Recaps

Goldrinn raced through Feralas, sensing that fate had brought him a new Chosen in Velinde and a true ghost wolf. At the gladiatorial tournament, Gavincente revealed his Vrykul form before facing the Blackrock Beastmaster’s Gronn, Doom, in the final.

• Goldrinn summoned the wolves of Feralas and sensed that he would gain another Chosen, while he acknowledged Velinde through the Scythe of Elune and awaited her arrival.
• Rehgar’s team defeated the Assassin’s Alliance in a lengthy semifinal, securing a place in the tournament final.
• Gavincente entered the arena to face the Blackrock Beastmaster and his seven-meter Gronn, Doom, as the crowd watched.
• The Blackrock Beastmaster warned Gavincente that Doom could eat him, but Gavincente refused to surrender.
• Gavincente removed his crystal badge and revealed his nearly four-meter Vrykul form, then challenged Doom as a Champion of Odyn.

Gavincente fought Doom the Hungry in the arena, survived the Gronn’s unleashed fury, and defeated it with a spectacular throw. As the crowd shouted “Valarjar,” the name resounded through the world for the first time.

• Gavincente charged Doom the Hungry and used a Battle Shout to stagger the Gronn before striking it with his axes.
• The Blackrock Beastmaster shattered the Mind-Binding Necklace, unleashing Doom’s full savagery and allowing it to pound Gavincente into a crater.
• Gavincente escaped Doom’s next attack, severed its leg tendon, and continued fighting as his Rage grew stronger.
• Gavincente battled Doom hand to hand, then lifted the Gronn onto his shoulders while the spectators shouted “Valarjar.”
• Gavincente leaped and slammed Doom into the ground, then rose through the smoke as the crowd’s cheers filled the arena.

Gavincente defeated Doom, then struck a deal with Plugger while L Varian prepared to face the Vrykul in the tournament final. Just as the match was about to begin, a massive wave of frenzied wolves charged into the arena, and Velinde recognized that Goldrinn had arrived to find his chosen.

• Gavincente broke Doom’s neck, chopped off its hand as a trophy, and agreed to Plugger’s offer to spread the Valarjar’s renown.
• L Varian, Valeera, Bearhide, and Rehgar devised a plan to counter Gavincente’s rage and exploit his injuries in the final.
• Plugger fitted Doom with a magical iron hook and used Gavincente’s rare stimulant to restore the Gronn for the third-place match.
• Anduin watched L Varian and wondered whether the gladiator was his father.
• Feralas’s wolves charged toward the arena, and Velinde said Goldrinn had come to find his chosen.

Goldrinn arrived at the Gladiatorial Arena with a vast pack of wolves, blessed Velinde, and stayed to watch the tournament. Velinde told Dick she was leaving for Gilneas, while Goldrinn prepared to judge whether one of the finalists deserved to become his Chosen.

• Jorach recognized Goldrinn as the wolves’ leader and led the others down from the viewing stand as the demigod approached.
• Tyrande welcomed Goldrinn, and he stopped Velinde, who transformed into a Worgen and knelt as he blessed her with the Scythe of Elune in hand.
• Goldrinn dismissed the wolves and settled into the arena to watch the matches, and Velinde explained that he wanted to choose a Gladiator as his Chosen.
• Velinde told Dick that Goldrinn wanted her to continue her mission in Gilneas and would personally kill any candidate who became like Lairal.
• Dick asked whether Velinde had earned Goldrinn’s approval, and she answered with a faint smile and invited him to guess.

L Varian, Valeera, and Bearhide faced the Vrykul champion Gavincente in the final arena battle, with Bearhide suppressing Gavincente’s Rage for two minutes. After Gavincente badly injured Valeera and shattered L Varian’s shield, L Varian drank an Indestructible Potion and unleashed a desperate counterattack, leaving Dick to warn that he was risking his life.

• The planned third-place bout was canceled, and L Varian entered the arena with Valeera and Bearhide to fight Gavincente.
• Bearhide suppressed Gavincente’s Rage, giving L Varian and Valeera an opening to attack, though Gavincente countered with a Battle Shout that sent Valeera flying.
• Gavincente battered L Varian and Valeera, shattered L Varian’s shield, and hurled an axe at Bearhide, which Valeera intercepted.
• L Varian drank an Indestructible Potion, drew his twin swords, and struck Gavincente with a series of attacks that forced him backward.
• Dick explained that the potion converted pain into strength and warned Anduin that L Varian was putting his life on the line.

L Varian, Valeera, and Bearhide defeated Gavincente in the Gladiatorial Arena through a coordinated attack and L Varian’s final sword strike. Gavincente accepted the loss, explained his connection to Odyn and the Halls of Valor, and promised to fight L Varian again there.

• L Varian used an Indestructible Potion to keep Gavincente at bay while Valeera struck at the Vrykul’s heart with six powerful buffs.
• Gavincente used Thunderous Stomp to break free, then threw Valeera into the weakened Bearhide and began gathering Rage.
• After Anduin shouted Dick’s advice, L Varian joined his swords into Shalamayne and cut through Gavincente’s Rage before it peaked.
• L Varian collapsed from the potion’s effects, while Gavincente remained standing with a wound through his chest and admitted that L Varian had won.
• Gavincente revealed that Odyn’s power was healing his heart, returned Shalamayne to L Varian, and invited him, Valeera, and Bearhide to the Halls of Valor.

Gavincente conceded the final to L Varian and left after the arena honored him with cries of “Valarjar.” Goldrinn revealed L Varian as his Chosen and gave him courage, while Velinde received the legacy of freedom, before the Wolf God vanished and the championship ceremony remained in question.

• Gavincente declared L Varian the winner, promised to find him after his coronation, and left the arena as spectators shouted “Valarjar.”
• L Varian raised Shalamayne as the crowd celebrated him and his Team’s third tournament championship.
• Goldrinn rose, approached L Varian, and transformed the arena into a starry night before touching claws with him.
• The spectators realized Goldrinn had chosen L Varian and given him a legacy of courage, while Velinde said her own legacy was freedom.
• Goldrinn vanished after the starry sky shattered, and Gurgo uncertainly asked whether they should continue the championship ceremony.

Velen guided the Exodar toward Azeroth after discovering it in a vision, then ordered the ship into a timeline world where he believed true hope awaited. As L Varian reunited with Anduin, the Exodar crashed into the northern sky, and Dick connected the disaster to Ulduar and Yogg-Saron.

• Velen saw Azeroth’s history through the Ata'mal Crystal and ordered Romuul to jump the Exodar into the planet’s timeline world.
• Velen told Maraad that his niece’s bloodline was on Azeroth and asked for the Mage to be brought to him after they landed.
• After the championship ceremony, Dick reunited with L Varian and introduced him to Anduin, leaving the father and son to share their stories.
• Valeera declared that she would not give up L Varian, while Dick told her that Kael'thas and her uncle were waiting for her.
• A purple halo broke through the sky, and the Exodar plunged northward in flames after a beam of white light struck it; Dick thought of Ulduar and Yogg-Saron.

After Plugger revealed that the Draenei had come to find Dick, Anduin confided his anguish about L Varian’s divided identity and new life. A two-headed shadow then abducted Anduin and Med’an as flames and chaos erupted around the arena.

• Jorach and the mysterious mage questioned Plugger about the purple crystal that had crashed into the Mist Sea, and Plugger explained that it was the Draenei’s spaceship, the Exodar.
• Plugger revealed that the Draenei had come to find Dick, who had already left with Lady Jaina, and hinted that Dick was not truly alone.
• Med’an found Anduin sitting alone after the tournament, and Anduin explained that L Varian was one half of his father, Varian Wrynn.
• Anduin lamented that L Varian had forgotten his kingdom and Queen Tiffin and had fallen in love with Valeera, while Med’an tried to comfort him.
• A two-headed shadow restrained Med’an and carried off both boys, while flames broke out and the Ogre Kingdom’s gates opened amid the revelry.

Anduin and Med'an were captured by the resurrected Cho'gall, who tried to escape across Thousand Needles with them. L Varian's group intercepted him, but Cho'gall teleported away with the children and landed near another teleportation arrival.

• Anduin woke bound to a Kodo beside the unconscious Med'an and recognized Cho'gall leading their captors through Thousand Needles.
• Cho'gall recalled resurrecting himself after Dick killed him and explained that he had abducted Anduin to draw out L Varian and Med'an to gain access to Karazhan.
• L Varian, Bearhide, Liadrin, Velinde, Das, and Delaris's Shen'dralar Swordsmen ambushed Cho'gall's party, but corrupted cultists transformed into monsters and held them back.
• Cho'gall drove Valeera from hiding with chaos fire, seized Anduin and Med'an, and teleported away as L Varian's sword struck the ground where he had stood.
• Cho'gall emerged injured near the Shimmering Flats with the children, then another teleportation spell appeared nearby with a voice protesting about its landing.

Millhouse Manastorm and Maraad arrived in the Shimmering Flats, where Maraad killed Cho'gall while protecting Anduin and Med'an. Maraad freed Med'an and revealed that he was the boy's grandfather.

• Millhouse Manastorm emerged from a portal in the Shimmering Flats and angered Cho'gall by refusing to accept being called a lowly gnome.
• Maraad stepped through the portal and recognized Med'an as Garona's child when he saw him struggling with Anduin.
• Cho'gall tried to escape with the children, but Maraad struck him with the Hammer of the Naaru and destroyed him with Holy Light.
• Millhouse Manastorm shielded Anduin and Med'an from the blast as Maraad's Holy Light melted the sand into glass.
• Maraad broke Med'an's anti-magic shackles and told him that Garona was his niece, making Maraad Med'an's grandfather.

After the Exodar crashed on Azuremyst Isle, Senxia and his crew rescued Draenei survivors and helped Velen search for the missing. Dick met Velen, discovered they were both chosen by the Holy Light, and secured the Draenei as allies.

• The Exodar crashed into the Veiled Sea, flooding part of Auberdine and scattering its passengers across Azuremyst Isle.
• Senxia and his crew rescued Draenei survivors, then accepted Velen’s request to search for others and deal with dangerous escaped creatures.
• Dick and Jaina arrived at the Exodar as Night Elf scouts reached the island, and Velen welcomed Dick after learning he served the Dawn Knight.
• Dick and Velen recognized each other as chosen by the Holy Light and compared their Ata'mal Crystals.
• Velen questioned Dick about his plans to fight the Burning Legion and whether he could be trusted, and Dick promised his support for the Draenei.
• Velen accepted Dick as a friend of the Draenei, and the two clasped hands.

Dick and Jaina met Shaman Nobundo, who explained the Broken and the Draenei’s history before guiding Dick to O'ros in the Exodar. O'ros revealed that the Draenei had come to protect Elune and gave Dick a fragment of Naaru T'uure, leaving him to find someone worthy to wield it.

• Velen formed an alliance with Dick and asked Nobundo to escort him and Jaina to a place to rest.
• Nobundo explained that the Broken were Draenei twisted by fel energy and that some may have been swept through spatial rifts into Azeroth.
• Nobundo brought Dick to Holy Light's Seat, where an invisible barrier prevented Jaina from entering, so she asked Nobundo to tell her the Draenei’s story.
• O'ros told Dick that the Draenei had come to Azeroth to help protect Elune until she could grow strong enough to oppose Sargeras.
• O'ros gave Dick a fragment of Naaru T'uure, the Priest artifact T'uure, and urged him to press on because the darkest hour had not yet come.

Valeera sought comfort from Aegwynn as L Varian prepared to reunite with his other soul, while Gavincente brought the lucid black dragon Blackhorn to Theramore to help. In Stormwind, Varian set out for Theramore, but the chapter ended with a Twilight Cultist attack on Westbrook Garrison.

• L Varian decided to face the risks of merging his soul with Varian after finding Anduin again, and Valeera struggled with the choice.
• Aegwynn encouraged Valeera to spend her remaining time with L Varian and suggested the soul merger might turn out well.
• Gavincente and Blackhorn crossed the sea toward Theramore so Blackhorn could help investigate the magic affecting L Varian.
• Varian left Stormwind for Theramore after Marshal Windsor argued that the trip concerned Lordaeron as well as Anduin.
• Three days later, Twilight Cultists attacked Westbrook Garrison, causing heavy casualties and shocking the kingdom.

Varian and L Varian met and learned from Blackhorn that their shared soul was split by a Black Dragon spell, leaving them both near death unless they were restored to one body. After Windsor revealed the secret of Varian’s rescue, the others left the two kings alone to decide whether to trust Blackhorn, and L Varian admitted that he used to hate Varian.

• Varian arrived with Windsor and three marshals, and the group came face to face with L Varian in Princess Caliea’s reception room.
• Gavincente introduced Blackhorn as a sane Black Dragon who could treat L Varian’s lingering soul affliction, and Demitier and Das confirmed Blackhorn was uncorrupted.
• Blackhorn explained that Varian and L Varian shared one soul, that their strength and lives were linked, and that they had to be restored to their original state to survive.
• Duke Leoric accused Blackhorn of plotting against Varian, but Windsor revealed how Varian had been rescued from Onyxia’s lair and said the two kings must choose their own fate.
• Caliea and the others left the room, and L Varian told Varian that he used to hate him.

Varian and L Varian reunited as one, and Varian reclaimed his place as Anduin’s father and king of Stormwind while choosing to pursue Valeera. Dick then warned Fandral Staghelm about a coming Temporal Reversal and prepared him to enter the War of the Ancients in hopes of saving Valstann.

• Varian told L Varian about the pain he had shared, urged him to remember Tiffin, and entrusted Anduin to his care.
• Varian and L Varian joined together, and the returned Varian embraced Anduin and announced himself to his son and marshals.
• Valeera tried to leave Theramore, but Varian found her, drew her into his arms, and asked her to be his queen.
• Dick met Fandral Staghelm in the Stonetalon Mountains and explained that a Temporal Reversal could give him a chance to save Valstann, but might also destroy the world.
• Fandral agreed to risk entering the reversal, and Dick told him to watch Rhonin, avoid changing history, and perform a favor for him.

Back on the Wandering Isle, Li Li yearned to travel again, but Cheng Bo refused to let her go to Karazhan after remembering the dangers and grief surrounding her past journey. Their argument left Li Li fleeing in tears, while Chen Stormstout realized Cheng Bo’s fear was tied partly to old resentment and worry over his own absence.

• Li Li reminisced over her adventures through the magical pendant Lady Jaina had made, then entertained her classmates with stories from the journey.
• Li Li returned home and told Cheng Bo she wanted to visit Med'an at Karazhan, but he refused because she had been away for two years and the Wandering Isle Festival was near.
• Li Li argued that she wanted to explore the world, while Cheng Bo cited the danger of travel and Zhuangbo’s death saving her; Li Li replied that staying on the Isle was not without danger and ran out crying.
• Chen Stormstout told Cheng Bo that his harsh words would hurt Li Li, and Cheng Bo explained that he feared losing her as he had feared losing Chen and had grieved over Xiu Li.
• Chen Stormstout realized Cheng Bo blamed him for being absent during his marriage and Xiu Li’s death, while Xi Zai silently finished his meal with tears in his eyes.

After the Pearl of Pandaria showed Li Li the hidden homeland, she decided to find it and left the Wandering Isle with Master Shang Xi’s help. Elsewhere, Anduin traveled by ship with Swen and the injured Lakes Claw, but a massive storm suddenly threatened them.

• Li Li used the Pearl of Pandaria and saw Pandaria hidden in the Misty Badlands south of the Wandering Isle.
• Li Li committed to finding Pandaria, and Master Shang Xi gave her a whistle and reins before encouraging her journey.
• Li Li left a letter for Xi Zai and rode a pink crane south, while Shen-zin Su called out as if blessing her departure.
• Anduin sailed toward the Eastern Kingdoms while troubled by Varian Wrynn’s return with Valeera, and Lakes Claw rested in the cabin.
• Anduin saw Swen carrying cakes, and a sudden storm struck as the navigator warned the ship’s crew to prepare.

During a storm, Anduin found his injured friend Li Li aboard the Royal Mission and went below to fetch herbs, where he uncovered cultists sabotaging the ship. He defeated them, but their explosive trap ruptured the hull, and Anduin was swept away as the flagship vanished near the Misty Badlands.

• Anduin recognized the lightning-struck bearfolk as Li Li and asked Swen to treat her with herbs.
• Anduin went to the lower hold for medicine and overheard cultists planning to kill the others and breach the ship’s hull.
• Anduin attacked the three cultists with Truth and Holy Light, killing them despite their spells and the storm tossing the ship.
• A black crystal exploded after the last cultist fell, damaging the steel hull and letting water flood the hold.
• Anduin was swept into the flood and knocked unconscious; Swen, transformed into a seal, struggled toward him.
• The Royal Mission disappeared near the Misty Badlands with Anduin aboard, and Varian later began a year-long campaign against Twilight Cultists.

Dick learned that the World Blueprint of Azeroth could guide a party through Pandaria’s disorienting mist, but warned his companions that the sha beneath the continent could corrupt them through their emotions. He led a small rescue party into the mist to search for Anduin, leaving the story with the group correcting course toward Pandaria.

• Dick and Chen Stormstout searched the mist-shrouded sea for Anduin and Li Li, but found no trace of them.
• Chen Stormstout asked Dick to find the turtles that could lead them to Pandaria, and Dick instead decided to enter the mist himself.
• Dick visited the Halls of Origination, where Anhuur told him the World Blueprint of Azeroth could guide him through the mist and warned him about Pandaria’s dangers.
• Dick persuaded Varian to withdraw his soldiers from the coast and assembled a rescue party with Chen Stormstout, Das, Demitier, Moam, Valeera, Bearhide, and Gavincente.
• As the party sailed into the mist, Dick warned them to control their emotions and used the World Blueprint to correct their course toward Pandaria.

Dick and his companions entered the mist, where they found Trolls facing human sailors driven into murderous madness by the Sha of Anger. After learning that Elder Golaya was present, Dick freed General Taylor from the sha and destroyed the creature.

• Chen Stormstout was overcome by a vision of Li Li among the sunken ships, but Dick revived him and warned the group about the sha in the mist.
• Gavincente heard a battle nearby, and Das steered the boat toward an island where human sailors attacked Trolls and one another.
• Valeera knocked down a Troll warrior and accused Elder Golaya of controlling the humans, but Dick stopped her and questioned Golaya about his presence.
• Dick's companions subdued the sailors, and Chen Stormstout pinned General Taylor while Dick identified the soldiers' condition as similar to his own past affliction.
• Dick drew the Sha of Anger out of General Taylor with the Fist of Tyr and destroyed it, leaving Golaya alarmed by his power.

After the Royal Mission was wrecked, Anduin and Swen fled a beach where the stranded soldiers had become violently deranged, carrying the unconscious Li Li and Lakes through the mists. They reached the Jade Forest and were rescued by Pandaren, prompting Taran Zhu to investigate the strangers and the mists’ return.

• Anduin woke beside Swen and the unconscious Lakes and Li Li after the Royal Mission sank, while General Taylor and the surviving soldiers camped nearby.
• Swen broke down in despair, and Anduin’s strange impulses were checked when Oathkeeper chimed; as the soldiers became maddened and fought, he kissed Swen to snap her out of it.
• Swen transformed into a Moon-marked Stag and carried Li Li and Lakes as she and Anduin fled; General Taylor held off the crazed soldiers and urged them to escape.
• After traveling through the mists for a day and night, Swen collapsed in the Jade Forest, and Anduin passed out after seeing Pandaren approach.
• Taran Zhu learned that fishermen had rescued four strangers, crushed a jade paperweight, and decided to go to the Jade Forest and investigate the strange happenings at the Zhu Family Fortress.

Anduin recovered in Podong Village and met Cho, a Lorewalker eager to learn about the world beyond Pandaria. After discovering that Anduin knew of Pandaria, Cho showed him his garden and asked him to tell stories about his world.

• Anduin ate a meal with Cho, who inferred details about the outside world from the boy’s manners and belongings.
• Cho asked Anduin in Thalassian where he came from, and Anduin explained that he was from Stormwind and had been shipwrecked while returning from Theramore.
• Anduin realized he was in Pandaria rather than the Wandering Isle, and Cho was astonished that people outside still knew of Pandaria.
• Cho took Anduin into his garden, where Mishi startled him with a roar before Cho explained that the Cloud Serpent was his companion.
• Anduin fed Cho’s cranes and asked whether life was meaningless, and Cho said people had to make their lives matter by living them wonderfully.
• Cho invited Anduin to tell him about his world.

Dick and Golaya discussed the Zandalari mission in Pandaria, and Golaya revealed Zul’s prophecy of a coming Cataclysm and ancient evil. Dick realized Deathwing’s return might still be unavoidable, then reached Pandaria with the group.

• Dick questioned Golaya about why the Zandalari had entered the mists and warned him against resurrecting Lei Shen.
• Golaya explained that he and Jax were sent by Zul to seek a power that could strengthen Zandalar, not to resurrect Lei Shen.
• Golaya recounted Zul’s prophecy of a chaotic sky, a cracking earth, Deathwing’s wings, and ancient evil awakening.
• Dick recognized that Zul’s prophecy pointed to the Cataclysm and worried that Deathwing’s return could not be prevented.
• The Troll scout spotted Pandaria, and Dick’s group emerged from the mists to see its mountains, buildings, and farmers.

Anduin, Lorewalker Cho, and Taran Zhu traveled to Zhu Family Fortress after learning that strange emotional disturbances had appeared beyond Pandaria’s mists. They found the town’s people overwhelmed by despair, and Oathkeeper began to glow as Anduin recognized what was happening.

• Taran Zhu questioned Anduin about people suddenly going mad or weeping, and Anduin told him about General Taylor and the sailors.
• Taran Zhu insisted on taking Anduin and his companions to the Shado-Pan Monastery, while Lorewalker Cho agreed to accompany them.
• The group flew across Pandaria toward Zhu Family Fortress, and Li Li learned that her ancestors had lived in the Valley of the Four Winds.
• At Zhu Family Fortress, Taran Zhu and Lorewalker Cho found the residents listless and convinced that everything they did was meaningless.
• Anduin recognized the residents’ condition as despair, like the state of the orcs in internment camps, and Li Li noticed that Oathkeeper was glowing.