Dimensional gateway



Dimensional gateways are magical gateways between worlds similar to the Dark Portal. However, where the Dark Portal was securely fixed as a doorway between two temporal worlds — Azeroth and Draenor — with a single terminus on both planets, dimensional gateways are less stable and are tunnels between the worlds, as opposed to mere doorways. This feature is part of what caused Draenor's explosion.

The gateway used to summon Hakkar the Houndmaster and the other demons in the War of the Ancients was closer to the Dark Portal than a dimensional gateway — the terminus of that portal was located on a Legion-controlled world.

Invasion of Draenor


On the Draenor side of the now-closed Dark Portal, the elder shaman Ner'zhul, chieftain of the Shadowmoon clan, planned to open dimensional gateways that would lead the Horde of Draenor to new, unspoiled worlds to conquer. Teron Gorefiend also desired a world of his own, and together they led their armies in an invasion of Azeroth in order to gather the artifacts required for their plans: the Jeweled Scepter of Sargeras, the Book of Medivh and the Eye of Dalaran.

During the last hours of the conflict, Ner'zhul cast the Spell of Conjuration in order to create his gateways. Huge dimensional rifts crackling with the cosmic energies of the Twisting Nether appeared over the skies of Draenor. The energies emitted from these newly formed rifts torn apart the fabric of reality in Draenor and caused massive tidal waves, earthquakes, and volcanoes to erupt. The planet was eventually shattered in the ensuing cataclysm.

Third War


There were four dimensional gateways left over from Ner'zhul's experiments, outside of Magtheridon's Black Temple. They brought demons in from the Twisting Nether which Magtheridon brought under his control. Illidan Stormrage shut down the gateways, which cut off the flow of demons and ended the extra stresses on the remnants of the planet.

Despite this, several of the gates were still active even after the imprisonment of Magtheridon in Hellfire Citadel, several weeks after his defeat in Black Temple and Illidan was still trying to close them.

World of Warcraft
Several of the dimensional gateways that Illidan closed can be found in Outland with The Burning Crusade. There are only three currently in the game, though four exist in The Frozen Throne.


 * At the Portal Clearing on the shores of Marshlight Lake in western Zangarmarsh. (Not currently functional)
 * At Twilight Ridge in western Nagrand. (Not currently functional)
 * At Death's Door east of Thunderlord Stronghold in the Blade's Edge Mountains. (Functional, but not open)

According to Gathios the Shatterer, the portals closed in the aftermath of the Third War are not the ones that appeared in the forge camps.

Speculation

 * It is likely that Kel'Thuzad opened such a gateway, or a variation thereof, in Dalaran to summon Archimonde.
 * The Felstorm can likely be counted as a dimensional gateway.