World of Warcraft: Dragonflightwill serve as the ninth expansion for the 18-year-old MMO, and usher the return of the dragons to Azeroth. Dragon aspects were once the most powerful beings on the planet, but due to the events ofCataclysmthey were weakened. While they have cropped up here and there ever since, dragons have not played a pivotal role inWorld of Warcraftfor many expansions, andDragonflightaims to fix that.
The return of the dragon aspects toWorld of Warcraftalso meansDragonflightwill be full of dragon lore. The dragons have had a long history on Azeroth, with not all of it being portrayed in-game. Many fans may be rusty when it comes to the specifics of the dragon lore, butWorld of Warcrafthas received many tie-in novels over the years, and a decent amount of them have touched on the topic of dragons that could be read before the expansion rolls around.
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Day of the Dragon
Day of the Dragonis among the first of many dragon-centered books in theWorld of Warcraftuniverse. The book takes placeafter the Second War of Azeroth, and chronicles the events surrounding the freeing of dragon aspect Alexstrasza from the Dragonmaw clan. The clan captured the Dragonqueen and used the Demon Soul to force her to create more dragons. The story follows a mage named Rhonin as he goes on a secret mission to free her and gather the aide of the dragon aspects. The story also touches on Deathwing’s manipulations behind the scenes, a character whoWorld of Warcraftplayers should remember fromCataclysm. This book provides an interesting look into events of theWarcraftRTS games, and it received a re-release in 2019 that should make it easy to track down.
Dawn of the Aspects
Dawn of the Aspectsjumps forward, taking place afterthe defeat of Deathwing inCataclysm.The aspects are dealing with the loss of their immortal powers as they attempt to find a place in the world. It follows the blue dragon aspect Kalecgos as he explores the past to figure out what to do with the future. The story not only provides information post-Cataclysm, but it also tells the history of the dragon aspects and how they became the powerful aspects they were. It chronicles the defeat of the bloodthirsty Galakrond centuries ago, and the creation of the aspects. This story was originally released as a five part e-book series, but has since received a paperback release.
Night of the Dragon
Night of the Dragonserves as the follow-up toDay of the Dragonand tells the story of events that led up toWrath of the Lich King. The story follows Krasus, also known as Korialstrasz, as he ventures to Grim Batol - where Alextrasza was held - to confront a rising evil. He is not the only one who gets drawn to Grim Batol, as many other characters head there on their own missions. The book also includes references to Deathwing and the build-up toCataclysm. It serves as an interesting read for those who want some more context to events while checking out one of the fewWorld of Warcraftbooks that does not feature orcs
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Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects
Thrall: Twilight of the Aspectstakes place during theCataclysmexpansion, and also serves as a sequel of sorts toThe Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm. The story follows theformer Horde warchief Thrallas he accepts a task from the green dragon aspect Ysera. This mission brings him throughout history as he encounters ancient dragonflights, battles in the Second War, and works alongside the dragonflights as they learn about an impending darkness that threatens to destroy them all.
The story ofThrall: Twilight of the Aspectsprovides even more information on the history of the dragonflights and the struggles they faced. It lets players see the history of the dragons through the eyes of one ofthe most iconicWorld of Warcraftcharacters. While people may argue that some of this should have been presented in-game, the novel is an interesting read for anyone who wants to learn more about dragons and Thrall.
The War of the Ancients Trilogy
The War of the Ancientstrilogy has perhaps some of the mostwell-put-togetherWorld of Warcraftbooks. The series containsThe Well of Eternity, The Demon Soul,andThe Sundering,which can all be purchased separately or in a compilation calledWarcraft: War of the Ancients Archive.The books tell the story of the Burning Legion invasion of Azeroth 10,000 years before the First War, and are some of the fewWorld of Warcraftbooks to be disconnected from the game.
The story focuses a lot onMalfurion Stormrage’s rise and Illidan Stormrage’s fallalong with the creation of the continents of Azeroth. It also tells the story of the dragon aspects and the creation of the Dragon Soul, an object that would be corrupted and changed into the Demon Soul by Deathwing. The story is a pivotal moment in Azeroth’s history, and provides a lot backstory on the characters of the world and the dragons that inhabit it.
World of Warcraft Chronicles
The threeWorld of WarcraftChroniclesvolumes are the closest one can get to reading an Azeroth history book. Each volume tells the events of theWarcraftuniverse from the perspective of the Titans. They touch on everything from Primordial Azeroth to the events ofCataclysm. While they showcase a lot more than just the history of the dragons, the story of the dragon aspects play a big role. The aspects have been a huge part of the story of Azeroth, and as such they play a huge part ofChronicles. While these do not read like a standard fantasy book, they are the best source for the most up-to-date dragon lore -at least untilDragonflightpotentially retcons some of it.
Dragons have played a huge role inthe history ofWorld of Warcraft, and they will be making their grand return whenDragonflightis released. Blizzard has not shared a launch date yet, which means there is ample time to check out a few dragon-themed books to prepare forDragonflightbetween running dailies in Zereth Mortis.
