World of Warcraft
There are victims (Ner’zhul) and defenders (Malfurion) against this evil faction. But who are they struggling against actually? What is this faction we constantly hear about? The Burning Legion is not just a group of evil henchmen or generic monsters, it can be described as a cosmic force. It is a vast, infinite army of demons dedicated to a singular, terrifying purpose, the annihilation of all life in the universe.
For eons, they have been the primary antagonist of the Warcraft franchise. From the first RTS games to the Legion expansion, their shadow has covered everything, and I’m guessing they will be making a comeback in the next two expansions: Midnight and The Last Titan.
The Burning Philosophy, Why?
Why do they want to destroy everything? Maybe just for fun? Nope. The Burning Legion was founded on a twisted logic. Sargeras, the Dark Titan, discovered the existence of the Void Lords, lovecraftian entities living outside reality (masters of the Old Gods). He realized that the Void wanted to corrupt the universe and turn a nascent Titan (a world-soul like Azeroth) into a creature of infinite darkness.
Sargeras decided that a dead universe was better than a corrupted one. His logic was simple, “If I burn all life, the Void will have nothing to corrupt.” It is a “Scorched Earth” tactic on a cosmic scale. He wants to save the universe by killing it. Like a worse version of Thanos from Marvel.
The Leadership, Eredar Lords
Sargeras needed generals to lead his infinite army. He found them on the planet Argus, recruiting the brilliant Eredar race. Two of them became his right hands, representing two different aspects of war.
Firstly, Kil’jaeden (The Deceiver) is the mastermind. He prefers manipulation over brute force. It was Kil’jaeden who tricked Ner’zhul by posing as his wife. It was Kil’jaeden who caused the creation of the Lich King. If the Legion is a knife in the dark, Kil’jaeden is the hand holding it. Secondly, Archimonde (The Defiler) is the brute force. He prefers direct destruction. He was the one who led the invasion in WarcraftIII, famously destroying Dalaran with a wave of his hand like it was a sandcastle. He met his end at Mount Hyjal against Malfurion Stormrage and the Wisps.
Originally, there were three leaders of Eredar. Velen refused the gift and escaped with the help of the Naaru to Draenor, eventually crashing to Azeroth in TBC. This betrayal is why Kil’jaeden hunted the Draenei across the universe for thousands of years and eventually manipulated Ner’zhul.
The Agents of Chaos
The Legion is composed of countless demonic races, each with a specific role in the war machine. They don’t only recruit, they also utilize the souls of tortured Titans (like Argus) in Antorus, the Burning Throne, to regenerate their armies instantly. That’s why they felt truly infinite.
Nathrezim (Dreadlords) are the spies and infiltrators. They turn nations against each other before the invasion even begins (like Mal’Ganis). Pit Lords (Annihilans) are the engines of destruction. Their blood was used to enslave the Orcs. Lieutenant Mannoroth is the most famous among them. Infernals are living siege weapons. Massive golems of fel fire and rock that fall from the sky like meteors.
Personal Thoughts on The Burning Legion
The Burning Legion may feel like any other evil faction that wants to end all life as we know it, but they felt “inevitable.” In other games, most villains have bases or castles. The Legion literally has worlds. When you look at the sky in a Burning Legion dominated zone (Argus), you see a wasteland of a sky and other planets getting destroyed.
If I have to pick one specific memory that defines the Burning Legion for me, it is from The Burning Crusade expansion (TBC). The infamous Fel Reaver. I was leveling my DK in Hellfire Peninsula. The music was eerie, the sky was red. Suddenly, the ground shook and I heard the sound. BWAAAGHHH! A mechanical roar that vibrated through my speakers and made my table tremble. I turned the camera around, and a skyscraper sized, mechanical giant was coming at me. As you can imagine, I got one-shot. That sound is traumatizing and a jumpscare. You are small, and the Burning Legion is massive. When I came across the Fel Reaver after that (later expansions ofc), I usually slayed it for revenge.
I think the Legion expansion was a good ending for their story. Seeing Sargeras finally stabbing Silithus with his sword and Illidan going after him to keep watch… (Hoping blizz won’t forget that sword though.) It felt like the closing of a massive book that started a long time ago. The game’s story ended for me there as I don’t really like what came afterwards.
