World of Warcraft is known for its impressive cinematics. Watch all the cinematics from 2005 to the present day again!
Since its release in 2004,
World of Warcraft has not only left a lasting mark on the MMO genre, but has also made a name for itself in another discipline: bombastically staged cinematic trailers. Even WoW Vanilla was able to give newcomers goosebumps with an impressive little film, and since then the add-on cinematics have been in no way inferior to this quality.
On the occasion of the recent announcement of the latest expansion Dragonflight, we invite you to a nostalgic journey through time and have put all the videos in chronological order for you. If you want to learn more about Dragonflight, you can find all the info here:
https://www.global-esports.news/world-of-warcraft/wow-10-0-new-expansion-dragonflight-revealed/
Table of contents:
- WoW Vanilla (2004)
- The Burning Crusade (2007)
- Wrath of the Lich King (2008)
- Cataclysm (2010)
- Mists of Pandaria (2012)
- Warlords of Draenor (2014)
- Legion (2016)
- Battle for Azeroth (2018)
- Shadowlands (2020)
- Dragonflight (2022)
Table of Contents
WoW Vanilla
This is where it all began. At that time, MMORPGs still had a rather niche existence, were considered inaccessible and difficult to use. Then Blizzard came along and showed how to popularise the entire genre from scratch and rule it unchallenged for years. Of course, when this intro flickered across the screens for the first time, nothing of this could be foreseen.
The Burning Crusade
Full speed ahead. In 2007 it was crystal clear that WoW was not a flash in the pan, but a huge success. The first add-on, The Burning Crusade, was eagerly awaited and brought with it an entire continent full of new features. In addition to the exciting world of Kalimdor, the two new races, Blood Elves and Draenei, were particularly exciting.
Wrath of the Lich King
Doesn’t it get any better than this? If you ask WoW veterans about the high point of the Blizzard MMO, they will most likely tell you the year 2008. That’s when the second expansion Wrath of the Lich King was released and made the game even bigger, rounder and more fun in every respect. Good news for all those who long for that time back: Wrath of the Lich King Classic is also coming this year!
Cataclysm
All things new make the…dragon. After millions of players had been allowed to get used to the game world of WoW for five years, it was time for a change in the context of the third expansion Cataclysm. At least that’s what Blizzard thought and redesigned the continents of Kalimdor and Azeroth in many places as part of Cataclysm. Of course, there were also brand new areas and other innovations to look forward to.
Mists of Pandaria
A real surprise. Quite a few fans must have rubbed their eyes in surprise when Mists of Pandaria, the fourth addon for WoW, was announced. Instead of giant dragons, an ice-cold Lich King or burning legions, the focus this time was on battle-ready panda bears. The expansion caused irritation at first, but has finally earned its place in this list.
The first half of the WoW history is behind us. On page 2 we continue with the years 2014 to 2022!
Warlords of Draenor
Back to the Roots. This was probably the motto at Blizzard for the development of the fifth expansion Warlords of Draenor. After a sharp drop in subscriber numbers in previous years, they wanted to score points in 2014 with a return to old story virtues. Grom Hellscream, Khadgar, Ner’zhul – familiar names that, thanks to an ambitious time travel story, once again took centre stage and should satisfy veterans.
Legion
A community favourite. The sixth expansion Legion scored points with fans with many meaningful innovations and revisions and almost created something like a new hype around the ageing MMORPG. This time, the story centred on the attempt of the well-known troublemaker Gul’dan to let the Burning Legion invade Azeroth once again.
Battle for Azeroth
Pure nostalgia for old fans. The seventh addon Battle for Azeroth wanted to revive long-forgotten storylines from the strategy games Warcraft 2 and Warcraft 3, bring the PvP system back closer to the Classic version and revive the fight between Alliance and Horde. This new old conflict between the two parties was also the focus of the cinematic trailer.
Shadowlands
Prison Break in WoW. After landing in the so-called Maw as a champion of Azeroth, you must successfully escape and fight your way to freedom. Apart from this rather miserable starting position, the eighth addon Shadowlands brought one important innovation: Through a so-called level squish, the maximum level shrank from 120 to 60, which also affected all zones, enemies and other aspects of the MMO.
Dragonflight
Go to the land of dragons. The recently unveiled Dragonflight expansion is all about the scaly giant lizards and sends you to the dragon islands in keeping with the theme. In addition, you can now level up to level 70 and enjoy a revamped talent and reputation system as well as a nicer interface.
Which cinematic in WoW history have you enjoyed the most so far? And is there an intro that you didn’t like at all? Let us know in the comments!
