Top 10 Biggest World of Warcraft Events

“Cataclysm” had many events leading up to its release. The Elemental Unrest was just one of them and it was a multiphase event that culminated in players from both factions defending their capital cities from angry elementals. To successfully complete the event, players had to work together to defeat a specific number of elite elements that appeared from rifts that popped around the city as well as free any NPCs that they come across. Once the invasion has been repelled, the players got a chance to return the favor and hunt down a unique boss: the appropriately named Kai'ju Gahz'rilla. Revenge tastes oh so sweet!

The Burning Legion is back at it again and this time they brought more friends to play with. In a similar style to other pre-launch events, several zones would come under attack every now and then it would be up to the players to band together and repel the invaders. This involved killing several waves of enemies, blowing up towers and fighting a big boss at the end. This was also the first event that allowed players as low as level 10 to participate which was meant to demonstrate the level scaling mechanic that was a prominent feature in the “Legion” expansion.

The second event to take place before the launch of “Cataclysm” made some big moves lore-wise for the series. It involved retaking two capitals that, up until that point, were under the control of rebel factions. The Alliance aided High Tinker Gelbin in taking back the surface of Gnomergan from the Leper Gnomes whilst the Horde fought alongside Vol’jin to reclaim the Echo Isles from the traitorous Zalazane. The hard work was not for nothing though as it resulted in brand new starting zones for the playable Gnomes and Trolls, who can finally enjoy their own capital cities.

Anyone who’s played “World of Warcraft” has no doubt heard of the PVP wars in Hillsbrad Foothills, and the old Molten Core raid that required 40 players to conquer. Blizzard sought to rekindle those fond memories with the 10th Anniversary which introduced a new battleground, Tarren Mill versus Southshore, and a level 100 version of the Molten Core raid. These two instances were made available only for the duration of the anniversary but they rewarded players with unique titles, mounts and pets. It was a nice way to relive those epic moments, even if it was just for a little while.

One of the more famous events during the “Burning Crusade” expansion, this one had players aiding the Shattered Sun Offensive in taking back the Isle of Quel’Danas from a renegade Blood Elf faction as well as the Burning Legion. This event took place through repeatable quests that players would complete daily, each milestone resulting in another captured piece of territory. It also opened up a new dungeon for players to fight through, and eventually Blizzard released the final raid of the expansion: The Sunwell Plateau, which turned became one of the hardest raids in the game at the time.

Technical difficulties aside... Battle For Azeroth has delivered on the promise of all our war. Sylvanas (sil-van-us), in what seems to be a moment of pure anger and hatred, sets the World Tree on fire. The War of Thorns was players first taste at the expansion's new war mode feature but gave a good amount of PVE content as well. This is the single most important event in the expansion for far, sending the peace loving King Anduin over the edge. Some fans reacted negatively to Sylvanas going full evil, but the event itself was magnificent, both from the horde and alliance perspectives. You can't save them all.

This is more of a unique entry because it’s not really a limited event like the others on this list, at least not in the traditional sense. That being said, it changed the game in such a massive way that it simply had to be included. The Cataclysm was the result of the expansion’s main villain, Deathwing, erupting from Deepholm to wreak havoc on the denizens of Azeroth. His re-emergence resulted in most, if not all, of the old zones changing in some drastic way. Some were completely devastated, while others were filled with new life. For better or worse, we said goodbye to the old world and prepared to take on the new one.

The pre-launch period for the dreaded Naxxramas raid had players facing off against a fraction of the Lich King’s vicious undead army. It was the very first invasion-style event and set the precedent for many of the world events to follow. It largely involved hacking and slashing your way through hordes of ghouls in order to reach and destroy a big purple crystal which would, in turn, take down the floating enemy stronghold. This event later reappeared as part of the lead-up event for the “Wrath of the Lich King” expansion though with the added possibility of having players becoming zombies and infecting others around them.

When it comes to hype, there are very few events that could compare with the opening of the Dark Portal. It not only heralded the game’s first expansion but it was also the Burning Legion’s first major appearance within the game. It took place in the Blasted Lands that suddenly found itself under siege after the gateway to the Outlands, a stronghold for the demonic army, opened up. Much like the Scourge Invasion, this event was later reused for the “Warlords of Draenor” pre-launch event, though that one just had very angry orcs instead of very angry demons.

There is no event in the history of “World of Warcraft” that is bigger than the opening of the Gates of Ahn’Qiraj, and it required the cooperation of an entire server to complete. The first phase of the event required a single player from each faction to complete a long chain quest while other players would gather supplies for the upcoming battle. When the gates opened, a ten-hour-long war then ensued between players and the insectoid army that spewed forth. The rewards included a unique mount and access to the new and very difficult raid. Now that’s one hell of an event!