We asked ourselves whether the background story of the WoW expansion Warlords of Draenor is really understandable for everyone. After the presentation of the new cinematic trailer at Gamescom 2014, there were of course still many unanswered questions. That’s why Tanja from MMORE explains in a two-part special what Blizzard has kept from you about the story of Warlords of Draenor.
What amazed WoW players at Gamescom when the trailer for the upcoming expansion Warlords of Draenor was shown.
Was the cheers from the assembled crowd after the announcement of the release of Warlords of Draenor.
During our community interview at Gamescom, there was consistently positive feedback for the WoD cinematic. Of course, the WoD trailer for the next WoW expansion is dramatic and exciting, but is Blizzard’s story masterpiece comprehensible to gamers? That’s just by the way: Here’s part 2 of the special!
WoW – What Bli
WoW – What Blizzard hides from us: lost in the chaos of time
Very clear answer: No. The WoD cinematic raises more questions than it answers. How did Garrosh escape? How did he manage to travel back in time? And what is an alternate timeline?
Is it something you can eat? Questions upon questions. No wonder, after all, Blizzard likes to hide the most important background information about World of Warcraft in books or, more recently, in short stories.
The developers have already pursued this questionable strategy with the last add-ons. So what is special about the story of Warlords of Draenor?
And how do you best put the small puzzle pieces together into a coherent story?
We summarize the storyline between Mists of Pandaria and Warlords of Draenor for you.
The lost battle of Orgrimmar and the escape to Draenor
The story of Warlords of Draenor picks up directly from the end of Mists of Pandaria. After losing the Battle of Orgrimmar, both factions made a surprising decision. Garrosh Hellscream, the fallen warchief, will not be killed, but will be court-martialed in chains.
The pandaren monk Taran Zhu as judge, the August Celestials as jury, the night elf leader Tyrande Whisperwind and the tauren chieftain Baine Bluthuf as defense counsel determine the gravity of Garrosh’s deeds and negotiate his punishment in the Temple of the White Tiger.
But even after being directly confronted with the consequences of his atrocities, Garrosh has no regrets. On the contrary. Applauding, the former war chief let the court witnesses know that he would commit his crimes again.
While the faction leaders listened stunned to Garrosh’s speech, chaos broke out in the courtroom. The orcin Zaela, Garrosh’s last loyal ally, led a small rescue party to the temple.
With the help of the bronze dragon Kairoz and the black prince Wrathion, the rebels freed Hellscream from his prison. Finally, Kairozdormu made the escaped Garrosh an offer he could not refuse.
The bronze dragon, with the help of a powerful artifact known as the Vision of Time, opened a dimensional portal to a world Garrosh was familiar with – Draenor.
Garrosh’s goal: back to Azeroth! But how?
Garrosh landed on Draenor, but what he didn’t know was that it was the Draenor of 35 years ago. The vision of time was like a one-way ticket to an alternate timeline that had basically nothing to do with the history of our Azeroth.
Garrosh eventually found himself in a completely alien world where his father, Grom Hellscream, lived but was never born. So why did Cairoz betray him?
To infinity!
Cairoz’s motivations are broadly similar to Furorion’s. Both believe that Azeroth alone is powerless against the concentrated might of the Burning Legion.
The Bronze Dragon’s ingenious plan was to create an infinite army of orcs from many different timelines – free of demonic corruption – to help Azeroth fight Sargeras and his minions, with Garrosh Hellscream as his accomplice.
Vision of Time : This artifact was created by Kairoz from the Epoch Stones he had collected from the creatures on the Timeless Isle.
The Shard: The opening of the time portal to Draenor destroyed the magical hourglass, but a small shard of glass remained.
Huh, how exactly?
The Key : The small shard of glass remained in Kairozdormu’s hand when the vision of time shattered into a thousand pieces on Azeroth. Exactly this small piece of the puzzle is the final connection to Garrosh’s timeline. The shard also gives its owner the power to see into the past.
Kairozdormus’ End: However, Kairoz reckoned without Garrosh. At the first opportunity, the ex-warchief kills the bronze dragon with the sharp shard and travels alone.
e can’t see everything! Grommash sees a lot more through the Artifact Fragment. He sees the orcs destroying their own world in bloodlust and invading the alien planet Azeroth to avoid starvation. Young orcs as human slaves marked the low point of Grommash’s inspiration… and that’s when Garrosh tears Grom from his vision.
Hellscream Junior has no interest in his father seeing the orcs go back to their roots under Thrall’s leadership. After all, Garrosh has plans of his own with Grommash Hellscream and the Draenor orcs, and for that he needs the orc warlock Gul’dan.
Garrosh Hellscream and Gul’dan
Former shaman Gul’dan was already under the influence of the Burning Legion long before Garrosh set foot on Alternate Draenor. The slender orc learned the art of sorcerering from the demon lord Kil’jaeden.
Gradually, Gul’dan rose to become the most powerful sorcerer, believing that the orcs would only gain glory and strength by serving the Burning Legion unconditionally.
The prevented prophet
But Garrosh has a different vision when he first enters Gul’dan’s tent. Hellscream saw that Gul’dan’s skin was already green and he had accepted the offerings of the Burning Legion, the demon blood.
Madly, the warlock spoke of a patron awaiting the orc clans in the jungles of Tanaan, offering power in exchange for an oath of allegiance. But Garrosh didn’t care about his promises, knowing what future awaits the orcs if Gul’dan’s plans bear fruit.
But Hellscream Junior had no intention of murdering the warlock. After all, he needed Gul’dan as a tool for his own schemes. The orc warlocks should be safe and gather all the orc clans in the jungles of Tanaan. There all should then be witnesses of Grom’s true strength.
Defeat Mannoroth and found the Iron Horde
As soon as he was freed, Gul’dan sent out messengers in all directions. The warlock lured the orc chiefs with the
cult site in the jungles of Tanaan – Kil’jaeden’s Throne. Once upon a time, the demon lord Kil’jaeden appeared there and bestowed a portion of his dark knowledge on Gul’dan, who swore allegiance to him in exchange.
Now the orcs atop the extinct volcano Gul’dan shall do the same and receive the gift of the Burning Legion. The first orc to appear before Gul’dan’s cauldron was Grommash Hellscream, chief of the Warsong Clan.
He picked up the drinking horn of demon blood, but to Gul’dan’s surprise, instead of drinking it, he threw the concoction away.
The outrageous gesture called the donor of demon blood, pit lord Mannoroth, into action. He was very angry at Grom’s disgrace, but Hellscream was prepared for his wrath.
A little further away, Garrosh was already waiting with war machines for Mannoroth’s appearance. Instead of paying homage to the Legion, the orcs attacked the enraged pit lord. But Mannoroth was not a stupid demon, but a high-ranking general who commanded colossal strength.
He fended off the first attack with ease, but didn’t count on Grommash’s cunning. The Warsong clan chief leapt through the flames in the chaos and drove his ax Bloodhowl into Mannoroth’s demon skull. In agony, the pit lord’s body exploded right in front of Grom.
With a courageous jump, Garrosh saves him from certain death. Garrosh’s plan finally worked: Mannoroth the Corruptor was dead, his father lived, and all the orc clans witnessed Grom’s exploits. A new Warchief was born – Grommash Hellscream, leader of the Iron Horde.
WoD: History in chronological order
Garrosh loses the Battle of Orgrimmar.
Alliance and Horde court-martial Garrosh (War Crimes, the book).
Garrosh is able to escape before the verdict is passed (War Crimes the book).
Garrosh escapes through a time portal to alternate Draenor (Hellscream, short story).
Garrosh finds his orc clan there and his father – Grommash Hellscream (Hellscream, short story).
He warns his father Grommash about Gul’dan’s master plan (Hellscream, short story).
Garrosh finds the warlock Gul’dan (Gul’dan and the Stranger comic).
Garrosh prevents Grommash from drinking the blood of Mannoroth (WoD, cinematic trailer).
Grommash kills Mannoroth, but doesn’t die himself (WoD, cinematic trailer).
Founding of the Iron Horde (WoD, Cinematic Trailer)
Building the Second Dark Portal on Draenor (WoD, Cinematic Trailer)
Opening of the Dark Portal from Alternate Draenor to Azeroth (Patch 6.0)
Iron Horde Invasion of Azeroth (Patch 6.0)
Siege of Blasted Lands (Patch 6.0)
Blackrock Clan Orcs Repopulate Blackrock Spire (Instance Rework) (Patch 6.0)
We go through the new Dark Portal to Draenor to stop the Iron Horde (start of WoD).
What is WoW Classic?
World of Warcraft Classic is a true recreation of the original WoW as you know it from 2006. All parts of the game – from combat mechanics and talent trees to character models and zones – have been recreated, contributing to the authentic experience.
Getting Started
All players with an active World of Warcraft subscription or game time on their accounts have access toWoW Classic at no additional cost.
- Open the Blizzard Battle.net Desktop App and select World of Warcraft from the menu.
- Select World of Warcraft Classic from the Version menu. If you have more than one World of Warcraft account, you’ll see a second Account drop-down list. In this column, select the active account you want to play with.
- Click the Install button. The progress bar will tell you when your game is ready to play.
- Click the Play button when the installation is complete.
You will need to select the realm you want to play on from several different realm types. Make sure you choose the same realm as your friends – in World of Warcraft Classic, you can only group with characters that are on the same realm as you!
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