Last Updated on September 22, 2024 by Vik
The World of Warcraft: Cinematic Quest Guide is a guide to the storyline quests and lore in World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King from the Alliance perspective. Incorporating WoWHead’s integrated tooltips, it portrays the tale of a Night Elf Warrior named Vikstone in his mission to kill the Lich King and avenge his murdered clan. It’s a nostalgic twist between a walkthrough and key moments of Wrath of the Lich King lore. World of Warcraft veterans can re-live specific moments of the game and of fellow players in the Terokkar server who helped Vikstone in his journey.
Contents
Wrath of the Lich King: A Tale of Revenge
Sergeant Vikstone is a legendary Night Elf veteran who returned home after fighting several campaigns against the Horde and the Burning Legion. Vikstone discovered that the Lich King was responsible for murdering every surviving member of his clan during the events of The Burning Crusade. His family was the last of an ancient bloodline, built upon the tenets of the Warrior.
You probably think you’re quite strong — fighting these undead and crushing their bones beneath your war machines. That is nothing compared to the strength it took to create them.Matthias Lehner
Swearing to avenge them, he traveled to the continent of Northrend on a final mission to stop the Lich King, an entity the Vrykuls called “the God of Death.” In this new world, he found himself in the middle of one of Azeroth’s most destructive wars. Vikstone makes a necessary transformation throughout the journey in order to kill the remnants of Arthas Menethil. In his quest to gain enough power to one day face the Lich King, he questions his own sense of morality as he cuts down everyone and everything that stands in his way.
History had shown him that anyone could be killed, even the Lich King.
Vikstone began his tale in 2008 at level 70 following the events of The Burning Crusade. His evolution in gear, talent specializations (Arms, Fury, Protection), and appearances are all captured in a chronological fashion as he progresses through the quest lines, from Borean Tundra to Icecrown on the Terokkar realm. It is the greatest undertaking of his military career. Experience the entire story of Wrath of the Lich King through his eyes.
Over 50 different players assist him in major boss fights and elite quests throughout the game, a process that took over 22,000 screenshots to capture.
Wrath of the Lich King is the story of Arthas’ retribution. His crimes are revealed to Vikstone throughout the story in his several confrontations with the Lich King, before the final encounter. There is no way to tell the story of Arthas Menethil without telling the story of Vikstone.
- Foreword
- Northrend Atlas
- Boss Fights and Guest Appearances
- The Making of the Guide
- Why the Warrior Class?
- The Author’s History in World of Warcraft
Map of Northrend
Foreword
Borean Tundra Quests
The Borean Tundra is located in the far western edge of Northrend, and is the home of the tuskarr, Drakkari trolls, and blue dragons. The Undead Scourge and the naga also inhabit the zone. Important landmarks of the region include the tuskarr capital of Kaskala and the Riplash Ruins. Coldarra is an island just off the coast. Kaskala is currently under siege and the tuskarr have moved to Unu’pe.
Howling Fjord Quests
The Howling Fjord is a zone located in southeastern Northrend. Ripped into the southern coastline lies Daggercap Bay, where the forces of Arthas originally landed on the continent. Stranded by the young prince, the 5,000-strong expedition set up the outpost of Valgarde. The small settlement has since become the center of Alliance activity on Northrend. Other Alliance outposts include Westguard Keep and Fort Wildervar.
Dragonblight Quests
The Dragonblight, also called the Great Dragonblight, is a great dragon graveyard, located in Northrend. The entrance to the nerubian kingdom of Azjol-Nerub can be found in the mid-west part, while the mysterious Wyrmrest Temple resides in the middle. The magnataur village of Bloodmar lies here also, as well as the ruined taunka capital of Icemist Village, and the nerubian conclave of Sundered Monolith. The Forsaken base of Venomspite, as well as the Human stronghold of Wintergarde Keep are located to the east. The Scourge citadel of Naxxramas is floating in the skies above Wintergarde.
Grizzly Hills Quests
The Grizzly Hills, located in southeastern Northrend, is a forested area, surrounded by the Howling Fjord to the south, the Dragonblight to the west and Zul’Drak to the north. It is the homeland of the Grizzlemaw furbolgs. Over 20,000 furbolgs live in this zone, most in the large settlement of Grizzlemaw. Both the dwarven settlement of Thor Modan and Ice Troll/Scourge fortress of Drak’Tharon Keep can be found in the north. The main faction bases are Amberpine Lodge for the Alliance and Conquest Hold for the Horde.
Sholazar Basin Quests
Sholazar Basin is a tropical jungle basin in the midst of Northrend. It is found between Borean Tundra and Icecrown Glacier. The zone’s climate and safety from the Scourge is maintained by pylons, erected by the Titans. Recently, one pylon in the east has fallen and the Scourge has taken this opportunity to invade from Icecrown to the north. They are now streaming down The Avalanche.
Zul’Drak Quests
Zul’Drak is an area located in eastern Northrend. It is home to the Drakkari ice trolls and their Frost King Malakk as well as the smaller trolls of the Winterfang tribe. Their capital is the city of Gundrak. Zul’Drak belongs to the Drakkari, who roam in hunting parties searching for prey. Old troll ruins are strewn across the countryside and the Scourge hovers just beyond the western border, waiting for a chance to strike.
Climate-wise, Zul’Drak is the least pleasant of the eastern regions. It’s colder than the Grizzly Hills or the Howling Fjord, less majestic than the Storm Peaks, and more crowded than any of them – with most of the crowd being Drakkari. Most other races avoid this region, and for good reason. Travelers do not need to go there for passage north or south — they can stick to the Grizzly Hills, which surround Zul’Drak on both sides and reach all the way up to Crystalsong Forest and Storm Peaks. The only reason anyone would want to visit Zul’Drak is if they were explorers hoping to meet the Drakkari — and they better have a large group of armed warriors with them when they do.
The Storm Peaks Quests
The Storm Peaks are a mountain range and zone located in the northeast of Northrend. It is where a mysterious race of giants named the storm giants live. The third known titan city of Ulduar is also located here. The winds that rip through the mountains are extremely violent and dangerous.
Icecrown Quests
Icecrown, also known as Ice Crown, is a zone composed of mostly Icecrown Glacier and the immediate area around it. Icecrown is surrounded by mountains to the south. The ground is neither frozen earth nor covered with snow; it is solid ice. Hence, nothing grows here.
Boss Fights and Guest Appearances
Featured in Boss Fights and Guest Appearances are venerable members of my guild, Trinity Exiles, and the players in the Terokkar realm during that era. A large portion of the encounters were spontaneous, with random players offering to lend a helping hand to Vikstone. If you played World of Warcraft in 2009 on this server, you might be in one of the following quests. A major motivation of mine to bring back this guide was to immortalize my friends, many of whom I would never get the chance to play with again. To me, they will always be Terokkar’s finest.
Epilogue
When it comes to this tale, did Vikstone ever kill the Lich King, avenge his family, and save Azeroth from destruction?
I reflect on what Wrath of the Lich King intended to represent with Northrend. To me, it posed the themes of redemption and the prospect of Valhalla, where warriors slain in combat aspire to go and feast with the Gods in Norse mythology. I left the ending of this story open because it was the journey that made it worthwhile. As a Night Elf, Vikstone was immortal to time like the Lich King. Vikstone’s ruthless sins involved cutting down thousands of NPCs and players throughout his lifetime. His decision to fight the Lich King would be his final act, perhaps to atone for his own crimes and atrocities that he had committed in previous campaigns. Was there any good left in Arthas Menethil’s heart? Was any man truly beyond the reach of forgiveness? It was a question that would always linger in Vikstone’s heart as he found himself falling into the same darkness that befell Arthas.
In my heart I like to think Vikstone eventually succeeds on his final mission, destroys Ner’zhul, and frees the soul of Matthias Lehner so he can gain redemption for his sins and enter Valhalla.
The final resting place of a true warrior.
