Rarely does a franchise last decades without losing its charm and the magic that allowed it to capture the hearts and minds of the fans. Across all media and literature there is maybe a handful of such intellectual properties, works that span decades and dozens of titles. They include some of the biggest movie franchises and the greatest literature works of all time. However, there is also a video game that has been near or at the top of the industry since 1994, and that is Warcraft. The real-time strategy turned MMORPG series by Blizzard Entertainment has seen its fair share of glory in more than one way. While the initial strategy games enjoyed a lot of success especially Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion The Frozen Throne, the real boom happened when World of Warcraft (WoW) saw the light of day in 2004.
Almost 18 years and eight major expansions later and WoW is still going strong with millions of players enjoying its amazing content that has been expanded on and upgraded over the years. The live game is now in the Shadowlands expansion and many say that the best days of the game are long behind it. At least when it comes to the popularity of lore that is so integral to the game. Picking up where Warcraft III left off, the original WoW continued many storylines and tied numerous loose ends. However, there were also many new story threads sewed in there for the players to explore. But when the first major expansion was announced in 2006, the players lost their collective mind.
The First Expansion
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For the first time there was a big bad, the central figure of the expansion, none other than Illidan Stormrage. The Burning Crusade (TBC), as the first expansion was titled, remains one of the most popular in the history of the game. In the first month of the release, more than 3.53 million copies were sold. It is so big actually that the World of Warcraft Classic now has it as its own live version, revamped and appropriated for the modern times. But what makes TBC so popular and what is the lore behind it that is so captivating? Join us as we explore the hit expansion pack that has managed to keep its place as some of the best Warcraft storytelling and gameplay for 15 years, ever since 2007. If you are interested in playing it today and experiencing it yourself for the first time and doing it the best way possible, you can find out more tbc boost.
The Lore Behind It All
The fact that TBC was the very first expansion should not be overlooked when its fame is the topic of conversation. However, it is the story and the characters and everything it brought to the game that are the real reasons why. The story of Warcraft franchises has always been about good versus evil, heroes versus villains, two warring factions battling each other only to come together when there is a larger threat looming. And there did not use to be a threat larger than the one the very title of the expansion mentions. The Burning Crusade is the quest of the Burning Legion, an enormous demon army that invades worlds led by the fallen titan Sargeras. They are the main antagonists of the expansion and the enemy players come together to face on numerous occasions.
The First Patch
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The Dark Portal to Outland has been reopened and the numerous demons have flooded the world of Azeroth once again. The Burning Legion seeks to continue their mission that has been stopped once before, ages ago. Horde and Alliance are stronger than before as each of them get a new race, blood elves and draenei, respectively. They too come through the portal, but many of Azeroth’s denizens went in the opposite direction too. This commotion draws the attention of Illidan Stormrage who has made Outland his domain where he rules following the events of Warcraft III. It is against him that the first raid pits the players. He is the main boss of the first patch titled The Black Temple, which is the name of an ancient stronghold he rules from. Before Illidan the players have to defeat his two main lieutenants, The Illidari Naga leader Lady Vash, and the former leader of the blood elves turned his people’s greatest traitor Kael’Thas Sunstrider.
The Second Patch
The second patch takes the players back to Azeroth, closer to home than ever. Right outside the home of the blood elves lies the ancient troll fortress of Zul’Aman where one of the most legendary troll warlords ever, Zul’Jin, closed himself off from the outside world. His hatred for the elves who took his eye and caused him to cut off his own arm to escape is unmatched, which is rekindled when the blood elves join the Horde, the traditional allies of all trolls. As treasure seekers invade his temple after all the chaos that was brought upon the world when The Burning Legion attacked, Zul’Jin joins with The Gods of Zul’Aman (the name of the patch), ancient animal gods of the trolls, and harness their powers to wage war on Alliance and Horde alike.
The Third Patch
Source: blizzard.com
The final patch of the expansion and the concluding lore of the expansion came with the Fury of the Sunwell. When the players defeat Kael’Thas in Outland, he returns to Silvermoon for the first time since leaving it and his people for a servitude under Illidan. Instead of making up for it however and leading his people to glory as he once said he would, he uses the Sunwell, the legendary fountain of power that used to be what gave the elves their power, and summons the strongest demon lord of the Burning Legion into Azeroth. Kil’jaeden, a fallen eredar (draenei) leader of all the demons and second in command only to Sargeras, is the final boss of the expansion. Alliance and Horde, with the help of the dragons and their new allies, lead an offensive to Sunwell Plateau to stop the demon and the fallen blood elf prince. After the raid instance and the end of the expansion, the leader of the draenei and Kil’jaeden’s former peer, prophet Velen, reignites the Sunwell for the blood elves to thrive once more.
