WoW Classic at a glance: major conflicts and faction reconstruction

May 18, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

"The History of the Expansions" series — Episode 1. 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.

Classic's setting: a world still recovering

WoW Classic takes place about four years after the Third War. Lordaeron had been destroyed. Stormwind was being rebuilt. The Horde had just arrived in Kalimdor with Thrall and was building Orgrimmar from scratch.

It was a post-war world trying to get organized — and constantly failing at it.

The main factions of the Alliance and the Horde still hated each other. But the common enemy had changed: now it was the remnants of the Scourge, the cultists of C'Thun, and a threat sleeping in the black mountains.

Classic's main threats and wars

The Plague and the remaining Scourge — Naxxramas hung over the Plaguelands in Classic as the Scourge's high point. Kel'Thuzad commands from there. The undead still controlled much of Lordaeron.

Blackwing Lair and Nefarian — The son of Deathwing, trying to create perfect dragons to dominate Azeroth. He was the central threat of mid-Classic.

Ahn'Qiraj and C'Thun — An Old God awakening beneath the deserts of Silithus. The gate-opening event pulled entire servers into a coordinated war effort — one of the most memorable events in MMO history.

Ragnaros and Molten Core — The Firelord summoned by the Dark Iron dwarves. WoW's first big 40-player raid.

How the Horde and the Alliance reorganized

In Classic, the factions' identities solidified:

The Alliance reclaimed Stormwind as its de facto capital. Ironforge was the underground hub. The night elves of Kalimdor formally joined the Alliance after the Third War, bringing Darnassus and the western continent with them.

The Horde founded Orgrimmar, and the tauren had their capital in Thunder Bluff. The Sen'jin trolls joined forces. The tauren arrived as Thrall's natural allies. And the Forsaken — led by Sylvanas — came in as a controversial member: undead who escaped the Lich King's control, but with an agenda of their own.

Dungeons and raids as story milestones

Classic used dungeons and raids to tell a story in a way no game had done before:

Scholomance and Stratholme — killing the direct product of Lordaeron's Plague
Blackrock Spire — clearing the way to Nefarian
Zul'Gurub — troll lore and the return of Hakkar
Naxxramas — the end of Classic. Kel'Thuzad defeated, but the Lich King silent in the north

Every dungeon had context. You weren't just "farming" — you were inside a war that existed before you showed up.

What Classic set up for TBC

Classic ended with the Dark Portal reopening — the event that kicked off TBC. Players spent years in Classic building up enough power to face whatever was on the other side.

Lore-wise, Classic established:

The Forsaken as a destabilizing element inside the Horde
The threat of the Old Gods as a layer of lore older than any faction
The strength of the Kirin Tor (the mages of Dalaran) as an independent power — relevant in WotLK

Without Classic, WotLK doesn't fully make sense. The tensions, the fragile alliances and the characters who show up in Northrend — they all have their roots here.

The zones that tell Classic's story

WoW Classic's story isn't confined to the raids. Many zones have a questline that works like a chapter of the lore:

Westfall: the Defias Brotherhood, the stonemasons who rebuilt Stormwind and were never paid. The chain ends in the Deadmines, with Edwin VanCleef. See the story of the Defias Brotherhood.
Duskwood: the worgen, the dead of Raven Hill and the abomination Stitches, created by the necromancer Abercrombie. It is one of the zones best remembered for its horror atmosphere.
Tirisfal and the Plaguelands: the Scarlet Crusade on one side and the Scourge on the other, with the Argent Dawn in the middle. See the story of the Scarlet Crusade.
Ashenvale: the war between the Warsong clan and the Sentinels, which becomes the Warsong Gulch battleground.
Alterac Mountains and Alterac Valley: the Frostwolves against the Stormpike dwarves, in the Alterac Valley battleground.
Silithus: the Twilight's Hammer, the Cenarion Circle and the Scarab Wall, the harbinger of Ahn'Qiraj.
Stormwind: the long Onyxia chain, which reveals that the noblewoman Lady Katrana Prestor was Deathwing's daughter in disguise.

WoW Classic raids in order

| Raid | Where | Final boss | What it tells | |------|-------|------------|---------------| | Molten Core | Blackrock Mountain | Ragnaros | The Firelord summoned by the Dark Iron in the War of the Three Hammers | | Onyxia's Lair | Dustwallow Marsh | Onyxia | Deathwing's daughter, unmasked in Stormwind | | Blackwing Lair | Top of Blackrock Mountain | Nefarian | The experiments with the chromatic dragons | | Zul'Gurub | Stranglethorn Vale | Hakkar | The blood god of the Gurubashi trolls | | Ruins and Temple of Ahn'Qiraj | Silithus | C'Thun | The Old God and the insect empire. See Ahn'Qiraj and the War of the Shifting Sands | | Naxxramas | Above the Plaguelands | Kel'Thuzad | The Scourge necropolis and the end of Classic |

The story of each of these raids is told in order in History of Warcraft #8: ancient threats, and the zone conflicts in History of Warcraft #7: constant danger.

Who the leaders were at the start of WoW

Stormwind: Highlord Bolvar Fordragon, regent on behalf of the young Anduin Wrynn, with King Varian missing.
Ironforge: King Magni Bronzebeard.
Darnassus: High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind, with Archdruid Fandral Staghelm leading the druids.
Gnomeregan: High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque, exiled in Ironforge after the city fell.
Orgrimmar: Warchief Thrall.
Thunder Bluff: High Chieftain Cairne Bloodhoof.
Undercity: Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner.
Sen'jin and the Echo Isles: Vol'jin, leader of the Darkspear trolls.

Where to see it in WotLK

On the server, the Classic world is just as it was before Cataclysm. Every zone, quest chain and dungeon mentioned above can be played in WotLK 3.3.5a. The Classic raids are there too, and Naxxramas and Onyxia were remade for level 80.

Frequently asked questions

When does WoW Classic take place?

About four years after the end of Warcraft 3 and The Frozen Throne, with Arthas already the Lich King in Northrend.

What is the order of the WoW Classic raids?

Molten Core and Onyxia's Lair, then Blackwing Lair, Zul'Gurub, Ahn'Qiraj and, last, Naxxramas.

Who is the main villain of WoW Classic?

There isn't just one. Each raid has its own: Ragnaros, Onyxia, Nefarian, Hakkar, C'Thun and Kel'Thuzad. In the zones, the big conflicts are the Scourge, the Scarlet Crusade and the war between the Horde and the Alliance.

"The History of the Expansions" series

← Before this series: History of Warcraft #8: ancient threats Next → Episode 2: The Burning Crusade in order: Illidan, Kael'thas, Vashj and the fate of Outland