World of Warcraftis one of the biggest and most well known PC games on the market right now. It has enthralled players for hours on end, delivering consistent content for over 18 years. The game revolutionized the MMO genre when it launched in 2005, but the world of Azeroth did not get its start there. The story ofWarcraftbegan all the way back in 1994 with an RTS calledWarcraft: Orcs & Humans.
Warcraft: Orcs & Humansbrought players to Azeroth for the very first time, and players would control the armies of either the Humans or the Orcs through two separate campaigns with different endings. The game proved to be a success, so Blizzard releasedWarcraft 2: Tides of Darkness,expanding the story ofWarcraftby introducing new units and the iconic characters of Gul’dan and Sargeras. Then, Blizzard releasedWarcraft 3: Reign of Chaos, which heavily expanded the story and caused waves in the gaming industry; the creation tool even led to the creation ofDOTAand the modern MOBA genre. After receiving an expansion, the story ofWarcraftleft the RTS genre and entered the MMO genre withWorld of Warcraft, but fans have been clamoring for a return to the series' roots for years, and withMicrosoft now owning Activision Blizzard, it may be possibility.
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Warcraft 4 Could Be Set in Between Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne and World of Warcraft
WhenWorld of Warcraftfirst launched, it took place four years after theevents ofWarcraft 3: The Frozen Throne. In that time, Thrall’s horde had settled down in Durotar and invited the undead Forsaken to join its ranks, while Gnomes, Dwarves, and Night Elves all joined the Alliance. Four years does not offer a lot of story potential, but in Azeroth it seems a giant world ending crisis happens every single week, so maybe a lot actually did happen in that time.
SettingWarcraft 4in-betweenWarcraft 3: The Frozen ThroneandWorld of Warcraftwould allow Blizzard to vastly expand the events that led up to the beginning ofWoW. It could introduce new characters, let players see what old characters were up to, and let them learn more about the intricacies of the Horde and Alliance. Maybe players could help Thrall find a suitable home for the Horde, or perhaps they could help the Alliance recruit more allies. They could even get alook into what Blood Elves, Draenei, and all the other post launch races were up to.
A New Take on The First and Second Wars
Warcraft: Orcs & HumansandWarcraft 2: Tides of Darknessare very dated by today’s standards, Blizzard does not even sell them on Battle.net.Warcraft 3: Reforgedlet players experience the Third War again, even if the game was controversial, but many players have little to no idea what happened during the First and Second Wars. While Blizzard could choose to remaster the original two games, it could also create a brand-new game set in that time.
The first twoWarcraftgames were very bare-bones story wise compared toWarcraft 3.While story was present in those games, with the second one vastly improving on the storytelling, it was nothing compared to later titles. Crafting an RTS morein the style ofWarcraft 3but set during the First or Second Wars would let players experience this pivotal time in Azeroth. Blizzard could also use this as a way of redoing the lore to make it more in line withWorld of Warcraft, asWarcraft: Orcs & Humanshad two different endings despite only one being considered canon.
Set During an Expansion Pack
One of the easiest settings thatWarcraft 4could take place in is during an expansion. Each of the originalWarcraftgames took place during the great wars of Azeroth, andWorld of Warcrafthas had many great wars.Battle for Azerothgave players The Fourth War,LegionandThe Burning Crusadeinvolved large scale invasions from the Burning Legion,Wrath of the Lich KingandShadowlandshad Scourge invasions, andCataclysmhad the apocalypse. Players only get to experience a small subset of these various conflicts, so havingWarcraft 4take place during these times would help expand the threat and give players a full picture of the events.
It is unclear whether anotherWarcraftgame will ever be a possibility, asWorld of Warcraftcontinues to receive content, but fans can dream.Blizzard has said it is planning substantial contentforWarcraft, Microsoft has made some great RTS games, and fans have been clamoring for a fourth title for a while, so maybe it’s finally time for Blizzard to make one.
