"The History of the Expansions" series — The War Within, part 6. The story of World of Warcraft told expansion by expansion, with the patches that changed it. The episodes are listed in order at the end of the post.
The sixth part of The War Within closes the expansion's first campaign. After crossing Azj-Kahet, the heroes learn how Queen Ansurek reached the nerubian throne, reunite with Anduin and watch her speech on Ascension Day, with Xal'atath at her side. The war for Khaz Algar ends in Nerub-ar Palace, the expansion's first raid, where Ansurek is defeated.
How Ansurek reached the throne
The nerubians had a queen, Neferess. Her daughter, Ansurek, made a deal with Xal'atath, stabbed her own mother and took the throne. Neferess was declared dead, but in truth Ansurek imprisoned her in secret and experimented on her, turning her into the First Ascended. With the power of the Void, Ansurek began leading the empire to war against the surface and serving Xal'atath's plans.
Not every nerubian accepted this. Part of the city, the Severed Threads, began working against the queen from the inside, and they are the ones the heroes ally with in Azj-Kahet.
Read more: Azj-Kahet, Ansurek and the rise of Xal'atath and Azj-Kahet: the nerubian hive.
Anduin is alive
After being left behind in Hallowfall, Anduin was given up for lost. The Azj-Kahet campaign confirms that he survived the fall and reunites him with Alleria Windrunner and Faerin Lothar in the middle of enemy territory.
Ascension Day
The leveling campaign ends at a ceremony: Ascension Day, a holiday created by Ansurek to speed up the ascension of the nerubians. Anduin and Alleria sabotage the celebration and watch the queen's speech. Alleria shoots at Xal'atath, who deflects the shot, and the two flee the City of Threads. The leveling story stops at this point, with the queen in power and the war for Azeroth's underground only beginning.
Nerub-ar Palace
The end of the story happens in the raid Nerub-ar Palace. The heroes enter the queen's palace and face Ansurek's most powerful servants until they reach the throne.
Ansurek is defeated. The leaders of the Severed Threads gather by her body, thank the heroes for ending the queen's madness and wonder if something worse still waits in the shadows. Xal'atath, for her part, is still free, and her plan does not depend on a single queen.
What comes next
Ansurek's fall closes patch 11.0. The expansion continues in two chapters:
- Patch 11.1, Undermine: the goblin city and the Chrome King, Gallywix.
- Patch 11.2, K'aresh: the world of the ethereals and the escalation of the Void.
Read more: Ghosts of K'aresh: ethereals, Manaforge Omega and the escalation of the Void.
Where to see it in WotLK
- Azjol-Nerub and Ahn'kahet, in Dragonblight: the old nerubian kingdom of Northrend, destroyed by Arthas.
- Trial of the Crusader: Anub'arak, the nerubian king who serves the Lich King, as the final boss.
- Naxxramas: the necropolis was built from a nerubian structure, and the first wing belongs to the spiders.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Ansurek?
She is the queen of the nerubians of Azj-Kahet in The War Within. She took the throne by stabbing her mother, Neferess, after a deal with Xal'atath.
How does The War Within's campaign end?
The leveling campaign ends on Ascension Day, with Ansurek's speech and the escape of Anduin and Alleria. The story wraps up in the Nerub-ar Palace raid, where she is defeated.
Was Xal'atath defeated in The War Within?
No. Ansurek falls in Nerub-ar Palace, but Xal'atath remains free and carries on with her plan in the following patches.
"The History of the Expansions" series
← Previous: The War Within, part 5: Azj-Kahet and Ansurek Next → The War Within, part 7: Undermine and Gallywix
- Episode 1: WoW Classic at a glance: major conflicts and faction reconstruction
- Episode 2: The Burning Crusade in order: Illidan, Kael'thas, Vashj and the fate of Outland
- Episode 3: WoW History: Wrath of the Lich King
- Episode 4: Cataclysm and the return of Deathwing
- Episode 5: WoW History: Mists of Pandaria
- Episode 6: WoW History: Warlords of Draenor
- Episode 7: WoW History: Legion, the Full Expansion
- Episode 8: The Fourth War in brief: how Azerite reignited the conflict between Horde and Alliance
- Episode 9: WoW History: Shadowlands
- Episode 10: The awakening of the Dragon Isles and the return of the Aspects
- Episode 11: Khaz Algar: the underground continent and the four biomes of The War Within
- The War Within, part 1: The Radiant Song and Dalaran
- The War Within, part 2: The Earthen and Isle of Dorn
- The War Within, part 3: The Ringing Deeps
- The War Within, part 4: The Arathi Expedition
- The War Within, part 5: Azj-Kahet and Ansurek
- The War Within, part 6: The War for Khaz Algar (you are here)
- The War Within, part 7: Undermine and Gallywix
- The War Within, part 8: Ghosts of K'aresh
- Episode 12: Midnight: why Quel'Thalas became the center of the war against the Void
- Episode 13: The Last Titan: what we know about the end of the trilogy
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