Recaps

The Scourge returned across Stormwind’s northern territories while Jungle Trolls threatened from the south, prompting the Alliance to aid Stormwind against the undead. Aaron investigated the Burning Steppes, confirmed Ner'zhul was based at Blackrock Mountain, and prepared to destroy him with help from the Dragonflights.

• The Scourge attacked across the Kingdom of Stormwind as Jungle Trolls in Stranglethorn Vale began preparing for war.
• The Alliance agreed to send troops against the Scourge, while Varian accepted that Stormwind would face the Jungle Trolls on its own.
• Aaron traveled to the Burning Steppes, found undead roaming the plains, and confirmed Ner'zhul was hiding at Blackrock Mountain beneath a damaged Necropolis.
• Aaron concluded Ner'zhul had spent years building up the Scourge and vowed to destroy him for good.
• Aaron asked the Dragonflights to block the Necropolis's escape routes, and they agreed to help; Onyxia was among the dragons sent out by Azeroth.

Aaron and the dragons attacked the Scourge’s enormous Necropolis at Blackrock Mountain while the Alliance fought its forces in the Searing Gorge. After breaking into the Necropolis and clearing its lower levels, the dragons encountered Death Knights riding Frost Wyrms, and Aaron recognized that there were exactly four of them.

• Aaron reported the Scourge stronghold to the Alliance, then stayed near Blackrock Mountain to watch the undead movements.
• When the Scourge forces moved through the mountain to fight the Alliance, Aaron led the Dragonflights in an assault on the Necropolis.
• The dragons broke through the flying undead and swept the Necropolis’s bottom three levels, finding little resistance.
• Death Knights riding Frost Proto-Dragons fought back in the upper levels, where the Necropolis’s cramped passages limited the dragons’ mobility.
• Several Death Knights mounted on Frost Wyrms joined the battle, and Onyxia identified the Wyrms as black dragons.
• Aaron noticed that exactly four Death Knights rode Frost Wyrms and connected them to the Four Horsemen.

Aaron and Onyxia fought the Four Horsemen during the battle in Naxxramas, and Aaron killed one of the Orc Death Knights. The dragons reclaimed the floor, but Nefarian appeared at the entrance above to block their advance.

• Aaron recognized the Four Horsemen as unusually powerful Death Knights, including an Orc who wielded a weapon resembling Gorehowl and a Dark Iron dwarf who could cast spells.
• Onyxia refused Aaron’s request to join the fight, then attacked the Orc Death Knight who charged her on his Frost Wyrm.
• Onyxia’s dragon breath failed to stop the Death Knight, and he leaped onto her back; Aaron intervened and burned him to ash with Holy Light.
• The dragons regained control of the floor, while the surviving Orc and dwarf Horsemen retreated upward with the other Death Knights.
• Nefarian, a colossal skeletal Frost Wyrm with black dragon horns, appeared at the entrance and blocked the dragons’ path.

Aaron and the dragons fought the Scourge’s Frost Wyrm Nefarian and the Death Knight commanding him. Aaron defeated the Death Knight and discovered he was Thrall, but Thrall vanished after warning that a monster waited at the bottom of Blackrock Mountain.

• Onyxia recognized Nefarian as a Frost Wyrm, and Aaron guessed that Ner'zhul had recovered his remains from the lava and raised him.
• Nefarian descended with the Death Knight and attacked the dragons, while Onyxia charged at her brother and Aaron confronted the armored orc.
• The Death Knight struck Aaron with frost and a dark pulling spell, but Aaron let his shield be dragged away and fought back with his warhammer.
• Aaron broke the Death Knight’s axe and helmet, revealing Thrall, then battered him with his warhammer and Holy Light.
• Thrall warned Aaron that a monster was at the bottom of Blackrock Mountain, but dark light enveloped him and he disappeared.

Aaron and the Alliance army advanced into Blackrock Mountain, where Ner'zhul's deathly frost winds and strange Undead creations slowed their progress. They reached Ner'zhul's fortress and found him waiting in Thrall's appearance.

• After Naxxramas crashed into Blackrock Mountain, the Alliance army reached the mountain and began its assault while Aaron joined the advance.
• Uther sent Aaron and elite Paladins to scout the source of the freezing winds inside Blackrock Mountain.
• Aaron and the Paladins fought specter-like Undead that combined traits of Air Elementals and learned they had been told to save Thunderaan the Windseeker.
• Aaron and the Paladins cleared the creatures, allowing the Alliance army to reach Ner'zhul's fortress at the mountain's center.
• Aaron found Ner'zhul waiting in the fortress's deepest reaches, wearing Thrall's appearance.

Aaron and the Paladins confronted Ner'zhul in the fortress's deepest hall, where he used waves of Undead to hold them back. Aaron exploited Ner'zhul's reaction to Rulkan's name, enabling Uther to destroy him, though the Helm of Domination remained.

• Aaron recognized Ner'zhul in Thrall's body and warned Uther and the other Paladins as they entered the freezing hall.
• Ner'zhul summoned waves of powerful Undead, but the Paladins and their allies defeated them.
• Uther led a spearhead charge through the Undead and engaged Ner'zhul, who initially struggled to fight back.
• Aaron realized Ner'zhul might be resisting Thrall's soul, then attacked him after calling out Rulkan's name.
• Uther delivered the fatal blow, burning Ner'zhul's body to ashes and leaving the Helm of Domination behind.

After defeating Ner'zhul, Aaron secured the Helm of Domination and freed Thunderaan from his frost-rune prison. Thunderaan warned that an ancient prisoner was close to escaping, leaving Aaron to suspect C'Thun and consider killing him before he broke through the Scarab Wall.

• Aaron and the Paladins cleared the undead after Ner'zhul's defeat, and Aaron stopped them from touching the Helm of Domination.
• Thunderaan warned Aaron that the helmet could let Ner'zhul resurrect through whoever touched it and advised sealing it away instead of destroying it.
• Aaron used the Holy Light to break Ner'zhul's frost runes, freeing the weakened Thunderaan.
• Thunderaan warned that an ancient prisoner was nearing escape and that elementals were preparing to free it.
• Aaron considered killing C'Thun before he could break through the Scarab Wall.

After the Qiraji emerged from hives beyond the Scarab Wall, the Night Elves warned the Alliance and Fandral Staghelm explained the insectoids’ history and the layout of Ahn’Qiraj. The Alliance agreed to send aid, while Aaron turned to the dragons and asked whether Azuregos had recovered the missing piece of the Scepter of the Shifting Sands.

• The Qiraji burst from hives behind the Scarab Wall, and Night Elf druids and sentinels reported the breach to the Alliance.
• Fandral Staghelm explained the Qiraji’s origins, their hive-based threat, and the layout of Ahn’Qiraj to the Alliance leaders.
• Fandral identified the Temple of Ahn’Qiraj as the Qiraji’s core and admitted that the Night Elves knew little about its interior.
• Kael’thas and Prophet Velen offered troops, and Lordaeron and Varian also committed forces to support the Night Elves.
• Aaron judged the Alliance force sufficient to face the three hives, then asked the dragons whether Azuregos had found the missing piece of the Scepter of the Shifting Sands.

Aaron went to Silithus as the Qiraji threat spread across Kalimdor, while the dragons searched for the missing Scepter of the Shifting Sands fragment. With the fragment recovered and the Night Elves and other Kalimdor races clearing the hives, the Alliance landed on Silithus’s western coast to begin an assault on Ahn'Qiraj.

• Kalecgos told Aaron that Malygos had gone to Kalimdor to oversee the search for Azuregos's lost scepter fragment.
• Aaron traveled to Eldre'Thalas, helped the Night Elves establish an outpost in Silithus, and learned that the Scarab Wall still held.
• Under Malygos's pressure, Azuregos found the shark that had swallowed the fragment, and Malygos blasted it until the fragment was recovered.
• The Night Elves and Kalimdor's other races cleared two Qiraji hives and attacked the last one.
• The Alliance army landed on Silithus's western coast, preparing to attack the Kingdom of Ahn'Qiraj and the Old God behind the Qiraji.

Aaron opened the Scarab Wall with the Scepter of the Shifting Sands, beginning the Alliance and Night Elf assault on Ahn'Qiraj. The allied army fought through the ruins with help from dragons and Titan-forged, then reached the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, where powerful Qiraji leaders were likely waiting.

• Aaron struck the Scarab Gong, dispelling Ahn'Qiraj's barrier and opening the Scarab Wall as Qiraji forces charged the allied vanguard.
• The Alliance and Night Elf armies battled Qiraji ground and flying forces while tanks and the Kul Tiran fleet pressured the enemy's defensive line.
• A black-armored insectoid ordered an orderly retreat, and the allied commanders advanced cautiously into Ahn'Qiraj's ruined city.
• Qiraji generals and corrupted Anubisath and Obsidian Destroyers counterattacked, but dragons and the arriving Titan-forged army stopped the golems and helped the allies push forward.
• The allied army reached the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, where Fandral Staghelm believed powerful insectoids missing from the battle were waiting.

After Xal'atath explained why the Qiraji were defending the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, Aaron decided to draw C'Thun out by bombarding it. He arranged a stealthy rescue mission for the three captive dragons before the bombardment, and a Ravenholdt assassin entered the temple with Jaina's teleportation beacon.

• Xal'atath explained that C'Thun's influence had made the Qiraji fanatical and driven them to defend the temple rather than flee.
• Aaron proposed destroying the temple to remove the Qiraji's home-field advantage, and Thorim agreed to follow his command.
• Malygos raised concerns for the three dragons inside, so Aaron proposed rescuing them before the bombardment.
• Jaina confirmed that the group could teleport to a beacon inside the temple and back out, while Malygos prepared the bombardment.
• A Ravenholdt assassin entered the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj with Jaina's beacon and a device made by Krasus to locate the three dragons.

Aaron and Jaina rescued three captive dragons from the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, while Malygos destroyed the temple to expose the final prison holding C'Thun. With the Old God's cage revealed, Aaron prepared the chosen fighters to confront him.

• A Ravenholdt assassin returned with a projection showing three weakened dragons bound by C'Thun's tentacles and guarded by about a hundred insectoids.
• Aaron and Jaina teleported into the temple, lured the insectoids away, and transported the guards and dragons outside, where the insectoids were killed and the dragons received treatment.
• Malygos unleashed a giant sword of Holy Light that pierced the temple and triggered an explosion near C'Thun's prison.
• The Temple of Ahn'Qiraj collapsed, leaving C'Thun's hemispherical prison intact in a crater alongside surviving insectoids.
• Aaron confirmed the chosen fighters were ready and led them toward a confrontation with C'Thun.

Aaron and the assembled heroes entered C'Thun's prison and fought the Old God, countering his Eye Beam and mental whispers before overwhelming him. Aaron destroyed C'Thun with the Silver Hand Warhammer, shattering his soul.

• Thorim explained C'Thun's Eye Beam, tentacles, and other combat traits to Aaron and the group.
• C'Thun attacked Malygos with his Eye Beam, but Malygos reflected it with a mirror of Holy Light.
• Thorim, Vereesa, Aaron, and the others shattered C'Thun's advancing wall of light and began attacking him.
• C'Thun summoned tentacles and whispered into the group's minds, but Prophet Velen called on a Naaru projection to counter the whispers.
• Aaron struck C'Thun with the Silver Hand Warhammer and Holy Light, shattering the Old God's soul.

After C'Thun's defeat, Aaron learned that Qiraji gear made with Old God fragments could resist mental attacks and turned his attention to the remaining threat, N'Zoth. As elemental disasters spread across Azeroth, Aaron discovered that Deathwing was about to trigger the Cataclysm, but Azeroth planned to use his power rather than stop him outright.

• C'Thun's death ended the battle, and Aaron organized the excavation of Qiraji treasures while Magni identified Old God fragments in some of their equipment.
• Aaron asked Thorim whether Yogg-Saron's body had been purified, and Thorim confirmed that it had.
• The Night Elves established a permanent outpost in Silithus, while Ysera and Kel'Thuzad destroyed Hakkar's remaining soul in Stranglethorn Vale.
• As storms, earthquakes, and other elemental disturbances intensified, Aaron recognized them as signs that Deathwing was about to emerge and traveled to Northrend.
• Azeroth told Aaron that N'Zoth was urging Deathwing to trigger the Cataclysm early and rejected Aaron's proposal to kill Deathwing in Deepholm.
• Azeroth said he intended to use Deathwing's power to change certain things, warned Aaron to prepare the others, and left Aaron responsible for dealing with Deathwing.

Aaron and the Earthen Ring prepared for Deathwing’s return, but the Cataclysm still reshaped Azeroth and devastated many regions. The chapter ended with the races beginning reconstruction as they faced further dangers.

• Aaron warned the Alliance nations to prepare for the Cataclysm, and the Earthen Ring and mages established monitoring camps and communications near the Maelstrom.
• Archaedas told Aaron that Odyn was drawing souls from the Helm of Domination and agreed to help fight N'Zoth when the time came.
• Deathwing burst from the Maelstrom and flew toward the Eastern Kingdoms while Archaedas worked with Azeroth to calm the world-shaking tremors.
• The Cataclysm damaged the Broken Isles, Kul Tiras, the Eastern Kingdoms, and Kalimdor, flooding Thousand Needles and reshaping other regions.
• Deathwing destroyed Kezan, but Gazlowe led many goblins to safety and strengthened the Alliance.
• The races began rebuilding after the Cataclysm while also fighting dangerous individuals.

Deathwing headed for Lordaeron to take revenge, but the four restored Dragon Aspects confronted him and drove him away. Both sides survived the battle, and Deathwing fled south to master his new power while the Aspects recognized they could not easily stop him from escaping.

• Deathwing blamed Lordaeron for his past injuries and set out to destroy the kingdom.
• Alliance scouts tracked Deathwing's route and relayed warnings to Lordaeron and the Dragon Aspects.
• Malygos, Ysera, Nozdormu, and the Red Dragon Queen gathered outside Lordaeron to face Deathwing.
• Deathwing attacked the four Dragon Aspects, but their combined strength forced him to retreat south.
• The Dragon Aspects chose not to pursue Deathwing after realizing he could escape and was beginning to counter their powers.

Aaron proposed creating a new artifact to defeat Deathwing instead of borrowing the Dragon Soul from another timeline, and explained how the Dragon Aspects and Titan Keepers could supply its powers. He then asked Ysera to join him in finding an artifact to stop the elemental unrest before they confronted Deathwing.

• Aaron arrived outside Lordaeron on Onyxia as Deathwing fled and the four Dragon Aspects recovered from their injuries.
• Nozdormu proposed borrowing the Dragon Soul from another timeline, but Aaron warned that doing so could disrupt timelines and suggested creating a new artifact with similar power.
• Aaron explained that Titan Keepers could supply missing guardian powers, while Onyxia and Deathwing's Scale of the Earth-Warder could help create a false black dragon ruler.
• Aaron said they had to resolve the elemental chaos first because the Old Gods and their elemental armies would protect Deathwing.
• Aaron asked Ysera to accompany him on a journey to find an artifact that could end the elementals' unrest.

Aaron sought the Shield of the Highkeeper to help restore the elemental forces, and he persuaded Shaohao to open a passage into Pandaria without fully lifting its mists. On the Timeless Isle, Xuen gave Aaron the shield, but it remained sealed, so Aaron concluded he would need to awaken Highkeeper Ra.

• Aaron asked Ysera and Freya to contact the August Celestials and carry word to Shaohao through the mists.
• Xuen the White Tiger answered first, and Shaohao emerged to speak with Aaron before opening a passage into Pandaria.
• Aaron stopped Shaohao from fully parting the mists because he feared the heart of Y'Shaarj could cause trouble while N'Zoth remained alive.
• Guided by Xuen, Aaron, Ysera, and Freya reached the Timeless Isle, where Aaron explained the changes in the outside world and asked for help finding the Shield of the Last Keeper.
• Xuen had the Shield of the Highkeeper, but it had sealed itself after losing its master, leading Aaron to believe he needed to find and rouse Highkeeper Ra.

Aaron and his companions found the imprisoned Highkeeper Ra-den beneath the Throne of Thunder. After learning that Azeroth was awakening and the Pantheon had not truly fallen, Ra-den regained enough resolve to activate the Shield of the Highkeeper, though he remained despondent.

• Aaron led Freya, Ysera, and the August Celestials through the abandoned Throne of Thunder to Ra-den’s prison.
• Freya recognized her chained brother, and Aaron used Frostmourne to free him.
• Xal'atath showed Ra-den what had happened while he was imprisoned, and he lamented the universe’s impending destruction.
• Aaron told Ra-den that Azeroth was awakening and that the Pantheon’s souls were still resisting Sargeras.
• Ra-den accepted Aaron’s explanation and began activating the Shield of the Highkeeper, though he still needed time to recover.

Aaron gathered representatives in Covenant City to plan how to bring the four elemental races back to the physical plane and quell the elemental unrest. After discussing the earth, water, and fire elementals, he proposed that Thunderaan become the next king of the air elementals.

• Ra-den set out to reclaim the power Lei Shen had taken, while Ysera and Freya helped the August Celestials reconnect with the Emerald Dream.
• Aaron left Pandaria after promising Shaohao that he would return to help deal with Y'Shaarj's heart once the threat of N'Zoth was over.
• Aaron summoned dragons, wilderness races, humans, and other Alliance representatives to Covenant City and asked them to help quell the elemental unrest.
• Aaron asked Zaetar to contact the earth elementals in Deepholm and told Stellagosa to approach Neptulon about working with the water elementals.
• Aaron advised Shandris to proceed cautiously with the fire elementals and asked Thunderaan whether he would become the next king of the air elementals.
• Thunderaan said he had already planned to overthrow Al'Akir, though his original aim had only been to free the air elementals from the Old Gods.

Aaron helped Thunderaan claim the Wind Lord’s throne and bring the Air Elementals under his control. After Thunderaan’s coronation, Aaron headed to Mount Hyjal to aid the Night Elves and Wild Gods against the Fire Elementals.

• Aaron pressed Thunderaan to cooperate, and Thunderaan agreed to claim the crown of the Air Elemental King.
• Aaron accompanied Thunderaan and a force of Titan Keepers to Uldum, where the Tol'vir had stalled near Skywall.
• The Titan Keepers defeated Al'Akir, and his power passed to Thunderaan.
• Thunderaan secured the Air Elementals’ allegiance, killing one Wind Lord from the Conclave of Wind during the takeover.
• After witnessing Thunderaan’s coronation, Aaron traveled to Mount Hyjal to help attack the Firelands.

The Night Elves and Wild Gods fought the Fire Elementals at Mount Hyjal and in the Firelands, but a tremor greatly widened the passage and brought overwhelming reinforcements. Aaron considered using the Tidestone to reshape the Firelands, but the Titan Keepers warned that doing so could upset Azeroth’s balance.

• The Fire Elementals began using hidden underground passages to attack Mount Hyjal, forcing the Night Elves to defend Nordrassil and clear the tunnels.
• The returning Wild Gods joined the Night Elves, and together they defeated the Fire Elementals inside Mount Hyjal and sealed the passages.
• A thunderous tremor widened the entrance to the Firelands, and the Night Elves struggled to hold a temporary camp as the Fire Elementals surged out.
• Malfurion decided to plant a World Tree in the Firelands to provide a more favorable environment for the Night Elves and their allies.
• Aaron joined the fighting, found the Firelands’ heat increasingly difficult to endure, and considered using the Tidestone to change the environment.
• The Titan Keepers warned Aaron that using the Tidestone to drive back the Fire Elementals could disrupt the balance necessary for Azeroth to grow.

Aaron and several Titan Keepers entered the Fire Elementals’ stronghold to investigate their strength and disrupt their reinforcements. They found Ragnaros weakened and bound by fel, then learned that Garr the Unbreakable had usurped his throne.

• Aaron and Malfurion agreed that Aaron should lead a group into the Fire Elementals’ main base to investigate their forces and interrupt their reinforcements.
• Aaron flew into the stronghold with several Titan Keepers and saw vast armies of Fire Elementals preparing to join the battle.
• Aaron discovered that some Fire Elementals and the flames around Sulfuron Keep showed signs of fel corruption, and he decided to confront Ragnaros.
• The group found Ragnaros diminished and chained in a lava pool, where he said a betrayer had taken control.
• Garr the Unbreakable announced himself as the new Fire Elemental monarch, and Aaron prepared to attack him.

Aaron and the Titan Keepers confronted Garr the Unbreakable after killing Ragnaros, whose death weakened the fire elementals. Aaron discovered fel corruption within Garr and helped defeat him, leaving the Firelands’ remaining resistance broken and its fire elementals to be dealt with.

• Aaron had the Titan Keepers kill Ragnaros before confronting Garr, causing the Firelord’s death to weaken the fire elementals.
• Beth'tilac and other fire lords considered attacking the outsiders, but some fire elementals preferred to settle matters with Garr or avoid fighting the Titan Keepers.
• Garr attacked Freya, and Aaron used his Avatar form to intercept him while the Titan Keepers fought the other fire lords.
• Aaron realized Holy Light was especially effective against Garr and poured it into him, causing his flames to turn gray-green as the fel within him emerged.
• Garr went mad when the fel became uncontrollable and was killed by Aaron and Odyn; the remaining resistant fire lords were also defeated.

After the elemental upheaval ended, Aaron and the Dragonflights turned their attention to the twilight dragons in the Twilight Highlands. They destroyed Sinestra’s forces but found no trace of Deathwing, leaving the Black and Blue Dragonflights in need of new rulers before the fight against him.

• Odyn stayed in the Firelands to choose a new Firelord and use its flames to deal with the Helm of Domination.
• Therazane and Neptulon agreed to aid Azeroth after the earth and water elementals repelled the Old Gods’ influence.
• Thunderaan won the allegiance of most air elementals, allowing Azeroth’s mortals to focus on Deathwing.
• The four Dragonflights entered the Twilight Highlands and discovered twilight dragons, surviving Dragonmaw Orcs, and Twilight cultists allied with Sinestra.
• The Dragonflights defeated Sinestra’s forces and cleared out the twilight dragons, but found no trace of Deathwing.
• The Dragonflights prepared to choose new rulers for the Black Dragonflight and the Blue Dragonflight before confronting Deathwing.