Reddit reviews World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume 2

Chronicle Volume 2 is the Blizzard history book that just came out:
https://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Chronicle-BLIZZARD-ENTERTAINMENT/dp/1616558466

 
 

There is online store where you can buy codes to sent to his e-mail for in-game special mounts/pets, but it would be tough to know if that would be something he didn't have or even wanted:
https://us.battle.net/shop/en/product/game/wow

 
 

Blizzard also has their own gear store:
http://gear.blizzard.com/warcraft

 
 

I like the Murloc mug, personally.

Amazon has the release date at March 14, 2017.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1616558466/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The timelines are a bit of a mess, keep that in mind.

Basically it goes like this

[Vanilla Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms 1-60] - original wow, no "big story", just lots of small stories and world building in general. Unfortunately you will NOT see this anymore, apart from a few remaining untouched dungeons/raids. (see cataclysm)

Then demons invade through Blasted Lands portal and next expansion begins:

[Burning Crusade 60-70] - all outlands. It stayed untouched, so you can see it as it was. Overall story is stopping demons, but there's usually a per-zone story that focuses on something. A few max-level quests are cool (like Ogri'La faction, the Netherwing, etc). if you're a horde, recommend doing ALL nagrand quests. Note that Blood Elves and Draenei starting areas are considered part of TBC for purposes of timeline.

When we finally kill all big baddies, a big threat emerges in the north, and xpac begins:

[Wrath of the Lich King 70-80] - we go to Northrend. Almost everything is also untouched. There are a couple "big stories" (stopping LK, and weird stuff with old gods / titan keepers), and a lot of zone-wide stories. DK starting area takes place in this timeline.

When we finally stop LK, suddenly our original world got REALLY fucked up by Deathwing coming out. Cataclysm's area is all of the Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms remade to what they are now - so all "original vanilla" content is gone and replaced by Cataclysm version. This is why its weird for people, because they start levelling in Cataclysm areas, then move on to TBC areas (which are in the "past"), and stuff makes no sense. Cataclysm is also when Worgen and Goblin starting areas happen. Cataclysm both revamped the older low level zones (1-60) and also added new high level zones (80-85).

After that comes Pandaria (pandarian continent 85-90), then Draenor (draenor continent 90-100), then Legion (legion continent 100-110). To help you with the timeline, keep the below in mind:

If you start as a dwarf, gnome, human, Night Elf, Orc, Troll, Tauren, Undead, Goblin or Worgen, then your starting zone will be in Cataclysm (If we say original was Time 1, and legion is now time 7, then you start in Time 4).You will then continue levelling in same Time 4, before heading off to TBC (time 2), then WOTLK (time 3), returning back to Cataclysm (time 4), and then its pretty simple after that.

If you start as Blood Elf or Draenei, then you start in TBC (Time 2), after your starting zone you will jump forward to Cata (time 4), then at 60 you will return back to Time 2, and then time 3 -> time 4 -> onwards. Basically, your starting area is same "time" as you visit at levels 60-70, but your 15-60 zone is the time two expansions AFTER your starting zone. Its fucked, yes.

If you start as a panda, you're even more screwed. You start as MOP (time 5), before levelling in Cata/tbc/wotlk/cata, so your overall timeline will be 5-4-3-2-4-5-6-7.

If you pick a Death Knight class, you will always start as WOTLK time, BUT you also skip the 1-60 levelling. So you will basically be 3-2-3-4-5-6-7.

If you pick a Demon Hunter class, you will always start as Legion time, but also skip the 1-100 levelling. so you will be basically 6.5-7.

Yes, this is confusing. yes, its annoying. You will figure it out.

That said, if you're interested in lore, i REALLY REALLY REALLY recommend the 2 Warcraft Chronicle books -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Warcraft-Chronicle-Hardcover/dp/1616558458

https://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Warcraft-Chronicle-Blizzard-Entertainment/dp/1616558466

They are fantastic, and cover time from [Beginning of time] -> [Beginning of Warcraft 3]. Third part is scheduled to be released soon(ish).

I also recommend either playing or watching Warcraft 3 and Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne. They set up the events of WoW the mmo, and give a lot of important (and cool) lore.

If you search around for wow books, you can also find plenty of lists made to help new players start reading the lore.

There are 3 WoW history books that explain the story from the creation of the cosmos to the defeat of Deathwing (happened on 2011 year IRL).

They have a total of 552 pages (184 each), and mind you I DID say they are history books, as they are not literary books, they don't explore different subjects from different characters' point of view, they just state the events that happened in the order they happened, so they are pretty boring(like your average high school history book), but more interesting than history lessons since, for example the history of Europe doesn't include demons and giant dragons.

And it's not even the full story since a lot of things have happened in WoW since 2011 and are continuing to happen since it is an MMORPG with regular updates that continue the story forward.

TL;DR There is enough curriculum to teach MORE than a year of high school history

Pardon me for not being clear.

In both instances, a part of Sargeras lain dormant in Aegwynn until Medivh's conception, who he then inhabited. In the Now lore, Aegwynn's alienation of the council was fuelled by Sargeras subtly pressing her concerns further and further. Although they used to disagree in the past, the slaying of Sargeras ascended her ego to new heights and made her more fearful of the council's intentions.

Nielas Aran in the Now lore also felt that he saw a darkness within Aegwynn, and upon her suggestion of conceiving a child, Nielas saw this as an effective way to earn redemption for Aegwynn (as well as getting laid). Of course, he had no idea how unfathomable the evil and power that coursed through her was.

Medivh's possession is something that has yet to be thoroughly covered in the Warcraft Chronicle, but I can more or less guarantee that it will be in Volume 2. Here's an excerpt from Volume 1, which is also the end of the book:

> When Medivh finally awoke, he found the world had changed around him. Llane was poised to succeed his father, Barathen, as the king of Stormwind. Anduin Lothar had become a knight in Stormwind's military. As Medivh gradually acclimated to his new life, he recognized the awesome power at his fingertips and resolved to use it to protect the world from evil. Despite his strange coma, he appeared normal, and he assured the cleric that nothing was amiss.

> Even Medivh himself was unaware that Sargeras was still hiding within his soul, subtly twisting his every thought and action to a much darker end. At long last, the fallen titan had found the perfect instrument with which to begin the Legion's next invasion of Azeroth.

I mean, when Volume 2 looks like this, with Gul'dan being the front cover, you know it's going to be awesome.

Source : Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Chronicle-BLIZZARD-ENTERTAINMENT/dp/1616558466/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468914919&sr=8-1&keywords=warcraft+chronicles

Like World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1, World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, and the soon to be released World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 3?

The three WoW chronicles are a great place to start.

https://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Chronicle-BLIZZARD-ENTERTAINMENT/dp/1616558458/

https://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Chronicle-BLIZZARD-ENTERTAINMENT/dp/1616558466/

https://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Chronicle-BLIZZARD-ENTERTAINMENT/dp/1616558474/

After that if you really want more I'd start with the novels (I'd probably stick to reading the novels in published order.)

> he also talks about some WOW book that is nice that came out he wants to read that's basically the story of WOW and more into detail of the story line

That is probably World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 and Volume 2.

https://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Chronicle-BLIZZARD-ENTERTAINMENT/dp/1616558466/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1510148261&sr=8-2&keywords=world+of+warcraft+chronicle

Book 2 of planned 3 (I think).

EDIT: Ah. you mean something like the harbringers quick animation shorts on youtube. In that case, I demand a Varok Saurfang of the Blackrock clan story, damnit!

Thanks for tip. It is available on Amazon.ca too: World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume 2 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1616558466/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_3ivJxbPJEC9Y7

Right, classy.

Point 1 and Point 2 are deductions. No source.

Point 3 - Sylvanas blackmailing Lor'themar: In the Shadow of the Sun official short story.

Point 4 - Sylvanas going against Thrall's policy/Plague developed vs living targets: The Wrathgate cinematic for the melting Orc, all Vanilla quests involving Master Apothecary Faranell.

Point 5 - Making a pact with Helya: interrupted by the player during the A Desperate Bargain quest.
Character bio from the official Legion characters page.

Point 6 - The capture and "re-education" of Koltira: the death knight gets hooked into a portal at the end of the quest Lindsay Ravensun, Revealed, during the Cataclysm. He is only freed during the DK class campaign in Legion, during the quest A Personal Request.

Point 7 - Flooding Gilneas City with the Plague: during the Worgen starting area chain. She reveals the plan during The Hunt for Sylvanas, and bombardment begins during Slowing the Inevitable.

Point 8 - Undead having special urges instilled into them:
Baron Ashbury's thoughts on his undeath during Silverpine Forest questing, particularly:

> And perhaps the best part, I now have a hungering for the flesh of other humanoids. Cannibalizing their rotten corpses grants me power. Yes, DE-LI-CIOUS...

Death knights having an addiction to inflicting pain, as explained during the second Ask the Creative Development Q&A:

> Are blood elf death knights still afflicted by their racial addiction to magic?
No, though their new addiction, the one all Ebon Blade death knights possess, is arguably worse: the need to inflict pain. If death knights do not regularly inflict agony upon another creature, they begin to suffer wracking pains that could drive them into a mindless, blood-seeking hysteria—a far worse fate than that of those who suffer from arcane withdrawal

Point 9 - Books overruling the game: Chronicles Volume 1 and Volume 2.

I recently bought the Warcraft Chronicle books, and while it's a little disconcerting seeing them retcon a few things from back in the day, it does a great job explaining a lot of this kind of stuff. Specifically, the second book is like 80% "The Story of Gul'Dan." It was totally Sargeras trying to get a foothold on Draenor, finding a weak broken orc who couldn't cut it as a shaman, and helping him gain new power to lord over everyone else.

If you like the lore aspect of the game, I totally recommend getting the books:

Volume 1: (mostly about the titans and titanforged and Azeroth)

https://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Chronicle-BLIZZARD-ENTERTAINMENT/dp/1616558458/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491493909&sr=8-1&keywords=world+of+warcraft+chronicle

Volume 2: (mostly about Sargeras, Gul'dan, and the invasion of the horde from Draenor to Azeroth)

https://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Chronicle-BLIZZARD-ENTERTAINMENT/dp/1616558466/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1616558466&pd_rd_r=FSDHPV98ZJFZVQZ5BQHG&pd_rd_w=PMCkf&pd_rd_wg=Dkqlv&psc=1&refRID=FSDHPV98ZJFZVQZ5BQHG

The Art of World of Warcraft is a good pick as it shows drawings of various expansions.

Specific to Blood Elves would be the Art of WoW: Burning Crusade but it came from the Collector Edition of Burning Crusade so it could be a bit hard to find (and you definitely won't find it in a store.)

Also, if she likes drawing/coloring, there's a Coloring Book too. :)

If she likes the lore/story of the game at all and likes to read too, I would suggest the World of Warcraft: Chronicle books:

• Volume 1
  
• Volume 2
  
• Volume 3
  
  They are basically history books about the game's world from the creation of the universe up to the first few expansions of World of Warcraft.

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Timeline_(unofficial)

World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1

World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2

Volume 3 isn't out yet, comes out March 27th.

World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 3

In case you're wondering, the second volume is due in March 2017.

https://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Chronicle-BLIZZARD-ENTERTAINMENT/dp/1616558466

This is a good place to start, and this is the next volume due out next year.