Recaps

Arthas confronted Mal'Ganis in Stratholme, learned to use the Dreadlord’s power to transform the Undead, and gathered them into a growing force. At the main gate, Thrall sent Dragon Orcs onto the wall, where they met fierce resistance from Rivendare’s suicide squad.

• Mal'Ganis raised fallen Silver Hand knights as demons, but Arthas fought them while studying the power inside their bodies.
• Mal'Ganis tried to provoke Arthas and fled toward a pile of corpses, while Arthas empowered Stratholme’s Undead and turned them into Ghouls that followed him.
• Thrall grew suspicious when the planned fighting inside Stratholme failed to begin and teleported his Dragon Orcs onto the wall.
• Baron Rivendare sent a suicide squad against the Dragon Orcs, and the two forces clashed in a brutal fight that forced the Orcs into a frenzy.

The Orcs and Dalaran launched their main assault on Stratholme after the Silver Hand was nearly destroyed, while Robbie forced Uther to flee and smashed an Elf siege tower. Sylvanas escaped the collapse, but hundreds of Elf rangers were buried beneath it.

• Sylvanas shot the wounded young Rivendare, and Baron Rivendare warned his officers to stay alert as the Dragon Orcs and human defenders nearly annihilated each other.
• Dathrohan returned with news that the Silver Hand had been ambushed, and Antonidas persuaded the allied leaders to blame Uther and begin the main assault ahead of schedule.
• Dalaran's enchanted catapults battered Stratholme's walls as siege towers and magic constructs advanced under cover.
• Robbie told Uther that he would be blamed for the Silver Hand's ambush and eaten by Thrall, prompting Uther to flee.
• Robbie smashed Sylvanas's siege tower with his warhammer, burying hundreds of Elf rangers as Sylvanas cried out in horror.

Robbie destroyed Dalaran’s siege towers, but the Orcs broke through Stratholme’s wall after a bloody battle that killed Baron Rivendare. As Arthas faced the city’s dead and the grief of its fall, he awakened to a new power and declared, “The Scourge descends.”

• Robbie destroyed the remaining siege towers, while an Arcane cannon barrage breached Stratholme’s wall and Thrall sent the Orcs to attack.
• The Orcs and Stratholme’s defenders fought over the narrow breach, suffering heavy losses as the defenders’ Plague Potion weakened the Orcs who bit their corpses.
• Mal'Ganis fled toward the city gate as Arthas pursued him and grew stronger by learning the Dreadlord’s techniques.
• Baron Rivendare sent his son Oryx away, then led a final charge and died after Sylvanas shot him with an arrow.
• Arthas reached the wall, rejected Mal'Ganis’s claim that Stratholme had fallen, and declared, “The Scourge descends.”

Arthas unleashed the power of the dead to drive the Orcs and their allies from Stratholme, then struggled with the limits of his strength as he rebuilt the city. He confessed that Robbie’s axe had been guiding him, and Robbie revealed that Frostmourne awaited them in Northrend.

• Arthas raised Stratholme’s fallen warriors, including Baron Rivendare, while Sylvanas, Mal'Ganis, Thrall, Antonidas, and Jaina watched in fear and astonishment.
• Baron Rivendare led the resurrected Undead against the Orcs, and Thrall and Sylvanas ordered their forces to retreat.
• Arthas declared that Stratholme would never fall, but lamented that he lacked the power to save all of Lordaeron and bring peace to his father’s soul.
• Arthas and the Undead reshaped Stratholme into a city of the dead while he secretly studied Kel'Thuzad’s notes about becoming a Lich.
• Arthas told Robbie that the Axe of Tyranny had been communicating with the World of the Dead and teaching him; Robbie identified it as Shadowmourne and named Frostmourne as the sword in Northrend.

Arthas and Robbie searched Northrend for Frostmourne and found Muradin Bronzebeard and his starving group. After Muradin rejected their help to avoid angering Thrall, Robbie slaughtered the mercenaries and forced Muradin to affirm his sincere friendship with Arthas.

• Arthas continued searching for Frostmourne while the Restless Souls reported that Lordaeron's Undead were being hunted by Orcs and their allies.
• Arthas told Robbie he wanted to make his enemies suffer as the people of Lordaeron had suffered.
• Scouts led Arthas and Robbie to Muradin Bronzebeard and his starving companions, but Muradin treated Arthas coldly and worried that helping him would provoke Thrall.
• Robbie offered food and supplies, but Muradin insulted the people of Lordaeron and refused to call them friends.
• Robbie charged Muradin's weakened mercenaries and slaughtered them, then demanded Muradin choose what kind of friends they would be.
• Muradin declared by the Holy Light that his friendship with Prince Arthas was sincere.

Arthas and Robbie convinced Muradin to help forge Frostmourne in exchange for aid recovering the Eternal Flame. Muradin agreed after Arthas promised not to use the weapon to slaughter innocent civilians, leaving the group preparing to create a divine artifact.

• Muradin joined Arthas, Robbie, and the others at camp, cursed the Orcs, and explained that he had come to Northrend seeking a powerful weapon against them.
• Arthas asked Muradin about Frostmourne, and Robbie described the runeblade's ability to absorb souls and raise an undead army.
• Muradin revealed that he had found the Eternal Flame but needed help overcoming the elemental creatures guarding it.
• Robbie offered the Axe of Tyranny as metal for Frostmourne, and Arthas presented a powerful crystal and twelve Runes of the Dead.
• Muradin agreed to forge Frostmourne after Arthas swore not to use it to slaughter innocent civilians.

Robbie, Arthas, and Muradin finalized two Frostmourne designs and led their growing Scourge army north toward the Dragonbone Plain while Mal'Ganis searched for Ner'zhul and summoned Jaina. Jaina arrived with a message from the Guardian, ordering Mal'Ganis to watch Arthas.

• Robbie, Arthas, and Muradin designed a massive, powerful Frostmourne and a smaller ornamental version that Muradin planned to forge from the remaining material.
• Arthas gathered nearby Undead into an army by replacing their souls with the Restless Souls of Lordaeron's people, then led the Scourge north toward the Dragonbone Plain while avoiding local inhabitants.
• Mal'Ganis searched Northrend for Ner'zhul, believing the Orc's knowledge had enabled Arthas's rise, and planted a Magic Beacon to seek help from Dalaran.
• Jaina emerged from the portal and told Mal'Ganis that Thrall would become Lordaeron's ruler and she would be crowned queen.
• After Mal'Ganis challenged Jaina's loyalty and asked why she had come, she said the Guardian had ordered him to keep watch on Arthas.

Jaina struck a bargain with Mal'Ganis, promising him the souls of Lordaeron’s survivors in exchange for his help with Thrall’s conquest. As Arthas and the Dwarves neared completion of Frostmourne, Medivh appeared at the forge just as Arthas began to explain how the sword would be empowered.

• Jaina told Mal'Ganis that Arthas's power required a special bloodline, then offered him human souls in return for helping Thrall conquer Azeroth and eradicate its other races.
• Mal'Ganis accepted Jaina's offer, asked about Arthas's plans, and dismissed the rumor that the Burning Legion had forged Frostmourne; Jaina reported that Arthas was searching for the sword and fled through the portal.
• Muradin, Robbie, and Arthas forged two versions of Frostmourne near the volcanic crater, using the Axe of Tyranny, the Eternal Flame, Holy Light crystals, and runes.
• Robbie sensed Mal'Ganis spying from a canyon, and Arthas identified the Dreadlord's location; Robbie went with soldiers to kill him.
• Muradin finished the smaller Frostmourne, while Arthas completed the runes on the giant sword and said it still needed the power of the dead; Medivh appeared and asked why he had stopped.

Medivh seized Frostmourne, subdued Arthas, and killed the Dwarves and soldiers at the forge while Robbie returned to find Muradin wounded. After Medivh revealed he knew Robbie came from the future and explained how time worked, Robbie played a music box tied to Queen Azshara’s Mana Wyrms.

• Medivh captured Arthas, knocked Muradin aside, took Frostmourne, and slaughtered the Dwarves and Arthas’s men.
• Robbie spotted Mal'Ganis fleeing and a red dragon in the clouds, then returned to the forge and healed Muradin’s wound.
• Medivh told Robbie he had recognized him as a time traveler and crushed the Holy Light Codex after learning it carried information from the future.
• Robbie questioned Medivh about changing the past, and Medivh explained that time flowed in tangled currents and that he intended to blame Arthas for his crimes.
• Robbie told Medivh that Frostmourne did not belong to him, then produced Kel'Thuzad’s music box and played a song praising Queen Azshara.
• Robbie recalled Azazel’s diary about Prince Kael'thas stealing magical aptitude with a Spellstealer Wyrm, a Mana Wyrm variant.

Robbie defeated Medivh’s demon summoning by using the music box to drain his mana, but Magna Aegwynn arrived and destroyed the music box. Aegwynn rescued her son and ordered him to torment Robbie, leaving Robbie facing both Guardians while protecting Arthas and Muradin.

• Medivh retreated from Robbie, abandoning Frostmourne, while Robbie freed the unconscious Arthas from the green monster and healed him.
• Robbie used the music box to disrupt Medivh’s spellcasting and stop him from opening a demon portal, then approached the fallen Guardian with both Frostmournes.
• A white feather saved Medivh from the fall, and a streak of Arcane magic destroyed Robbie’s music box.
• Magna Aegwynn appeared, rebuked Medivh for underestimating Robbie, and revealed she supported his attempt to gain the power of the World of the Dead.
• Aegwynn ordered Medivh to make Robbie suffer while Robbie stood guard beside Arthas and Muradin.

Robbie confronted Medivh and Aegwynn, and Medivh explained how the Guardians’ power had been weakened as mages and nobles diverted Spellstealer Wyrms for personal gain. Aegwynn revealed that she had stolen demonic power to defend Azeroth, leaving Robbie to hear that earlier Guardians had made a mistake.

• Medivh told Robbie that the Guardian’s power had once grown through generations of mages who gave Spellstealer Wyrms their magic.
• Medivh explained that nobles and mages began keeping the wyrms’ power for themselves, leaving Guardian Skavyn unable to stop the Burning Legion and unable to find a willing successor besides Aegwynn.
• Aegwynn said she inherited weak, aging wyrms and faced increasingly frequent demonic invasions with inadequate power.
• Aegwynn revealed that she implanted Spellstealer Wyrm eggs in demons, hunted them, and stole their power to become Azeroth’s strongest Guardian.
• Aegwynn said she had gradually realized that every Guardian before her had made a mistake.

Robbie exposed Aegwynn and Medivh’s false immortality by singing Azshara’s Hymn, driving the Spellstealer Wyrms from their bodies and leaving them powerless. After a volcanic eruption separated them, Robbie and Arthas escaped, while Muradin chose to hide; Arthas then set out to hunt Mal'Ganis and return to Lordaeron.

• Aegwynn explained that she had cultivated powerful bloodlines among humans and rejected the Council of Tirisfal’s attempt to strip her of the Guardian’s power.
• Medivh prepared to feed Robbie to the Spellstealer Wyrms, but Robbie sang Azshara’s Hymn and made the wyrms flee from Aegwynn and Medivh, revealing their skeletal bodies and false immortality.
• A volcano erupted, and Robbie carried Arthas, Muradin, and their weapons to safety while Aegwynn and Medivh were buried beneath rocks.
• Robbie told Arthas that Medivh’s weakness could help him defeat the Guardian once Frostmourne was complete, then left Muradin behind to avoid drawing trouble to Ironforge.
• Muradin woke, decided to pretend he had lost his memory, and headed north to hide.
• Arthas resurrected the fallen soldiers and vowed to hunt Mal'Ganis before returning to Lordaeron.

Robbie and Arthas killed Mal'Ganis and headed for Lordaeron, where Thrall was being crowned king. Thrall's coronation ended in violence after Dalaran's envoy read out Antonidas's demands.

• Robbie and Arthas cornered Mal'Ganis, ignored his attempts to bargain, and destroyed his body with the Holy Light.
• Robbie gave Arthas Thrall's coronation invitation and warned him that only he could destroy himself; Arthas said he was ready to face what awaited him.
• Thrall arrived at his coronation wearing a nineteen-meter-tall crown as Orcs and foreign envoys gathered in Lordaeron.
• Jaina pledged the surviving humans' loyalty to Thrall, and Sylvanas presented an alliance treaty from Prince Kael'thas and the High Elves.
• Dalaran's envoy read Antonidas's demands for tax revenue, territory, and noble children, prompting Thrall to kick Jaina into a wall and attack the envoy.

At Thrall’s coronation feast in Lordaeron, he threatened the envoys and forced them to eat raw flesh as Arthas arrived with Frostmourne. Arthas unleashed the dead across the city, raising an undead army as Lordaeron’s ruined streets filled with vengeful spirits and monsters.

• Thrall tore apart the Dalaran mage, threatened the assembled envoys with war, and demanded that they provide flesh and blood to the Orcs.
• Thrall forced the envoys to eat bloody meat at the feast while Arthas entered Lordaeron with Frostmourne.
• Thrall ordered his Orcs to attack Arthas, who chanted and caused a massive earthquake that shattered Lordaeron and opened fissures in the ground.
• Arthas called the slaughtered people of Lordaeron back from the dead, and their souls poured their power into Frostmourne.
• Frostmourne transformed the risen dead into an army of skeletons, Abominations, ghosts, Banshees, Death Knights, and Liches.

Arthas used his empowered Frostmourne to destroy Thrall’s Orc forces in Lordaeron and began searching for a way to redeem the Undead. After resurrecting his horse Invincible, he planned to seek that path in Northrend, but Robbie urged him to build a research team led by Kel'Thuzad.

• Arthas discovered that Thrall had escaped through the sewers and swore to redeem Lordaeron while taking vengeance on the Orcs.
• Arthas led the Undead Scourge in a slaughter that routed the Orcs and turned their bodies into materials for the Undead army.
• At a grave in the ranch, Arthas questioned Robbie about whether the Undead were truly alive and decided that awakening them was a necessary step toward redemption.
• Arthas resurrected Invincible, whose memories convinced him that the horse could someday live again.
• Arthas planned to drive the Orcs from the continent and take Lordaeron's people to Northrend, but Robbie advised him to form a research team with Kel'Thuzad as its leader.

Tichondrius reached Andorhal and manipulated Uther into believing Arthas and the Scourge threatened Azeroth, tempting him with the chance to become its Savior. Uther agreed to seek a plan for defeating Arthas, and Tichondrius proposed using King Terenas’s funeral to lure him out.

• Arthas and Robbie drove the Orcs from Lordaeron while the Scourge grew by raising the dead and pursued the fleeing Orcs.
• Tichondrius abandoned the Orcs and went to Andorhal, where he met Uther and claimed Frostmourne had corrupted Arthas.
• Tichondrius urged Uther to defeat Arthas and take command of the Scourge, promising him the title of Savior of Azeroth.
• Uther, tempted by the chance to gain fame and confident he could escape danger, asked Tichondrius for a plan.
• Tichondrius proposed arranging a funeral for King Terenas to draw Arthas out.

Arthas rode into Andorhal to confront Uther’s Paladins while pursuing the fleeing Orcs, and Robbie warned Gavinrad that the Orcs were nearby. The Orcs ambushed and killed Gavinrad, while Arthas and Robbie searched Andorhal’s ruins for Kel’Thuzad’s grave to learn more about Medivh.

• Arthas left his Undead soldiers outside Andorhal and rode into the ruined city with Robbie.
• Gavinrad confronted Arthas and condemned his campaign against the Orcs, while Arthas warned him to repent and rode on.
• Robbie told Gavinrad that Jaina and High Overlord Saurfang were leading hungry Orcs nearby, but Gavinrad dismissed the warning.
• High Overlord Saurfang killed Gavinrad, and the Orcs overran the Paladins as Jaina watched.
• Arthas learned through the Restless Souls that Gavinrad had died, and Robbie suspected Medivh was plotting because Jaina’s Mass Teleport had grown stronger.
• Arthas and Robbie searched Andorhal’s ruins for Kel’Thuzad’s grave to learn about Medivh.

Kel'Thuzad returned from death in two forms and joined Arthas as they planned to investigate the Sunwell for a way to resurrect the dead. Uther lured Arthas into a trap with a fake funeral, but Robbie disarmed him and exposed his betrayal to the Paladins.

• Arthas used Frostmourne to raise Kel'Thuzad, who emerged as both a Lich and a humanlike being.
• Kel'Thuzad proposed building a team and laboratory to study resurrection, starting with the High Elves' Sunwell.
• Uther used a fake funeral for King Terenas to draw Arthas into an ambush, but Arthas raised Andorhal's Undead to surround the Paladins.
• Robbie took Frostmourne from Arthas and warned him to restrain his anger before confronting Uther.
• Robbie broke Uther's armor and Aura of Courage, blocked his prayer to the Holy Light, and called on the Paladins to reject him.

Arthas released Uther and the Paladins after declaring that he only intended to drive the Orcs from the continent, but Uther denounced him and pledged himself to Thrall. After the others left, Jaina lured Uther close enough for Saurfang to kill him, and Tichondrius altered his heart so his soul blamed Arthas.

• Arthas thanked Uther for his teachings and allowed him and the Paladins to leave, while Uther accused Arthas of threatening Azeroth and praised the Orcs as its only hope.
• The Paladins spat on Uther, and his warhorse Steadfast threw him down and abandoned him before Arthas and the Undead Scourge departed Andorhal.
• Uther rejoiced at surviving, recovered his Holy Light, and asked Jaina to carry an apology to Thrall so he could serve him.
• Jaina drew Uther close, and Saurfang killed him; Tichondrius then enchanted Uther’s heart to make him remember that Arthas had killed him and King Terenas and Gavinrad.

Medivh appeared before Thrall’s battered Orc forces, urged them to fight Arthas, and promised to strengthen Quel'Thalas’s defenses. He left Sylvanas expecting to summon powerful allies to Silvermoon City and bring about Arthas’s defeat.

• Thrall suppressed dissent among the fleeing Orcs while Sylvanas watched and considered the High Elves’ uncertain future.
• Medivh awoke in Dragonblight with lost memories and heard a voice warn him that Arthas had obtained Frostmourne and threatened the Guardians.
• Medivh returned to Karazhan, found no records of Frostmourne, and later traveled to Lordaeron before arriving at the Orc camp.
• Medivh encouraged Thrall and declared that the Orcs must fight Arthas for Azeroth, prompting Thrall and the Orcs to join his call.
• Medivh promised Sylvanas he would reinforce Quel'Thalas’s magical defenses and build a teleportation array in Silvermoon City to summon powerful allies.
• Medivh said he had foreseen Arthas being buried in Silvermoon City, Frostmourne breaking, and the Undead Scourge falling.

Kel'Thuzad transformed the Scourge into a clean, self-sustaining society and offered Mograine's knights an alliance, promising the Undead would leave Lordaeron after driving out the Orcs. Tichondrius frightened Mograine into rejecting the offer, so Kel'Thuzad and Arthas considered calling on their Northrend allies.

• Kel'Thuzad cleaned up the Undead, inscribed runes on their bones, expanded their energy sources, and organized them into a society with workers, farmers, and craftsmen.
• Robbie teased Kel'Thuzad that the Undead might prefer their new lives to becoming human again, and Kel'Thuzad reflected that the living might eventually miss being alive.
• Kel'Thuzad sent Mograine a secret offer of cooperation, promising the Scourge would drive out the Orcs and then migrate to Northrend, leaving Lordaeron to the living.
• Tichondrius warned Mograine that the Scourge would be destroyed at Silvermoon City by powerful beings from the Void, and Mograine rejected the alliance.
• Kel'Thuzad and Arthas discussed protecting their rear lines, and Kel'Thuzad proposed bringing their allies in Northrend into the war.

The Elf King consulted Sylvanas and the Prophecy Crystal before allowing the Orcs into Silvermoon City under cautious conditions. Meanwhile, Arthas accepted the Crypt Fiends as allies and shared the Power of the Dead with them, resolving to fight for all life in Azeroth.

• Sylvanas warned the Elf King that Orcs were treacherous but suggested admitting them after confiscating their weapons and assigning them a separate place to live.
• The Elf King consulted the Prophecy Crystal, which foretold Arthas as an ultimate evil and shattered after its visions ended.
• The Elf King let the Orcs enter Silvermoon City with their weapons, food, and supplies, settling them behind a magic barrier apart from the High Elves.
• Kel'Thuzad and Robbie persuaded Arthas that the Crypt Fiends could become powerful allies and that the Scourge could replenish its strength by harvesting enemy souls.
• Arthas resolved to fight for all living beings in Azeroth and used Frostmourne to give the Crypt Fiends the Power of the Dead.

As the Scourge prepared to march on Quel'Thalas, Robbie helped Arthas and his advisers see through Medivh's supposed Void ally and devise a plan to threaten the Sunwell. After rejecting an alliance with the Forest Trolls, the Scourge entered the Ghostlands, where Troll envoys were waiting to meet Arthas.

• Arthas, Robbie, and Kel'Thuzad visited Baron Rivendare in Stratholme and discussed intelligence about the Elf King's alliance with the Orcs and Medivh's promised ally.
• Robbie argued that Medivh's ally might be a bluff and explained that the teleportation array could be intended as an escape route for the Orcs; Rivendare and Kel'Thuzad agreed.
• Robbie proposed building a pontoon bridge to reach the Sunwell Plateau and threaten the source of Quel'Thalas's magical barrier, and the group settled on the strategy.
• Rivendare warned Arthas not to trust Zul'jin or ally with the Forest Trolls, and Arthas accepted his advice.
• The Scourge marched toward Quel'Thalas and encountered Troll envoys waiting in the Ghostlands to seek an audience with Arthas.

Arthas and Robbie led the Scourge through the Ghostlands after rebuffing the Amani Trolls, while disaffected High Elf scouts supplied intelligence and a mountain route into Silvermoon City. At the Elf Gate, Anasterian and Sylvanas watched the Scourge bypass the fortified pass and begin building a road over the mountains, prompting Sylvanas to warn that they must abandon the gate.

• Robbie insulted Zul'jin's envoy and had the guards remove him, while Arthas worried that the provocation might anger the Amani Trolls.
• The Amani Trolls stayed out of the Scourge's way as Arthas's army crossed the Ghostlands and captured several Elven scouts.
• Several scouts pledged loyalty to the Scourge, and Robbie learned of unrest among the High Elf families and obtained a route through the mountains.
• Anasterian and Sylvanas saw the disciplined Scourge army approach the Elf Gate, and Anasterian regretted his decisions about the Orcs.
• The Scourge camped outside the Elf Gate and sent Ghouls to build a road across the mountains, leading Sylvanas to tell Anasterian they should abandon the gate.

The Scourge crossed into the Elven lands and drove the Elves back toward Silvermoon City, while Sylvanas stayed behind to delay Arthas’s advance. Robbie met Sylvanas on Arthas’s behalf and warned that the Orcs and Medivh would bring terrible suffering to her people if they were trapped in Silvermoon City.

• The Elf king withdrew from the Elf Gate after Ghouls crossed the mountains, and the Scourge seized the fortress without a fight.
• Sylvanas blew up the bridges toward Silvermoon City, but Death Knights froze the river and Ghouls built pontoon bridges so the Scourge could cross.
• After resting at Fairbreeze Village, the Elves retreated toward Silvermoon City, while Sylvanas and her rangers stayed at a tower to cover their people’s escape.
• Arthas asked Robbie to negotiate with Sylvanas because he was nervous around her, and Robbie rode up to the tower to speak with her.
• Robbie offered Sylvanas and her rangers safe passage back to Silvermoon City, then warned that the Orcs might eat the trapped High Elves and that Medivh could allow it.
• Sylvanas rejected Robbie’s claims about the Orcs, but his warning that Medivh controlled the city’s defenses left her and the other rangers trembling.