Timeline and alternate timelines for the Warcraft lore

This article tells all about the timeline and alternate timelines for the Warcraft lore.

Distant past
* No one knows how the Universe began(It might be with a big bang). At the very beginning the Titans explored all of the Great Dark Beyond and brought order to millions of worlds scattered all over the great Cosmos.

-146,406
* After defeating the Old Gods who inhabited Azeroth, the Titans brought forth peace to the world. The world was then formed and the first species were born, the very first being the mighty dragons. The Titans also gave 5 of the mightiest dragons powers to protect this new world.

-16,000
* The Aqir, a race of insectoids bent on wiping out the non-insectoid races of Kalimdor are defeated by the Trolls. The Aqir empire fractures into the northern city-state of Azjol-Nerub and the southern city-state of Ahn'Qiraj. The southern species became the Qiraji and the northern species became Nerubians.

-10,000
* The demonic Burning Legion launches a massive invasion in order to drain the world of its innate magic. The Legion is vanquished by the Night Elves, but vows to return and finish the job it started. The Night Elves decide to give up their magical powers, by destroying their very source, the Well of Eternity. One of the Night Elves, Illidan Stormrage, however, does not want to give up his powers, and takes some of the water from the well and releases it into a great lake at the top of mount Hyjal. Thus he creates a new source of power that will become the cause for many more wars to come. For this crime he is locked away deep underneath Kalimdor not to be seen for ten thousand years. Other elves that wanted to use magic were banished to the east and they became the High Elves.

*Three of the Dragon Aspects, Ysera, Alexstrasza, and Nozdormu, plant a massive tree over the new Well created by Illidan and name it Nordrassil. Through this World Tree, the Aspects grant the Night Elves the gift of immortality, as well as granting them the ability to access the Emerald Dream and make use of druidic magic.

-4,000
* The High Elves found the kingdom of Quel'Thalas in northern Lordaeron. The Elves continually fight against the innumerable Troll warbands.

-2,800
* The Human Empire of Arathor is founded. The High Elves taught men in the ways of magic in exchange for their help against the Trolls. The combined army of Elves and Humans succeeds in wiping out the majority of Trolls in Lordaeron.

-1,200
* The Human Empire of Arathor fragments into seven autonomous nations- Alterac, Dalaran, Gilneas, Kul Tiras, Lordaeron, Stormwind (Azeroth) and Stromgarde.

-1,000
* In Kalimdor's region of Silithus, an army of Qiraji led by the general Rajaxx and the old god C'Thun tries to conquer the continent. The night elves led by the archdruid Staghelm fight with honor and eventually, with the help of the four dragonsflight, are able to confine the menace behind the scarab wall.

-40
* Though banished from Azeroth, the Burning Legion corrupts the Orcish clans on the world of Draenor. The once noble, shamanistic Orc clans unite and become a rampaging Horde, who almost wipe out the peaceful Draenei who at the time made their home on Draenor. Most of the surviving Draenei flee Draenor aboard their dimensional ship.

-5
* Medivh opens the Dark Portal and the Horde begins its invasion of Azeroth.

0 Warcraft: Orcs and Humans

* After five grueling years of attrition, the Horde finally conquers the nations of Azeroth and Khaz Modan and claims Blackrock Spire as its base of operations.

* Lord Lothar leads an exodus of refugees to the northern nation of Lordaeron. Once there, he convinces the leaders of the seven human nations as well as the High Elves and the Dwarves to unite in arms against the Horde. The Alliance of Lordaeron is founded.

6 Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
* Orgrim Doomhammer, the Warchief of the Horde, launches his mighty fleets to invade the shores of Lordaeron. The unstoppable Horde pushes its way into the heartland of Lordaeron and even succeeds in reaching parts of the ancient High Elven kingdom of Quel'Thalas.

* The Alliance forces push back, (due mainly to Gul'dan and his Stormreaver clan, as well as Cho'gall and his Twilight's Hammer clan, defecting to go looking for the tomb of Sargeras) but Lord Lothar is killed during the final siege of Blackrock Spire. Spurred by the death of their beloved leader, the Alliance armies crush Blackrock Spire and push the Horde back to the threshold of the Dark Portal.

* The Dark Portal is destroyed and the Horde is defeated.

* The renegade Orcs are rounded up and placed into internment camps by the Alliance.

8 Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal

* The ancient Shaman, Ner'zhul, rallies the few clans still left on Draenor and reopens the Dark Portal. He orders his clans to steal a number of artifacts from Azeroth which will allow him to open multiple portals in Draenor.

* The Alliance sends its armies through the Dark Portal in order to stop Ner'zhul's schemes. The two armies clash throughout the hellish world for months.

* Empowered by the stolen artifacts, Ner'zhul opens a number of portals in Draenor. Yet, before he can lead his clans through them, their energies spiral out of control and begin to destroy the very fabric of Draenor. The Alliance heroes, knowing that they would be trapped forever, are forced to destroy the Dark Portal so that Azeroth is not consumed by the raging energies.

* The world of Draenor tears itself apart.

* The Alliance grows uneasy as the Orcish internment camps are reopened. Only a few, scattered Orc clans evade the Alliance's wrath and eke out a living in the harsh wilderness.

18 Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans
* Thrall, a young Orc raised as a Human slave, escapes from his bondage and sets off on a quest to find his stolen heritage. Thrall succeeds in reuniting a number of renegade clans and leads them in revolt against the Alliance Regional Wardens.

* With the threat of a new Horde looming over them, the Alliance nations begin to bicker and quarrel. Tensions run high amongst the Humans.

* Thrall becomes the new Warchief of the Horde and helps to reintroduce his people to their abandoned shamanistic culture. The reinvigorated Horde finally begins to lose the last traces of the Legion's corruption.

20 Warcraft III: The Reign of Chaos
* Shortly after the young warchief of the new Orcish Horde is visited by a mysterious prophet, he decides to take the entire Horde overseas, to the land of Kalimdor. On their way to Kalimdor, they are shipwrecked on an island where they ally with the jungle trolls, and together they manage to escape the rage of the Sea Witch and her minions, the murlocs.

* The mysterious prophet has also paid the Kirin Tor, the mages of Dalaran and King Terenas of Lordearon, a visit. These humans ignore his prophecies, for they are troubled by a new plague that is arising in their lands.

* Uther Lightbringer of the Silver Hand, Jaina Proudmoore (apprentice of the leader of the Kirin Tor, Antonidas), and King Terenas' own son, Arthas, are dispatched to investigate this new threat. They soon report that the plague goes by the name of the Scourge, and is led by the Lich King Ner'zhul, who has been brought back to life by the demonic forces. They kill the man responsible for unleashing the plague, the necromancer Kel'Thuzad.

* Arthas decides to purge the entire city of Stratholme in Lordaeron in order to prevent it's citizens from becoming undead servants of the Scourge. The dreadlord Mal'Ganis mocks Arthas into following him to Northrend. Arthas follows the dreadlord there to stop him and the Scourge, but he is corrupted by the cursed sword Frostmourne. Arthas returns to Lordaeron, kills his father and claims the land for the Scourge. Arthas, now Undead, resurrects Kel'thuzad as a lich with the power of the Sunwell of Quel'Thalas. The Lich Kel'thuzad summons Archimonde and the Burning Legion. Archimonde reopens the portal to the demon world enabling the forces of evil to access Azeroth, as they had many years before. Arthas and Kel'Thuzad are relieved of their duties and sent back to Lordaeron where they will wait until they hear further from Archimode.

* The surviving humans, under the leadership of young Jaina Proudmoore, finally heed the prophet's advice and flee to Kalimdor. The Night Elves of Kalimdor sense that it is time to awaken the ancient druids from their sleep to battle the Burning Legion once again. Illidan is also finally released from his exile by the leader of the night elves, Tyrande Whisperwind.

* Illidan defeats a large share of the combined forces of the Undead and the demons, led by Tichondrius the Dreadlord. Still crazed for power, however, Illidan consumes the Skull of Gul'dan and becomes demonic himself. Once again he is banished from Kalimdor by his own brother Malfurion Stormrage. But before Illidan leaves he is approached by the Burning Legions second-in-command Kil'jaeden, who offers him untold power in exchange for killing his rogue creation, Ner'zhul-the Lich King. Illidan accepts the offer.

* The Orcs ally with the ancient Tauren tribes and fulfill the last part of the prophecy. As they venture into an ancient cave, they find it being taken over by the Humans. As they venture further into the cave, they finally find the prophet who reveals his true identity: Medivh the Last Guardian himself. He has come to save the world of Azeroth. He tells the Orcs, Humans, and Night Elves to join forces against the forces of evil. Together they protect the World Tree, as the Night Elves gather all their power of nature and annihilate the demon General Archimonde and the Burning Legion.

21 Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
* Maiev Shadowsong, the Warden charged with watching over Illidan Stormrage, leads a group of Watchers to find and capture him.

* Illidan Stormrage raises the Naga from beneath the sea. The Naga were once the Highborne, but after the Well of Eternity exploded, they struck a deal with the Old Gods for survival.

*Illidan leads the Naga forces to claim the Eye of Sargeras, a demonic artifact of immense power, and uses it to launch an attack on the Frozen Throne itself. The assault is nearly successful, but is stopped by Malfurion Stormrage.

*With the Frozen Throne fractured and the Lich King's power slowly declining, Arthas departs Lordaeron for the frozen continent of Northrend, and leaves the Lich Kel'Thuzad in charge of the Scourge in Lordaeron. A faction of Undead manage to break free of the Lich King's diminishing control, becoming the Forsaken.

* With the help of the Blood Elves, the remaining High Elves who escaped the destruction of Quel'Thalas, Illidan and his naga forces invade the former orc homeworld of Draenor and take control by defeating the pit lord Magtheridon. Illidan becomes the new ruler of Outland. But he is tracked down by Kil'jaeden who is displeased that Illidan has failed to kill the Lich King and gives him one more chance to finish the job.

*The Forsaken, led by Sylvanas Windrunner, a Dark Ranger created by Arthas during his assault on Quel'Thalas, lay siege to the ruined city of Lordaeron. The city falls and is claimed by Sylvanas as the new Forsaken capital.

*Arthas, determined to reach the Frozen Throne, meets the Crypt Lord, Anub'arak, and team up to reach Icecrown before the Naga and Blood Elves do. They destroy the Forgotten One in Northrend, and escape the crumbling catacombs.

* Illidan takes his armies of Naga and Blood Elves to the Frozen Throne in Northrend to defeat Arthas. Arthas' forces secure the four obelisks guarding the entry to Icecrown. Illidan fights Arthas for the Throne. But he is defeated in single combat by the Death Knight. Arthas makes his way to the throne chamber, haunted and pestered by his memories at Icecrown, he throws them away and meets face to face with the Lich King. Arthas shatters the Frozen Throne and dons the armor of Ner'zhul, thus merging with the Lich King.

25 World of Warcraft begins
* After the invasion, the pact between the Horde and Alliance has fallen apart as they prepare for war.
*The gnomish city of Gnomeregan is finally shown to have been infected with mass amounts of radiation, explaining their partial absence from the warcraft trilogy.
* Blackrock Spire once again becomes a symbol of evil and several tyrants rise up to claim it. In the bowels, the beast Ragnaros commands the forces of fire. In an abandoned fortress high in the mountain, General Drakkisath commands his minions against the forces of Ragnaros, attempting to gain hold of the mountain. At the top of the spire, the dark dragon Nefarion commands the forces of the spire, plotting against the mortal races.
*Onyxia, sister of Nefarian, attempts to assassinate the leaders of Stormwind. She fails, and retreats to her lair in eastern Kalimdor.
*Murlocs kill several-thousand unsuspecting passersby.
*The gates of Ahn'Qiraj once more open, bringing an army of insectoid warriors to destroy the mortal races of Azeroth. The armies are fought back, and would-be heroes enter in order to destroy the Old God C'Thun.
*Kel-Thuzad, Arthas's second in command, launches a new scourge invasion, this time across the entirety of Azeroth. The necropolis of Naxxramas rises into the skies near Stratholme.

26 World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade begins

* The Dark Portal opens, releasing the Burning Legion.

* After battling each other for one year, the Horde and Alliance witness a huge star falling from the sky and exploding off the coast of northern Kalimdor. When the Alliance sends scouts to view the crash site, they find that it was the Draenei in their ship, the Exodar. The Draenei, led by Prophet Velen, join the Alliance.

* The Blood Elves in Quel'Thalas search frantically for help to re-join Prince Kael'thas in Outland. But since they turned their back on the Alliance, they cannot go back to them. Then help comes from a unexpected quarter. The Dark Lady of the Forsaken, Sylvannas Windrunner, comes to the aid of her former people and convinces the other members of the Horde to allow the Blood Elves to join them. Despite the cries of protest from the trolls, the Blood Elves officially join the Horde.

* The Alliance and the Horde begin to send their own armies into the Dark Portal to find out what has happened.

* The forces of Illidan Stormrage fight back against the incursions.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu