expansion´s continuity

[Piamonte]

From my understandind the events in Cataclysm caused the beginning of Mist of Pandaria, after that and thanks to Garrosh, wod happened, and because wod Guldan came to Azeroth and caused Legion. So i wanted to know if something similar happened in the previous expansions, if there are any events that links TBC with Wotkl and Wotkl with Cataclysm. Just a small question i had and wanted to know what you guys think

[Evaddon]

Nope, we just had launch events that didn't tie the story to what happened before, its a new good direction Blizzard has taken in recent years to improve story telling. You could argue WOTLK had Ruby Sanctum that I guess somehow tied into Cataclysm with the Twilight...but not really, and it sucked,and it didn't make much sense

[hulkgor]

I believe it will be kind straight forward.

7.3, we go to Argus to face the Burning Legion and Sargeras(?).

Despite the outcome (win or lose, whatever), we return to find a huge naga\old god incursion in Azeroth, bam, 8.0, Rise of the Nagawhatevers.

[Radaney]

Warcraft 3 happened, we got Vanilla, TBC and Wrath from it.

[Zapanth]

I really enjoy the story being linked together, one expansion into another. It really ties in the story and it also improves my immersion. Consequences for our actions, I.E. defeating archimond at all costs to save Dreanor lead to the invasion of Azeroth. Would it still have happened without our intervention? Would Gul'dan and the shadow council have ever escaped? Who knows. But I do know that my character stopped archimond and his last act was to send Guldan home.

[Pandragon]

Well with TBC>Wrath we had the scourge event, where scourge attacked Org and Stormwind en masse. Cataclysm didn't really need a tie in though, because the point of it was Deathwing suddenly appearing at tearing a part the world, since he was in Deepholm, where we couldn't find him. But we did start having random earthquakes, and the elementals began freaking out.

[Skoll Shorties]

Well we somewhat had characters that brought the bridge into the next expansion, but not like Gul'dan or Garrosh.

Vanilla to TBC - We had the Lord Kazzak who re-opened the Dark Portal and diverted our attention on Illidan's forces and the Burning Legion.

TBC to WotLK - Arthas had reawakened and with it came his plagues and the scourge all across Azeroth. Attacking such cities like Orgrimmar and Stormwind. The war was to be brought to Northrend with Garrosh heading it for the Horde and Bolvar for the Alliance.

WotLk to Cataclysm - Deathwing had returned and with it came the many angry elementals and destruction of several landscapes of Azeroth. There was also the Ruby Sanctum which hinted at the coming tide of the Twilight Dragonflight. Similar to Arthas and his Scourge he also ravaged such cities like Orgrimmar with fire elementals and Deathwing himself causing massive amounts of damage to Stormwind's park and the front gates.

Cata to MoP - Garrosh's efforts against the Alliance grew to an increasing amount going so far as to drop a bomb onto Theramore that contained the Focusing Iris. The attacks on Theramore created more uprising between the Alliance and Horde across both land and sea. As the war waged on, such lands that were once covered in the mists were opened from the Cataclsym Deathwing had raged prior. While Anduin was on an escort boat with Admiral Taylor aboard it a Horde ship attacked it and resulted in both sides being marooned on this new land. Having the entire world now peering below at Pandaria.

MoP to WoD - Garrosh's war crimes had finally caught up to him he was to be punished for them. But Wrathion, Kairoz and those loyal to Hellscream would not allow this and they would free him by any means necessary. Garrosh would have his vengeance on Azeroth for taking his rightful throne away from him, his Horde away from him. Kairoz and Garrosh would escape into an alternate universe just before the orcs were corrupted by the demons a land where Garrosh was never born. A land of dissapointment (ahem). Garrosh would manage to create a new horde that was matched with modern day technology that Siegecrafter Blackfuse had provided Garrosh. Now Azeroth would once again have to enter the Dark Portal and face what threats lied ahead.

WoD to Legion - With Garrosh's wish to create another chance for the Orcs also gave way into other people gaining second chances. An alternate Gul'dan who was already gripped by the whispers and promises of the Legion would try his hardest to corrupt the Horde that Garrosh was rallying while he failed countless times - he would eventually succeed in his own Fel Iron Horde only for that to fail and one of his own masters Archimonde. But Gul'dan had made a pact with the Legion and he was going to fulfill it. The warlock was tossed into our Azeroth to bring in the coming Legion for Sargeras and for Kil'jaeden. Gul'dan would finally succeed in his task and bring forth the Legion onto Azeroth.

That's what i've to say at least. Can't wait to see what lies in store next.

[Aquamonkey]

If TBC>WotLK Scourge invasion happened because Arthas suddenly woke up, who orchestrated the first Scourge invasion/Naxx during Vanilla?

[Piamonte]

Well we somewhat had characters that brought the bridge into the next expansion, but not like Gul'dan or Garrosh.

Vanilla to TBC - We had the Lord Kazzak who re-opened the Dark Portal and diverted our attention on Illidan's forces and the Burning Legion.

TBC to WotLK - Arthas had reawakened and with it came his plagues and the scourge all across Azeroth. Attacking such cities like Orgrimmar and Stormwind. The war was to be brought to Northrend with Garrosh heading it for the Horde and Bolvar for the Alliance.

WotLk to Cataclysm - Deathwing had returned and with it came the many angry elementals and destruction of several landscapes of Azeroth. There was also the Ruby Sanctum which hinted at the coming tide of the Twilight Dragonflight. Similar to Arthas and his Scourge he also ravaged such cities like Orgrimmar with fire elementals and Deathwing himself causing massive amounts of damage to Stormwind's park and the front gates.

Cata to MoP - Garrosh's efforts against the Alliance grew to an increasing amount going so far as to drop a bomb onto Theramore that contained the Focusing Iris. The attacks on Theramore created more uprising between the Alliance and Horde across both land and sea. As the war waged on, such lands that were once covered in the mists were opened from the Cataclsym Deathwing had raged prior. While Anduin was on an escort boat with Admiral Taylor aboard it a Horde ship attacked it and resulted in both sides being marooned on this new land. Having the entire world now peering below at Pandaria.

MoP to WoD - Garrosh's war crimes had finally caught up to him he was to be punished for them. But Wrathion, Kairoz and those loyal to Hellscream would not allow this and they would free him by any means necessary. Garrosh would have his vengeance on Azeroth for taking his rightful throne away from him, his Horde away from him. Kairoz and Garrosh would escape into an alternate universe just before the orcs were corrupted by the demons a land where Garrosh was never born. A land of dissapointment (ahem). Garrosh would manage to create a new horde that was matched with modern day technology that Siegecrafter Blackfuse had provided Garrosh. Now Azeroth would once again have to enter the Dark Portal and face what threats lied ahead.

WoD to Legion - With Garrosh's wish to create another chance for the Orcs also gave way into other people gaining second chances. An alternate Gul'dan who was already gripped by the whispers and promises of the Legion would try his hardest to corrupt the Horde that Garrosh was rallying while he failed countless times - he would eventually succeed in his own Fel Iron Horde only for that to fail and one of his own masters Archimonde. But Gul'dan had made a pact with the Legion and he was going to fulfill it. The warlock was tossed into our Azeroth to bring in the coming Legion for Sargeras and for Kil'jaeden. Gul'dan would finally succeed in his task and bring forth the Legion onto Azeroth.

That's what i've to say at least. Can't wait to see what lies in store next.

yeah but those are the pre-events of their respective expansions, i was talking about something more like an event in Wotkl causing the coming of Deathwing, but all that i can come up is that Deathwing and the old gods just waited till the ther mayor threat in the world was defeated so they didn´t have to deal with the héroes plus the lich King, and that may be the Lich King in turn waited until Illidan was defeated to launch his attack because of his arrogance, he wanted the strongest héroes of Azeoth fighting against him instead of just the ones that were left behind... i don´t know

[Radaney]

If TBC>WotLK Scourge invasion happened because Arthas suddenly woke up, who orchestrated the first Scourge invasion/Naxx during Vanilla?

Kel'Thuzad. Also Arthas woke up prior to WotLK, Kel'Thuzad speaks to him pre-pull in Vanilla Naxx.

Kel'Thuzad trying to overthrow Bolvar-King as head of the Scourge could be an interesting expansion idea.

[Ethenil]

Vanilla to TBC was a natural course of events. Kil'jaeden was still trying to punish Illidan and so he managed to make us do it for him. My theory is that the Shadow Council that was so prevalent in Vanilla was what allowed for Kruul to open so many portals to Azeroth.

While Chronicle Volume III might better explain this, I like to think that the Lich King awakening was also planned by Kil'jaeden - remember, he also wanted to punish him.

As for WotLK - Cata, it may be related to Yogg-Saron's defeat at Ulduar.

All of these things will hopefully be clarified in Volume 3!

[Kynario]

I believe it will be kind straight forward.

7.3, we go to Argus to face the Burning Legion and Sargeras(?).

Despite the outcome (win or lose, whatever), we return to find a huge naga\old god incursion in Azeroth, bam, 8.0, Rise of the Nagawhatevers.

Yes, pretty much. It's obvious at this point that we heroes are leaving Azeroth "unprotected" to battle the evil on Argus, and that the Old Golds/Azshara will (probably) use it as a chance to strike and start their invasions/attack.

I know it'll never happen but it'd be sick if we came back and the Broken Isles started sinking and were being pulled back into the ocean by Azshara. The expansion would end like Lost/Warcraft III i.e. the whole isles would return to the ocean floor.

[Manabomb]

Frankly the only one that made no sense was WoD, but that's WoD in general. *Waiting on the day when Blizzard decides the events of WoD are no longer cannon*

I do like continuity though. Despite my criticisms of WoD and Legion, the fact they actually flow into one another is very important to story telling.

[TheVaryag]

From my understandind the events in Cataclysm caused the beginning of Mist of Pandaria, after that and thanks to Garrosh, wod happened, and because wod Guldan came to Azeroth and caused Legion. So i wanted to know if something similar happened in the previous expansions, if there are any events that links TBC with Wotkl and Wotkl with Cataclysm. Just a small question i had and wanted to know what you guys think

I'd just like to say, that without Wrathion and that bronze dragon sending Garrosh back Into uber time space or whatever, basically pretending to be star trek with all the time travel shiz, caused all of the events to unfold, Including Gul'dan being sent to Azeroth to open the Tomb of Sargeras portal. And don't tell me that was KJ's plan all along or something, like he foresaw Wrathion and the bronze git doing that and Archimonde sending Gul'dan to Azeroth on purpose...

Blizzard's stories never quite truly collected together, and there are still many, many gaps In their story telling that they refuse to fill because: They don't know.

[Aucald]

Blizzard's stories never quite truly collected together, and there are still many, many gaps In their story telling that they refuse to fill because: They don't know.

I've said before that this is an area where the playerbase's (especially the one present here) and Blizzard's interest don't really converge. We want a cohesive narrative where all things are explained, everything is internally consistent, and the story flows from arc to arc in a rational manner. Blizzard largely concerns themselves with fun gaming mechanics, "rule of cool" type conventions, and whether or not the content is enjoyable to play. To us the story is a rigid binding that holds the game together, but to the developers the story is merely a vehicle that carries enjoyment to the players - there is a disconnect in the two viewpoints that can't easily be surmounted.

The devs don't want to be hobbled or handicapped by the story limiting their capacity to deliver novel, fun, or interesting gaming elements - so they are fully prepared and quite fine with compromising said story where they need to so to deliver on that goal. I think they've got a very rough draft of where they want to take the story of the game, but are also fine with changing those projections or throwing them entirely aside if needed to do something they consider cool. Not too dissimilar from the process of writing in any case - the first and rough drafts of most time-honored and cherished stores often bear little to no resemblance to the final products.

[Deleted]

From my understandind the events in Cataclysm caused the beginning of Mist of Pandaria, after that and thanks to Garrosh, wod happened, and because wod Guldan came to Azeroth and caused Legion. So i wanted to know if something similar happened in the previous expansions, if there are any events that links TBC with Wotkl and Wotkl with Cataclysm. Just a small question i had and wanted to know what you guys think

Nefarian experimenting on creating the Chromatic Dragonflight in BWL is something that carries over to TBC, where there is a black dragon (forgot the name) that experiments on the Netherwing Dragonflight.

These experiments eventually lead to succes in Wrath, with the Black and Red Dragonshrines being occupied by the Black and Twilight Dragonflights.

All of these are breadcrumbs leading into Cataclysm with the return of Deathwing himself. You also have the buildup of the Old Gods with C'thun in Vanilla and Yogg-Saron in Wrath leading towards Cataclysm.

There are also plenty of breadcrumbs leading into the Scourge storyline in Wrath, for example entire Western and Eastern Plaguelands storyline in Vanilla, including Stratholme, Scholomance and Naxxramas dungeons/raids.

[Stardrift]

I remember someone from Blizz trying to say the death of Arthas caused a shift that woke Deathwing. Made no sense what so ever, but I guess they get a cookie for trying.