Recaps

Jiyun Ailin used Taran Zhu and Chen Stormstout to gather three thousand Pandaren versed in Chi, intending to sacrifice them to open the underground palace for Garrosh. As Garrosh’s forces approached Pandaria, Anduin marched inland, unaware that Garrosh’s supposedly massive army was weak and poorly equipped.

• Jiyun Ailin ordered Taran Zhu and Chen Stormstout to recruit three thousand martial arts masters for a blood sacrifice, and they briefly plotted to defeat her before Malkorok confirmed Garrosh’s plan and arrival.
• Taran Zhu and Chen Stormstout gathered three thousand Pandaren versed in Chi, including remnants of the Golden Lotus and survivors of the Peace Dove.
• Anduin landed in the Krasarang Wilds with fifty thousand Alliance soldiers and hurried toward the Townlong Steppes, hoping to seek the Mogu’s protection from the Orcs.
• Garrosh advanced toward Pandaria with a force far weaker than his claimed five hundred thousand, relying chiefly on three thousand Kor'kron elites.

Garrosh led Kor'kron elites into the Vale of Eternal Blossoms to claim Y'Shaarj's Heart of Darkness, while Jiyun Ailin and the Pandaren staged an ambush meant to draw neutral races into a trap. The Orcs were caught by the Sha and attacked by Pandaren forces, but Taran Zhu secretly signaled Garrosh that the plan had changed and promised reinforcements.

• Garrosh reached the Gate of the Deity, where the August Celestials' images welcomed him and the gate opened for his army.
• Jiyun Ailin told Chen Stormstout and Taran Zhu that Garrosh planned to feign desperation to lure neutral races out, and Taran Zhu agreed to take part.
• Garrosh marched three thousand Kor'kron elites into the Vale, where Sha mist drove many Orcs into a frenzy before a purification scroll cleared the corruption.
• Chen Stormstout and Taran Zhu led three thousand Pandaren experts in an attack on the exhausted Orcs.
• Taran Zhu fought Garrosh while signaling that Thrall's plot had changed, then assured him that reinforcements would arrive soon.

Jiyun Ailin’s plan drove Garrosh and the Kor'kron into a confrontation at Qionghua Lake, where the Jinyu ancestor Jinxiu revealed the Heart of Darkness and tested Garrosh as the destined one. After Garrosh failed the test, he suspected Thrall was the true chosen one and resolved to kill him.

• Jiyun Ailin and Malkorok watched Taran Zhu feign defeat against Garrosh while the Pandaren overwhelmed the Kor'kron.
• Jiyun Ailin sounded her horn, prompting the Pandaren to retreat as a colossal, nine-headed turtle rose from Qionghua Lake with Jinxiu aboard.
• Garrosh captured the unconscious Taran Zhu, then met Jinxiu, who claimed to have guarded the Heart of Darkness while waiting for the destined one.
• Jinxiu led Garrosh and the surviving Kor'kron through the lake to Qionghua Palace and explained the Heart of Y'Shaarj and the Jinyu's origins.
• Garrosh approached the heart but was overwhelmed by its violent power, so Jinxiu pulled him back and declared him unworthy of the prophecy.
• Garrosh lay awake that night, suspecting Thrall was the destined one and deciding he would kill him and take his place.

Garrosh and Thrall both tried to claim the Heart of Darkness, but neither could pass its seal. As Thrall was pulled back from the Heart, Taran Zhu burst into the hall and charged toward the seal.

• Garrosh killed a Jinyu and demanded that Elder Jinxiu provide Jinyu as meals in place of Tauren.
• Garrosh hurried to Qionghua Palace after learning Thrall had been invited to seek the Heart of Darkness, but arrived to find Thrall speaking with Elder Jinxiu and Vol'jin.
• Thrall taunted Garrosh, then approached the Heart's seal and became trapped in a vision of power.
• Elder Jinxiu used Flowing Water to pull Thrall back, and Thrall learned that he had failed to merge with the Heart.
• Taran Zhu escaped the palace dungeon, wandered into the central hall, and charged toward the seal as the Jinyu guards pursued him.

Taran Zhu used his Chi to approach the Heart of Darkness, but Grand Elder Jinxiu stopped and captured him before he could reach it. Thrall and Vol'jin plotted to send Chen Stormstout toward the heart, while Garrosh pressured Taran Zhu to retrieve it for him.

• Taran Zhu resisted the Sha's influence with Life Cocoon and used the flowing water to move closer to the Heart of Darkness.
• Grand Elder Jinxiu blocked Taran Zhu with a wall of water, then captured him after he shattered it and nearly reached the heart.
• Garrosh stopped Jinxiu from executing Taran Zhu, and Kor'kron Orcs took the Pandaren prisoner.
• Thrall and Vol'jin revealed they had planted a Magic Beacon in Qionghua Palace and concluded that Chen Stormstout could approach the heart with his Chi.
• Garrosh privately threatened Taran Zhu and urged him to retrieve the Heart of Darkness and hand it over.

Garrosh persuaded Taran Zhu to help him retrieve the Heart of Darkness in exchange for a teleportation scroll while rumors about Qionghua Palace sparked conflict between the Pandaren and Jinyu. As the Jinyu and Pandaren prepared for battle, Lorewalker Cho helped force a truce, and Garrosh’s raid on the palace was interrupted by Thrall, Vol’jin, Aethas Sunreaver, and Chen Stormstout.

• Garrosh offered Taran Zhu a teleportation scroll if he helped retrieve the Heart of Darkness, and Taran Zhu agreed.
• Thrall, Vol’jin, and Garrosh spread news about Qionghua Palace, stirring hostility between the Pandaren and Jinyu.
• Jiyun Ailin gathered Pandaren forces and demanded that Grand Elder Jinxiu release Taran Zhu and surrender Garrosh and the Kor’kron.
• As the Pandaren and Jinyu faced off, Hozen threatened the Pandaren rear, but Lorewalker Cho and Shado-Pan disciples arrived and pressured Jinxiu into talks.
• Garrosh led Kor’kron elites into Qionghua Palace and ordered Taran Zhu to retrieve the Heart of Darkness.
• Thrall arrived with Vol’jin, Aethas Sunreaver, Sunreavers, and Chen Stormstout, confronting Garrosh.

Taran Zhu and Chen Stormstout battled over access to the Heart of Darkness while Garrosh tried to win Aethas Sunreaver and the Sunreavers away from Thrall. The standoff ended when Garrosh and Thrall compared their clues to fusing with the Heart and agreed to compete for it.

• Taran Zhu and Chen Stormstout fought across the Flowing Water and discussed whether Garrosh or Thrall knew how to fuse with the Heart of Darkness.
• Garrosh reminded Aethas Sunreaver that he had helped the Sunreavers enter Dalaran, while Aethas said Thrall had rescued them from prison.
• Garrosh threatened to reveal Aethas's humiliating past, but Aethas refused to help Thrall attack Garrosh and promised only to protect him.
• The Sha's influence drove Taran Zhu and Chen Stormstout to retreat from the Heart of Darkness and slow their fight.
• Thrall and Garrosh wrote their clues on their palms and revealed that Thrall had written "water" and Garrosh had written "flowing water."
• Thrall and Garrosh agreed to rely on their own forces and compete to fuse with the Heart of Darkness.

After the Jinyu and Pandaren concluded hostile negotiations, Jiyun Ailin revealed that Garrosh’s actions had unleashed the Heart of Y'Shaarj beneath Qionghua Lake. The disaster destroyed the lake and Qionghua Palace, killed countless Jinyu, and left Garrosh claiming the Heart as his own while blaming Grand Elder Jinxiu.

• Grand Elder Jinxiu and Lorewalker Cho agreed that the Pandaren would withdraw and the Jinyu would release Taran Zhu, but they parted after insulting each other and rejecting an alliance.
• On the way back, Jiyun Ailin told Lorewalker Cho that Jinxiu had refused an alliance to protect his own interests, then admitted the explosions at Qionghua Lake were part of her plan.
• As Garrosh and Aethas's Sunreavers bombarded Qionghua Palace, Taran Zhu and Chen Stormstout stopped fighting and took shelter inside the Magic Shield.
• The palace walls collapsed, lake water reached the purple heart, and the destroyed seals unleashed Sha energy that killed countless Jinyu and devastated the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
• Garrosh kicked Grand Elder Jinxiu down and claimed the Heart of Y'Shaarj, telling Jinxiu that the Jinyu had died because he had saved Garrosh.

Thrall used Dreadlord Jaina and resurrected Jinyu to defeat Garrosh’s Kor'kron and seize the purple heart, while Jiyun Ailin revealed the Vale of Eternal Blossoms itself was Y'Shaarj’s Heart of Darkness. As Thrall’s enslaved Hozen struggled to carry the heart out of the vale, a vast Orc army blocked his path.

• Thrall revealed that Jaina had become a Dreadlord and ordered her to attack Garrosh, who raised a thousand Jinyu corpses to fight the Kor'kron.
• Taran Zhu stole Garrosh’s teleportation scroll, Chen Stormstout took another, and Garrosh escaped using a cracked Rune Stone before Jaina could seal the space.
• Thrall demanded three thousand Jinyu as sacrifices from Grand Elder Jinxiu, while Jiyun Ailin explained that the vale itself was Y'Shaarj’s Heart of Darkness and the purple heart belonged to Ra-den.
• Thrall’s resurrected Jinyu fell when their Fel power ran out, so Vol'jin helped him enslave Hozen to carry the purple heart.
• The Hozen delayed the journey for three days, until a vast Orc army arrived and blocked Thrall’s way through the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.

Thrall’s forces were defeated by Garrosh’s Orcs, who captured Thrall and Jaina and brought them to the Waterspeaker Sanctuary at Inkfin Pool. Garrosh prepared to sacrifice three thousand Jinyu to the Heart of Darkness and announced that he would deal with another traitorous general before executing the prisoners.

• Antonidas joined Garrosh’s side, blocked Jaina’s portal, and defeated her with Mana Burn.
• Nazgrim’s Orcs overwhelmed Thrall, captured him, and tortured him while Vol’jin escaped in a smoke bomb.
• Antonidas’s forces bound Jaina to an iron pillar, and Orcs killed Jinyu elder Jinxiu after he surrendered.
• The Orc army brought the purple heart, Thrall, and Jaina to the desecrated Waterspeaker Sanctuary at Inkfin Pool, where three thousand Jinyu were prepared as sacrifices.
• Garrosh denounced Thrall and Jaina as traitors before the Orc soldiers and announced he would deal with another traitorous general.

Garrosh infused Malkorok with the power of a purple heart and then merged with it, believing he had become the strongest being in Azeroth. Chromie rescued Thrall and Jaina, revealed that the heart belonged to a Void Creature rather than Y'Shaarj, and helped Thrall see an opportunity to overthrow Garrosh.

• Garrosh tested the purple heart by infusing Malkorok with its power, transforming him into a monstrous, loyal lieutenant.
• Garrosh sacrificed three thousand Jinyu to empower the heart, then merged with it and declared himself the strongest in Azeroth.
• Garrosh tried to execute Thrall and Jaina, but Chromie used time magic to rescue them.
• Chromie told Thrall that the purple heart was from a powerful Void Creature, not Y'Shaarj, and that Garrosh was only about as strong as an adult Dragon.
• Thrall realized Sylvanas could expose Garrosh's true strength and decided to use the opportunity to overthrow him and reclaim the Warchief position.

The Alliance held Niuzao Temple against the Orcs until Anduin learned that Garrosh had fused with the Heart of Darkness of Y'Shaarj and ordered a retreat. Anduin fled by sea, leaving Llane Trollbane to command the remaining soldiers as Garrosh arrived with an army of more than five hundred thousand.

• The Alliance repelled repeated Orc attacks on the bridge and by sea, while its generals expected the Orcs to run out of food.
• An SI:7 agent told Anduin that Garrosh had fused with the Heart of Darkness of Y'Shaarj and was marching toward the Townlong Steppes.
• Anduin ordered an evacuation and left the remaining Alliance soldiers under Llane Trollbane's command, then fled at night with the warships and several generals.
• Llane asked Anduin to leave behind his armor so a soldier could impersonate him, but Anduin refused.
• Garrosh arrived with an army of more than five hundred thousand, joined by Jinyu, Hozen, Yaungol, and Pandaren.
• Llane told the remaining generals that Garrosh's forces might scatter if he fell, but admitted they would have to fight to the death if Garrosh used the other races to wear them down.

Garrosh sent Pandaria’s races to besiege Niuzao Temple, where Llane’s human defenders resisted despite overwhelming losses. The Mantid attacked the crowded besieging army, and a towering figure emerged from the mist to confront Garrosh.

• Garrosh demanded that the Yaungol prove their loyalty by taking the stone bridge, and Ye Han Duosi led their charge against Llane’s defenders.
• The Yaungol forced the humans to abandon the bridgehead, but Llane used ballistae to cover the retreat before the bridge exploded and killed many attackers.
• Garrosh ordered Pandaria’s races to attack Niuzao Temple, and their repeated assaults cost two hundred thousand lives while fewer than twenty thousand wounded humans remained inside.
• Llane told his soldiers they had not lost and believed the Mantid, Pandaria’s greatest enemy, would turn against Garrosh’s besieging army.
• The Mantid swarmed over the island and bombarded the exposed allied forces while Niuzao Temple’s magic shield protected its defenders.
• A towering figure emerged from the mist near the Orc camp and confronted Garrosh.

Garrosh and the Pandaria leaders faced Grand Empress Shek'zeer and the Sha of Fear, who brutalized Garrosh while the Mantid devoured the dead and wounded. The Heart of Darkness healed Garrosh, and he confronted the surviving leaders, demanding to know what they had seen.

• Garrosh challenged Shek'zeer over the bodies on the island, but her gaze enchanted him and forced him to kneel and strike himself.
• The Sha of Fear arrived, seized Garrosh, and joined Shek'zeer in tossing him back and forth while they tore flesh from his body.
• Garrosh begged for mercy and offered the Horde to the Mantid, while the Pandaria leaders watched in shock.
• Shek'zeer and the Sha of Fear let Garrosh live so he could lure more Pandarians to their deaths, and the Mantid carried off the bodies and infested the wounded.
• The Heart of Darkness healed Garrosh, who approached the surviving leaders and demanded to know what they had seen.

Garrosh forced Pandaria’s leaders to praise his strength and spread lies about his victories, while Anduin became so devoted to him that he killed a guard who brought him a truthful battle report. In Undercity, Sylvanas and Antonidas chose to wait until Garrosh’s deluded supporters were dead before acting against him.

• Garrosh intimidated the Pandarian leaders into praising him and ordered them to recruit their people, claiming enemies across Azeroth threatened the world.
• Anduin read the Jinyu’s glowing account of Garrosh’s supposed victories and praised him as an invincible god of war.
• Anduin killed a guard who presented an SI:7 report contradicting the propaganda, then declared that Orcs were the most perfect race.
• Sylvanas learned from Antonidas that Garrosh had only brute strength after merging with the Heart of Darkness, but she decided they should wait until his deceived followers were dead.

Leishi discovered that the Orcs were secretly slaughtering wounded allies and staging attacks in the Dread Wastes, where they cooperated with the Mantid to kill Pandarian forces. The Endless Guardians revealed that the Jinyu were desperately increasing their population to withstand the Orcs’ killings.

• Leishi treated wounded soldiers who were carried to a black tent, unaware that they were being butchered inside.
• The Endless Guardians Asani, Kaolan, and Regail summoned Leishi and questioned him about his hidden water magic and his opinion of Garrosh and the Orcs.
• Regail showed Leishi a vision of Orcs skinning and cutting up wounded allied soldiers in the black tent.
• Regail showed Leishi another vision in which Orcs and Mantid cooperated to slaughter a Pandarian force in the Dread Wastes.
• Kaolan told Leishi that the Jinyu had begun reproducing frantically to cope with the Orcs’ slaughter.

The Endless Guardians tried to recruit Leishi to contact the Sha of Fear, but he refused because he trusted Garrosh and feared opposing him. After Leishi was selected as Garrosh’s meal, the Guardians secretly took him to a water spirit, who began transforming him into one.

• Leishi rejected the Endless Guardians’ plea to seek the Sha of Fear’s help, insisting that Garrosh acted for Azeroth.
• Kaolan let Leishi leave, while Regail angrily condemned his decision to avoid resisting Garrosh.
• A Jinyu guard told Leishi he had been chosen as the main course for Garrosh, and Leishi accepted the news with feigned delight.
• The Endless Guardians knocked Leishi unconscious and carried him out of camp before Garrosh could eat him.
• The Guardians asked a water spirit for help, and it enveloped Leishi in water as his flesh began transforming into a water spirit.

The Sha of Fear empowered the three Jinyu Guardians to confront Garrosh after condemning them for seeking help too late. Garrosh fused with the Heart of Darkness to face the attack, but animated Sha-corrupted arms seized his legs as he emerged from his tent.

• The Sha of Fear revealed that the Jinyu’s fear of the Orcs had helped bring their people to the brink of extinction, then infected Guardian Kaolan, Elder Regail, and Elder Asani with Sha energy.
• The three Guardians unleashed Sha corruption, lightning, and corrosive rain on the Orcs Camp and challenged Garrosh.
• Garrosh considered fleeing but chose to fuse with the Heart of Darkness rather than abandon it.
• Garrosh emerged from his exploding tent, unharmed by the storm, and the Orcs and allied troops cheered.
• Two arms formed from Sha-corrupted soil grabbed Garrosh’s legs.

Garrosh defeated the three elders, but the coalition soldiers’ fanatical devotion let him recover and revealed how thoroughly his rule had corrupted them. Later, Thrall learned Garrosh was preparing to attack the Terrace of Endless Spring and recognized the campaign as a move against him, so he decided to strike back.

• Garrosh broke free of the elders’ attacks, but their combined sha power stripped away his armor and Regail’s lightning brought him down.
• A Tauren urged the coalition soldiers to protect Garrosh, and hundreds of thousands charged the elders before three thousand were consumed by the Heart of Darkness, healing Garrosh.
• Guardian Kaolan, Elder Regail, and Elder Asani abandoned the fight and withdrew to the Terrace of Endless Spring in despair.
• Garrosh and General Nazgrim arranged for the witnesses to be fed to the Mantid, while replacement soldiers were sent to Pandaria and Garrosh’s forces grew stronger.
• Vol’jin told Thrall that Anduin was trying to persuade Varian to surrender and that Garrosh planned to lead an assault on the Terrace of Endless Spring.
• Thrall decided Garrosh’s campaign was a pretext to target him and declared that it was time to strike back.

Murozond and Robbie discussed Thrall’s plan to use Fel Orcs against Garrosh, while Huoji sought guidance from Zen Master Zhuang and was persuaded to join Garrosh. The Fel Orcs then stormed Tian Monastery and killed Zhuang.

• Murozond eavesdropped on Thrall and Vol'jin and discussed with Robbie how Thrall might use Magtheridon and the Fel Orcs to fight Garrosh.
• Huoji visited Zen Master Zhuang to ask whether he should join Garrosh, despite the Orcs having killed his family.
• Zhuang told Huoji that Garrosh was Azeroth’s World Soul and that Thrall was his destined nemesis, so Huoji decided to join Garrosh.
• A female attendant reminded Zhuang that he had once called Thrall the World Soul, and Zhuang answered that both, neither, or one of them could be.
• Blood-red Fel Orcs stormed Tian Monastery, and one seized Zhuang and bit through his neck.

Garrosh sent vast allied forces into the Terrace of Endless Spring, where Thrall’s Fel Orcs secretly slaughtered them and used them for food. As Thrall and Garrosh’s empowered armies faced off, the two agreed to an ancient one-on-one duel that was really a private negotiation.

• Garrosh sent fifty thousand allied troops, then another hundred thousand, into the Terrace of Endless Spring, and none returned.
• Thrall’s Fel Orcs revealed that they had killed the allied troops and turned them into jerky, while the three elders reluctantly cooperated with Thrall.
• After scouts reported Thrall’s Fel Orcs, Garrosh ordered General Nazgrim to summon Malkorok and prepare the Kor'kron elite.
• Thrall and Garrosh brought their empowered armies to face each other at the Terrace of Endless Spring, while the three elders feared the battle’s consequences.
• Garrosh proposed a duel to the death without the Heart of Darkness, and Thrall agreed, understanding that they meant to negotiate privately.

Thrall and Garrosh staged an unarmed duel while secretly negotiating over territory in Pandaria. After they agreed to a deal that gave Garrosh the Terrace of Endless Spring and Thrall the Jade Forest, Robbie noticed Huoji approaching and decided to give him a chance to pledge loyalty to Garrosh.

• Thrall and Garrosh exchanged public insults and private boasts about their armies and resources before agreeing to begin their staged duel.
• Thrall and Garrosh fought for the watching soldiers while negotiating over control of Pandaria.
• Thrall agreed to give up the Terrace of Endless Spring, and Garrosh accepted Thrall’s claim to the Jade Forest.
• Garrosh and Thrall planned to trade staged victories so both sides could save face and use the duel for propaganda.
• Murozond saw that Huoji was a capable Pandaren Monk arriving to join Garrosh, and Robbie decided to create an opportunity for Huoji to pledge his loyalty.

Huoji charged into Thrall and Garrosh’s staged duel, mistook Garrosh’s beating for real danger, and attacked Thrall, triggering a battle between the Fel Orcs and Kor'kron Orcs. As the fighting spread, Thrall and Garrosh both withdrew, while Nazgrim escorted Y'Shaarj's Heart of Darkness away and took Huoji with him.

• Huoji made his way through the Kor'kron army and watched Thrall overpower Garrosh in their duel.
• Believing Garrosh was in danger, Huoji attacked Thrall and rubbed the protective grease from his face, leaving him bloody and begging for mercy.
• Vol'jin accused Garrosh of breaking the Orcs’ promise, and the Fel Orcs and Kor'kron Orcs charged into a chaotic melee.
• Thrall and Vol'jin withdrew after deciding the Jinyu might benefit if the Orcs crippled each other, while Garrosh escaped with Nazgrim’s help.
• Garrosh ordered Nazgrim to escort Y'Shaarj's Heart of Darkness away, and Nazgrim took Huoji along as they left.

Thrall ordered the execution of his defeated soldiers and plotted to draw the Alliance and Sylvanas into war against Garrosh. Meanwhile, captured Huoji learned that Garrosh's followers considered being served as ingredients at his banquet an honor.

• After the battle at the Terrace of Endless Spring turned into a day-long free-for-all, Thrall had his surviving soldiers and fleeing generals brought before him and ordered them all killed.
• Thrall told Vol'jin to persuade Sylvanas to join them and ordered Velen to influence Stormwind City's politics through Anduin so the Alliance would fight Garrosh.
• A Troll freed Huoji and sent him to bathe and change for Garrosh's banquet, where Huoji overheard Pandaren, Yaungol, Jinyu, and Hozen competing to be the Orcs' favorite ingredient.
• The Orcs drugged Huoji and marched him with the other captives to Garrosh's tent, where he saw the Yaungol bristle at the arrival of Tauren from Mulgore.

Prophet Velen took charge of Anduin after he tortured King Varian, while Garrosh heard that Velen was rallying Stormwind behind Thrall. The chapter ended with Eitrigg urging Garrosh to send five hundred Orcs to attack Exodar and enslave Velen.

• Prophet Velen promised Varian that he would discipline Anduin and discussed Thrall’s call for the Alliance and Horde to unite against Garrosh.
• Velen confronted Anduin in the Stockade and threatened to repeatedly torture and heal him until he became a puppet of the Holy Light.
• Garrosh brooded over his defeat and his hatred of Thrall while his generals remained silent.
• Eitrigg told Garrosh that Velen was in Stormwind persuading Varian to support Thrall.
• Eitrigg proposed that Garrosh send five hundred Orcs to attack Exodar and make Velen his slave.