World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth

Freed at long last from his titan-wrought prison, the Old God N'Zoth returned to his seat of power—Ny'alotha, the Waking City. There he gathered his forces and prepared to unleash a new age of madness upon the mortal world. Elsewhere in Azeroth, a different battle raged on. Varok Saurfang, after rescuing Baine Bloodhoof, recruited assistance from Thrall, Anduin—who mustered the Alliance—and Horde dissidents. Saurfang's was a battle for honor, for the very soul of the Horde. The combined army traveled to the gates of Orgrimmar where Saurfang challenged Sylvanas Windrunner to Mak'gora, a duel for the title of Warchief. Empowered by a mysterious force, Sylvanas struck a lethal blow to the old soldier after proclaiming that "the Horde is nothing". She discarded the mantle of Warchief and left Orgrimmar, losing support from all but a few clandestine loyalists. With the armies of both the Horde and Alliance depleted from the long war, N'Zoth sensed the perfect time to strike. As his shadowy servants assaulted the Forge of Origination in Uldum and the Engine of Nalak'sha in Pandaria, the heroes of Azeroth were aided by the return of Wrathion. The black dragon provided the means to resist the Old God's seductive promises of power and his nightmarish visions of a horrific future. The heroes of Azeroth stormed Ny'alotha and fought through the twisted armies of the Black Empire. In the end, they channeled the full power of the Forge of Origination through the Heart of Azeroth, defeating N'Zoth and purging his corruption from the world. The leaders of the Horde and Alliance signed a treaty to bring the Fourth War to an end. The Battle for Azeroth was over, but the whereabouts of Sylvanas were still unknown....

In the aftermath of the Battle of Dazar'alor, Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner ordered Nathanos Blightcaller to set sail with the remnants of the Horde fleet. Using Xal'atath, Blade of the Black Empire as a compass, the Horde hoped to turn the war in their favor. The Alliance fleet engaged in pursuit, and both groups were ambushed by the naga as the sea opened beneath them. Trapped in Nazjatar, the ancient home of the naga, both factions were met by an ancient enemy: Queen Azshara, ruler of the naga and servant of the Old God N’Zoth. Meanwhile, Sylvanas Windrunner planned to execute Baine Bloodhoof for freeing Jaina Proudmoore’s risen brother Derek. Unbeknownst to her, Alliance and Horde forces were already on route to rescue the tauren chieftain. Upon meeting on the battlefield, the outfits led by Thrall and Jaina realized that only by working together they could hope to destabilize Sylvanas's command over the Horde, and decided to join forces. As Queen Azshara continued to dare those stranded in Nazjatar to face her, the champions learned from Magni Bronzebeard that a titan console was keeping N’Zoth prisoner within the Eternal Palace. As they fought their way through the Palace, the heroes discovered too late that it was a trap—though Queen Azshara was defeated, she successfully tricked the heroes into activating the console, releasing N’Zoth from his imprisonment. The Old God retrieved Queen Azshara and disappeared into the shadows, ready to once more unleash his terrifying might upon Azeroth. Left with no choice but to join forces completely against this new threat, the Alliance and the Horde headed into battle… but first, Sylvanas had to be stopped.

Lord Admiral Jaina Proudmoore led Alliance forces on a daring gambit to besiege the golden pyramid of Dazar’alor. They disabled most of the Zandalari fleet with clandestine explosives and distracted the Horde’s armies in the swamplands of Nazmir. By the time the Horde’s champions discovered the deception, the Alliance had already reached the steps of Dazar’alor. The ruler of Zandalar, King Rastakhan, fought to the death rather than surrender his ancient kingdom. Though their attack dealt a crippling blow to the Zandalari, the Alliance was forced to retreat as the Horde took back the city and mortally wounded High Tinker Mekkatorque. Determined to regain the upper hand in the war, Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner plotted to undermine the Alliance from within. She revealed a plan to twist the mind of Derek Proudmoore—Jaina's long dead brother, newly raised into undeath—and unleash him as a weapon against his family. Baine Bloodhoof refused to permit Sylvanas's warped scheme to unfold, so he chose to free Derek and return him to Jaina. When his defiance was discovered, the tauren chieftain was imprisoned as a traitor. Meanwhile, naga invaders assaulted the coastlines of Kul Tiras and Zandalar in increasing numbers. Repelling those attacks led Azeroth's champions to rediscover a lost artifact: Xal'atath, Blade of the Black Empire. The dagger's maddening whispers drew a band of heroes into the Crucible of Storms, where dark forces gathered to awaken the long-imprisoned Old God, N'Zoth. While the threat appeared to be contained, N'Zoth's numberless servants will not rest until their master rises once again...