History TearJerker / WorldOfWarcraft

* The dragon Veritistrasz sits somberly atop the Ruby Lifeshrine, staring out at the landscape. If you sit beside him, he'll talk about how he lived on the Dragon Isles before the Sundering. He feels nothing but a sense of loss on returning, because the homeland he remembers has changed almost beyond recognition. And what he does remember is so faded by ten thousand years that he can barely identify it. He then talks about the tragedy of the black dragons turning on their kin, recounting how he had been in love with a black dragon. When the corruption took her, she slaughtered his family, and he was forced to kill her. Even now, ten thousand years later, Veritistrasz wonders if maybe she could have been saved, if only he had been willing to admit his feelings. Perhaps the greatest tragedy is, despite remember so much about her and how he killed her, [[TheFogOfAges he can't remember her name.]]
** You're sent to retrieve a time capsule the dragon left behind. A dragons you pass talk about how they wish Veritistrasz was willing to help with the whelps as he has so much wisdom to pass on. Their companion says that the older dragon is still in mourning and the only thing they can do is be there for him if he asks for help.

* The dragon Veritistrasz sits somberly atop the Ruby Lifeshrine, staring out at the landscape. If you sit beside him, he'll talk about how he lived on the Dragon Isles before the Sundering. He feels nothing but a sense of loss on returning, because the homeland he remembers has changed almost beyond recognition. And what he does remember is so faded by ten thousand years that he can barely identify it. He then talks about the tragedy of the black dragons turning on their kin, recounting how he had been in love with a black dragon. When the corruption took her, she slaughtered his family, and he was forced to kill her. Even now, ten thousand years later, Veritistrasz wonders if maybe she could have been saved, if only he had been willing to admit his feelings. Perhaps the greatest tragedy is, despite remember so much about her and how he killed her [[TheFogOfAges he can't remember her name.]]

* The dragon Veritistrasz sits somberly atop the Ruby Lifeshrine, staring out at the landscape. If you sit beside him, he'll talk about how he lived on the Dragon Isles before the Sundering. He feels nothing but a sense of loss on returning, because the homeland he remembers has changed almost beyond recognition. And what he does remember is so faded by ten thousand years that he can barely identify it. He then talks about the tragedy of the black dragons turning on their kin, recounting how he had been in love with a black dragon. When the corruption took her, she slaughtered his family, and he was forced to kill her. Even now, ten thousand years later, Veritistrasz wonders if maybe she could have been saved, if only he had been willing to admit his feelings.

** Then there's the quest "Of Love and Family" in Stratholme's Main Gate instance, which tasks you with finding the painting that has that title, which is said to be of great importance to Tirion. It turns out to be of Tirion's own family, which is quite sad when you consider how things turned out.

* D.E.H.T.A's questline in Northerend is capable of wringing tears by having you to free elephant babies from painful traps and prevent poachers from killing baby deer, but Blizzard really manages to shake those players who have been paying attention to the in-game lore with one of the final quests. The druids will send you on a quest to murder Harold Lane who oversees the hunter's camp. Many of the players don't probably remember him by the time you receive the quest, but he's one of the hunters you hunt with in Nagrand, namely the wounded man who is delirious from infection, his condition growing worse with every quest, and prior of coming to Northrend, the player is left not knowing whether he'll pull through or die due to his injuries. Think about it; he survives dreadful wounds and a painful infection, just to be murdered by the same player who was there to help him and sit through his fever-induced delirium, just because a group of fanatic, self-righteous druids said so.

* The Lady Jaina Proudmoore, not only one of the nicest and most understanding people of ''anyone'' in the game, is also one of the few who has campaigned tirelessly for peace between the Alliance and the Horde. As a result of the Fall of Theramore, she nearly follows in her father's footsteps in wanting to utterly destroy the Horde. Although she is briefly snaps out of it, she snaps back in 5.1 during the purge of Dalaran. After she finds evidence that the Sunreavers aided in the theft of the Divine Bell (they actually didn't, and were ''completely unaware of Garrosh's plans''), she declares Dalaran NeutralNoLonger and imprisons the Sunreavers, and has Vereesa put down the mass Insurrection of Sunreavers. every single one of them in Dalaran. [[DramaticIrony This is after previously giving a speech about how we must all trust one another and her city would be a shiny beacon of peace and prosperity between the two factions]]. It's clear that repeated backstabbings by the Horde have permanently changed her.

* At first many thought the Scarlet Crusade were entirely militant, but in the Death Knight starting zone, you find out the Scarlet Crusade holds actual citizens... and as a Death Knight you [[KillThemAll kill every last one.]]

** Lilian Voss (an NPC from several quests in the Forsaken starting area) has players slaughter the Scarlet Crusade before she heads off to the Scholomance to kill the last remaining members of the Scourge. Before she can however she's mind-controlled by Darkmaster Gandling and forced to fight the players. She breaks free but then begs the player to let her die alone. Not to mention that the whole mind controlling process it's disturbingly similar to that of MindRape and probably rape of the other kind too, considering that Gandling makes several [[FoeYay unfortunate comments]] while he's at it.

-->'''Saurfang:''' The Horde I joined was birthed through blood, tainted by corruption. The road that led to the dark portal was long and wide, paved by the bones of innocents. We called it the path of glory.\\
That was the great lie upon which the Horde was founded...that anything we did was honorable. Thrall, Vol'jin, they were not the true heirs to Blackhand's bloody legacy.\\

'''Anduin:''' No. No, this is the Horde. Led by you, someone who has...\\

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVp7yLfnmrE Warbringers: Sylvanas]] is equal parts heartbreaking and horrifying, showing a modern hardened and ruthless Sylvanas mirrored by her old, heroic and living self. She fought desperately and bravely to stop Arthas from massacring her people, only to be cut down by him for all her efforts -- and raised as another of his puppets. That she has no qualms about burning Teldrassil and massacring all the innocents in it (and making a dying Delaryn Summermoon ''watch'') in a mirror of Arthas' own actions toward her people, says something about how far she's fallen.

-->"I still dream of Draenor. Does my home still remain? Aggh. It does no good to think on such matters."

** Some of Sylvanas's flashbacks to the fall of Quel'Thalas and her death at the hands of Arthas when Delaryn infers they're NotSoDifferent straddle this trope and NightmareFuel; Sylvanas desperately trying to rally the defenders of Silvermoon against the unending undead legions of the Scourge, the look of horror and terror that crosses her face as Arthas's shadow looms over her before she receives the death blow from Frostmourne, and the fact her first/final sight is of the bodies of an elven mother and child she'd helped to safety moments before are what causes her to let loose [[MakeMeWannaShout her first scream as a banshee...]]

** By the time that the Recruitment Scenario begins properly, the time has been synchronized to the present day: and around 30 years have passed on alternate Draenor since we were last there, and the peace that was formed between the Draenei and the Orcs during the battle against the Fel Horde and Gul'dan in Tanaan Jungle has [[BreakingTheFellowship broken]] as the Draenei descended further into their practice of the Holy Light, to the point where [[LightIsNotGood they are now converting anyone and everyone on the planet into serving the Holy Light]], [[BrainwashedAndCrazy even against their will]]. Essentially, [[NotSoDifferent the Draenei are trying to convert the Orcs to the Light, just as the Eredar had enslaved the Orcs to the Burning Legion in the main timeline.]] The scenario ends with the Draenei and their Lightbound Army marching towards the final camp of the free Mag'har set up in Gorgrond, led by the Draeneis' leader and High Exarch: [[spoiler: [[FallenHero Yrel]]]].

* The newly revamped Scarlet Monastary and Scholomance offer several:
** Lilian Voss (an NPC from several quests in the Forsaken starting area) has players slaughter the Scarlet Crusade before she heads off to the Scholomance to kill the last remaining members of the Scourge. Before she can however she's mind-controlled by Darkmaster Gandling and forced to fight the players. She breaks free but then begs the player to let her die alone. Not to mention that the whole mind controlling process it's disturbingly similar to that of MindRape and probably rape of the other kind too, considering that Gandling makes several [[FoeYay unfortunate comments]] while he's at it.
** One of the bosses is so childish that she's surprised by how much dying hurts. Given the way she acted, it was likely she was a PsychopathicManChild who didn't even realize the atrocities she was committing.
** The talking skull that gives you the quests to kill Darkmaster Gandling and burn all the books on necromancy in the Scholomance. It talks about how much his family has suffered because of Gandling so players naturally assume it's the skull of one of the Sarkhoffs who were tortured and killed. Once you complete the dungeon the skull is revealed to be the spirit of Alexei Barov, whose (almost) entire family, including himself, were bosses in the old Scholomance.
** For the Scarlet Monastery, we have the story of [[UnholyMatrimony Sally Whitemane and Renault Mograine]] having evolved into an AlasPoorVillain scenario. Mograine had been killed by his father's ghost as revenge for his betrayal and murder of him. Whitemane continues to be the final boss of Scarlet Monastery Cathedral, this time with [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Commander Durand ]]to replace Mograine for gameplay purposes, but she now has these last words after you defeat her this time:
--->'''Whitemane''': Mograine...
** Which circles back to {{Fridge Horror}} once you realize, that Mograine had been dead for several years in-game already. [[FridgeHorror Whitemane was still in love with him years after he died.]]

** For the Scarlet Monastery, we have the story of [[UnholyMatrimony Sally Whitemane and Renault Mograine]] having evolved into an AlasPoorVillain scenario. Mograine had been killed by his father's ghost as revenge for his betrayal and murder of him. Whitemane continues to be the final boss of Scarlet Monastery Cathedral, this time with [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Commander Durand ]]to replace Mograine for gameplay purposes, but she now has these {{Famous Last Words}} after you defeat her this time:

* Tirion Fordring's questline in Western Plaguelands. It starts as you just helping some crazy old ex-paladin gather food. Then he tells you about why he's an ex-paladin. And then when you finally succeed in bringing together everything needed to turn his son away from the dark path of the Scarlet Crusade, you're treated to an epic march out of Crusade territory with an elite mob escorting you as he beats the hell out of his former Crusade-mates. Unfortunately, this whole moment of badass is cut short when the Crusade's big guns show up, and ONESHOT him before Tirion can reach him. Cue Tirion arriving, beating the hell out of every scarlet in the area and then breaking into a massive BSOD over the death of his beloved son. The fact the whole quest is named "In Dreams", referencing the Orbison song about having what you really want only coming in your dreams in reference to the fact he'll never see his son again just makes it that much more of a totally depressing scene. Try not to cry as you realize after all Tirion's work to save his baby boy, all he got was the death of his beloved son... On the upshot this does set up his character development as the new leader of a reformed Silver Hand who becomes very important in Northrend...but still.

* The end of the instance Escape from Durnholde has one when the bronze dragon tells you how history is back on its normal path, and how Thrall will now fulfill his destiny to become Warchief, then turns to Taretha's (Thrall's foster sister) fate: "As for Taretha...her fate is regrettably unavoidable." She's [[DecapitationPresentation killed by the Lord of Durnholde as revenge for helping Thrall escape]].

-->'''Antoine Brack''': You don't remember me, do you? We were humans once - long, long ago - until Lordaeron fell to the Scourge. Your transformation to a Scourge zombie came shortly after my own. Not long after that, our minds were freed by the Dark Lady. A pact was made, <brother/sister>! We vowed vengeance against the Lich King! For what he had done to us! We battled the Scourge as Forsaken, pushing them back into the plaguelands and freeing Tirisfal! You and I were champions of the Forsaken! Listen to me, <name>. You must fight against the Lich King's control. He is a monster that wants to see this world - our world - in ruin. Don't let him use you to accomplish his goals ''AGAIN''. You were once a hero and you can be again. Fight, damn you! Fight his control!

** The scene is made especially poignant by the fact that it's the spirit of his father--one of the first people he murdered after losing his soul to [[EvilWeapon Frostmourne]]--that comforts him.

* The short "Dreadmaul Rock" quest chain in the Burning Steps. A troll asks you to check on his wife Sha'ni who was out on an investigation and hasn't reported back yet. You go to the area in question, and there's no sign of her... until you click on some bones lying on a stone platform. Sha'ni's ghost appears and explains that her platoon was captured by ogres. Everyone but her was executed - she was strapped to an altar by the leader and brutalized. She died an hour into the torture, at which point the ogre ripped off her wedding nose-ring as a trophy. Sha'ni can't rest until her husband knows her fate, so you find and kill the ogre leader and bring Sha'ni's wedding ring back to her husband:

** Just listen to Taran Zhu when you meet him--while, [[{{Jerkass}} being Taran Zhu]], his first few lines are basically a bitter "I told you so", he doesn't sound vindicated or even that angry--just defeated.

** Then later, when trying to save Malfurion, who had rushed off after his mentor's corruption, Ysera becomes corrupted and Tyrande is forced to chose between saving her husband or the temple for her Goddess Elune. She chooses her goddess, while making it clear that she did not make the choice lightly. Afterward, she is forced to kill the corrupted Ysera - who ''may'' have [[DyingAsYourself regained her sanity while dying]]. The cinematic and music that plays is heartbreaking as Elune removes the corrupted spirit of the dragon, putting new stars in the sky in memorial, and you can see that Tyrande and the other night elf watchers are about to cry themselves. Tyrande especially seems to take it personally.

* [[Creator/JimCummings Runas]] the Shamed is an amusing addled Nightfallen trying to make amends for his actions, until he reveals he was very close to being a Wretched, and moments before he transforms he thanks you for making his last few hours mean something. Unlike Senegos, the mana pool he was sitting in didn't help, and his voice acting is impeccable - you can ''feel'' his despair as, despite his willpower, he realizes he's failing to stop the inevitable... and then it transitions into melancholy, but heartfelt gratitude to you.

* In Stormheim, you encounter two friendly Highmountain tauren, who request that you kill some wolves that are making life difficult for them. Upon returning, you encounter two goblins instead, who ask you help them out, and that the tauren left; but don't worry, they've got a trade agreement with those two from Highmountain, they'll be back, and you'd be doing all of them a favor, even as you're sent halfway across the map to dangerous areas, to kill even more deadly things. The tauren are dead. The goblins are looting their belongings. And the corpses are ''lying in the shed somewhere'' - one of the goblins even comments that "they're starting to smell" at one point when you return. They're trying to kill you off with their "errands", and taking advantage of the time you're away to strip everything of value the two had worked for. And this is in what could be a ''starting zone''. You can track them down and kill them at 110, granting a small amount of closure and justice for the tauren, but the fact that the title you get is "the Gullible" grinds more salt into the wound.

** Arluin starts out as a FriendInTheBlackMarket, helping the resistance in their goal to overthrow Ellisande at steep prices. By the time the Arcan'dor is nearing maturity, Thalyssra and the gang plan a SuicideMission into the tunnels beneath Suramar. Arluin comes out of the shadows and tells them all that he wants in, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness and that his usual fee is of no concern]] - when all seems lost during the mission Arluin sacrifices himself to ensure the goal is achieved and the Arcan'dor survives. Why? It is revealed that [[ItsPersonal his sister]] was about to wither - all that ancient mana you paid him for his services? Every single ounce of it went to ensure she held out until a more permanent solution was found, and when he caught wind of one such solution being found - he was onboard with no hesitation. And when the plan turned sour, he was willing to perform a HeroicSuicide to ensure that didn't turn out to be a HopeSpot.

* Alliance players can find a small trinket in the sea near the Broken Shore that turns out to be Varian's compass. When you start a quest chain by returning it to Anduin, he mentions having given to his father for his birthday a few years ago, and that since his father's death he hasn't had a single opportunity to actually mourn. This throws Anduin into a depression, with no-one having any luck in consoling him until the player character comes to persuade him to return to his duties.

* In the Rogue mount quest, you have to assassinate marks hidden within enemy capital cities that are actually homunculi, incredibly lifelike undead in disguise. The last mark for Horde characters is in Stormwind: Auctioneer Jaxon, an NPC who has been around since Vanilla. Given the Legion's brutality, [[KillAndReplace it isn't too hard to figure out the fate of the real Auctioneer Jaxon]]. She was married to Officer Jaxon and they had a son, Xander. Even more heartbreaking, Xander brings her coffee every hour - yet he isn't aware that his mother is most likely dead and that he is serving coffee to some''thing'' posing as her, not to mention what his reaction would be to "her" assassination.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVp7yLfnmrE Warbringers: Sylvanas]] is equal parts heartbreaking and horrifying, showing a modern hardened and ruthless Sylvanas mirrored by her old, heroic and living self. She fought desperately and bravely to stop Arthas from massacring her people, only to be cut down by him for all her efforts- and raised as another of his puppets. That she has no qualms about burning Teldrassil and massacring all the innocents in it (and making a dying Delaryn Summermoon ''watch'') in a mirror of Arthas' own actions toward her people, says something about how far she's fallen.

--> I believe that there will be no permanent peace with the Alliance—not unless we win it on the battlefield on our terms. And believing that, answer this, Saurfang: '''what use is delaying the inevitable?'''

--> '''Derek:''' Please... ''Please!'' How is this possible?! Tell me- tell me, where is my father, my mother?! Jaina, Tandred! Please... Please, I'm so alone! Don't... don't leave me alone...

* In the Maw's intro, you'll eventually make contact with Gorgoa, the River of souls - as a multitude of souls stream by you, they yell pleas that is bound to tug at the heartstrings as they head directly for [[TheAlcatraz Torghast]].

** As part of Kleia's trial to ascend, she has to carry a soul to Oribos to be judged. This soul is of an Azerothian man -a husband, father, farmer, lumberjack, and overall good person- whose life was lost when the scourge invaded in the leadup to the Shadowlands expansion; Kleia realizes that this scourge invasion means ''none of Lakeshire'' survived Sylvanas ripping open of the veil. But it gets even worse; the Kyrian have continued in their charge to ferry soul to Oribos to be judged.. but the Arbiter ''cannot judge'' in her current state, meaning every single person you have interacted with in Lakeshire is now a ''permanent denizen of the maw''; men, women, and children.

** As you collect the vessels of power across Maldraxxus and Revendreth, finding ways to empower a new crest of ascension built after Devos destroyed the original, you at last go to Ardenweald to get something which was part of the original - a vessel of Ardenweald capable of granting the Ascended the power to move between realms. The Winter Queen, upon hearing your request, coldly replies that such a vessel is not something she parts with lightly, and her handmaiden Willowblossom immediately promises to see you get one. She then guides you through a myriad of incredibly silly tasks like pranking her sister, blowing up Gorm with firebombs, or causing ruckus at theater backstage, and saving her pet larva Grubby. When the moment comes, however, and you'd expect the sequence to start and get your McGuffin already, Willowblossom says goodbye to Grubby and ritually kills herself to imbue the seed of power with the magic you need. Pelagos, seeing this, is heartbroken to learn that a vessel is actually a soul of a willing fae, while you'll likely [[PlayerPunch feel guilty for being angry at the quest chain]] as, in light of Willowblossom's sacrifice, it's difficult not to see the silly quests as her {{Last Request}}s.

* There is a Tauren character in Bloodhoof Village in Mulgore named Ahab Wheathoof who asks you to find his dog. Cue tearjerk, as Ahab Wheathoof was designed and voiced by Ezra 'Ephoenix' Chatterton, a 10 year old boy with a brain tumor (whose story is pretty [[http://www.ocregister.com/news/chatterton-191512-game-blizzard.html tearjerkery]] itself.) Ezra died a little while after the visit to Blizzard studios. Further tearjerker, as in December of 2009, Blizzard began to sell non-combat in-game pets, and for one of their first - a Pandaren Monk - they donated half the money they received to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. $1.1 million was donated through this.

* In the Barrens, there is the Shrine of the Fallen Warrior, dedicated to Michael Koiter - one of the two artists who made up 'Twincruiser' - who died during the World of Warcraft production.
** The same artist gets another in ''Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty''. In the penultimate cutscene, when Raynor returns to the war-ravaged front lines to give his final RousingSpeech, he takes "M. Koiter"'s dogtags from a dead Marine. At the end of the speech he holds them high, asking his soldiers to fight on - "because some things are worth fighting for".

* Nathanos’ death became this when it was revealed that Sylvanas didn’t even know he died. Not only was he condemned to the Maw, he died long enough ago that [[FridgeHorror it very well might be too late for Sylvanas to save him.]]

* In Maldraxxus, Draka occasionally says how she still worries to this day about the child she left behind in life. You, the ''player'', may ache to soothe her sould and tell her about how her son(Thrall) survived and how far he has come, but your ''character'' just doesn't have the context to connect the dots just yet.

* Arthas lies broken and sees his father's ghost. His father tells him that his reign is over and the "no king rules forever." Arthas finally realizes the folly of his actions and dies, but not before giving some gut wrenching final words. "I See... Only Darkness... Before Me." After all that evil and cruelty he dies broken and alone. Manages to actually make you feel sorry for him.

** So is Worgen version:

-->"My boy died at the Wrath Gate. I am here only to collect his body.