World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade

October 21, 2024

Beyond the Dark Portal: The Burning Crusade and the Expansion of World of Warcraft

Part Two of a Multi-Part Series on the Game that Defined a Generation

Following the phenomenal success of World of Warcraft (WoW) in 2004, Blizzard Entertainment sought to expand the game's universe with the release of The Burning Crusade on January 16, 2007. As WoW's first expansion, The Burning Crusade introduced players to new territories, races, classes, and some of the most challenging content the game had seen to date. In this article, part two of a multi-part series, we will delve deeply into The Burning Crusade, exploring its plot, characters, innovations, fan reception, and the legacy it left behind.

Plot Overview: Journeying Beyond the Dark Portal

The narrative of The Burning Crusade is rooted in the long-standing lore of Warcraft, picking up after the events of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. The story unfolds as the Dark Portal, a magical gateway between Azeroth and the shattered remains of the Orc homeworld, Draenor, reopens. This gateway leads to Outland, a desolate world dominated by powerful forces, including the remnants of the Burning Legion.

Players take on the role of adventurers who step through the portal to fight against the Legion and other evil beings. Central to the expansion is the rise of Illidan Stormrage, the Betrayer, a character whose tragic arc began in Warcraft III. In The Burning Crusade, Illidan has seized control of Outland and rules from the mighty Black Temple. However, his reign is threatened by the combined forces of the Alliance, Horde, and his allies, who seek to overthrow him.

Another critical storyline involves Kael'thas Sunstrider, the prince of the Blood Elves, who betrays Illidan to serve the Burning Legion. Kael'thas seeks to use the Sunwell, a magical font of power, to summon the demon lord Kil'jaeden into Azeroth. This plot culminates in the final raid of the expansion, Sunwell Plateau, where players must stop Kael'thas and Kil'jaeden to save Azeroth.

Key Characters: Lore-Driven Heroes and Villains

Illidan Stormrage
Illidan's story is one of Warcraft's most complex character arcs. Once a hero of the Night Elves, he was exiled after absorbing demonic powers in his misguided quest to protect Azeroth. By the time of The Burning Crusade, Illidan is a corrupted figure who claims dominion over Outland. Players must face off against him in the Black Temple, which became one of the most iconic raids in WoW history.

Kael'thas Sunstrider
Kael'thas Sunstrider, once a proud prince of the High Elves, has fallen from grace. His people, the Blood Elves, have turned to dark magic to survive after the destruction of their homeland. In The Burning Crusade, Kael'thas's ambition aligns him with Kil'jaeden, attempting to summon the demon lord to Azeroth. This betrayal is a key element of the Sunwell Plateau raid.

Kil'jaeden
Kil'jaeden, one of the highest-ranking demons in the Burning Legion, plays the ultimate villain of The Burning Crusade. His manipulation of races like the orcs and Blood Elves has been a recurring theme in the Warcraft series. In this expansion, his attempt to use the Sunwell as a portal to enter Azeroth sets the stage for an epic battle.

Innovations and Changes in The Burning Crusade
The Burning Crusade brought significant innovations and changes to the WoW experience, many of which would have long-lasting effects on the game.

New Playable Races: Blood Elves and Draenei

One of the most exciting changes in The Burning Crusade was the introduction of two new playable races:
Blood Elves (Horde): Once, noble High Elves were driven to desperation after their homeland of Quel'Thalas was destroyed. They turned to dark magic to sustain their people and joined the Horde in The Burning Crusade. The Blood Elves introduced the Paladin class to the Horde, previously an Alliance-exclusive class.
Draenei (Alliance): The Draenei, a race of survivors fleeing the Burning Legion, joined the Alliance in The Burning Crusade. Led by their prophet Velen, the Draenei were originally from Argus but fled to avoid the corruption of the Legion. Their inclusion also brought the Shaman class, once exclusive to the Horde, to the Alliance.

Level Cap Increase
The level cap in The Burning Crusade was raised from 60 to 70, providing players with more abilities, talents, and powerful gear to earn as they ventured through Outland. Each level introduced new challenges, requiring players to navigate the dangerous zones of Outland, from Hellfire Peninsula to the serene plains of Nagrand.

Flying Mounts
One of the expansion's most game-changing features was the introduction of flying mounts. These allowed players to quickly traverse Outland's fragmented landscapes, opening up new possibilities for exploration and combat strategies. Flying mounts became an essential game feature, transforming how players interacted with the world and each other.

Arena PvP
The Burning Crusade revolutionized WoW's player-versus-player (PvP) system with the introduction of Arenas. Arena battles allowed small teams of players to fight in controlled environments, adding a competitive edge to the PvP scene. The Arena system featured ranked matches, seasons, and rewards, making it an essential aspect of WoW's competitive landscape.

New Raids and Dungeons
Raiding, a cornerstone of WoW's endgame content, was significantly expanded in The Burning Crusade. Players were introduced to several challenging raid instances, including Karazhan, Tempest Keep, Serpentshrine Cavern, and the Black Temple, each offering iconic encounters and epic boss fights.

Best Moments in The Burning Crusade

The Black Temple Raid and the Battle Against Illidan
Perhaps the most iconic moment of The Burning Crusade was the final confrontation with Illidan Stormrage in the Black Temple. As one of WoW's most anticipated raids, Black Temple required players to navigate through a fortress filled with powerful enemies before finally confronting the Betrayer himself. The fight with Illidan remains one of WoW's most memorable encounters.

Unlocking Flying Mounts
The introduction of flying mounts was a game-changing moment for many players. Being able to soar across the skies of Outland added a new dimension to exploration and gameplay. Obtaining a flying mount was a significant achievement that required not only reaching level 70 but also amassing a large sum of gold.

Defeating M'uru in Sunwell Plateau
The Sunwell Plateau raid was the final challenge of The Burning Crusade, and it featured one of the expansion's most infamous bosses: M'uru. Known for its brutal difficulty, defeating M'uru required precise coordination and flawless execution from raid teams. Conquering this boss was a badge of honor for players during the expansion.

Arena Battles
The addition of Arena Battles introduced a new level of competition to WoW's PvP scene. Players formed small teams and faced off against each other in intense matches that tested their skill and strategy. Arena battles became integral to the game's PvP content and helped solidify WoW's position in the esports world.

The World First Races: A Test of Skill and Endurance

The world-first race for raid completions during The Burning Crusade was one of the most highly anticipated events in the WoW community. Raiding guilds from around the world competed to be the first to defeat the expansion's most challenging bosses, and the race was closely followed by players everywhere. Nihilum, one of the top guilds at the time, achieved several world-first kills during The Burning Crusade, including the defeat of Illidan Stormrage in the Black Temple. Their success solidified their reputation as one of the best raiding guilds in WoW history. SK Gaming claimed the prestigious world-first kill of Kil'jaeden in Sunwell Plateau, bringing the expansion's story to a close and securing their place in WoW history. The challenge of defeating Kil'jaeden made this achievement all the more remarkable.

Reception and Controversies
The Burning Crusade received overwhelmingly positive reviews from both fans and critics. The expansion was praised for its ambitious scope, challenging content, and introduction of new races, classes, and mechanics. Flying mounts and the Arena system were revolutionary changes pushing the MMORPG genre forward.

However, However, The Burning Crusade was not without its controversies. One of the most significant complaints came with the introduction of flying mounts, which, while praised for offering freedom and exploration opportunities, led to unintended consequences in world PvP. The ability to fly allowed players to bypass traditional PvP zones and avoid conflict, significantly reducing the intensity of open-world PvP battles. Some players argued that this diminished the danger and excitement of navigating contested zones on foot.

Another contentious feature was the attunement process for raids. Attunements were lengthy quest chains required to access certain raid instances, such as Karazhan, Mount Hyjal, and The Black Temple. While hardcore players appreciated the sense of accomplishment that came with completing attunements, many more casual players found the process tedious and unnecessarily restrictive. This barrier to raid content created frustration among players who struggled to keep up with the pace of progression.

Additionally, some fans expressed disappointment with how certain characters, such as Illidan Stormrage, were handled in the expansion. Illidan, a beloved anti-hero in the Warcraft universe, was portrayed as a villain throughout the expansion, and many players felt that his complex character arc deserved more nuance. The eventual defeat of Illidan in the Black Temple raid was bittersweet for many fans who had hoped for his redemption.

Fan and Critic Reception
Despite these controversies, The Burning Crusade was widely hailed as a significant success, both critically and commercially. It sold nearly 2.4 million copies within the first 24 hours of release, breaking records for PC game sales. Critics praised the expansion for its profound lore, vibrant new zones, and challenging raid content. The introduction of the Blood Elves and Draenei also brought fresh narrative possibilities, and the expansion's focus on the Warcraft universe's cosmic threats added layers to the already rich lore.

Players particularly lauded the new endgame content, which provided a substantial challenge for raiders and casual players alike. Dungeons like Karazhan became fan favorites for their atmosphere and mechanics, while raids like Tempest Keep and Serpentshrine Cavern offered complex and rewarding encounters. The new zones in Outland, including Nagrand, Zangarmarsh, and Hellfire Peninsula, were also highly praised for their distinct aesthetics and world-building.

The Arena PvP system, though controversial at first due to balance concerns, was eventually embraced by the PvP community. It provided an organized competitive structure that pushed players to refine their skills in new ways, creating a thriving PvP scene that continues today.

The Lasting Legacy of The Burning Crusade
The Burning Crusade was a turning point for World of Warcraft, not just because of its innovations but because it expanded the scope and ambition of the game in meaningful ways. The expansion introduced features that would become staples of the MMORPG genre, such as flying mounts, Arenas, and iconic raids. It set a new standard for what players could expect from WoW's expansions in terms of both storytelling and gameplay complexity.

As The Burning Crusade drew to a close, Blizzard set the stage for its next major expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, which would take players to the icy continent of Northrend and pit them against one of the most iconic villains in the Warcraft universe: Arthas Menethil, the Lich King. In the next part of this series, we will explore the events leading up to Wrath of the Lich King and how it continued to shape the world of Warcraft. Stay tuned for the next chapter in WoW's incredible journey.