History Videogame / WorldofWarcraft

** Allied races: (introduced in ''Battle for Azeroth'')

** Allied races: (introduced in ''Battle for Azeroth'')

** Released in August 2019 was ''World of Warcraft: Classic'', a version of the game running with the entire structure of the game as it was up until ''The Burning Crusade'' (save for a couple of minor patches, shorter release schedules for the raids and some under-the-hood improvements).
* The first expansion, ''The Burning Crusade,'' was released in January 2007, raised the level cap to 70, and allowed travel to Outland. Flying mounts and druid flying form were first introduced in this expansion, though allowed only within the new areas in Outland, dominated by Illidan Stormrage. It also allowed the creation of Blood Elf characters in the Horde and Draenei in the Alliance. This gave the Horde access to Paladins and the Alliance access to Shamans, a restriction which had previously caused game-balance issues. The final released dungeon of ''The Burning Crusade'' was Sunwell Plateau, which features a final confrontation with Kil'jaeden.

* The eight expansion, ''Shadowlands'', is scheduled to release in late 2020. A gateway is opened in Northrend into the Shadowlands, the afterlife of the ''Warcraft'' universe. Champions from the Alliance and Horde will travel there to prevent the dark forces dwelling there from entering Azeroth and [[OmnicidalManiac ending all life]]. One of the new features is for players of any race or faction joining one of four Covenants, the natives of the Shadowlands. The level cap is squished back to 60.

* The eight expansion, ''Shadowlands'', is scheduled to release in October 2020. A gateway is opened in Northrend into the Shadowlands, the afterlife of the ''Warcraft'' universe. Champions from the Alliance and Horde will travel there to prevent the dark forces dwelling there from entering Azeroth and [[OmnicidalManiac ending all life]]. One of the new features is for players of any race or faction joining one of four Covenants, the natives of the Shadowlands. The level cap is squished back to 60.

*** Taurens

*** Highmountain Taurens (added in Patch 8.0)

The game's playable races. There are [[MassiveRaceSelection twenty-three of them]] as of ''Shadowlands''. For more details on them, see the [[Characters/{{Warcraft}} character pages]].

One of the few MMORPG LongRunners, [=WoW=] has been around for more than a decade and has consistently been the industry leader of the genre since its launch in 2004. It has gone through several iterations and has seen the release of no less than seven expansion packs, with no signs of stopping; the dev team claims to have the course of the game planned out several expansions ahead.

The game's playable races. For more details on them, see the [[Characters/{{Warcraft}} character pages]].

* The eight expansion, ''Shadowlands'', is scheduled to release in 2020. A gateway is opened in Northrend into the Shadowlands, the afterlife of the ''Warcraft'' universe. Champions from the Alliance and Horde will travel there to prevent the dark forces dwelling there from entering Azeroth and [[OmnicidalManiac ending all life]]. One of the new features is for players of any race or faction joining one of four Covenants, the natives of the Shadowlands. The level cap is squished back to 60.

''World of Warcraft'' is based in the world of Azeroth, on four main continents: Kalimdor, the Eastern Kingdoms, Northrend, and Pandaria; a group of islands known as The Broken Isles; as well as the former planet of Draenor, now known as Outland, whence the [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orcs]] originate, [[TimeyWimeyBall the past of an alternate timeline version of Draenor proper]], and several pocket dimensions somehow connected to Azeroth. There are two factions: the Alliance and the Horde (though neither is automatically good or evil -- and in trope terms, ''both'' are TheAlliance), twenty-four playable races, twelve classes, eleven primary professions, and three secondary professions.

''World of Warcraft'' is based in the world of Azeroth, on four main continents: Kalimdor, the Eastern Kingdoms, Northrend, and Pandaria; a group of islands known as The Broken Isles; as well as the former planet of Draenor, now known as Outland, whence the [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orcs]] originate, [[TimeyWimeyBall the past of an alternate timeline version of Draenor proper]], and several pocket dimensions somehow connected to Azeroth. There are two factions: the Alliance and the Horde (though neither is automatically good or evil -- and in trope terms, ''both'' are TheAlliance), twenty-four races, twelve classes, eleven primary professions, and three secondary professions.

''World of Warcraft'' is based in the world of Azeroth, on four main continents: Kalimdor, the Eastern Kingdoms, Northrend, and Pandaria; a group of islands known as The Broken Isles; as well as the former planet of Draenor, now known as Outland, whence the [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orcs]] originate, [[TimeyWimeyBall the past of an alternate timeline version of Draenor proper]], and several pocket dimensions somehow connected to Azeroth. There are two factions: the Alliance and the Horde (though neither is automatically good or evil -- and in trope terms, ''both'' are TheAlliance), seventeen races, twelve classes, eleven primary professions, and three secondary professions.

[[folder:Races:]]

*** Pandaren (introduced in ''Mists of Pandaria''

*** Pandaren (introduced in ''Mists of Pandaria''

The game's playable races. For more details on them, see the [[Characters/{{Warcraft}} character page]].

*** Void Elves
*** Lightforged Draenei
*** Dark Iron Dwarves
*** Mechagnomes

*** Nightborne Elves
*** Highmountain Taurens
*** Mag'har Orcs
*** Zandalari Trolls
*** Vulpera

*** Worgen (introduced in ''Cataclysm'', patch 4.0)

*** Worgen (introduced in ''Cataclysm'')

*** Void Eves

[[/note]]

[[folder:Versions and Expansion Packs]]

One of the few MMORPG LongRunners, [=WoW=] has been around for more than a decade and has consistently been the industry leader of the genre since its launch in 2004. It has gone through several iterations and has seen the release of no less than seven expansion packs, with no signs of stopping; the dev team claims to have the course of the game planned out several expansions ahead.

* The original, or ''"Vanilla"'' game, featured a level cap of 60 and was played in the two continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. New content was added regularly up until the first expansion; the final released dungeon was Naxxramas, the lair of the lich Kel'thuzad.
** Released in August 2019 was ''World of Warcraft: Classic'', a version of the game running with the entire structure of the game as it was up until ''The Burning Crusade'' (save for a couple of minor patches, shorter release schedules for the raids and some under-the-hood improvements).
* The first expansion, ''The Burning Crusade,'' was released in January 2007, raised the level cap to 70, and allowed travel to Outland. Flying mounts and druid flying form were first introduced in this expansion, though allowed only within the new areas in Outland, dominated by Illidan Stormrage. It also allowed the creation of Blood Elf characters in the Horde and Draenei in the Alliance. This gave the Horde access to Paladins and the Alliance access to Shamans, a restriction which had previously caused game-balance issues. The final released dungeon of ''The Burning Crusade'' was Sunwell Plateau, which features a final confrontation with Kil'jaeden.
* The second expansion, ''Wrath of the Lich King'', was released in November 2008, raised the level cap to 80, and allowed travel to a new area: Northrend. It added the Death Knight "hero" class, available only to players who already had a level 55 or higher character. Death Knights start at level 55 in an exclusive zone with a full set of equipment, but no profession skills except First Aid. The final dungeon of ''Wrath of the Lich King'' was canonically Icecrown Citadel; although additional content was added to tide players over until ''Cataclysm'', it was officially part of the latter. The last added dungeon was The Ruby Sanctum.
* The third expansion, ''Cataclysm'', was released in December 2010. It returned players to a redesigned Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms (devastated after the titular Cataclysm and also designed to allow flying everywhere), raised the level cap to 85, and revisited a great deal of old and unfinished content while continuing the story lines of Azshara, Deathwing, the Elementals, and the Old Gods. A smattering of previously unseen locations, such as Vashj'ir, Uldum, Mount Hyjal, the Twilight Highlands, Tol Barad and the four elemental planes also opened up for exploration. The expansion saw upsets in the leadership of several player races and a resurgence in the Alliance/Horde conflict storyline throughout Azeroth. It added two new races: the bestial Worgen of Gilneas for the Alliance, and the cunning Goblins of Kezan for the Horde. New combinations of the old races and classes were also made available. The final dungeon was Dragon Soul, featuring the long-awaited battle against Deathwing the Destroyer.
* The fourth expansion, ''Mists of Pandaria'', was released in September 2012. It raised the level cap to 90 and opened up the continent of Pandaria for exploration. It featured the Pandaren as a playable race for both the Alliance and Horde, a new class in the form of the Monk, and more focus on [=PvP=] content. Additional features included [[{{Mons}} pet battles]], [=PvE=] scenarios, and Challenge Mode dungeons. The final dungeon was Orgrimmar itself, with Garrosh Hellscream channeling the powers of an Old God in an attempt to take over the world for his New Horde.
* The fifth expansion, released in November 2014, is ''Warlords of Draenor''. Raised the level cap to 100 and sent players to an AlternateTimeline version of Draenor in which Garrosh Hellscream travels through time to stop the Old Horde from drinking the blood of Mannoroth. His Iron Horde, equipped with modern technology, now threatens to storm through the Dark Portal to conquer present-day Azeroth. While exploring Draenor, players build and customize their own Garrisons and interact with legendary characters such as Grommash Hellscream and Ner'zhul. The expansion also features redesigned models for all the classic character races. The final dungeon was Hellfire Citadel, where players must defeat Archimonde.
* The sixth expansion, ''Legion'', was released in August 2016, raising the level cap to 110, and sending players to the Broken Isles in the Great Sea to do battle with the Burning Legion, which is attempting its third invasion of Azeroth. The invasion notably leads to the deaths of a number of major characters, leading to both the Alliance and Horde falling under new leadership. Features of this expansion include the new Demon Hunter hero class, a revamped honor system, class-based orders headed by players, and a specialization-based artifact-quality weapon, which has its own plotline and scales along with the player over the course of the expansion. The final patch saw the Draenei homeworld of Argus also open up for exploration, and the final dungeon was Antorus the Burning Throne, with the titan Argus as final boss.
* The seventh expansion, ''Battle for Azeroth'', released in August 2018. It centers on a full-blown Alliance/Horde conflict, which started with the Horde invading and destroying the Night Elf capital of Darnassus and with the Alliance initially trying (and failing) to retake the kingdom of Lordaeron. Both factions also wage war over a new powerful resource stemming from the wound Sargeras caused to the world at the end of ''Legion'' - the Azerite. It raises the level cap to 120, introduces the islands of Kul Tiras and Zandalar, and adds a number of allied races[[note]] The Nightborne, Highmountain Tauren, Mag'har Orcs (from alternate Draenor), Zandalari Trolls and Vulpera join the Horde, while the Lightforged Draenei, Void Elves, Dark Iron Dwarves, Kul Tiran Humans and Mechagnomes join the Alliance [[/note]] for each faction, which can only be unlocked through quests. The final dungeon is Ny'alotha the Waking City, the realm of the last of the Old Gods, N'zoth the Corruptor, who serves as final boss of the expansion.
* The eight expansion, ''Shadowlands'', is scheduled to release in 2020. A gateway is opened in Northrend into the Shadowlands, the afterlife of the ''Warcraft'' universe. Champions from the Alliance and Horde will travel there to prevent the dark forces dwelling there from entering Azeroth and [[OmnicidalManiac ending all life]]. One of the new features is for players of any race or faction joining one of four Covenants, the natives of the Shadowlands. The level cap is squished back to 60.

[[/folder]]

Well-known for its depth of interaction, ''World of Warcraft'' has also spawned a collectible card game, a pen-and-paper RPG, comic books, and many other merchandising peripherals. The game was one of the largest MMO in the world by a huge margin, with a peak subscriber base of 11 million players and at one point holding nearly 60% of the total market share. [[note]]For reference, the largest US MMORPG before this was ''VideoGame/EverQuest'' at half a million during its height; the largest worldwide was ''Lineage'' at 2-4 million -- although Asian MMORPG numbers such as ''Lineage'' can be considered inflated, as they have a different pricing structure in Asian markets that revolve around cybercafes. Note that ''World of Warcraft'' is played in the same cybercafes on the same terms.[[/note]]

See also the ''Franchise/WarcraftExpandedUniverse'', which contains write-ups for works set in the ''Warcraft'' universe. This game has also spawned enough memes to warrant [[Memes/WorldOfWarcraft its own page.]]

The game is casual-friendly to a point, being designed so that those who prefer to play solo can still achieve maximum level. It should be noted that, like most [=MMORPGs=], about half of ''[=WoW=]'''s content can only be accessed after you reached maximum level, and cooperative play is required to earn the best gear and other rewards. Guilds are a major part of the game's community, with the majority of players belonging to one. Benefits of guild membership are both social and material -- most endgame raid content is done by guilds and they can share a pool of resources much greater than that available to the solo player. Guild perks (like more opportunities to teleport around) have also been added that make it worthwhile to belong to a guild even if you never talk to another member.

* The seventh expansion, ''Battle for Azeroth'', released in August 2018. It centers on a full-blown Alliance/Horde conflict, with both factions taking full control of the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor respectively (most notably, the Alliance initially at retaking the kingdom of Lordaeron, while the Horde invades and destroys the Night Elf capital of Darnassus). It raises the level cap to 120, introduces the islands of Kul Tiras and Zandalar, and adds a number of allied races[[note]] The Nightborne, Highmountain Tauren, Mag'har Orcs (from alternate Draenor), Zandalari Trolls and Vulpera join the Horde, while the Lightforged Draenei, Void Elves, Dark Iron Dwarves, Kul Tiran Humans and Mechagnomes join the Alliance [[/note]] for each faction, which can only be unlocked through quests. The final dungeon is Ny'alotha the Waking City, the realm of the last of the Old Gods, N'zoth the Corruptor, who serves as final boss of the expansion.
* The eight expansion, ''Shadowlands'', is scheduled to release in 2020. A gateway is opened in Northrend into the Shadowlands, the afterlife in ''World of Warcraft''. Champions from the Alliance and Horde will travel there to prevent the dark forces dwelling there from entering Azeroth and [[OmnicidalManiac ending all life]]. One of the new features is for players of any race or faction joining one of four Covenants, the natives of the Shadowlands. The level cap is squished back to 60.

* Monk (added in ''Mists of Pandaria'') -- A melee DPS/tank/healer hybrid focused on the Pandaren culture. They can tank as a [[DrunkenMaster Brewmaster]], deal damage as a [[SupernaturalMartialArts Windwalker]], and mix up damaging attacks with herbal medicine to heal as a [[CombatMedic Mistweaver]]. They use [[KiAttacks Chi]], Mana or Energy as a resource. While they wield weapons, monks fight mostly with their [[BareFistedMonk fists and feet]], empowering their strikes with Chi magic and seldom using their weapons. With the proper glyph, they don't have to use a weapon in combat at all (though [[StatSticks the weapon still factors]] into their abilities).

* The original, or "classic/vanilla" game, featured a level cap of 60 and was played in the two continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. New content was added regularly up until the first expansion; the final released dungeon was Naxxramas, the lair of none other than Kel'thuzad.
** Released in August 2019 was ''World of Warcraft: Classic'', a version of the game running with the entire structure of the game as it was originally launched (save for a couple of minor patches and some under-the-hood improvements).
* The first expansion, ''The Burning Crusade,'' was released in January 2007, raised the level cap to 70, and allowed travel to Outland. Flying mounts and druid flying form were first introduced in this expansion, though allowed only within the new areas in Outland. It also allowed the creation of Blood Elf characters in the Horde and Draenei in the Alliance. This gave the Horde access to Paladins and the Alliance access to Shamans, a restriction which had previously caused game-balance issues. The final released dungeon of ''The Burning Crusade'' was Sunwell Plateau, which features a final confrontation with Kil'jaeden.

* The sixth expansion, ''Legion'', was released in August 2016, raising the level cap to 110, and sending players to the Broken Isles in the Great Sea to do battle with the Burning Legion, which is attempting its third invasion of Azeroth. The invasion notably leads to the deaths of a number of major characters, leading to both the Alliance and Horde falling under new leadership. Features of this expansion include the new Demon Hunter hero class, a revamped honor system, class-based orders headed by players, and a specialization-based artifact-quality weapon, which has its own plotline and scales along with the player over the course of the expansion. The final patch saw the Draenei homeworld of Argus also open up for exploration.
* The seventh expansion, ''Battle for Azeroth'', released in August 2018. It centers on a full-blown Alliance/Horde conflict, with both factions taking full control of the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor respectively (most notably, the Alliance aims at retaking the kingdom of Lordaeron, which was destroyed in ''Warcraft III'' and inhabited by the Forsaken since, while the Horde invades and destroys the Night Elf capital of Darnassus). It raises the level cap to 120, introduces the islands of Kul Tiras and Zandalar, and adds a number of allied races[[note]] The Nightborne, Highmountain Tauren, Mag'har Orcs (from alternate Draenor), Zandalari Trolls and Vulpera join the Horde, while the Lightforged Draenei, Void Elves, Dark Iron Dwarves, Kul Tiran Humans and Mechagnomes join the Alliance [[/note]] for each faction, which can only be unlocked through quests.
* The eight expansion, ''Shadowlands'', is scheduled to release in 2020. A gateway is opened in Northrend into the Shadowlands, the afterlife in ''World of Warcraft''. Champions from the Alliance and Horde will travel there to prevent the dark forces dwelling there from entering Azeroth and [[OmnicidalManiac ending all life]]. One of the new features is for players of any race or faction joining one of four Covenants, the natives of the Shadowlands.

0''World of Warcraft'' (2004) is easily the most popular subscription-based MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame ever made. It's based on Creator/BlizzardEntertainment's popular ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' RealTimeStrategy game series and was originally set four years after the conclusion of ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'', with later expansions advancing the game's plot and timeline.

''World of Warcraft'' (2004) is easily the most popular subscription-based MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame ever made. It's based on Creator/BlizzardEntertainment's popular ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' RealTimeStrategy game series and was originally set four years after the conclusion of ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'', with later expansions advancing the game's plot and timeline.

->''"Beyond the gates of mighty kingdoms, lies a vast, unexplored world. A world of honor. A world of mystery. A world of danger. [[TitleDrop The world of Warcraft]]."''

* The third expansion, ''Cataclysm'', was released in December 2010. It returned players to a redesigned Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms (devastated after the titular Cataclysm and also designed to allow flying everywhere), raised the level cap to 85, and revisited a great deal of old and unfinished content while continuing the story lines of Azshara, Deathwing, the Elementals, and the Old Gods. A smattering of previously unseen locations, such as Vashj'ir, Uldum, Mount Hyjal, the Twilight Highlands, Tol Barad and the four elemental planes also opened up for exploration. The expansion saw upsets in the leadership of several player races and a resurgence in the Alliance/Horde conflict storyline throughout Azeroth. It added two new races: the bestial Worgen of Gilneas for the Alliance, and the cunning Goblins of Kezan for the Horde. The final dungeon was Dragon Soul, featuring the long-awaited battle against Deathwing the Destroyer.

''World of Warcraft'' (2004) is easily the most popular subscription-based MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame ever made. It's based on Creator/BlizzardEntertainment's popular ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' RealTimeStrategy game series and was originally set four years after the conclusion of ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'', with later expansions advancing the timeline.

''World of Warcraft'' (2004) is easily the most popular subscription-based MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame ever made. It's based on Creator/BlizzardEntertainment's popular ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' RealTimeStrategy game series and was originally set four years after the conclusion of ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'', with later expansions advancing the timeline.1

''World of Warcraft'' (2004) is easily the most popular subscription-based MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame ever made. It's based on Creator/BlizzardEntertainment's popular ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' RealTimeStrategy game series and was originally set four years after the conclusion of ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'', with later expansions advancing the timeline.

Well-known for its depth of interaction, ''World of Warcraft'' has also spawned a collectible card game, a pen-and-paper RPG, comic books, and many other merchandising peripherals. The game was one of the largest MMO in the world by a huge margin, with a peak subscriber base of 11.5 million players and at one point holding nearly 60% of the total market share. [[note]]For reference, the largest US MMORPG before this was ''VideoGame/EverQuest'' at half a million during its height; the largest worldwide was ''Lineage'' at 2-3 million -- although Asian MMORPG numbers such as ''Lineage'' can be considered inflated, as they have a different pricing structure in Asian markets that revolve around cybercafes. Note that ''World of Warcraft'' is played in the same cybercafes on the same terms.[[/note]]