World of Warcraft 3

No, not the third World of Warcraft. I’m talking about Warcraft 3! I’ve recently had some free time and decided to actually play through the game. I’ve had it since it was released… but I would be a liar if I said I had actually played through the entire story. I believe I got halfway through the Undead campaign before I went online and never looked back. You know, DotA and all.

As much as I would love to recollect my love for Warcraft 2 and Starcraft in relation to Warcraft 3 and it’s heroes, that’s not what this is about. This is all about the story!

As a part time WoW player it’s always fun to know where the lore comes from. At least I think so. And seeing as Warcraft 3 is directly before WoW, a lot of things happen there that gives you a better understanding of what is going on in the World of Warcraft.

You learn about the fall of Arthas and the spread of the Scourge (along with the creation of the Forsaken who now inhabit the Undercity), the fate of Archimonde (which you can replay in the Caverns of Time: Hyjal Summit - a recreation of the last level of Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos), Illidan’s release from his prison (and some time before he was transformed into his current demon form).

I guess the main reason for this article is just to express how much more I appreciate WoW now that I have actually played through the story preceding it, and to try and convince anyone who hasn’t played through it to go do so! With Wrath of the Lich King around the corner, wouldn’t you like to play out Arthas’ fall and joining with the Lich King?!

I do have to wonder how many people who play WoW have played any of the previous Warcraft games, though. And I will end with a few questions for those who have any interest:

Do you care about the lore in World of Warcraft (or any MMO you play)? Would you consider going back and playing the old RTS games to play out the story of the Warcraft universe?

Happy Warcrafting!