Okay, here is a comprehensive English synopsis of the main storylines and key events in World of Warcraft, covering the major expansions from the start:
World of Warcraft: An English Plot Overview
World of Warcraft tells the story of the World of Azeroth, a vast fantasy world inhabited by diverse races, ancient magic, and powerful forces of good and evil. The narrative is driven primarily by the conflict between the Alliance and the Horde, two factions formed by sentient races fighting for survival and dominance.
The Founding Era (Vanilla WoW):
- The Sundering (Pre-Game): A magical cataclysm splits the world's ocean, creating the Great Sea. The elemental plane of Fire erupts, forming the fiery island of Ragnaros. The Well of Eternity, a source of immense magic, explodes, flooding the world with magic (the "Second Age") but also creating the demonic plane of the Burning Hells and opening portals for demonic entities.
- World of Warcraft Begins: Players arrive in Azeroth, often as adventurers or soldiers caught up in the escalating conflict between the兽人 (Orcs) and the人类 (Humans).
- The Burning Legion's Influence: The demonic Burning Legion, led by Sargeras, seeks to conquer Azeroth and convert its inhabitants to their dark faith. Key figures like the demon lord Kil'jaeden and the titan-born Arthas Menethil (formerly prince of Lordaeron) play significant roles.
- Key Events:
- Opening War: Early conflict between Orcish Horde (under Thrall) and the Human Alliance (under Anduin Lothar).
- Darkspear Tribe: Thrall's Darkspear Orcs ally with the Humans, seeking refuge from the demonic corruption spreading through the rest of the Orcish Horde (led by Gul'dan and the Ner'zhul).
- Arthas Menethil's Fall: Prince Arthas seeks to eradicate the undead Scourge (created by the Lich King) but becomes corrupted by the cursed blade Frostmourne, eventually becoming the Lich King himself.
- The Lich King's Reign: Arthas Menethil, now the Lich King, raises an undead army (the Scourge) to conquer Azeroth.
- Undercity & Stratholme: The Scourge sack the human city of Stratholme, and the Forsaken (led by Sylvanas Windrunner) begin their rebellion against the Scourge, eventually overthrowing their human masters and establishing Undercity.
- The Battle of the Broken Front: A massive combined effort by the Alliance and Horde to push back the Scourge during the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.
- Arthas's Defeat: The player, along with heroes like Tirion Fordring and Uther the Lightbringer, kills Arthas Menethil at the Icecrown Citadel, ending the Lich King's reign.
- Worgen & Goblins: The Forsaken gain Worgen transformation abilities. Goblins arrive seeking refuge and economic opportunity, becoming the Alliance's fourth race.
The Next War (Cataclysm & Mists of Pandaria):
- The Sundering Returns: A new magical cataclysm occurs, triggered by the burning of the Well of Eternity (Vanilla WoW). The ocean splits again, creating the new continent of Pandaria and drastically altering the map. The elemental plane of Fire collides with Azeroth again.
- The Old God Threat: The Old Gods, slumbering entities of primordial fear, begin to awaken, with Yogg-Saron and his children (like the Deathwing Malygos) causing widespread chaos.
- The熊猫人 (Pandaren): The player race, initially neutral, are drawn into conflicts involving the Worgen, Goblins, and the powerful Taunka tribe, eventually leading to the unification of the Five Pandaren Tribes and their arrival on Azeroth.
- Key Events:
- Deathwing the Destroyer: The earth Elemental Lord, corrupted by the Old God N'raqi, seeks to reshape the world's geology. He is eventually defeated by the player, Deathwing's champion, and heroes like Thrall and Jaina Proudmoore at the peak of Black Dragonshard.
- Malygos the Blue: The Archmage of the Burning Legion is defeated in a raid on Dalaran.
- Jaina's Exile: Jaina Proudmoore, horrified by the destruction caused by the Alliance's use of the Sunwell Plateau against the Legion, splits from the Alliance, leading to the Second War between the Horde and Alliance.
- The War of the Ancients (WoW Classic): A massive, time-shifted storyline where the player races were originally caught in the war between the Well of Eternity and the Legion, featuring heroes like Illidan Stormrage and Vashj, and the defeat of Sargeras.
The Legion's Siege (Warlords of Draenor & Legion):
- Gul'dan's Shadow: Gul'dan, now a full demon, seeks to open a new portal to Azeroth for the Legion. He manipulates the Orcs of Draenor (a parallel world) into becoming the Blood Elves of Azeroth and finds a way to return to the original Draenor.
- Alternative Draenor: In the alternate Draenor, the Orcs fall under the influence of the恶魔 (Demons) even more deeply, becoming the Demon Horde led by Gul'dan and Kil'jaeden. This Draenor is destroyed by the Legion.
- The Demon Hunter: Sargeras, defeated and imprisoned in the Dark Beyond, creates the Order of the Demon Hunters, enlisting the aid of heroes corrupted by demons to fight the Legion. Illidan Stormrage becomes the first Demon Hunter.
- Key Events:
- Gul'dan's Portal: Gul'dan opens a portal from Draenor to Azeroth, allowing the Demon Horde to invade.
- The Broken Shore: The first major battle between the Alliance and Horde against the Demon Horde on Azeroth.
- Hellfire Citadel: The player and the Demon Hunters infiltrate the Legion's stronghold to free the captured Draenei and defeat the Archangel Ebon Blade.
- The Dark Beyond: The player travels to the dimension where Sargeras is imprisoned and fights his way to his prison to deliver the final blow, purging Sargeras.
- The Nighthold: The player infiltrates the Legion's strongest fortress on Argus to defeat Kil'jaeden and prevent the Legion's invasion.
The War Within (BfA & Shadowlands):
- The Sulfuras Incident: A misunderstanding during the Battle of the Dark Shore leads to the destruction of Sulfuras, the Burning Blade, causing a schism within the Horde. Genn Greymane seeks revenge against the Alliance, while the Kirin Tor of Dalaran fracture into the Silver Hand (Alliance) and Kirin Tor (Horde).
- The Shadowlands: The fundamental plane of death and afterlife is destabilized, causing spirits to return to the living world. The player is chosen by the Jailer, a mysterious entity, to retrieve lost souls from the Shadowlands, eventually leading to the revelation that the Jailer is the Shadowlands themselves, seeking to merge all worlds into his realm.
- Key Events:
- The War of Jaina: Genn's relentless campaign of war against the Alliance leads to major battles and the near-destruction of Teldrassil by the Horde.
- The Burning Blade: The player hunts down the remnants of the Demon Horde that escaped the Legion's defeat.
- The Jailer's Rise: The player progresses through the Shadowlands, facing the Jailer's agents (like the Jormungar) and uncovering the nature of the afterlife.
- The Battle for Azeroth: The final war against the Jailer, culminating in the player confronting the Jailer itself and sacrificing themselves to break its power and save the realms.
The War of the Spark (Dragonflight & The War Within):
- The Infinite Dragonflight: A mysterious entity known only as the Infinite Dragonflight begins to unravel the world's magic, causing the "War of the Spark." The entity is revealed to be the Aspect of Time, Malygos, who sought to control time itself.
- The Dragonflight's Scourge: The Five Aspects of the Dragonflight (Malygos, Chromie, Deathwing, Ebonhorn, and Nokzul) are corrupted, becoming the "Dragonflight's Scourge" and unleashing chaos across Azeroth.
- Key Events:
- The Sundered Isles: The player battles the corrupted Dragonflight on the Sundered Isles.
- Dragonshard Battles: The player fights corrupted Aspects across Azeroth in massive battles.
- The Sundered Sky: The player travels to the Sky Islands to fight the corrupted Chromie.
- The War Within (Part 2): The player confronts the corrupted Ebonhorn and Nokzul.
- The Scourge's End: The player defeats the corrupted Malygos in the Maelstrom.
- The Aftermath: The world slowly recovers from the magic surge and the corruption of the Dragonflight.
Current Status (As of late 2023):
- The Infinite Dragonflight conflict is resolved, but the long-term consequences and recovery are ongoing.
- The Alliance and Horde are in a fragile, uneasy peace after the devastating War of the Spark.
- The nature of the Jailer and the fate of the Shadowlands remain unresolved, hinting at future conflicts.
This synopsis covers the major plot points and conflicts that have shaped the World of Warcraft universe over its many expansions. The story is complex, with numerous subplots, character arcs, and evolving relationships between the races and factions.
