Story recap page for the seventh World of Warcraft expansion pack, Battle for Azeroth.
With the deaths of Varian Wrynn and Vol'jin, the Alliance and Horde are in uncertain positions with new leaders. Both factions are confronted with a crisis in the form of the rare and powerful substance, Azerite. This powerful substance was unleashed upon Azeroth after Sargeras plunged his enormous blade into the sands of Silithus in Kalimdor. Azerite's destructive power cannot be overstated, and both factions begin rushing to take advantage of this substance, setting up mining operations, trade routes, and maneuvering fleets and armies to fight for access to it if necessary...
Patch 8.0.1 - The War of Thorns
"There is no honor in this! They will come for us now! ALL OF THEM!" ~ Highlord Saurfang
Sylvanas Windrunner, recognizing the power of Azerite and its ability to secure the future of the Horde, launches an attack on the Night Elf homelands. Her initial objective is to occupy Darkshore and Teldrassil and prevent the Alliance from using them as ports and supply posts for their own Azerite mining operations. Alliance Heroes arrive in Astranaar not long after the Horde attack, find its buildings burning, the citizens massacred, and the streets overrun with enemy agents (while Horde heroes participate in attacking Astranaar, they have the option to not kill the civilians with unique dialogue if they do). Malfurian Stormrage erects a wall of wisps in Darkshore to halt the attack and buy more time. Alliance Heroes assemble more defenders while Horde Heroes work to bypass the wall. Highlord Saurfang crosses the mountains bordering Felwood and Darkshore with his own troops, attacking the Alliance from the rear. Darkshore falls to the Horde and Malfurion is wounded by Sylvanas and Saurfang. Sylvanas orders Saurfang to kill Malfurion, but Saurfang refuses as he didn't know that Sylvanas was going to intercede on his behalf, staining his victory. He secretly allows Malfurion to escape with Tyrande to Stormwind when Sylvanas leaves, though she discovers this almost immediately. Sylvanas, enraged that one of her own generals allowed a grievously wounded Alliance leader to escape, orders Teldrassil to be burned with Azerite-throwing siege weapons.
Saurfang denounces the burning of the world tree, pointing out that this will invite a level of retribution from the Alliance that the Horde has never seen before. Sylvanas responds that Saurfang- and the Horde Hero- should not question her decisions and fall in line. They are complicit in this attack, she says, and the Alliance will come for them as well. The Alliance Heroes rush to Darnassus save as many civilians from the city as they can (it is impossible to succeed at this quest- no matter how quickly the Hero moves, hundreds die in the smoke and fire). Eventually they pass out from smoke inhalation and awaken in the Temple of Elune. The survivors and Alliance Heroes are returned to Stormwind via portal as Darnassus is consumed with uncountable deaths.
The Siege of Lordaeron
Anduin Wrynn sends the armies of the Alliance to attack the Undercity and capture Sylvanas, sacking Brill along the way. The Horde Heroes work to repel the assault while the Alliance tries to breach the gates. When an Alliance victory seems inevitable, Sylvanas uses the Forsaken Blight against both the Horde and the Alliance soldiers before it's magically dispersed by Jaina Proudmoore and the Alliance storms the city. The Alliance Heroes accompany Anduin, Genn, Jaina, Alleria Windrunner and Gelbin Mekkatorque in an assault through the above-ground sections of Undercity. They are eventually confronted by Saurfang at the gates of the throne room. He is defeated in battle with the Alliance but taken captive to Stormwind rather than killed outright.- Horde Heroes see Baine Bloodhoof hold the gates to Undercity shut behind Saurfang. He chastises Sylvanas for leaving Saurfang to die but continues to obey her commands "For the Horde" before leaving with Nathanos Blightcaller.\\\
Anduin, Genn, Jaina, and Alleria confront Sylvanas in the throne room and demand her surrender for the burning of Teldrassil. Sylvanas traps them in the throne room before flooding it with more Forsaken Blight and escaping through the glass ceiling. Jaina teleports the Alliance leaders out of the throne room and aboard an Alliance skyship where they watch Sylvanas, Nathanos, and Baine escape on their own skyship while the Blight consumes the entire Undercity, leaving it uninhabitable by both sides.
Alliance Campaign / Kul Tiras
"Beware, beware the Daughter of the Sea..." ~ Jaina Proudmoore
After Horde agents break valuable Zandalari prisoners out of the Stockades, King Anduin Wrynn realizes the Horde will seek the trolls' support for their powerful navy and an eventual invasion of the Eastern Kingdoms. Jaina Proudmoore and Genn Greymane lead a diplomatic mission to Kul Tiras to try and bring them back into the Alliance. Admiral Katherine Proudmoore now rules Kul Tiras since the death of her husband on the shores of Kalimdor, when Jaina stood aside and allowed the Horde to kill him in an effort to maintain the peace between both sides. Katherine imprisons her daughter Jaina for treason on the advice of one of Kul Tiras' nobles, Lady Ashvane. The Alliance Hero is sprung from a prison by a young woman, Taelia, and the scoundrel Flynn Fairwind. After reuniting with Genn, the Hero is tasked with restoring stability to Kul Tiras. - The mighty Kul Tiran fleet has gone missing at sea off the coast of the Stormsong Valley and the Kul Tiran Tidesages, those who guide the ships at sea, have been corrupted by Queen Azshara and the Old Gods. The Champion helps to save the few uncorrupted Tidesages, rescues the fleet from being handed over to Azshara, and repels a Naga attack at Fort Daelin.
- Drustvar has been overtaken by a coven of witches serving the old tribal peoples, the Drust. They terrify and curse the Kul Tiran villages across the region, and Lord and Lady Waycrest are nowhere to be seen. The Champion saves the noble family's daughter, Lucille Waycrest, from false charges of witchcraft and helps her to re-establish an order of Witch Hunters, destroying the Coven.
- In Tiragarde Sound, the Hero discovers that the Ashvane Trading Company is secretly providing Azerite weapons and gunpowder to the pirates of Freehold. The pirates attack and sack a Kul Tiran fortress, and while the Champion stops the attack from reaching Boralus it prompts Lady Proudmoore to abdicate and pass rulership of Kul Tiras to Lady Ashvane. The Champion disrupts this coup with evidence of Ashvane's wrongdoing and Lady Ashvane is imprisoned for treason. Lady Proudmoore reconsiders her isolation and prepares to re-enter the Alliance and mend her relationship with her daughter Jaina.
Meanwhile, the Alliance launches a campaign in the Zandalari Isles.
- The Alliance lands in Nazmir and notices the aggression of the Blood Trolls toward the Zandalari. Attempts are made to open negotiations with the Blood Trolls to join the war, but find the trolls are completely hostile to both the Horde and the Alliance.
- In Vol'dun, the Champion leads the 7th Legion Marines in a landing on the coast of the Shatterstone Harbor. The marines make contact with the Sethrak at the Terrace of the Devoted and help to defend it from siege and attack by a rival tribe.
- In Zul'dazar, the Champion helps SI:7 investigate the remains of the pursuit fleet that attempted to bring Princess Talanji back to the Stockades, then helps the Alliance's Dark Iron Dwarves summon a destructive nature spirit to attack goblins on the Xibalba coast. They also assist Mathias Shaw with laying explosives on the hulls of the Zandalari fleet at harbor.
- Night Elven general Shandris Feathermoon is tasked with eliminating several key Horde targets that pose dire threats to the Alliance, and enlists the Champion's aid in hunting them down. Among the targets are a ruthless, bloodthirsty Blood Elf magister, a member of Sylvanas' Shadow Huntresses, a powerful Vampire lord that seeks to form an alliance with Sylvanas, and finally Tradeprince Gallywix himself, leader of the Bilgewater Cartel Goblins. While Shandris and the Champion succeed in defeating the magister, the Shadow Huntress and the Vampire, Gallywix manages to escape by fooling the Alliance with a body double.
Horde Campaign / Zandalar
Sylvanas tasks the Horde Champion to break into the Stormwind Stockades and free Zandalari Princess Talanji with the support of First Arcanist Thalyssra and Rokhan. The rescue party finds Saurfang's cell in the Stockade but he refuses to leave with them while Sylvanas remains Warchief of the Horde. The Horde also locates the cell of the Prophet Zul, a Zandalari troll who instigated their empire's aggression on Azeroth during the events of Cataclysm. The party escapes the Stockades with Jaina on their tail, but Zul creates a diversion by setting the city of Stormwind ablaze, forcing the Alliance to save the citizens rather than chase after the rescue team.With Princess Talanji rescued, Sylvanas now has the means to recruit the Zandalari Empire into the Horde. The party makes their way by boat towards the nation of Zandalar but encounter an Alliance pursuit fleet. The Alliance is held back by Talanji summoning the spirit of Rezan (known as the loa of kings). The Horde eventually arrives safely on Zandalari shores to return Talanji to her people. The Zandalari trolls remain hostile towards the Horde intruders, but King Rastakhan offers their guests a chance to prove themselves worthy of his support. Talanji figures that the best way to gain the support of the Zandalari is to clear out the corruption that the Rastakhan faces within his high council.
- In Nazmir, the Horde champion supports Princess Talanji in dealing with the Blood Trolls, an aggressive tribe that worships Blood God G'huun (an Old God created on accident by the Titans) and attacks the Zandalari. The Horde champion puts a stop to the Blood Trolls' plan of trying to shatter the final seal on G'huun's prison in Uldir, which would have unleashed him on the world.
- In Vol'dun, the Horde champion is tasked with tracking down General Jakra'zet, one of the members of the Zanchuli Council that sided with Prophet Zul. The Horde champion encounters a race known as the Vulpera, which are currently at war with the corrupted Sethrak. However, some Sethrak turn out to not be corrupted, and ally with the Horde champion and Vulpera. Following a rescue of Warguard Rakera, the Horde champion with the allied Vulpera and Sethrak battle against a group of enemy Sethrak known as the Faithless that have been attacking the Zandalari. The leader of the Faithless, Korthek, is currently searching for the remaining keys that will allow him to summon Mythrax the Devourer. The Horde champion eventually locates and defeats Krothek, but it turned out to be a diversion for General Jakra'zet to invade the Temple of Sethrallis, and retrieves the missing pieces needed to summon Mythrax.
- In Zul'dazar, the Prophet Zul is revealed to be the secret leader of the Blood Trolls. Zul had allied with the Mogu in Pandaria and sacrificed many loa for additional power all to launch a coup against the aging King Rastakhan. The king is injured during the coup but is restored by the loas of kings and death (Rezan and Bwonsamdi). With the help of the Horde champion, Rastakhan and Rezan launch a counterattack against Zul and discover Zul's plan to resurrect the first king of Zul'dazar, King Dazar. A confrontation takes place at the resting place of the Zandalari kings, but Zul murders Rezan and is able to escape. Questing around Zul'dazar also reveals that Zul is in league with Queen Azshara and that they are working together to corrupt the Zanchuli Council.
Once the tasks in Nazmir, Vol'dun, and Zul'dazar are completed, the Horde champion supports the Zandalari in defeating Zul's army, and their summoned Mythrax the Devourer. Zul and Mythrax turn out to be in league with G'huun, and head off to Uldir to break the final seal to unleash the Blood God. The Horde champion with Rastakhan, Bwonsamdi and Talanji arrive to stop the release, and in the end, Mythrax succeeds in breaking the final seal, but is also held back long enough by Talanji for Rastakhan to kill Zul.
Raid: Uldir
The world is now at risk due to Mythrax breaking Uldir's final seal. G'huun the Blood God is released upon Azeroth while both the Horde and Alliance are at war. Champions of the Horde and Alliance are tasked with venturing into Uldir to face off against G'huun's champions, some of which include Mythrax and a resurrected Prophet Zul. They then face off against G'huun to rid the Blood God from Azeroth.Patch 8.1 - The Tides of Vengeance
After disposing of G'huun, the Horde and Alliance return their focus to the war. For the Horde, they procure the Scepter of the Tides, a legendary artifact capable of controlling the seas. As for the Alliance, they dismantle a potential alliance between Sylvanas and the vampiric San'lyan Elves. The Alliance then begins to gear up for a preemptive strike against Zandalar. The goal being to cripple the Golden Fleet before it can be used against the Alliance. Thus driving a wedge between the Zandalari and the Horde.Meanwhile, Tyrande Whisperwind and Malfurion Stormrage grow impatient regarding liberating Darkshore from the Horde's control, ultimately choosing to begin the offensive on their own against Anduin's advice. In order to maximize their chances, Tyrande undergoes a ritual to turn herself into the Night Warrior, the avatar of Elune's most wrathful and warlike aspects. To counter this, Sylvanas orders several Night Elven heroes who fell in the Burning of Teldrassil to be raised as Dark Rangers to bolster her forces.
As the battle for Darkshore begins, both the Alliance and Horde are blindsided by a new development. It turns out that High Overlord Saurfang, who had been defeated and captured in the Battle of Lordearon, has suddenly escaped Alliance captivity and is on the run. Sylvanas sends her Horde champions to track Saurfang down, ostensibly to extract him. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the search party is in fact an assassination squad, as Sylvanas suspects Saurfang of colluding with the Alliance in an attempt to dethrone her. While some Horde champions choose to side with Saurfang and help him escape the assassins, other champions remain loyal to Sylvanas and report Saurfang's and the dissenting champions' treachery to her.
Patch 8.1 - Raid: Battle of Dazar'alor
After finishing their preparations, the Alliance launches their attack on the Zandalari capital of Dazar'alor, their goal being to sever the budding alliance between the Zandalari and the Horde by dismantling the Golden Fleet and capturing King Rastakhan. Despite Anduin and Jaina's desire to capture him alive, Rastakhan is overwhelmed by the power of his pact with Bwonsamdi, and the Alliance champions are forced to slay him. Enraged by Rastakhan's death, the Horde champions launch a vicious counterattack on the withdrawing Alliance forces, which ends with both Jaina and High Tinkerer Mettatorque gravely wounded. As the Alliance leadership debates their next move, Sylvanas, infuriated by the Horde's defeat, resurrects Jaina's long dead brother Derek Proudmoore as a Forsaken, an act that horrifies the surviving Horde leaders, with the intent to use him as a sleeper agent to destroy the Proudmoore family from within.Patch 8.1.5 - The Tides of Vengeance (continued)
The Alliance investigate into a group of loyalists who follow Lady Ashvane. Amongst letters that the loyalists were holding, they find evidence that Ashvane has decided to side with the Horde after they break her out of Tiragarde Sound's Tol Dagor prison. Meanwhile, Baine Bloodhoof has decided to turn on Warchief Sylvanas having had enough of her dishonorable tactics, and puts together a plan to return the newly undead Derek Proudmoore to her sister before his will gets completely overtaken by the banshee queen. After convincing Valeera Sanguinar to send a message to the Alliance about what he's planning, Baine along with the help of a Forsaken priest named Arthur Zelling infiltrate the Swift Vengeance prison ship, and free Derek from his captor, Jailer Hatewell.Baine and Zelling then go about their plan to smuggle Derek out of Horde territory by meeting Jaina at a hidden location off the coast of Theramore. Their two ships meet, which Baine hands over the still sane Derek with no strings attached. Jaina worries for Baine knowing that he just committed treason against his Warchief, but Baine returns to the Horde anyway. Baine and Zelling arrive at Warfang Hold for a Horde meeting which Sylvanas suspects that there's traitors amongst them due to Derek's disappearance. Her spies lead her to believe that Zelling is responsible, but despite Baine revealing that he himself was the one behind it, she kills Zelling to send the Horde a message that treason in her ranks will not be tolerated. Afterwards, Sylvanas imprisons Baine for his actions as well, and plans to execute him at a later time. As for the Alliance, spies watching over Warfang Hold catch wind of Baine's dissent, and send a report back to Jaina to inform her of the situation.
Patch 8.1.5 - Raid: The Crucible of Storms
Within Stormsong Valley, a long-submerged evil stirs beneath the Shrine of the Storm. The whispers that drove Lord Stormsong to madness echo within the depths, a siren song of eldritch power. Those who listen and obey prepare dark rituals to carry out their master’s will. Whatever nightmarish schemes fuel their fanatical devotion, one thing is certain: they must be stopped. As it turns out, the evil beneath the Crucible of Storms is actually a piece of one of the Old Gods, N'Zoth. Interested in seeing if the Horde and Alliance are worthy enough to fight the naga's Queen Azshara, N'Zoth decides to set up a trial for champions who take on the Crucible of Storms. The god desires for them to come out victorious against its two minions, the Restless Cabal and Uu'nat. The champions recover 2 relics during the fight, but a 3rd relic known as the Tempest Crown is strangely absent.Patch 8.1.5 - Recruiting Thrall
Saurfang goes through the portal to the broken world of Outland, and makes his way over to Nagrand. He finds Thrall's home, and informs the former Warchief that the Horde's falling apart due to Sylvanas' rule. Thrall wants nothing to do with it only wanting to remain with his family away from all the fighting, but he and Saurfang are suddenly attacked by two Forsaken assassins. After disposing of the assassins, Thrall realizes that the fighting is going to follow him wherever he goes, and while he still has no intention of being Warchief again, he agrees to join the fight alongside Saurfang.Patch 8.2 - Rise and Fall of Azshara
The capital of the Naga arises after the assault in Dazar'alor during a time when the Alliance and the Horde are recovering from battle and licking their wounds. Both factions having lost a lot of their naval power, which makes it a perfect time for the Naga to strike, beginning their coastal invasions. Sylvanas obtains word that something is out in the sea and sends her forces to investigate, Jaina follows by sending her own champions. As champions of the Alliance and Horde venture into the great blue beyond, they find a crack leading to an ancient land between waterfalls, and fall into Nazjatar; the ancient land of the serpentine Naga. Azshara had laid a trap for the newly arriving champions, who have to evade her forces until they can power up. Along the way, each faction meets a group of allies who join their fight against the Naga.Meanwhile within the Rusted Vault of Tiragarde Sound, a mysterious giant portal that was once closed is now open. Beyond this portal brings champions to Mechagon, the home of the robotic Mechagnomes. Amongst the Horde and Alliance, goblins and gnomes venture through the portal to explore the mechanical ruled lands of Mechagon. The ruler of this new land, King Mechagon, desires to turn anything flesh into robotic parts, which puts his robotic people at odds with the champions of flesh.
After breaking Azshara's hold on the Tidestone, the Alliance and Horde pushed into the Eternal Palaca, N'zoth's prison in the depths of Azeroth and confronted the queen of the Naga. Azshara lured the adventurers into the great chamber which bound the final Old God. As the heroes used the Heart of Azeroth to combat the Naga Queen, she siphoned the power from the Heart and broke the chains holding N'zoth within the Titan prison. While the adventurers defeated Azshara, N'zoth was loosed upon the world and fled into the depths of the seas.
Patch 8.2 - Baine's Rescue
With only a few hours left before Baine's execution, both the Horde and Alliance prepare a rescue mission. Lor'themar had learned through Spiritwalker Ussoh's spiritual visions of Baine's execution, which he tasks Horde champions to meet a new pair of allies in secret that have arrived in Orgimmmar, who turn out to be Saurfang and Thrall. As for the Alliance, Jaina informs King Anduin of Baine going against his Warchief, which the king desires for Baine's freedom given that they developed an honorable human/tauren friendship in the past. Anduin tasks Alliance champions to sneak into Orgrimmar alongside Jaina and Mathias Shaw.Baine's execution is set to take place in Garrosh's former Underhold beneath Orgrimmar, which the Horde and Alliance rescue teams enter from opposite entrances. The Horde rescue team uses an invisibility totem created by Rokhan to bypass some of Sylvanas' guards in order to avoid as much Horde bloodshed as possible. Once the totem has run out, they task the champion to distract Dark Ranger Lenara and her trainees long enough for Saurfang and Thrall to sneak to the next area. Meanwhile, the Alliance rescue team fights their way through an area where Sylvanas' forces have been crafting Azerite weapons, and use the opportunity to dispose of some of Sylvanas' Azerite weapon arsenal.
Eventually, the two rescue parties meet outside the gate to the main hall of the Underhold, which Saurfang, Thrall, Jaina and Shaw all agree on an alliance to rescue Baine. The combined rescue party fights their way through Rowa Bloodstrike and other guards blocking the entrance, and reach Baine's location. Before getting the chance to free him however, it turns out to be a final trap set up by the arrival of a group of Blood Elf Sunreavers led by Magister Hathorel, who desire revenge against Jaina for initiating the purge of Dalaran. The rescue group fights through the Sunreavers, dispose of the prison crystals holding Baine, and hold off Hathorel long enough to free the Tauren Chieftain. Jaina then creates a portal to allow the rescue party to safely escape with Baine.
With Baine's rescue a success, Lor'themar figures that the Horde can now focus on disposing of Azshara and her naga in order to keep the focus away from Saurfang's rebellion taking root within the Horde. As for the Alliance, Jaina convinces her faction to go along with this plan as well where they will fight together with the Horde against Azshara to buy enough time for Saurfang.
Patch 8.2.5 - Banshee's Fall
With the Alliance and the Horde dissenters weakened by the machinations of Sylvanas and Azshara, Anduin and Saurfang call what's left of their armies together for a strike on Orgrimmar.Sylvanas' Horde shores up the defenses of the city. Gazlowe's goblins, the Forsaken, and the Mag'har orcs renew their loyalty to the Banshee Queen. The hero and Nathanos kill Eitrigg for secretly betraying Sylvanas and returning to sow dissent within the city, then work to raise a citizen militia and collapse the pass between Razor Hill and Orgrimmar, cutting the attacking army in two.
Alliance and Saurfang Horde heroes land in Durotar and work to clear the path for the advance to the city gates, root out Sylvanas' saboteurs and push to the gates. At the city walls, Saurfang challenges Sylvanas to Mak'gora. While Sylvanas kills Saurfang, he succeeds in goading her into dropping her facade- that she never cared for the Horde. Even those most loyal to her, she considered pawns in a game she was playing at for stakes that could be greater than she was willing to reveal at the time. After the Queen flees, the gates to Orgrimmar are opened and the Horde is reunified under Saurfang's vision of a coalition steeped in honor. The Alliance and united Horde enter into a ceasefire to focus on the unleashed Old God N'zoth and his machinations...
Far across the sea, Sylvanas' loyal heroes find her at Windrunner Spire in the Ghostlands along with Nathanos and a few other undead. Sylvanas remarks that the end of the war has come, but the freeing of N'zoth will still serve her master's needs by creating even more deaths. The hero and Nathanos are dismissed by her, with a promise that they will meet again...
Patch 8.3 - Visions of N'zoth
N'zoth's forces are unleashed upon Azeroth and take over both Uldum in the South of Kalimdor and the Vale of Eternal Blossoms in Pandaria, with a gate to his twisted realm, Ny'Alotah the Waking City, being opened in either of the two regions. Adventurers venture into twisted visions of capital cities of the Horde and Alliance under N'zoth corruption in order to find resources to combat said corruption.
