Why is the Legion even a threat?

[Thage]

This invasion dwarfs the War of the Ancients, by Blizzard's own admission at Blizzcon and Gamescom. There are far more demons than there are warlocks with the skill to enslave multiple at one time; things get so bad that the Alliance and Horde are broken for the first time since Warcraft 3 (after one resounding victory after another, both working together and against one another and a mutual enemy in a three-way war), which is why the class orders are revitalized/refounded in the first place.

From a gameplay standpoint, because they're the newest batch of mobs we get quests to go kill.

[Sarethion]

I mean canonically that's what's happening. It's not hard to make a game where you're losing the whole time, I've played those and had a blast, but it requires good storytelling and I dunno if WoW is the engine to do that with. Sure a writer can do a great job building that theme, but it's hard to get a whole bunch of those together and create a world like that without it being depressing.

Yeah, that's exactly what I've meant - I just don't think Blizzard and WoW could really accomodate something like that.

Regardless of what happens in Legion, the Iron Horde were never a threat. Arthas and the Scourge would have wrecked them and we've already broken those bones, so the Iron Horde was, to me, the biggest joke enemy we've ever faced. I've faced down Kil'jaeden. Grom's a pushover.

I think that if Iron Horde was handled better, it could have been an interesting enemy - maybe not the most threatening one, but still enjoyable enough to have it in the game.

[Telwar]

Regardless of what happens in Legion, the Iron Horde were never a threat. Arthas and the Scourge would have wrecked them and we've already broken those bones, so the Iron Horde was, to me, the biggest joke enemy we've ever faced. I've faced down Kil'jaeden. Grom's a pushover.

As written, they weren't; powder and steel are very fine in battle, but if you want to be a Tier 1 army, you have to have magic, and the Shadowmoon just weren't cut out for that. I'm guessing that Gul'dan and co were, prior to being used as batteries, made to switch the Dark Portal address to our universe's instead of their own's. But without significant magical power, they are limited to pushing through in a predictable location in a small area that is easily registered by artillery. Even with advice from the former orc warchief who still has sympathizers in Orgrimmar, they're limited to how fast they can take and hold territory...and their siege engines can't fit through the portal, and that's a LONG walk through shrapnel and cluster bombs and Plague.

Until, of course, the Sargerei come forth, after the "Battle" of Karabor, and call in their masters. Orcs do what they do best and fall in with a winner after Grom dies futilely and as nobly as a genocidal slavemaster can, and Gul'dan is freed and sneaks in to our world and opens the gate in the Tomb. As the Alliance and Horde scramble to plug the invasion that is much farther from their bases than they'd prefer with whatever mobile forces they have available, they find another invasion coming through their rear, through whatever remnant forces were left at the Dark Portal, who won't receive any reinforcements...and there's nothing to even pretend to stop them.

[Shoeboots]

Jaraxxus, Eredar lord of the Burning Legion says hello.

Well played

[Avaddon]

Why didn't the shamans just tame Ragnaros so we wouldn't have to raid Molten Core and Firelands I mean they can already summon a fire elemental so why not just summon Ragnaros and use him to fight all our raids for us. duhh.

[Xtrm]

I would like to see a warlock attempt to enslave Kil'Jaeden.

I wish people would realize in-game mechanics such as the amount of characters and canonical lore are different. It's like everyone bitching about a million people with Ashbringers makes no sense on the lore, yet in the lore, there's one hero with the Ashbringer, just one. You can go and count the amount of warlocks in-game, just run around and find all warlocks, then add ONE, then that's the true number of warlocks in the Warcraft universe.

[Destinas]

1.) Numbers. There are worlds upon worlds upon worlds of people out there that Sargeras has corrupted and added to his cause. We have the combined might of Azeroth, some of Outland, and probably a bit from AU Draenor, and that can't compare. We don't even have that many warlocks to banish/enslave a significant portion of the Legion. Worlds/races that cooperate with the Legion are spared, and their worlds are corrupted and modified by the Legion as well.

2.) Strength. Worlds that do not join the Legion are destroyed (as mentioned in recent books). Those that cannot be corrupted (like the Aldrachi, mentioned in Legion) are also destroyed - in the case of the Aldrachi, Sargeras personally killed their leader and took his weapons. Sargeras can also simply cleave through worlds and destroy them if need be, as he did with a planet with a world-soul in Chronicle, and as he did with Mardum (which, actually, was another plane of existence).

3.) Corruption and souls. Fel energy is like ionizing radiation. Except, unlike when you have your broken leg inspected through an X-ray, all of Azeroth doesn't have the equivalent of lead jackets to drape over themselves for protection. It spreads, burns the land, corrupts the plants and animals, and changes the physiology and mindset of those corrupted. Those that aren't corrupted are usually killed, as stated above, and their souls are used to power machines or power up certain demons/people (as seen most recently in the DH starting area and Gorefiend in Auchindoun/HFC). Most planets are not filled to the brim with Light-wielding soldiers, and millions of regular citizens can be corrupted as demonic fodder, or have their souls ripped out for power. Every time they go to another planet and corrupt everyone they can, they get millions more demons/souls for the Legion war machine - which goes back to point #1.

4.) Technology. They also have technology that is vastly superior to most mortal races, even comparable to the technology of the Draenei and Naaru. They have cannons to spread fel fire and launch infernals, they have literal space ships, portals to transport more and more troops from different worlds or the Twisting Nether, mechanical enhancements for their bodies, etc. When they take over things like the Iron Horde from AU Draenor, they also got their technology - while not nearly as advanced as the other stuff, it packs a punch nonetheless. Not to mention Fel Reavers, which are hugely powerful and corrupting.

So, yeah. Not a cakewalk for any planet. We're depicted as the Chosen Ones, so of course we'll be able to drive them back. But, the Legion is still a threat, especially to Azeroth, who has always been Sargeras' main target.

[Lastlivingsoul]

I haven't posted on this forum for forever but after reading this post I had to say something. It has been building up for a while so here is the real scoop on why Sargeras an Omnipotent Fel Titan cares about little old backwater Azeroth according to Warcraft: Chronicle Vol. 1.

Non-Spoiler Alert the Horde and Alliance do not pose a threat to his inter-galatic affairs. What lies beneath them does.
Wall of Spoiler-Ridden Text Incoming....

[SPOILERS]

In Chronicle Sargeras doesn't want to simply invade Azeroth to take out the Horde and the Alliance. He wants to take his Moon-Sized Sword and split Azeroth in two literally. Why? Because at the planet's core there is a sleeping Titan with the rumored potential be be the more powerful than him. Sargeras' only true concern is that one day a slumbering Titan in one of the near infinite number of planets in the Universe may one day be corrupted by an Old God and surpass the Titans and the Legion blanketing the entire Universe in the Void. You know just like Amon from Starfcraft: Legacy of the Void (An Evil Amalgamation of Order and Chaos)

Sargeras has sliced a planet in half before killing the sleeping Titan baby inside before. When discovered the first evidence of an Old God sprawled across a planet's surface driving the Nacent Titan at the planet's core insane from within he quickly put it out of its misery. After interrogating a Dreadlord drawn to the Old Gods Dark Energy he found out their plan to use this new insane Old God fueled Titan as a weapon against the Pantheon and creation itself. It was part of a greater plan masterminded by the force behind the Old Gods the Void Lords. Now Azeroth may become the next new Dark Titan.

Here's the bad news Sargeras knows that a planet that could one day rise up and oppose him exists thanks to his Uncorrupted Luitenant Aggramar. He knows WHERE we are thanks to Medivh but what he doesn't yet know is how bad the Corruption already is. He is coming to Kill the planet not just its inhabitants.


In truth I believe that Azeroth may already be beyond saving for several reasons in Lore. The Titan watcher Ra's despair and depression at the level of corruption absorbed in the darkest reaches of the earth honestly doesn't match the contained darkness we found simply buried and studied in the Vale of Blossoms. In Chronicle the five Old Gods competed for supremacy and territory over Azeroth before the Titans showed up and Locked them away, and now only N'Zoth is left alive unchecked. The Largest Old Gods C'Thun, Yogg, and Y'Shaarj have been released from their prisons and it follows that since the Sundering and the events of the Cataclysm N'Zoth is free as well. If you look at the shape of N'Zoth in the Hearthstone promo it's head looks like a Mindflayer you know the kind that latch onto your head and control your actions like StoneSpeaker Eurnak in the Throne of Tides dungeon. Its not hard to imagine (Its a strectch I know but that brings me to a non-Lore related observation.) N'Zoth is a name as readily identifiable as Yogg Saron/Yogg Soggoth or C'Thun/Cthulu. But (and I'm stretching here) if you Combine "Azeroth"** with "N'Zoth" you get "Azathoth"*** the most powerful being in the Lovecraft Universe Master of Space, Time all while being completly "Mindless." N'Zoth infused with Titan.

This is literally the very reason he decided to undo centuries of his service under the Titans for and damn himself and creation in order to prevent this kind of thing from happening. It kinda makes Sargeras' motivations mirror Arthas and Grom Hellscream in a way.

The real speculation begins with if the Nacent Titan really has become corrupted why hasn't it surfaced with the others to prove my point. I would like to believe that in keeping the Lovecraftian Lore the "Blind Idiot God" Azathoth is in fact still still sleeping just like its Lovecraftian counterpart lulled to sleep by its servants with inumerable drums and flutes. Should these instruments ever be interupted or stopped even for a moment the Old God would awake and procede to destroy the Universe. IF this was the case I would venture a guess that the only ones that could reach such a depth within the earth with any possible ear for music would be the Mutated Sirens and Fallen Highborne known as the Naga. It is possible the are holding the Dark Titan in a coma until Sargeras's arrival under a promise they would be spared planet's fate which is most likely another lie by Sargeras. This would explain why Queen Azshara hasn't bothered with the whole World Domination bit since the failed summoning of Sargeras, she has a Titan baby to Rock to sleep (Sigh... sorry couldn't help myself) till "Daddy" comes home and kills it. Evil on a whole lot of levels.

** It is explained in Chronicle the Planet literally named the planet and the Azeroth and the Keepers left to clear out the Old God Infestation passed the name down.
*** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azathoth and http://lovecraft.wikia.com/wiki/Azathoth
[/SPOILERS]

and that's the reason why and how Sargeras wants to kick Azeroth's ass.

[Cathbadh]

Jaraxxus, Eredar lord of the Burning Legion says hello.

Jaraxxus doesn't say hello you trifling gnome, he says:

INFERNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Wolfrick]

Take a look at the new Chronicles book, its is awesome and you should read it! trust me, you will fall in love with that book, so much that get Explained and that gives you so much understading, even if you allready knew aloot of lore, this book makes things even cooler

[Deleted]

legion isnt threat. I am pretty sure we will faceroll over every single demon entire leveling experience just like we did with this ,,savage,, iron horde. I am pretty sure i can stand at sargeras tomb and just slay demons all day while eating my cake.

[Deleted]

That's why I mentioned having the lesser ones under control gang up on him.

That's like trying to take out a Mega level Digimon with bunch of Rookies.

[tanksin the enhance shamy]

they couldnt send a mana bomb into the portal?