All additions Need more gold: the Warcraft series. And finally, a brief history
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (2003) - and now a pinch of RPGs... oops!
Each race in the addon for the third part was given as much as one new unit, but the heroes ... Now, in addition to pumping, they could stock up on fashionable gear in stores, there were more skills, the role of heroes in each mission became almost a key one.
There were also neutral heroes that could be hired additionally. And the orc campaign was generally more RPG than RTS. What can we say, if it is in the form of a mod to Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne and the already legendary Defense of the Ancients (aka Dota) appeared, which in general was a completely new MOBA genre at that time. Exactly " ice throne”and completed both the plot and gameplay transition from the first kills of people and orcs to the bomb that exploded the very next year after the release of the addon.
World of Warcraft (2004) - Creation of the world ... Warcraft
Now it's hard to say whether the gradual addition of RPG elements to the games of the Warcraft series was just following the trends or still part of a grand plan. Only one thing is known for certain - in 2004, Metelitsa released one of the best MMORPGs of all time, which brings the company a billion dollars a year and beats all possible online records and the number of awards.
Paradoxically, it was the release of WoW that most likely put an end to the history of Warcraft as a series of real-time strategy games. It simply doesn't make sense for the company to release Warcraft 4 - yes, millions of WoW players will buy it. They will buy and begin to pass, having left the servers for this time. So, in the future, Metelitsa will lose more than it will gain. Therefore, within the framework of the franchise, any games will continue to be released for any platforms (such as Hearthstone or Heroes of the Storm) - but not RTS on PC. Warcraft is dead, long live World of Warcraft!
Relevant to: Burning Crusade , The Wrath of the Lich King , Cataclysm
It's been many years since Blizzard launched their most profitable project yet. Over the years, WoW has changed dramatically, and those who played it in the first months will hardly recognize the modern version of the project. Unless part of the character models and the general style of visual design look the same, although they are now available in a new quality. Sometimes it is not easy to figure out how the so-called add-ons differ from each other. World of Warcraft. After all, in order to fully appreciate the game, you will have to not only start account, but also put her upgrades to latest version- Cataclysm.
Add-on release sequence:
1. Classic World of Warcraft. Basic account, 60 character levels, Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms continents. On the slang "vanilla", "classic". With the advent of the Cataclysm, some of the classic content has become inaccessible, the game worlds have been completely modified, and the modern "classic" is, in fact, a heavily reworked version of the game.
2. World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade. The first addition to WoW, 70 character levels, the new continent Outland. On the slang "BK". Two new races have been added to the game: blood elves and draenei, you can only create characters of these races if your account includes Burning Crusade. All the main actions of this add-on take place on the territory of Outland, they practically did not touch the two main continents.
3. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. The second addition to WoW, 80 character levels, the new continent Northrend. On the slang "Lich", "VotLK". The first heroic class has been added to the game: Death Knights. All major activities have moved from Kalimdor, the Eastern Kingdoms, and Outland to Northrend.
4. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. The third addition to WoW, 85 character levels, two new races - goblins and worgen. All continents of Azeroth have been reworked, i.e. Kalimdor, Eastern Kingdoms and Northrend. The mechanics of classes have been partially changed, improved models have been added, a special graphics mode has been introduced, available at the request of the user.
Upg raid account is carried out according to the principle of matryoshka. To start any player will have enough of the classic WoW. But, if you want to create a blood elf or draenei, you will have to immediately upgrade your account to BC. If you want to create a goblin or worgen, you will have to upgrade the entry to Cataclysm.
Gradually, with the development of the character, you will have to "buy more" additions, so it makes sense to purchase everything at once. There is no savings in the gradual acquisition of improvements. You can only get the maximum level if you upgraded the record to the latest expansion, that is, in this case, to Cataclysm.
In addition to traditional add-ons, Blizzard releases patches. They do not need to be purchased separately and are distributed completely free of charge. As a rule, patches are installed on Wednesdays, their weight and significance are determined individually, but serious updates do not come out often. As part of patches, developers make cosmetic changes or reveal a new storyline, which would allow max-level players to have fun. It's very rare for newbies to be seriously affected by patches, and the only tangible effect for them is that they have to load another piece of the game on the night of Wednesday to Thursday. Without a patch installed, the game will not start, because Blizzard often replaces models, sound and graphic files, as well as updates the protection system.
Conventionally, the entire game in WoW in a specific period of time can be divided into high level content and everything else. "Everything else" for a significant part of the players is a passing element, especially for PvP guilds. The most interesting and dynamic takes place on maximum level. That's why, no matter what, people keep buying upgrades. Apart from interesting plot, new quests, new dungeons, every update gives them a reason to get back into interest groups and move away from the routine daily quests. If you want to play the "real" WoW, buy all the add-ons at once and remember that the most interesting is waiting for you at the end. This does not mean, however, that you will not be able to have fun during character development. The world of Azeroth is friendly enough that you'll never have to focus on killing monsters to level up. Complete quests, go with friends to low-level instance zones, and very soon you will understand what is more interesting for you. And after that, prioritize the last, 85, level.
Hello dear readers. Many people are wondering how many parts are in WoW? Today I will tell a brief history of the game and answer this question.
So, let's begin.
1. Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. Release date - November 1994.
2. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness. Release date - December 1995.
3. Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal. Release date - April 1996.
4. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. Release date - July 2002.
5. Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Release date - July 2003.
6. Warcraft III: Reforged. Release date - 2019 (the game was not released).
Directly World of Warcraft:
1. World of Warcraft. Release date - November 2004.
1.1. Blackwing Lair Assault (Patch 1.6). Release date - July 2005.
1.2. Rebirth of the Blood God (update 1.7). Release date - September 2005.
1.3. Gates of An "Qiraj (update 1.9). Release date - January 2006.
1.4. Shadow of the Necropolis (update 1.11). Release date - June 2006.
2. The Burning Crusade. Release date - January 2007.
2.1. Black Temple (update 2.1). Release date - May 2007.
2.2. Gods of Zul'Aman (Update 2.3). Release date - November 2007.
2.3. Fury of the Sunwell (Patch 2.4). Release date - March 2008.
3. Wrath of the Lich King. Release date - November 2008.
3.1. Secrets of Ulduar (Patch 3.1). Release date - April 2009.
3.2. Summon Vanguard (Patch 3.2). Release date - August 2009.
3.3. Fall of the Lich King (Patch 3.3). December 2009
4. cataclysm. Release date - December 2010.
4.1. Rise of the Zandalari (Patch 4.1). Release date - April 2011.
4.2. Fury of Fire (Update 4.2). Release date - June 2011.
4.3. Time of Twilight (update 4.3). Release date - November 2011.
5. Mists of Pandaria. Release date - September 2012.
5.1. Landing (update 5.1). Release date - November 2012.
5.2. Lord of Thunder (update 5.2). Release date - March 2013.
5.3. Uprising (update 5.3). Release date - May 2013.
5.4. Siege of Orgrimmar (Patch 5.4). Release date - September 2013.
6. Warlords of Draenor. Release date - November 2014.
6.1 Fury of Hellfire (Patch 6.2). Release date - June 2015.
7.Legion. The release date is August 30, 2016.
7.1 Return to Karazhan (Patch 7.1) The release date is October 26, 2016.
7.2 Tomb of Sargeras (Patch 7.2). The release date is March 29, 2017.
7.3 Shadows of Argus (update 7.3). The release date is August 30, 2017.
8. Battle for Azeroth. The release date is August 14, 2018.
8.1 Waves of Vengeance (Patch 8.1). The release date is December 12, 2018.
8.2 Rise of Azshara (Patch 8.2). The release date is June 26, 2019.
Thus, there are 36 parts of Warcraft in total, of which World of Warcraft is 31, of which the main ones are 8 (only released ones are considered).
And finally, a brief history.
In 1994* Horde warriors through the Dark Portal - an interdimensional passage created with the help of the wizard Medivh and the warlock Gul "Dan - penetrate Azeroth and capture Stormwind. People are doomed ...
By December 1995 Knight Anduin Lothar arrives with the survivors in Lordaeron. Enlisting the support of people, elves, dwarves and dwarves, he creates an Alliance. Meanwhile, the Horde orcs, under the command of Orgrim Doomhammer, continue to take over the land and join the trolls and ogres. Orgrimm kills Lothar, who is replaced by Turalyon. The Alliance is crushing the Horde.
April 1996 The Alliance destroys the Dark Portal, the remnants of the Horde on Draenor are led by the shaman Ner "Zul. Through the remaining Dark Portal of Draenor, the Horde decides to capture the powerful artifacts of Azeroth, but the Alliance learns about these plans and begins an invasion of Draenor. To avoid death, the shaman opens many portals to new worlds The released energy splits Draenor apart, as a result, many of the heroes of the alliance are captured by the remnants of the planet known as Outland.
Up until 2002 the orcs who survived on Azeroth were held captive until they were freed by a former slave, the young shaman Thrall. The Horde flees west to Kalimdor to escape the burning Legion that has invaded Azeroth. Arthas Menethil, Prince of Lordaeron, defected to the Lich King. Orcs of the Horde unite with humans and night elves and defeat the demonic forces of the Legion under the command of Archimonde on the sacred Mount Hyjal.
By July 2003 Arthas becomes a death knight, recruits the Scourge, slaughters the population of the Eastern Kingdoms. Sylvanas Windrunner, who leads the Forsaken group of undead, rebels against the Scourge. The night elf Illidan lands on the northern continent of Northrend to destroy the Lich King. However, Illidan was defeated by Arthas and was banished to Outland. Arthas, finding himself with the source of the Scourge's power, merges with the spirit of the Lich King.
2004 - the beginning of World of Warcraft.
The Forsaken join Thrall's Horde, which already had orcs, tauren, and trolls. Dwarves, gnomes, and night elves swear allegiance to the Alliance under human leadership. King Varian Wrynn mysteriously disappears and Highlord Bolvar Fordragon becomes regent. But not everything is so simple - in fact, power is in the hands of the black dragon Onyxia. A new conspiracy is brewing, new dangerous ancient forces are awakening.
Main events
The black dragon Nefarian, son of Deathwing the Destroyer, creates many experimental dragons and other monsters to conquer Azeroth, but he himself is defeated and sent into oblivion.
The Zandalari tribe, with the help of the Alliance, strikes at the heart of Zul "Gurub, where the Soul Flayer, the god of Blood, was reborn.
The forces of the United Army of Kalimdor, under the command of the orc Varok Saurfang, break the gates of the great fortress of An "Qiraj to stop its inhabitants - the qiraji - maddened under the influence ancient god K "Tuna.
Kel'Thuzad, a faithful minion of the Lich King, with the help of the flying citadel of the scourge - Naxxramas - is trying to infect the whole of Azeroth with a plague, starting from Northrend, where he is defeated. A traitor from the Order of the Argent Dawn hides in Northrend with the remains of a lich and tries to resurrect Kel'Thuzad.
2007
Doomlord Kazzak reopens the Dark Portal to Outland. The demons of the Burning Legion are sent to Azeroth. Alliance and Horde forces, joined by draenei and blood elves, are sent to Outland to eliminate the threat. Allied forces are becoming increasingly bogged down in the fight against the Legion and Illidan Stormrage.
Main events
Illidan the Betrayer is concentrating his forces inside the Black Temple. After the defeat of his associates, including the lord of the blood elves Kael'thas Sunstrider, Illidan's power was shaken. Akama, the elder of the mutant draenei, and the elf Maiev Shadowsong help the heroes end the Betrayer.
One of the commanders of the Horde, Zul'jin, retires to Zul'Aman, where he rebuilds his army. Enraged, Zul'jin declares war on both the Alliance and the Horde after joining the Blood Elf Horde without his knowledge.
After his defeat in Outland, Kael'thas Sunstrider returns to Silvermoon and, having betrayed his subjects, intends to use the Sunwell to summon the demon lord Kil'jaeden to Azeroth. The heroes of the Horde and the Alliance with great difficulty interfere with Kael'thas and Kil'jaeden, the draenei prophet Velen cleanses the Sunwell of filth.
By 2008 the world is calm.
All of a sudden, the Scourge are on the offensive across Azeroth. Thrall sends Garrosh Hellscream to Northrend. Meanwhile, Varian Wrynn returns and takes his rightful place on the throne. To fight the Ich King, he puts up an army under the command of Bolvar Fordragon.
Main events
The main event is the discovery of Brann Bronzebeard in the city of giants Ulduar. With its help, the heroes fight Yogg-Saron, learn the secrets of the creation of the Dragon Soul, the murder of King Llane and the future of the Lich King.
Highlord Tirion Fordring arranges a tournament for Alns and the Horde to determine who are worthy to lead the attack on the forces of the Scourge, but the crypt lord Anub "arak intervenes in the course of events, who decides to destroy Fordring's squad.
With the help of Jaina Proudmoore and the Banshee Queen Sylvanas, the heroes storm Icecrown Citadel and deal with the Scourge. Arthas is defeated, the sinister truth about the Scourge is revealed to the heroes.
Victory, heroes return from Northrend by December 2010.
But then angry elementals fall upon Azeroth. The dragon aspect of Deathwing the Destroyer returns. After leaving his lair in the Elemental Realm, he brought destruction to Azeroth. In an effort to subjugate everything, Deathwing opens portals to the Elemental Realm, calling for help from the elementals and their masters. New forces seek to help Deathwing and the Twilight's Hammer cult bring the Time of Twilight closer and destroy all life.
Main events
The Zandalari trolls rebuild Zul "Gurub" and Zul "Aman" and raid them in an attempt to reclaim "their" lands. The trolls declare war on all the races of Azeroth. To stop the bloodshed, Vol "jin from the Darkspear tribe, who disagree with them, help the heroes get into the ancient cities.
Heroes of Azeroth chase Firelord Ragnaros and his minions off Mount Hyjal. Backed by the druids and Mulfharion Stormrage, the most powerful defenders launch an assault on Ragnaros' burning home of the Firelands.
The Dragon Aspects, guardians of Azeroth, guide heroes through the tide of time in search of the Dragon Soul, a relic that can stop Deathwing. The returning heroes hand over the found relic to Thrall, who moves the battle to the Maelstrom, the center of the world. The combined powers of the aspects and allies stop Deathwing's madness.
year 2012. Deathwing is defeated.
But Garrosh Hellscream decides to expand the Horde's hold on Kalimdor. Under his onslaught, the city of Theramore is destroyed. The confrontation flares up with renewed vigor. After a major naval battle, the remnants of the Horde and Alliance fleets find themselves on a mysterious continent not marked on the maps of the world - the misty shores of Pandaria, where they meet noble pandaren who form an alliance with both sides in the hope of defeating the evil sha.
Main events
Before they land on the ground, the Horde and the Alliance begin the battle again. Garrosh Hellscream takes possession of the mighty mogu artifact, the Divine Bell, but Prince Anduin Wrynn and SI:7 agents atop Mount Kun-Lai destroy the great artifact.
Meanwhile, the mogu survivors are trying to rebuild their realm. To achieve their goal, they team up with the Zandalari trolls and resurrect the Mogu emperor Lei Shen - Lord of Thunder. To eliminate the threat, the Shado-Pan warriors create a special squad - the Onslaught of the Shado-Pan. At the same time, Jaina Proudmoore, at the head of the Kirin Tor army, is trying to find the source of the power of the mogu, and Lor "Temar Theron, with the help of the forces of the Sunreavers, is trying to free himself from the oppression of Garrosh Hellscream.
Garrosh Hellscream excavates the Vale of Eternal Blossoms in search of some artifact, falling out of favor with the Shado-Pan as a result. The trolls of the Black Tribe and their leader Vol "jin are declared traitors and become the target of the hunt for Hellscream's personal guard. The former leader Thrall provides them with support, an agreement is concluded with the Alliance.
Orgrimmar, the capital of the Horde, is in mutiny because of Garrosh Hellscream, who brought the heart of the ancient god I "Shaarj back to life, defiling the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. To avoid defeat, Garrosh absorbs the energy of the ancient god. However, this does not save him - he appears before the court of the August celestials of Pandaria.
Garrosh escapes justice with the help of the bronze dragon Kairozdormu and in 2014 travels back in time to ancient Draenor before the Horde invaded Azeroth.
Garrosh gives his father the technology to create the perfect army of conquest - the Iron Horde. Grommash Hellscream, his father, unites the disparate clans of the orcs of Draenor, captures a number of key areas of Draenor, builds large military facilities like the foundry of the Blackrock clan. Having captured Draenor, the Iron Horde orcs invade Azeroth through the Dark Portal. In response, Archmage Khadgar gathers Alliance and Horde heroes and leads them through the portal to Draenor to stop the Iron Horde. Thrall defeats Garrosh, the heroes of Azeroth destroy most of the warlords. A crushing blow has been dealt to the Iron Horde, a split has ripened in the ranks of the followers of Grommash, which allowed the warlock Gul "Dan to seize power in the Iron Horde and summon the demons of the Burning Legion to Draenor. Gul" Dan persuades the surviving leaders to join the Legion, which they do in the hope of turning the tide battles. However, Grommash Hellscream does not give in to persuasion, for which he is imprisoned. The Warlock takes over the Citadel Hellfire, making it the starting point for the Burning Legion. His next step is to summon the demon Archimonde. After a terrifying battle with the creatures in the citadel that nearly destroyed Draenor, the heroes slay Archimonde, who throws Gul'Dan into the portal before dying.
2016 Last days summer. And maybe Azeroth...
The Tomb of Sargeras is reopened, and the demons of the Burning Legion are pouring into the world.
All their awesome power is aimed at summoning the dark titan to Azeroth, and they have already managed to find the key to his return.
The forces of the Horde and the Alliance are seriously undermined. But it's too early to lose heart: with the help of legendary artifacts explore the ancient Broken Isles for titan relics and challenge the Legion while Azeroth still has hope.
Main events
After the battle for Draenor Ghul, under the influence of the demonic lord Kil'jaeden the Deceiver, he opened the tomb of Sargeras, and with it the gate through which the Burning Legion invaded Azeroth. He conquered the Broken Isles, including the ancient nightborne city of Suramar, and bent their leader to his will. The Alliance and Horde stormed the Broken Shore in the hope of stopping Gul'dan and preventing the Legion's invasion, but their efforts were in vain and cost the lives of King Varian Wrynn and Chieftain Vol'jin. Then Archmage Khadgar made a desperate attempt to unite the shattered factions, which led to the restoration of the Pillars of Creation - the only tool capable of resealing the tomb. The inhabitants of the Broken Isles have freed themselves from the influence of the Legion, and the forces of the Alliance and the Horde have approached Gul'dan's base, the Nighthold, in the hope of putting an end to the sinister ambitions of the warlock once and for all ...
End of 2016. The Burning Legion throws its forces towards Karazhan.
In the former abode of Medivh, they are trying to find something that will allow them to maintain an advantage in the war. But several heroes, led by Khadgar, manage to thwart the demons, giving Azeroth's army a chance to strike. An uprising began against the ruler of the ancient city of Suramar, and after his release, the heroes headed to the Night Citadel, where, with the help of Aman'tul's eye and their strength, they would try to close the tomb of Sargeras.
Spring 2017. Gul'dan is defeated in the Nighthold, and the Alliance and Horde gain new allies.
However, the war is far from over. The Burning Legion have bolstered their defenses in the Broken Isles in hopes of destroying all life on Azeroth with the power hidden in the Tomb of Sargeras. Kil'jaeden the Deceiver almost reached his goal when the heroes burst into the tomb. Hoping to win, the Deceiver sent the heroes to Argus, but he himself became a victim of Khadgar, Velen and other defenders of Azeroth. With the help of the Sargerite key, Illidan opened the portal to Argus and now the heroes Azeroth has no choice but to deal a crushing blow to Argus, or the demons will destroy everyone...
At the end of the summer of 2017, the heroes of Azeroth go to Argus.
There they united with the Army of the Light, which, having reorganized their forces, went to storm the stronghold of the Legion - Antorus, the Burning Throne. As a result of the most intense battles, the heroes of Azeroth defeated the soul of Argus and freed the titans, who imprisoned Sargeras in captivity for his atrocities, and appointed Illidan Stormrage as his jailer. In a final act of defiance, the dark titan pierced Azeroth with his sword and inflicted a deadly wound on the world...
2018 summer. The wounds of Azeroth are healing, but the broken trust between the Horde and the Alliance is now unlikely to be restored...
To be continued...
* Years of expansions and game updates are listed, not actual Warcraft events.
Here is my unofficial version of the short history of the game; based on add-on descriptions.
That's all for today. Leave comments on our forum, share the link with your friends.
Mikasik.
