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Throughout the Warcraft Universe sources the term Azeroth is used to describe several things:

  • The world of Azeroth - The name of the world in which most of World of Warcraft takes place (when not on Template:Bc-inline Outland/Template:Wl-inline Draenor or Template:L-inline Argus).
  • The Kingdom of Azeroth - One of the Seven Kingdoms of humans, also called the Kingdom of Stormwind.
  • The continent of Azeroth - One of the three continents that comprise the Eastern Kingdoms.
  • Eastern Kingdoms - In some sourcesTemplate:Fact the term "Azeroth" is used interchangeable with Eastern Kingdoms.

Warcraft: Orcs & Humans

Template:WC1-section In Warcraft: Orcs & Humans the term Azeroth refers to the kingdom in most cases, and it can be implied that it is a world in only one quote. It can be assumed that, when the game was released, the kingdom and land of Azeroth were one and the same. At the time, the kingdom of Azeroth was the only part of the world known to the player, thus it is possible that the reference to the world and other undefined uses of the term were actually referring to the same thing but were given different uses in the later games.

Warcraft II

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Tides of Darkness

In Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness in most cases it is referred as a kingdom, but is also referred as a continent and as a world.

Beyond the Dark Portal

Template:WC2BtDP-section In Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal is referred as both, a kingdom, and a world.

Warcraft III

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Reign of Chaos

In Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos is referred as a kingdom, as a land (continent) and as a world. It is revealed that the world was called Azeroth by its inhabitants.

The Frozen Throne

Template:WC3TFT-section In Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne is referred as a world.

World of Warcraft

Template:Wow-section In World of Warcraft's manual the term Azeroth is used to refer the world, but also used to refer one of the three continents that comprise the Eastern Kingdoms:

Throughout this manual and in the game itself, you will find the name Azeroth used in two different contexts. Azeroth is both the name of the world of Warcraft, and the name of one of the three continents that comprise the Eastern Kingdoms, the landmass opposite of Kalimdor on the world map. The other two continents of the Eastern Kingdoms are Khaz Modan in the center and Lordaeron in the north. Sometimes you will see reference to Azeroth the world, and other times you will see reference to Azeroth the continent.

Although it's stated that there are two terms, there appears to be another use of the term Azeroth: an alternate name of the Eastern Kingdoms. This use is also used in Lands of Conflict and in an in-game quest.[1]

Because the original World of Warcraft took place on the world of Azeroth, but only on the continents of Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor, some players colloquially refer to that combined area (the original World of Warcraft content), as "Azeroth" or "Classic Azeroth"[2] as distinct from "Northrend" which refers to Wrath-specific geography and content. This use of the word is incorrect however, and isn't supported by any lore source of Blizzard; it is used only in the FAQ of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

A related incorrect usage by Blizzard is for the meta-achievement Template:Achievement, which requires completing the related achievement for Outland (which is not part of Azeroth).

Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game

Template:RPG-section The term Azeroth is used to refer the world, the kingdom and the continent. It is also used as an alternate name of the Eastern Kingdoms.

Origins of the name

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  • The name of a world in the science fiction book Template:Wplink by Template:Wplink. Interestingly, some of the themes in this book and the trilogy it ends (namely of world-crossing "Gates" and an invading army coming through a "Master Gate" from a dying world) sound similar to those in Warcraft, and this book first was published in 1979, well before the first Warcraft game.
    Word from the Publisher
    There was a star Gate in Azeroth marked by alien fires that Morgaine must seal. But Morgaine and Vanye have brought devastation to the peaceful land, for the hordes of Shiuan were on their heels, determined to conquer new lands for themselves and to avenge their lost planet upon the legendary White Queen, who was Morgaine.
  • In the Bible, there are several places with names that sound similar to Azeroth, most notably Template:Wplink.

Media

Videos

References

  1. Dark Council: "The Argus Wake might run deep through the continent of Azeroth."
  2. Template:Ref web

External links

Lore
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