World of Warcraft: Dragonflight will serve as the ninth expansion for the 18-year-old MMO, and usher the return of the dragons to Azeroth. Dragon aspects were once the most powerful beings on the planet, but due to the events of Cataclysm they were weakened. While they have cropped up here and there ever since, dragons have not played a pivotal role in World of Warcraft for many expansions, and Dragonflight aims to fix that.
The return of the dragon aspects to World of Warcraft also means Dragonflight will be full of dragon lore. The dragons have had a long history on Azeroth, with not all of it being portrayed in-game. Many fans may be rusty when it comes to the specifics of the dragon lore, but World of Warcraft has received many tie-in novels over the years, and a decent amount of them have touched on the topic of dragons that could be read before the expansion rolls around.
Day of the Dragon
Day of the Dragon is among the first of many dragon-centered books in the World of Warcraft universe. The book takes place after the Second War of Azeroth, and chronicles the events surrounding the freeing of dragon aspect Alexstrasza from the Dragonmaw clan. The clan captured the Dragonqueen and used the Demon Soul to force her to create more dragons. The story follows a mage named Rhonin as he goes on a secret mission to free her and gather the aide of the dragon aspects. The story also touches on Deathwing's manipulations behind the scenes, a character who World of Warcraft players should remember from Cataclysm. This book provides an interesting look into events of the Warcraft RTS games, and it received a re-release in 2019 that should make it easy to track down.
Dawn of the Aspects
Dawn of the Aspects jumps forward, taking place after the defeat of Deathwing in Cataclysm. The aspects are dealing with the loss of their immortal powers as they try to find a place in the world. It follows the blue dragon aspect Kalecgos as he explores the past to figure out what to do with the future. The story not only provides information post-Cataclysm, but it also tells the history of the dragon aspects and how they became the powerful aspects they were. It chronicles the defeat of the bloodthirsty Galakrond centuries ago, and the creation of the aspects. This story was originally released as a five part e-book series, but has since received a paperback release.
Night of the Dragon
Night of the Dragon serves as the follow-up to Day of the Dragon and tells the story of events that led up to Wrath of the Lich King. The story follows Krasus, also known as Korialstrasz, as he ventures to Grim Batol - where Alextrasza was held - to confront a rising evil. He is not the only one who gets drawn to Grim Batol, as many other characters head there on their own missions. The book also includes references to Deathwing and the build-up to Cataclysm. It serves as an interesting read for those who want some more context to events while checking out one of the few World of Warcraft books that does not feature orcs
Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects
Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects takes place during the Cataclysm expansion, and also serves as a sequel of sorts to The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm. The story follows the former Horde warchief Thrall as he accepts a task from the green dragon aspect Ysera. This mission brings him throughout history as he encounters ancient dragonflights, battles in the Second War, and works alongside the dragonflights as they learn about an impending darkness that threatens to destroy them all.
The story of Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects provides even more information on the history of the dragonflights and the struggles they faced. It lets players see the history of the dragons through the eyes of one of the most iconic World of Warcraft characters. While people may argue that some of this should have been presented in-game, the novel is an interesting read for anyone who wants to learn more about dragons and Thrall.
The War of the Ancients Trilogy
The War of the Ancients trilogy has perhaps some of the most well-put-together World of Warcraft books. The series contains The Well of Eternity, The Demon Soul, and The Sundering, which can all be purchased separately or in a compilation called Warcraft: War of the Ancients Archive. The books tell the story of the Burning Legion invasion of Azeroth 10,000 years before the First War, and are some of the few World of Warcraft books to be disconnected from the game.
The story focuses a lot on Malfurion Stormrage's rise and Illidan Stormrage's fall along with the creation of the continents of Azeroth. It also tells the story of the dragon aspects and the creation of the Dragon Soul, an object that would be corrupted and changed into the Demon Soul by Deathwing. The story is a pivotal moment in Azeroth's history, and provides a lot backstory on the characters of the world and the dragons that inhabit it.
World of Warcraft Chronicles
The three World of WarcraftChronicles volumes are the closest one can get to reading an Azeroth history book. Each volume tells the events of the Warcraft universe from the perspective of the Titans. They touch on everything from Primordial Azeroth to the events of Cataclysm. While they showcase a lot more than just the history of the dragons, the story of the dragon aspects play a big role. The aspects have been a huge part of the story of Azeroth, and as such they play a huge part of Chronicles. While these do not read like a standard fantasy book, they are the best source for the most up-to-date dragon lore - at least until Dragonflight potentially retcons some of it.
Dragons have played a huge role in the history of World of Warcraft, and they will be making their grand return when Dragonflight is released. Blizzard has not shared a launch date yet, which means there is ample time to check out a few dragon-themed books to prepare for Dragonflight between running dailies in Zereth Mortis.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC.