World of Warcraft: Dragonflighthas brought all five of the franchise’s dragon factions, known as dragonflights, together again. Each flight has unique powers and protects a part of Azeroth. However, some of these flights have had a rocky past, the black dragonflight chief among them.World of Warcraft’s dragons are an integral part of the series' lore and fantasy atmosphere, having provided players with countless memorable bosses such as Deathwing, Onyxia, and Nefarian.
Black dragons inWorld of Warcraftwere once protectors of the earth, and their Aspect - Neltharion - was a noble leader. Then in ages past, at the moment of theSundering that split Azeroth’s continentsapart, Nelatharion betrayed all dragonkind and revealed his new identity as Deathwing the Destroyer. His madness spread to the rest of his flight, and in the events ofWorld of Warcraft: Cataclysm, other dragons were forced to all-but extinguish the last remnant of the black dragonflight.
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How World of Warcraft’s Black Dragonflight Recovered From Cataclysm
There were two exceptions to the corruption of the black dragonflight:dragons Wrathion and Ebyssian.Wrathion’s egg was purified by Titan magic before he hatched, and the same thing happened to Ebyssian thousands of years prior. These two black dragons have tried their best to embody the protector that Neltharion used to be, determined to mend their shattered legacy. Wrathion in particular was instrumental in the defeat of N’Zoth inWorld of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth.
However, these two dragons (both male at that) have no way of rebuilding their flight alone. Black dragons were on the verge of extinction, and for years it was unclear howWorld of Warcraft’s story could mend this without retconning Cataclysm’s lore.
Fortunately,World of Warcraft’s first expansion, The Burning Crusade, introduced some intriguing insurance that ensured Azeroth’s black dragons would persevere.
Years before the Cataclysm, in the events after the Second War, Deathwing conspired with the orcs on Outland to gain safe passage into that broken world. The black dragons, corrupt and malicious though they were, sought a safe place to keep their eggs and raise their young away from other dragons’ prying eyes. Several dozen black dragons remained in theBlade’s Edge Mountains ever since, waiting for the right moment to return.
Being disconnected from Azeroth had a fortunate side effect, as the black dragons were corrupted by the Old Gods, particularly N’Zoth. Since the black dragons in Outland were no longer subject to this poison, their sanity was slowly restored. Their leader was Sabellian, a noble dragon who protected the remnants of his flight from all kinds of perils and eventually led them back toAzeroth in time forWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflight.
The black dragons arrived in the Dragon Isles, bringing with them new eggs and a brighter future for their flight. Currently the flight still doesn’t have an Aspect, and there is some tension between Sabellian and young Wrathion, but ultimately they both want what’s best for their family. They have much work ahead of them, especially in rekindling the trust between them and the other dragonflights, but Sabellian’s return filled a hole in Azeroth’s heart by restoring the flight that was tragically all but destroyed. Now that N’Zoth has been defeated, the Black Dragonflight can return to uphold their ancient duties without fear of losing themselves to corruption ever again.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflightis available now for PC.
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