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Patch 4.2 preview: Thrall's fate revealed in epic quest [SPOILERS!]

Mathew McCurley
Updated ·3 min read

Well, this is certainly big lore news.

Blizzard has just released a preview of the patch 4.2 epic quest line that awaits players involving Thrall, former warchief of the Horde. After the events of Hyjal and the successful thwarting of Ragnaros' invasion, things were quiet for a short while. A meeting between the many heroes of Hyjal, the Earthen Ring, and the dragon aspects took place at Nordrassil, where Thrall's fate was severely changed.

We'll talk about it more after the break, which has some spoilers for those who are concerned about such things.



THRALL DIES. Sort of. At the Nordrassil meeting, a Twilight's Hammer agent infiltrates and strikes down Thrall, shattering his elemental spirit into the four domains of the elements.

Is Thrall gone for good? Who was the Twilight's Hammer agent who successfully interrupted the meeting and took out Thrall? Will we be able to enter each of the elemental realms and save Thrall's spirit? We'll have to wait until patch 4.2, Rage of the Firelands, to find out!

Patch 4.2 -- Elemental Bonds
After the druids and their allies thwarted the invasion of Hyjal by the Twilight's Hammer and Ragnaros, an air of peace settled on the sacred mountain. As new growth bloomed across the region, members of the Earthen Ring and Cenarion Circle, along with the noble Dragon Aspects, convened at the ancient World Tree of Nordrassil. Among the gathered heroes were the legendary archdruid Malfurion Stormrage, the former Horde warchief and accomplished shaman Thrall, and his strong-willed companion, Aggra. Together, this illustrious assemblage was to unite its wondrous powers and restore the World Tree for the good of Azeroth.

Yet this auspicious event ended in tragedy. The details are still unclear, but word has spread that an incredibly powerful Twilight's Hammer agent, shrouded to hide his identity, interrupted the ceremony and struck down Thrall with dark magics... casting his spirit into the four domains of the Elemental Plane. If these terrible rumors hold true, the Earthen Ring -- indeed, all of Azeroth -- has potentially lost one of its greatest champions.

...Is this the end of the Son of Durotan?

In patch 4.2, level-85 characters will have the opportunity to answer this question and more.

While even the Aspects concede that Thrall may be lost to the elements forever, there is one who still believes that he can be saved from this bleak fate. Aggra, a powerful shaman in her own right, will call upon you to assist her as she travels to the ends of the earth and beyond -- to Skywall, the Abyssal Maw, Deepholm, and Firelands -- to rescue her beloved from an eternity of torment.

Thrall is no ordinary mortal, though, and this will be no ordinary quest. You will not only have to face the denizens of the elemental planes, but the very essence of Thrall himself and everything that has shaped him into the orc he is today. Before you can return his spirit to the natural world, you must overcome his doubts, his willfulness, his desires, and his rage -- for it is these aspects that bind him to his elemental cage.

Are you up for this challenge? Can you break Thrall from his elemental bonds and ensure the restoration of the World Tree? The fate of the world, and one of its foremost heroes, hangs in the balance.

The news is already rolling out for the upcoming WoW Patch 4.2! Preview the new Firelands raid, marvel at the new legendary staff, and get the inside scoop on the new quest hubs. Plus, new Tier 12 armor!