World of Warcraft is a game that has been around for many years, and its lore has grown a great deal from its Vanilla days all the way to the present. “Vanilla” World of Warcraft, or as it is known in its currently playable form, WoW: Classic, is a version of the game wherein players can experience how it was when it was first released in 2004 and the subsequent two years of content that followed before its first major expansion, The Burning Crusade. Although the game’s first few years did not have a prevailing central theme or climax, there were many exceptional lore moments that players could participate in.
World of Warcraft‘s original release continued the universe’s story from where it left off after the RTS game, Warcraft 3. The Burning Legion used the Scourge to wreak havoc across the world, paving room for them to invade Azeroth in what’s known as the Third War. The orcs and the trolls ventured to Kalimdor to find a new home away from persecution, where they quickly befriended the tauren. The Alliance followed, guided by Jaina Proudmoore who had been instructed to sail west by Medivh. The last Guardian orchestrated that the Horde and Alliance were both in Kalimdor to help the night elves defend their World Tree, Nordrassil (similar to the tree Teldrassil that was burnt down by Sylvanas Windrunner in Battle for Azeroth), from the Legion. Although there was much infighting along the way, the denizens of Azeroth succeeded in protecting their home.
Following the events of the Third War, the Burning Legion had been soundly defeated and the Scourge had moved to Northrend, leaving only remnants of demons and evil undead to clean up. The night elves joined the Alliance officially, granting them a powerful foothold in Kalimdor. In the Eastern Kingdoms, the Forsaken declared independence from the Scourge and joined the Horde, using that covenant to further their own ends by their own admission. The peace between the Horde and Alliance dissolved, while each of the races had to deal with problems involving territory and dissent.
WoW Classic: Troubles Facing The Alliance
The Horde was not the only threat facing the Alliance during the events of World of Warcraft: Classic. Deathwing’s daughter, the Broodmother Onyxia, would sow as much discord and unrest among the mortal races as she could. Dragons in World of Warcraft have the ability to assume a much smaller, bipedal form of their choosing when they wish, and Onyxia took the guise of Lady Katrana Prestor, a persona she used to destabilize political power in Stormwind, the Alliance capital.
Onyxia stoked the unrest of the Stonemasons who had rebuilt Stormwind after the First War and had not yet been paid for their work. The ensuing riots cost the life of Queen Tiffin Wrynn, and the Stonemasons were exiled. They swore revenge, forming the Defias Brotherhood which was led by Edwin VanCleef. Onyxia orchestrated the kidnapping of King Varian Wrynn and manipulated the stand-in regent, Bolvar Fordragon, effectively taking full control of the Alliance. The player eventually exposed Onyxia and killed Edwin VanCleef, restoring security to Stormwind until Varian’s return.
The gnomes of World of Warcraft suffered an invasion at the hands of the troggs, brutish creatures that live underground, fighting a long war to reclaim their city, Gnomeregan. Unfortunately, the gnomish leader, Gelbin Mekkatorque, utilized a solution that would in turn wipe out a great number of gnomes and render the city uninhabitable. The plan was to release all the pent-up radiation from the gnomes’ technology to kill the troggs, but it only ended up contaminating countless gnomes and empowering their enemies. The city has since been abandoned and the gnomes have found refuge in the nearby dwarven city of Ironforge.
WoW Classic: Troubles Facing The Horde
The Horde’s main focus during the early days of World of Warcraft was merely to establish a lasting civilization in a land they were not all familiar with. Orgrimmar, the capital city, had to be built from scratch and the surrounding territories claimed from the other native races of the continent. The Horde had to eke out a living from the harsh environment and defend themselves from invaders such as the marauding tribes of centaurs that were a cause of constant concern. Some demons remained from Warcraft 3‘s Third War and they also had to be dealt with, while Thrall, the Warchief of the Horde, had to keep a close eye on the city’s resident warlocks to ensure they were not adding to the problem.
In the Eastern Kingdoms, however, the Horde faced an ever-present threat. The Forsaken found themselves not only having to worry about the Alliance but also about being under attack by the Scarlet Crusade, a group of religious zealots who despise the undead in every form. The player helps the Forsaken to strike many decisive blows against the Crusade and any other threats on the continent, since the Forsaken are largely isolated from the rest of the Horde and need ample supervision as well as assistance.
WoW Classic’s Molten Core & Blackwing Lair Hold Plenty Of Lore
Some two centuries before the events of World of Warcraft: Classic, the Dark Iron dwarf, Emperor Thaurissan, summoned the elemental lord of fire, Ragnaros himself. Ragnaros had been created eons ago by the potent elemental energies on Azeroth, as the chief manifestation of fire. He had long been banished to a separate plane of his own, the Firelands, but Emperor Thaurissan decided to summon him back as a source of infinite power. However, Ragnaros proved too strong to control and ended up enslaving the Dark Iron dwarves instead, becoming the central enemy of World of Warcraft: Classic’s Molten Core raid. Fast forward a couple of centuries, and this is the situation players have to deal with, delving deep into the Molten Core to defeat Ragnaros once and for all and send him back to the Firelands.
After the defeat of Ragnoros, Onyxia’s brother, the black dragon Nefarian, had also been stirring up trouble among the mortal races. He experimented on other kinds of dragons in an attempt to create the perfect weapon, resulting in many monstrosities prowling his fortress, Blackwing Lair. Players fought their way through these mutant dragon-spawns and finally confronted the Lord of Blackrock himself. Nefarian had never imagined that mortals could prove any threat to his kind, but he was proven wrong and was eventually slain in WoW: Classic’s Blackwing Lair raid.
WoW Classic’s Gates Of Ahn’Qiraj Saw Horde & Alliance Cooperate Again
A near mythological event in World of Warcraft‘s past, remembered fondly by many players, is the Second War of The Shifting Sands, also known as the Battle of Ahn’Qiraj. Faced with the emergence of the Old God, C’Thun, the Horde and Alliance set aside their differences and assaulted the ancient city of Ahn’Qiraj to put a stop to the invasion. The counter-offensive was led by Overlord Varok Saurfang, a venerated orc warrior who received an entire story arc in the Battle for Azeroth expansion many years later.
The First War of The Shifting Sands had occurred many centuries before this time, and the insectoid Qiraji generals had not forgotten their defeat. Players joined forces with the Cenarian Circle as well, an ancient group of druids who had long been monitoring the wastes of Silithus for this exact activity. With World of Warcraft’s Horde and Alliance cooperating combined with some assistance from the elusive Bronze Dragonflight, C’Thun was struck down and destroyed, and the eldritch city of Ahn’Qiraj was left to be slowly swallowed by the desert sands.
WoW Classic’s Kel’thuzad & Naxxramas Are A Major Story Point
Naxxramas was a shadowy necropolis that levitated over the ruined city of Stratholme for years as a monument to the destruction caused by Arthas and his Scourge army. The Lich King himself was enthroned within Icecrown, a whole continent away, but his lieutenant, the lich Kel’thuzad, had been entrusted with maintaining a military presence over what remained of Lordaeron. Eventually, Kel’thuzad orchestrated attacks against the Horde and Alliance, forcing them to join forces with the Argent Dawn in order to put an end to Naxxramas and all the horrors within.
A bastion of darkness and unspeakable evil, Naxxramas was a living nightmare and a testament to the power of World of Warcraft‘s Lich King. Filled with enslaved death knights, mismatched abominations, and diseased undead constructs, players were faced with WoW‘s most daunting challenge since its release. Few ever got to witness the triumph of ending Kel’thuzad’s wicked reign, but at long last, Lordaeron was free of the Scourge and those left alive could finally begin to rebuild anew.
WoW: Classic is filled to the brim with memorable lore moments, not all of which could be covered here. Only the most influential events have been delved into, particularly with regards to the lore of later expansions. The game’s first expansion did not have a singular storyline like so many others since, which also means many players might not know the real impact of their exploits. That being said, the exact details concerning every moment and motivation within World of Warcraft: Classic’s lore can be found littered about in dialogue, tomes, and questlines- the player need only get out there and find them.
