World of Warcraft: Dragonflight announcement lore, explained

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight is the next expansion for the popular MMO, and the new cinematic gives us a look at where we’re heading, and who we’ll be dealing with. The cinematic is narrated by the Alexstrasza of the red Dragonflight, and it begins 10,000 years ago. We learn that the Dragon Aspects sealed off the Dragon Isles after the global catastrophe of the Sundering, and said that they would return when the time was right and the land was healing.

But who are the Dragon Aspects, and what connection do they have with the humble little stone guy re-activating the tower and calling the dragons home? We have the answers you need.

Dragonflight(s)

There are five major Dragonflights, each of whom is headed up by an Aspect. Alexstrasza, who narrates the trailer, is the Aspect of the Red Dragonflight and the Life-binder, and their fire has restorative properties. Meanwhile, there’s the arcane-inclined Blue Dragonflight, the dreamy Green Dragonflight who are linked with the Emerald Dream, the time-manipulating Bronze Dragonflight, and the Black Dragonflight, led by fan favorite Wrathion.

The Dragon Aspects were originally empowered by the Titans, guardians of Order who helped shape and defend the world of Azeroth, after a massive battle against the progenitor of Dragonkind, Galakrond. The Aspects would remain stewards of Azeroth for the next 10,000 years — mostly, as players did have to fight Aspects Malygos and Deathwing as raid bosses in the Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm expansions. At the end of Cataclysm, the four Dragonflight Aspects gave up their immense powers in order to stop their mad brother Deathwing.

The Titanic Watchers remained on the Dragon Isles to watch over the beacon tower, and after a few expansions of unmitigated chaos and destruction, it looks like the world is finally healing and the dragons are coming home.

Homecoming

The Dragon Isles have been mentioned in lore for some time now; they’re an ancient place full of mysterious powers. Wrathion, the leader of the Black Dragonflight and Wrathion’s son, has been searching for the Isles for a few years now.

As it turns out, one of the reasons the Aspects are so eager to return home is that they’ve been in a bad place since giving up their power. Dragons were unable to reproduce, and they’ve taken several hits over the last few expansions, like the corruption of Green Dragonflight Aspect Ysera, the death of a bunch of red dragons at the hands of Death Knights, and the Black Dragonflight remaining nearly extinct.

One of the main goals of Dragonflight will be to help the Dragon Aspects take their power back to protect the four new zones on the Dragon Isles: the Waking Shores, Ohn’ahran Plains, Azure Span, and Thaldraszus. We’ll find out more about the plot as Blizzard adds the final story content to the current expansion, Shadowlands. At this time, there is no release date for Dragonflight.