endlessly playable, ever-changing dungeon called Torghast, Tower of the Damned. Additionally, the discovery of beings much greater than the Titans, who are called The First Ones, brings the universe of World of WarCraft into an even wider perspective. It’s currently unclear just how far into the cosmos Blizzard plans to go.
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