Summary
- Magical beasts in World of Warcraft vary in size and power, some important enough to influence Azerothian history.
- Dragons, such as Malygos, Nefarian, Onyxia, Alexstrasza, and Deathwing, play crucial roles in the lore and quests.
- Galakrond, the Father of Dragons, was the largest proto-dragon who birthed all other dragons in Azeroth.
There's an interesting variety of magical beasts in World of Warcraft, from the walking shrubs in the woods to massive, magical beasts of impressive size and power. Some of these are just part of the background, but others are recurring NPCs that are important enough to influence the course of Azerothian history.
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The dragons of the World of Warcraft have been present since the beginning of time. Some of them have been touched by the Titans and act as Aspects of worldly entities like magic, nature, or even death. In many cases, their size reflects their importance, and some of the largest dragons also happen to be Azeroth's most famous.
6 Malygos
Aspect Of The Blue Dragonflight
- Location: Various, including open zones like Azshara, the Nexus instance in the Borean Tundra, and the instanced subzone Mind's Eye
- Status: Dead according to the Lore, can also be killed or defeated
Also known as the Guardian of Magic and Hidden Arcanum, Maylgos is the dragon that most players have seen at least once thanks to his numerous appearances throughout the game world. In Classic versions of the game, he was one of the dragons that players had to find to finish part of the "Sceptre of the Sands" quest that was connected to the Gates of An'Qiraj event, which is what made him famous.
Malygos may not be the biggest dragon, but he's most definitely the smartest, at least that's what he says. His general attitude reflects the pride of the magic-users for whom he serves as guide and guardian. Run the Nexus in Northrend and face him as the final boss to get a realistic idea of his impressive size, and remember: He's one of the small ones.
5 Nefarian
Lord Of Blackrock Spire
- Location: Blackwing Lair in Classic, also in Blackwing Descent, which was added in Cataclysm
- Status: Dead in the Lore, a killable boss in two instances
The progression to reach Nefaion, the boss who waits at the end of Blackwing Lair and is considered the lord of the highest part of Blackrock Mountain, is a long and arduous one. It requires an attunement process, rigorous gear checks, and some serious fire-resistance equipment. Hopefully, any players that face him have already faced his younger sister, Onyxia, because they can use some of the same gear to protect them.
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The versions of WoW post-Cataclysm have a second dungeon to continue this story called "Blackwing Descent", in which Nefarian teams up with his sister, Onyxia, although she was in undead form by this point. The pair have a lot in common regarding how they secretly worked behind the scenes to undermine their opponents, with Nefarion taking the alter-ego of Lord Victor Nefarious, and Onyxia disguising herself as a Stormwind noble.
4 Onyxia
Broodmother Of The Black Dragonflight
- Location: Onyxia's Lair in the Swamp or Blackwing Descent in Blackrock Mountain
- Status: Dead according to the Lore, but a boss in the game
As Lady Katrana Prestor, Onyxia was able to infiltrate the human kingdom at the highest levels for decades, influencing the Stonemasons and Nobles to turn against each other and start a violent rebellion. This conflict led to the untimely death of the queen and further plunged the flagship Alliance members into a state of disarray.
Prestor continued to flex her political muscles as the royal councilor to young Anduin Wynn, and used the Drakefire Amulet to control his guardian, Highlord Bolvar Fordragon. It was also this enchanted amulet that the player has to find to enter her lair.
There are two versions of how Lady Prestor was found out and slain. The older version credits agents of the Horde with discovering her identity, but a newer version credits Varian Wrynn with killing her after returning to Stormwind.
3 Alexstrasza
Aspect Of Life
- Location: Various, but consistently atop Wyrmrest Temple in Dragonblight
- Status: Alive and friendly to players of each faction
An example of the eternal feminine that often makes its way into fantasy stories, Alexstrasza is the guardian of all life in Azeroth, and it's a heavy burden to carry. One of her most important roles is her struggle against Deathwing, who was determined to destroy all of creation.
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Since the events of Cataclysm, she's passed on most of this responsibility on to the mortal heroes of World of Warcraft, but she still appears constantly in lore and quests. Alexstrasza is depicted in various places throughout the world that she rules, but players can find her elven-version on the top of Wyrmrest Temple in Dragonblight, a zone in Northrend. Ysera, another important Dragon aspect who has close ties to the Night Elves and the Emerald Dream, is her smaller younger sister.
2 Deathwing
Aspect Of Death
- Location: Various places in Azeroth, often bringing with him a lake of fire that kills anything in its path
- Status: Dead in the Lore, but a killable enemy in the Cataclysm expansion
In his original form, he was Neltharion, and he was a friend to many of his fellow aspects. He was driven to madness by the influence of the Old Gods, like his friend Malygos, and this former Aspect of Earth became The Aspect of Death.
It was Deathwing's dark, massive visage that blocked out the sun and filled the air with smoke in the events of the Cataclysm expansion. He literally broke the world, changing the geography of the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor, and Azeroth was changed forever. Under his guidance, the Horde was able to imprison Alexstrasza, the one dragon who could stand against him, and the other Dragon Aspects enlisted the help of some brave adventurers to help defeat him and free their mother.
1 Galakrond
Father Of Dragons
- Location: His remains take up most of the Dragonblight zone in Northrend
- Status: Officially "non-living" or undead
Galakrond was a proto-dragon, meaning he was untouched by the Titans and not reduced to an Aspect, and it was from him that all other dragons were born. He was bigger than all the other dragon Aspects combined, and when his nature turned from benevolent to hostile, they had to unite and battle against him.
As he was driven deeper into madness, Galakrond consumed other dragons and grew even bigger, sprouting necrotic appendages and vomiting up his prey to become his undead minions. After the Aspects defeated him, he rose from undeath to attack Wyrmrest Temple in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, only to be defeated again. His massive skeleton rests at the foot of the temple, so anyone can visit and marvel at his massive size.
World of Warcraft
- Released
- November 23, 2004
