| Warcraft | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy,MMORPG,collectible card game |
| Developer(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Creator(s) | Allen Adham Frank Pearce Michael Morhaime |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS,Microsoft Windows,Mac OS,Sega Saturn,PlayStation,iOS,Android |
| First release | Warcraft: Orcs & Humans November 15, 1994[1][2] |
| Latest release | Warcraft Rumble November 3, 2023 |
Warcraft is afranchise ofvideo games,novels, and other media created byBlizzard Entertainment. The series is made up of six core games:Warcraft: Orcs & Humans,Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness,Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos,World of Warcraft,Hearthstone, andWarcraft Rumble. The first three of these core games are in thereal-time strategy genre, where opposing players command virtual armies in battle against each other or a computer-controlled enemy. The fourth and best-selling title of the franchise is amassively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), where players control their character and interact with each other in a virtual world.
Expansion sets were released forWarcraft II (Beyond the Dark Portal),Warcraft III (The Frozen Throne) and multiple expansions were released forWorld of Warcraft (The Burning Crusade,Wrath of the Lich King,Cataclysm,Mists of Pandaria,Warlords of Draenor,Legion,Battle for Azeroth,Shadowlands,Dragonflight, andThe War Within).[3][4]World of Warcraft's eleventh and twelfth expansions,Midnight, andThe Last Titan, were announced in late 2023.[5]
AtBlizzCon 2018 on November 2, 2018, Blizzard announced aremaster ofWarcraft III entitledWarcraft III: Reforged featuring remodeled characters and graphics with a prospective release in 2019.[6] The game was officially released on January 28, 2020.[7]
All games in the series have been set in and around thehigh fantasy world ofAzeroth. Initially, the start of the series focused on the human nations that make up the Eastern Kingdoms, and theOrcish Horde, which arrived in Azeroth via a dark portal, beginning the great wars. The Orcs came from another world, referred to as Draenor, the world that will be shattered into pieces by demonic magics during the events ofWarcraft II, thereafter being known as Outland. Later on in the series the world of Azeroth was expanded, revealing the new continents of Kalimdor, Northrend, Pandaria, the Broken Isles, Kul Tiras, Zandalar, and the Dragon Isles, allowing the introduction of the Night Elves, Tauren, Pandaren, and other major races into the universe. The world of Azeroth also contains the traditionalfantasy setting races ofelves,dwarves,gnomes,orcs, andtrolls.[8][9] Unusually for the genre, all of these races are available to be played, whereas trolls and full-blooded orcs are usually presented in fantasy fiction as being solely antagonists for protagonists of the more "human-friendly" races.
The series spawned several books and other media, covering a broad range of characters and timelines in theWarcraft universe.[10] A collectible card game was published, which offered those who boughtbooster packs a chance to gain access codes to limited in-game content inWorld of Warcraft.[11][12] Comics have been released alongside the books, further covering parts of the universe's storyline. A short-lived, online subscription onlymagazine was available but later ceased publication after five issues.[13] A film adaptation,Warcraft, was released in 2016.[14]
The first three games in theWarcraft series, including their expansion packs, were all released on both thePC andMacintosh. All of these games were of thereal-time strategy genre. Each game proceeded to carry on the storyline of the previous games, and each introduced new features and content to improve gameplay. The name "Warcraft" was proposed by Blizzard developer Sam Didier. It was chosen because "it sounded super cool", according to Blizzard co-founderAllen Adham, without any particular meaning attached to it.[15]
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness was the first game in the series to feature play over the internet usingBattle.net, although this was not included until a later release of the game.Warcraft II was also the first in the series to be re-released as a "Battle Chest", a bundled copy of the game containing both the original and expansion.Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos was the first game in the series to feature aCollector's Edition, which all subsequent games have released as well.Warcraft III andWorld of Warcraft also have both had "Battle Chests" released for them subsequent to their initial release. The "Battle.net" edition ofWarcraft II was also the first to introduce the use ofCD keys to the series, requiring each user online to have their own copy of the game in order to be able to connect.
In 1998, anadventure game in the series,Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans, was announced as being canceled, having been previously delayed from a 1997 release.
In 2004, Blizzard Entertainment moved the series away from the real-time strategy genre and releasedWorld of Warcraft, amassively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Requiring a subscription fee to be paid to play, it also introduced regular additional content to the series in the form of patches.World of Warcraft gained popularity worldwide, becoming the world's largest subscription-based MMORPG in 2008.[16] The game reached a peak 12 million subscribers worldwide in October 2010.[17]World of Warcraft has had ten expansions as of 2024, with two more announced. During the production ofStarCraft II: Wings of Liberty,Blizzard co-founderFrank Pearce stated that "If there's a team that's passionate about doing anotherWarcraft [real-time strategy], then that's definitely something we would consider. It's nothing that we're working on right now, we have development teams working onCataclysm,StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty,Diablo III, and when those teams are all off the projects they're working on, they'll be intimately involved in the discussions about what's next".
In 2013, Blizzard announced a new free-to-playonlinedigital collectible card game, originally titledHearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, with the beta being available in summer of 2013.[18] In March 2014,Hearthstone was released.[19] In addition to free-to-play basic gameplayHearthstone contains fee-based features such as additional card packs.
On May 3, 2022, Blizzard announced a newWarcraft free-to-play mobile game calledWarcraft Arclight Rumble.[20]
In 2022, Blizzard andNetEase cancelled an unannouncedWorld of Warcraft mobile spin-off game.[21]
On November 3, 2023, Blizzard released thefree-to-playmobiletower defense andaction strategy gameWarcraft Rumble.[22] At BlizzCon 2023, Blizzard Entertainment unveiled three forthcoming expansions toWorld of Warcraft: The War Within,Midnight, andThe Last Titan. These expansions collectively constitute the Worldsoul saga, a narrative continuum led by Chris Metzen.[23] Blizzard also announcedWorld of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic and confirming their commitment to a more accelerated timeline for future content drops.
In 2009, Blizzard announced that it would be releasing a magazine with Future US Ltd. This magazine would be purchasable by online subscription, and not for sale in newsagents or stores, making them collector's items. The magazine released quarterly, and each contained 148 pages. No advertisements were included in the magazine.[13] In September 2011, Blizzard announced that the magazine was ceasing publication. Refunds, plush toys or in-game pets were given to subscribers depending on the outstanding length of subscription.[28]
In a May 9, 2006 press release,Blizzard Entertainment andLegendary Pictures announced that they would develop a live-action film set in theWarcraft universe.[29] AtBlizzCon 2008, according to Mike Morhaime, a script was being written.[30]
In January 2013,Duncan Jones was announced to direct the adaptation,[31] from a script byCharles Leavitt.[32] The film was set to begin principal photography in early 2014 with a plot based on the novelWarcraft: The Last Guardian.[33] On July 20, 2013, Legendary Pictures andWarner Bros. Entertainment unveiled a sizzle reel during theirSan Diego Comic-Con 2013 panel, with Duncan Jones hopping on stage briefly to discuss the project.[34] Production on the film started shooting on January 13, 2014.[35] The first full-length trailer for the film was released on November 6, 2015.[36]Warcraft premiered in Los Angeles on June 6, 2016, and was released by Universal Pictures in the United States on June 10, 2016. It received mostly negative reviews from critics, and grossed $439 million worldwide.
In 2015, Blizzard releasedHeroes of the Storm, a crossovermultiplayer online battle arena video game in which players can control various characters from Blizzard's franchises as playable heroes, the majority of which come from theWarcraft universe.[37][38] The game also features numerous mounts based on mounts or other creatures fromWorld of Warcraft, as well as a battleground based on the PvP zone Alterac Pass.[39] A number ofWarcraft-themed skins have been introduced forHeroes of the Storm in the “Echoes of Alterac” event in June 2018.[40] Various soundtracks fromWorld of Warcraft, such asObsidian Sanctum fromWrath of the Lich King,The Wandering Isle fromMists of Pandaria, andStormwind theme, are present as background music in the game.[41]Heroes of the Storm is inspired byDefense of the Ancients, a community-createdmod based onWarcraft III.[37]
Most of theWarcraft series takes place on the planet of Azeroth. Other planets in theWarcraft 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 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 ofWarcraft 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 inWarcraft II: Tides of Darkness but later fell to the Scourge inWarcraft 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 inWarcraft III: Reign of Chaos.
The continent of Kalimdor was introduced inWarcraft 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 toYggdrasil) 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 inWarcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion setWarcraft III: The Frozen Throne, and is the main location featured inWorld of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, the second expansion pack toWorld of Warcraft.[9]
In the expansionWorld of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Azeroth has been changed permanently in-game, even for players without the expansion set installed. The corrupted Black Dragon Aspect, Deathwing the Destroyer (formerly Neltharion, the Earth-Warder) has broken free from imprisonment in Deepholm, part of the Elemental Plane, and caused major changes and destruction in the land. In addition, many new parts of the continents of Azeroth that have previously been inaccessible have become key parts in the new world.
Lorewise, this is the second major change to the face of Azeroth, the first being the Sundering. The Sundering was caused as a result of the War of the Ancients where demons of the Burning Legion invaded the ancient Kalimdor. It caused a massive explosion that split the one continent into the four seen in-game and created the Maelstrom.
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria was the fourth expansion released and it focuses on the mythical and long-forgotten lands of Pandaria, a continent far to the south that has until now been shrouded in magical mists. It has been inhabited by the Pandarens (a race of humanoidgiant pandas). With both factions landing on Pandaria, adventurers rediscover the ancient Pandaren people, whose wisdom will help guide them to new destinies; the Pandaren Empire's ancient enemy, the Mantid; and their legendary oppressors, the enigmatic Mogu. The storyline forMists of Pandaria is split into multiple chapters. The story arc that introduces Pandaria—where players discover the continent and level up, helping to solve problems and figure out what happened for the past 10,000 years and why—was included entirely within the initial expansion release. Later chapters in the storyline brought the war between the Horde and the Alliance back into focus, including changing parts of Pandaria (via phasing) to show additional settlements, and eventually returning the players back to Kalimdor for a final showdown, dethroning Warchief Garrosh Hellscream.
World of Warcraft: Legion was the sixth expansion released and it focuses on the Broken Isles, a continent and group of islands located northeast of the Maelstrom in the middle of the Great Sea; one of the islands contains the Tomb of the Dark Titan, Sargeras. The Burning Legion has started an invasion of Azeroth and the player characters must find powerful artifacts to stop the invasion. Having thwarted the Burning Legion's attempts to invade Azeroth, the players and other significant lore characters traveled to Argus, the homeworld of the Burning Legion, in order to end its threat. While successful, they couldn't stop Sargeras entirely. Before being banished and imprisoned, he thrust a magical sword into the surface of Azeroth, leaving the planet wounded and bleeding a magical substance called "Azerite".
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth was the seventh expansion released and it focuses on the islands of Kul Tiras and Zandalar, two islands which are home to their respective kingdoms. This is the first expansion that introduces two new continents on initial release. During this expansion, the Horde and Alliance seek the aid of the kingdoms of Zandalar and Kul Tiras, respectively, for the reignited war between the factions. Throughout campaigns on both continents, adventurers learn the history of both kingdoms and uncover plots involving the Old Gods. Events influenced by N'Zoth and his followers lead to the discovery of the continents of Nazjatar, the underwater kingdom of Azshara, and Mechagon, an island inhabited by the Mechagnomes. The final patch ofBattle for Azeroth takes players back to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms and Uldum to cure them of the corruption of N'Zoth, and ultimately face the Old God himself in his empire of Ny'alotha. The story ofBattle for Azeroth is also the first time players are given choices that can have a significant impact on their own adventures. One significant choice is whether to join the orc Varrok Saurfang in his rebellion against the Horde Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner. Another choice that players are given is whether to become a servant of N'Zoth. Both choices lead to unique dialogue, cinematics, and quests, depending on the choices made.
The ninth expansion,World of Warcraft: Dragonflight,[42] 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 ofDragonflight 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.
Draenor, which is featured inWarcraft 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 firstLich 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 ofWarcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal (though, without any actual terrain changes),Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne and more prominently inWorld of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade.[9]
An intact Draenor is the main feature of the fifthWorld of Warcraft expansion,Warlords of Draenor, which takes place 35 years earlier in analternate timeline.
The following races have been sorted into their respective factions:
TheAlliance has been present in some form in allWarcraft games. In all threereal-time strategy games, the Alliance are the protagonists of their campaign, and are one of the two main protagonist factions inWorld of Warcraft. They are also the primary antagonists ofWarcraft and the orc campaigns inWarcraft II. The Alliance began inWarcraft II when the human kingdoms and demihumans strategically united to fend off the conquering Horde. Thus they are enemies to the Horde. The Alliance has evolved over the course of the franchise, losing allies and gaining new members, but the Alliance has endured over the years. They are united to uphold their common noble ideals and are bound together by a sense of brotherhood forged by all the battles they've endured together.
The major races of the Alliance are thehumans of Stormwind,[43] the HighElves, the Night Elves of Teldrassil,[44][45] and theDwarves of Ironforge.[46] Other races who have joined or allied with the Alliance include theGnomes of Gnomeregan,[47] the Draenei of Outland,[48] the Dracthyr Obsidian Warders group (a race of dragonoids), the Worgens of Gilneas (creatures that resemble hunched overwerewolves), and the Tushui Pandaren.[49]
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 aknight and his title was Supreme Allied Commander. Varian Wrynn is aking 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 much 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.
In the first two Warcraft games, theHorde is made of theorcs 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.[50][51]
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,[52] theGoblins, the Huojin Pandaren,[49] the Tauren (which resembleMinotaurs), and theTrolls. The Horde later made alliances with the Highmountain Taurens (a subspecies of the Tauren who possessmoose-like antlers after one of their own was earlier blessed by the druid patron Cenarius), the Hozen (a race ofmonkey-like creatures), the Nightborne elves, the Taunka (a subspecies of Tauren that resemblebison-like Minotaurs), and the Vulpera (a nomadic race offox-like creatures).
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In 1999,Next Generation listedWarcraft andStarCraft as number 32 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time", commenting that, "WhileWarcraft did not create the realtime strategy genre, it made it appealing to a broad audience.Warcraft II went on to refine the genre. Easy to play, nuanced in design, a pleasure to look at, and often a laugh riot,Warcraft II was nearly perfect."[53]
World of Warcraft is the most popular MMORPG in the world with nearly 10 million subscribers around the world.
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