Location Most of the
Warcraft series takes place on the planet of Azeroth. Other planets in the
Warcraft universe include: Draenor (and its sundered remnants, known as Outland), Argus, K'aresh, Mardum (also known as the Shattered Abyss), Xoroth, Rancora, and Nathreza. There are also several metaphysical areas mentioned, including the Emerald Dream, the Elemental Planes, the Twisting Nether, the Great Dark Beyond, and the Shadowlands.
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, the first game in the series, takes place in Azeroth.
Azeroth Azeroth has four known continents, named the Eastern Kingdoms, Kalimdor, Northrend, and recently rediscovered Pandaria. All continents are separated by the Great Sea. Three major archipelagos also reside in the Great Sea: the Broken Isles; Zandalar, the birthplace of the troll civilization; Kul Tiras, a maritime human nation; and the Dragon Isles, the birthplace of the dragons. In the center of the Great Sea is an enormous, everlasting vortex called the "Maelstrom" beneath which lies the aquatic city of Nazjatar, home of the amphibious Naga. Near the Maelstrom lies the volcanic Isle of Kezan, home of the goblins. The Eastern Kingdoms are the primary setting of the first two games (and their expansions) and the first half of
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. It is made up of 22 areas or zones. The kingdom of Stormwind lies at the south of the Eastern Kingdoms, south of the dwarven kingdom of Khaz Modan and north of the jungle known as Stranglethorn Vale. The capital city of Stormwind, Stormwind City, is nestled into the northwest of Elwynn Forest, a large forest at the center of the kingdom. The Dwarven capital in Khaz Modan, called Ironforge, is located in Dun Morogh. The former human kingdom of Lordaeron, which successfully headed the human Alliance in
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness but later fell to the Scourge in
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, is located north of the southern kingdoms. Underneath the ruined city of Lordaeron now lies the Undercity, capital of the Forsaken, a rebel band of the undead Scourge. The area is now known as Tirisfal Glades and is threatened by the Western Plaguelands held back at The Bulwark. Northeast of Lordaeron is the elven nation of Quel'Thalas and its capital city, Silvermoon, both of which were conquered by the Scourge in
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. The continent of Kalimdor was introduced in
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and is made up of 18 zones. Whereas the Eastern Kingdoms can be described as the equivalent of medieval Europe, with traditional kingdoms and advanced cities, Kalimdor can be compared to the Americas at the time of the first arrivals of Europeans, full of wild lands. The geography and topography of Kalimdor are similar to North America and Africa, with massive, ancient forests and mountains covering the North and vast deserts and savannahs in the South. The Night Elven kingdom is located in the northwest region of Kalimdor, also including the island Teldrassil (actually a giant tree, similar in lore and spelling to
Yggdrasil) off the northwest coast, which contains the city of Darnassus. To the south, past the Ashenvale Forest, is a stretch of land known as The Barrens, situated between the grasslands of Mulgore to the west, and Durotar, the land settled by the Orcs, to the east. Mulgore is home to the Tauren capital of Thunder Bluff, a large city of tepees and lodges built on top of a conglomerate of high plateaus which are only accessible by air travel and a great series of lifts built down to the ground. In the north of Durotar is the fortress-city of Orgrimmar, the capital of the Orcs. The third continent, Northrend, is located in the northern polar region of Azeroth and is the primary stronghold of the malevolent Undead Scourge. Northrend is featured in
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion set
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, and is the main location featured in
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, the second expansion pack to
World of Warcraft. centers around the reappearance of the Dragon Isles, home of the Dragons and their many aspects, including the humanoid Dracthyr. The various Dragon groups and subspecies are referred to as "Dragonflights", and are all descendants of the original proto-dragons who chose to become empowered by the magic of a race of god-like beings called the Titans. The plot of
Dragonflight deals with the awakening of the Dracthyr after 20,000 years in response to the threat of Raszageth the Storm-Eater, a "Primalist" proto-dragon who seeks to separate the rest of her kind from the Dragonflights and retake Azeroth for themselves. The Dracthyr are divided into two groups, one that allies with the Alliance and one the Horde, to deal with this threat. Raszageth eventually falls to both groups, but not before she releases her three siblings: Fyrakk the Blazing, Vyranoth the Frozenheart, and Iridikron the Stoneheart. The tenth expansion,
World of Warcraft: The War Within, takes players beneath the surface of Azeroth into the subterranean kingdom of Khaz Algar, home of the Earthen, a new playable allied race. The expansion introduces Warbands, an account-wide system for sharing currencies, collections, and reputations across characters, as well as Delves, a new form of solo instanced content. The eleventh expansion,
World of Warcraft: Midnight, returns to the elven kingdom of
Quel'Thalas, introducing four new zones including Eversong and Zul'Aman. The expansion features three raids, eight new dungeons, and a player housing system — the first in the game's twenty-year history.
Draenor (Outland) Draenor, which is featured in
Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, is the original homeland of the Orcs and past home of the Draenei. Draenor was torn apart when the Orcish leader, Ner'Zhul (later the first
Lich King) opened dozens of portals to other worlds in an attempt to escape the invading Alliance Armies from Azeroth. The sheer number and combined power of the portals ripped Draenor into fragments and cast the remainder into the mysterious parallel dimension called the Twisting Nether, Home of the Demons. The remnants of the world are now known as Outland, and feature in the last mission of the human campaign of
Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal (though, without any actual terrain changes),
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne and more prominently in
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. the Night Elves of Teldrassil, and the
Dwarves of Ironforge. Other races who have joined or allied with the Alliance include the
Gnomes of Gnomeregan, the Draenei of Outland, the Worgens of Gilneas (creatures that resemble hunched over
werewolves), and the Tushui Pandaren. The outbreak of the Fourth War saw the human kingdom of Kul Tiras return to the Alliance. The Dark Iron dwarves officially allied with the Alliance during this time as well, along with Void Elves. Lightforged Draenei which were light infused Draenei also allied with the Alliance during this time along with the Army of the Light who they originally served. Also, a group of mechagnomes, which were gnomes that began augmenting themselves with mechanical parts in an attempt to return to their titan-based form joined as well. When the Dragon Isles reopened the draconic Dracthyr Obsidian Warders weyrn officially joined. Later some reawakened Earthen of Khaz Algar, independent of their titan edicts, also chose to ally with the Alliance. The Alliance is led by a military commander who coordinates the military actions of all the races in the Alliance. The title for this position depends on the rank of the individual (e.g., Anduin Lothar was a
knight and his title was Supreme Allied Commander. Varian Wrynn is a
king and his title is High King). This title may require an aspect of diplomacy or has strong political clout as the other leaders can choose not to commit their forces to the commander if they dislike the commander's leadership. Though how many forces and resources are contributed to the war effort is left to each individual leader's discretion, when the military commander issues a call to arms, all races of the Alliance are expected to contribute.
The Horde In the first two Warcraft games, the
Horde is made of the
orcs under the command of the Burning Legion and are enemies of the human-led Alliance. The orcs attempt in both games to conquer the human kingdoms. Eventually the Horde was defeated, most of its leaders killed, and the orcs placed in internment camps. The third Warcraft game, Reign of Chaos, details the orcs shaking off both the chains of the Alliance, and the corruption of the Burning Legion. The Horde expanded their ranks by forging alliances with the Blood Elves, the Dracthyr Dark Talons group, the Forsaken, the
Goblins, the Huojin Pandaren, with their influence being notable through most of the wider series. Contrary to the Horde or Alliance, the Burning Legion is not a faction defined by culture, politics or territory but instead an interdimensional army of demons whose singular goal is to eradicate all life and order in the universe. The Burning Legion is led by Sargeras, a fallen titan who once served as a guardian of worlds but abandoned his role after concluding that creation was irreparably corrupt and could only be ended and not saved. Under his command, the Legion has invaded and destroyed worlds across the universe, consuming or corrupting any beings willing to serve their cause and eradicating those who resist. Their ranks are composed primarily of Eredar warlocks, the Pit Lords, and large armies of minor demons such as the Felguard and Infernals. Some mortal races have also been corrupted into the Legion's service, most notably the orcs of Draenor. The Legion's chain of command flows from Sargeras through his two principal lieutenants, Kil'jaeden and Archimonde, who direct the Legion's campaigns in his stead. Kil'jaeden oversees matters of corruption and deceit while Archimonde commands its military directly. This hierarchy gives the Legion a more centralized structure of command than the Horde or Alliance, defined entirely by power and obedience rather than politics or diplomacy. ==Reception==