In World of Warcraft Classic coming soon the remake of the famous addon “Wrath of The Lich King”. But who is the Lich King and what makes his story so great?
What is Wrath of the Lich King? World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (WotLK) is the second expansion for World of Warcraft. On November 13, 2008, the addon was released for the first time and WoW reached its heyday.
WotLK added a lot of new content to the game world. Including the new continent of Northrend, where the Lich King Arthas ruled over the horrible undead Scourge. And the story about this fallen hero was one of the highlights of the addon.
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Arthas – From noble paladin to ruthless tyrant
Anyone who has played the cult strategy game Warcraft 3 and the addon knows Arthas and his tragic story. However, if you missed these gems of gaming history back then or need a little refresher, you can read the story about Arthas and his “rise” to the Lich King here.
WoW Classic: The trailer for Wrath of the Lich King
Prince and Paladin
Arthas Menethil was the son and heir to the throne of King Terenas Menethil II of Lordaeron, once the most powerful of all human kingdoms. Arthas was his father’s pride and was trained as a knight and paladin at an early age. At the age of 19 he therefore joined the Order of the Silver Hand.
His mentor was the legendary paladin Uther Lichtbringer. He also had an affair with the mage Jaina Proudmoore and the dwarf Muradin Bronzebeard was one of his friends. Arthas was considered brave and righteous, but often impetuous.
When a mysterious plague swept through Loraeron, turning its victims into horrifying undead upon death, Arthas, Jaina, and Uther set out to investigate the plague. In doing so, they discovered a grisly necromancer whom they slew.
However, it also came to light that larger quantities of grain were infected with the disease. But this grain had evidently already been distributed to the inhabitants of the great city of Stratholme.
While Uther and Jaina desperately wanted to find a rescue, for Arthas the thing was terrifyingly clear: the inhabitants of Stratholme were lost and in order to spare them the gruesome existence as undead, they must be killed before they succumbed to the plague.
This cruel plan was not accepted by Jaina and Uther, but Arthas persisted and the two allies renounced him. This cleared the way for Arthas, and he and his henchmen murdered the entire population of Stratholme.
Arthas and Frostmourne
But Arthas didn’t notice anything and was no longer in control of his senses after this insane act. Rather, he set himself on a daring vendetta against the originator of the whole catastrophe: a demon named Mal’Ganis.
This in turn was so powerful that it could only be slain with a certain rune blade called Frostmourne. Together with his friend, the dwarf Muradin, Arthas set out for the far north to the land of Northrend.
There they fought their way through fierce monsters and frozen wastes until they finally found a dark cavern. Inside, the baleful blade was stuck in a block of ice. Sinister runes shone in the sword’s dark steel, and Muradin began to have doubts.
However, Arthas seized Frostmourne and pulled it out of the ice, which shattered and pierced the hapless Muradin. The dwarf met his temporary end, and Arthas was more determined than ever to seek vengeance on Mal’Ganis.
Arthas eventually confronted the dreadlord, but the dreadlord only laughed at him. Frostmourne, the fiend says, was created by his demonic master specifically to win Arthas over to their side.
At the same time, Arthas heard another voice in his head, emanating from the sword. It was the Lich King Ner’zhul, a former orc shaman betrayed by demons and trapped as a disembodied entity in a block of ice in the far north.
With the help of Ner’zhul, Arthas was able to defy the demon’s will, and the surprised Mal’Ganis was allowed to experience Frostmourne’s sharpness firsthand. Arthas had finally found his revenge, but the many misdeeds he committed along the way had weakened his soul and he fell under the power of Frostmourne and Ner’zhul.
Eventually, after a period of absence, he returned to his father’s palace, with a troop of sinister companions in his wake. Nevertheless, the returning prince was given a triumphant reception and King Terenas received him with a warm greeting.
The old king soon regretted this, however, for Arthas rammed his father Frostmourne in the chest and brutally slaughtered him on the steps of his throne. In the words “This empire will fall, but from the ashes will rise a new order that will shake the world to its foundations.” ended one of the strongest scenes in Warcraft 3.
The fight for the throne
After the murder of his father, however, Arthas was far from there. In the service of the Lich King, Arthas was given the task of resurrecting the magician Kel’Thuzad, who had once fallen at his hands.
But calling the necromancer back to non-life requires a magical urn and the power of the Sunwell. The urn was still taken care of quickly, but the well was in the realm of the elves and they fought back bitterly.
The elves of Quel’thalas formed under the command of the ranger Sylvanas Windrunner, and Arthas had to work hard before the elf finally fell defeated at his feet. As punishment for her tiresome defiance, Arthas denied her a hero’s death, instead turning her into an undead Banshee under his command.
Arthas actually wanted to finally take possession of “his” kingdom of Lordaeron and slaughter its inhabitants, but the events surrounding the finale of Warcraft 3 thwarted this. The demons of the Burning Legion, who created both Frostmourne and Ner’zhul, wanted to conquer Azeroth and no longer needed their “lesser servants”. They therefore set the fallen demon hunter Illidan on the two.
But Ner’zhul had long renounced the demons and called his servant Arthas back to Northrend, where he himself was afflicted by Illidan and his machinations.
After much hard fighting and with the help of the insect being Anub’arak, Arthas was able to make his way through the tunnels beneath Northrend and finally faced the Frozen Throne. Within was the essence of Ner’zhul sealed.
But Illidan was expecting Arthas, and the two engaged in a bitter battle. In the end, they severely wounded each other, but Arthas still managed to reach the throne with the last of his strength and there merged with Ner’zhul’s essence.
Illidan was forced to retreat and Arthas, now one with Ner’zhul, became the new Lich King. He slept soundly on his frozen throne, waking up five years later.
In an impressive scene he awakens the undead dragon Sindragosa and seizes control of a gigantic army of undead. With this force he calls for an attack on the realms of the Alliance and the Horde. The Wrath of the Lich King campaign begins!
That’s why we love the Lich King
The story of Arthas stands out among the many wonderful stories of WoW. On the one hand, this is because stories about fallen heroes have always fascinated mankind.
It feels like every second Greek tragedy is about fallen heroes and such stories are also timeless in popular culture. Just think of the tragic fall of Anakin Skywalker and his rise as the sinister Darth Vader.
Arthas, which some of you actually saw live in Warcraft 3, is also one of those exciting fallen heroes who became the ultimate villain. But even without prior knowledge of Warcraft 3, Arthas is a relatable and wonderful villain to love to hate.
The ideal basis for a bombastic story campaign with an epic ending, which then also brought the story of Arthas to a worthy conclusion. That’s why Arthas will always be remembered by WoW fans.
You can find the grandiose story and other highlights of Wrath of the Lich King here.