Wrathion

Wrathion
Title	<The Black Prince>
Gender	Male
Race	Black drake (Dragonkin)
Reaction	Alliance Horde
Affiliation(s)	Himself, Black dragonflight
Former affiliation(s)	Ravenholdt
Occupation	Self-proclaimed leader of the black dragonflight
Location	Various
Status	Alive
Relative(s)	Nyxondra (mother),; Unknown father,; Deathwing (grandfather),; Nefarian (uncle),; Onyxia (aunt),; Sabellian (half-uncle)
Companion(s)	Right, Left (bodyguards); Alex, Dah'da, Cindy (pets)

For the NPC faction, see Black Prince. For tactics on the Ny'alotha, the Waking City encounter, see Wrathion, the Black Emperor.

“I will NOT be held accountable for the sins of my father. My destiny will be my own.”

— Wrathion^[4]

Wrathion, the Black Prince, is one of the few black dragons on Azeroth^[5] known to be uncorrupted by the taint of the Old Gods and, following the death of Deathwing and the destruction of the corrupted black dragonflight, one of the last known black dragons alive on Azeroth. Claiming to have seen a future where Azeroth falls, Wrathion helped heroes of the Horde and Alliance gaining powers, usually in the form of magical legendary items. He is, however, ruthless in his goals and pursues what he perceives as the greater good for Azeroth with almost fanatical devotion. As the self-proclaimed last black dragon, Wrathion believes that the titans' mandate to protect Azeroth now falls to him, and he will do whatever it takes to fulfill this charge once entrusted to Deathwing,^[6] that he personally identify as his father.

After being purified and hatched during the war against Deathwing, Wrathion saw to the death of every other black dragon he knew of, including his father. He decided to take on the appearance of a dark-skinned human for his mortal disguise, and provided an adventurer rogue with the Fangs of the Father to hunt down the last dragons of the black dragonflight in Azeroth. After he nearly survived an assassination attempt of the red dragonflight, he claimed to take his destiny into his own hands and disappeared.

As the Alliance-Horde war intensified on Pandaria, Wrathion traveled to the once hidden continent and created his own organisazation, he then sought to use an adventurer gifted with a powerful cloak of his own creation in a plot to have one side wipe out the other,^[7] making the world more secure against greater threats.^[8] While his plan ultimately failed when King Varian Wrynn decided to make peace with Warchief Vol'jin instead of dismantling the Horde, Wrathion's ambition to safeguard the world remained unchanged. After he helped Kairozdormu release Garrosh Hellscream during his trial, Wrathion stayed in the shadows, observing the conflict between the forces of Azeroth and the Iron Horde, and which side would win the war in Draenor.

For years he traveled across Azeroth, seeking a way to fight the madness that once corrupted his flight. Near the end of the Fourth War, as N'Zoth was the one primarily responsible for his father's corruption, Wrathion once again offered his assistance.^[9] This time, he created Ashjra'kamas, Shroud of Resolve to help Azeroth's champions resist the Old God's corruptive influence. Following the end of the Old God, Wrathion vowed that the black dragonflight would forevermore stand in defense of Azeroth, alongside its champions.

Biography

Cataclysm

This section concerns content related to Cataclysm.

The [Purified Black Dragon Egg], which contains the unborn black whelp Wrathion.

The ambitious red dragon Rheastrasza, also known by her goblin guise Rhea, traveled to the Badlands to research the black dragonflight and to find a way to purify them. She hired a group of mercenaries,^[10] and has captured the black dragon, Nyxondra, to force her to lay eggs for the experiments, in hopes of laying a uncorrupted black dragon egg.^[11] It was later revealed that Nyxondra was in fact a sister of Onyxia,^[12] and thus a daughter of Deathwing himself, the grandfather of Wrathion.

Unhatched

Eventually, Rheastrasza and Dr. Hieronymus Blam succeeded in creating a purified black dragon egg with an ancient titan device, a black whelp corpse, a wild black dragon egg and one of Nyxondra's eggs.^[13] She constantly moved around to avoid being found by agents of the black dragonflight, who wanted to destroy the egg. She was however killed by Deathwing in the end, who was after the egg.^[14] The egg he destroyed, however, was not the purified one, but Rheastrasza's own egg. Hieronymus Blam had already moved the real purified egg to a safer location, away from the Badlands, so it could continue to grow, out of Deathwing's sight.^[15] The egg was hidden under the care of Corastrasza in Vermillion Redoubt, a Red dragonflight outpost in the Twilight Highlands.^[16]

However, six months later, shortly before he was born, the egg was stolen by the assassins of Ravenholdt. Consequently, the red dragonflight sent the red drake Mostrasz and a rogue adventurer to find it. The trail led them to Ravenholdt Manor,^[16]^[17] in the northeast of Hillsbrad Foothills, where it was revealed that Wrathion has hatched and was now in charge of the whole operation.^[18]^[19]

The Black Prince

“Tell them that I am free of my father's madness, and I will be free of them as well. I am to be left alone: this will be my first and only warning.”

— Wrathion's message for the red dragonflight

Though a whelping, Wrathion was wise and powerful beyond his years. Free of Deathwing's control, he saw with clear eyes what had become of the black dragons, and recognized the threat they posed to Azeroth. He knew of only one way to purify the flight: death. Thus, he launched a brutal campaign to assassinate the world's remaining black dragons.^[20]

On his first encounter with the rogue adventurer, he revealed that like all dragons he was conscious in his egg, listening to the plots and intrigues about him, and understood that he was born to be a prisoner. Therefore, he announced that he intended to stay free, and that the rogue adventurer were valuable to him, as they managed to reach him by eluding all his guards in the manor. At the same time, the right hand of the Black Prince, Fahrad, brought Mostrasz into the cellar after he captured him. Wrathion introduced himself to the latter as his former prisoner, and ordered him to serve as a messenger to his dragonflight, announcing that he was free from his father's corruption, that he intended to remain free, that Deathwing's minions should be afraid of him, and that this warning was the first and the last. He then ordered Fahrad to throw him out and to break his legs, before resuming his conversation with the rogue adventurer, explaining that dark dragons frequently disguise themselves as mortals to create chaos around them, and that the last survivors of the black dragonflight must be found and eliminated, as they are threats to Wrathion and Azeroth itself. In exchange for rewards, they agreed to help the Black Prince, and their first mission was located in the Ruins of Gilneas.^[21]^[22]

As the only pure member of his dragonflight, Wrathion decided that it was his misson to make sure that all his corrupted brothers and sisters must be destroyed. The first of them was Lord Hiram Creed, a black dragon disguised as an affluent Gilnean noble who manipulated a group of Gilnean humans and worgen named the Blackhowl in Gilneas City, secretly infecting them with his own draconic blood. As none of Ravenholdt's assassins were able to infiltrate the city, the rogue adventurer was sent to assassinate the Drakonid, and managed to kill him, to the surprise of the Black Prince who was greatly impressed.^[23] He rewarded them with the daggers named Vengeance and Fear, and promised them more powers if they returned with some spell reagents acquired from Deathwing's minions.^[24]

To Wrathion's surprise, his rogue champion returned some weeks later with what he asked, and eager for another assignment.^[25] In order to improve the daggers he offered them, he ordered the elimination of Nalice,^[26] a black dragon who served as the Ambassador of the Black Dragonflight in the Wyrmrest Accord, but who mysteriously disappeared from Wyrmrest Temple in the wake of Deathwing's reemergence and his shattering of Azeroth. She was found by the Black Prince and his agents, hiding with her Blackwyrm Cult in the Master's Cellar beneath Karazhan, researching arcane secrets buried beneath the foundation to perform some sort of arcane experiments.^[27] Pleasantly surprised by their victory, Wrathion used Nalice's blood to upgrade the vicious twin daggers of his favorite assassin,^[28] before dispatching them again into the fray to collect more resources.^[29]

Wrathion's hatched egg in Ravenholdt Manor.
Wrathion's chosen humanoid form after hatching.
Wrathion's warning to Mostrasz for the red dragonflight.
Wrathion ordering Fahrad to break Mostrasz's legs.
Wrathion and Fahrad planning against the black dragonflight.

Wrathion confronts Fahrad, a black dragon, about the Old Gods' voices in his head.

Wrathion uses his powers to immobilize Fahrad.

After some weeks, Wrathion greeted his rogue champion fresh and ready for his hardest assignment, ignoring Fahrad's warnings, he ordered the adventurer to kill his father. He warned them not to underestimate Deathwing, and that it would be necessary to annihilate him completely, otherwise the heart of his madness in his broken body would try to destroy them. He confessed that he wanted to help them, but couldn't bring himself to do so, as the Black Aspect was the only dragon he feared. In secret, he told himself that it was the last time he saw his champion, not imagining for even a moment that they could accomplish their mission.^[30]^[31] But once again, he underestimated them, and ultimately, his favorite assassin returned triumphant to collect their final reward after they destroyed the Worldbreaker with the heroes of Azeroth.

However, prior to their arrival, the red dragonflight attacked Ravenholdt Manor to kill Wrathion, the latter managed to survive and killed Mostrasz himself, although many of its agents were killed in the battle. After rewarding his rogue champion one last time with Golad, Twilight of Aspects and Tiriosh, Nightmare of Ages, the legendary Fangs of the Father, he announced his final mission, to kill the last black dragon, Fahrad himself. The Black Prince revealed that he already knew the truth since the beginning, thanking the latter for saving him while he was still in his egg, but announced that as a black dragon he was also a victim of the corruption of the Old Gods and must be eliminated. Despite Fahrad insisting that he was in control, the Old Gods' voices in his head were angered by Wrathion's actions and forced Fahrad to try to kill the Black Prince, as he was too difficult to control. As Fahrad revealed his true nature, Wrathion announced that he would never be controlled, that the red dragonflight had no idea what they unleashed when they had experimented on his egg, before he immobilized his former ally and ordered the rogue adventurer to deal the killing blow with his new powers.^[32]

Following their victory, Wrathion announced that to his knowledge he was the last black dragon in Azeroth, and that it was time for him to disappear, expecting to meet his rogue champion once again in the future. With his destiny in his own hands, he left the assassins of Ravenholdt behind to seek his destiny elsewhere, as he heard rumors of a new land "beyond the mists of the sea".^[33]

With his bloody work done, Wrathion stood as one of the last living black dragons.^[20]

Mists of Pandaria

This section concerns content related to Mists of Pandaria.

In Pandaria, Wrathion made his base in the Tavern in the Mists, which is found in the Veiled Stair, after experiencing a vision of Azeroth's destruction.^[34] To prevent his vision from becoming a reality, Wrathion sent invitations to adventurers from all walks of life to aid him in shaping the course of the coming conflict.^[35]

Wrathion foreshadowed a terrible threat to Azeroth coming, a threat that a divided Azeroth couldn't hope to stand against; the Burning Legion. Thus he believed the only way to prepare Azeroth for the coming threat was to have one faction win and dominate the other. He advised adventurers to bring a swift end to the Alliance-Horde war and gave his unwavering support to whichever faction the adventurer belonged to.^[36]

Wrathion challenged the adventurers he recruited to prove their strength to him by vanquishing the mogu minions who inhabit Shan'ze Dao, and the sha-corrupted mantid swarming the Dread Wastes. He also tasked adventurers to acquire sigils of power and wisdom from fallen heroes in the Mogu'shan Vaults, the Heart of Fear, or the Terrace of Endless Spring.^[37] After slaying enough of these enemies to earn an honored reputation with him,^[38] Wrathion challenged the adventurer to hunt down the Sha of Fear and despoil it of its Chimera of Fear. After taking down the sha at the Terrace of Endless Spring,^[39] and accomplishing all of his undertakings, Wrathion took the adventurers to Mason's Folly where he used the combined powers of the sigils of power and wisdom; as well as the chimera of fear to create a sha-touched gem. After Wrathion gifted the gem to his champion,^[40] he asked them to let him know when their faction's naval fleet arrived; and also proclaimed that no matter how unsavory his methods become, he would remain resolute in his protection of Azeroth.^[41]

Landfall

After the faction's fleet arrived in Pandaria, Wrathion wanted to test the adventurer's commitment to the Alliance-Horde war and thus tasked them to kill enemy faction soldiers at the shores in order to prove that their faction deserves to win the war.^[42] Then, in the Tavern in the Mists, Wrathion summoned images of King Varian Wrynn and Warchief Garrosh Hellscream to talk about their pasts and how they fared as leaders.^[43] Wrathion also wanted to test the adventurer's valor by having them gather 3,000 [Valor Points]. He used his blood to see through their eyes, thus monitoring their progress.^[44] Afterwards, Wrathion requested that they kill their opposing faction's commander in Krasarang Wilds.^[45] In addition to slaughtering the enemy commander, Wrathion required that they achieve a victory in both Silvershard Mines and Temple of Kotmogu.^[46]^[47] After all these tasks, he brought up the faction leaders again and discussed their merits as leaders and what he's learned about each respective faction. He asked the adventurers to continue to hone their skills in Pandaria and then armed them with the Eye of the Black Prince to increase their prowess. At last, he brought up about a new threat: Emperor Lei Shen, the Thunder King.^[48]^[49]

Rise of the Thunder King

Wrathion seen as a whelp at the Thunder Forges.

Wrathion and Deathwing in Lorewalker Cho's story.

In the Tavern in the Mists, while Anduin Wrynn was recovering from his wounds, he played the pandaren board game jihui with Wrathion. Both of them have been discussing current events and as they played, they discussed Lei Shen the Thunder King, and his leadership style; to which they disagreed with each other if whether his tyrannical and brutal reign should be applauded or not. Anduin disapproved of Wrathion's hard cutthroat outlook and Wrathion likewise thought Anduin too soft. At this point, Wrathion recruited the adventurer to act as his champion and to show his might by terrorizing any mogu, Zandalari, or saurok they could find.

As Wrathion desired to know the origin and source of mogu power, Azeroth's adventurers aided the Black Prince in finding out what it was. The search for information took them into the depths of the Thunder King's Palace, the Throne of Thunder, where they collected for him 20 Secrets of the Empire and 40 Trillium Bars.^[50] Wrathion and the adventurer then progressed to the Thunder Forges where he planed to use all the trillium they gathered to forge an instrument of power that he claimed he would used for the purpose of "world peace". Once they got the Thunder Forge up and running, Wrathion tasked the adventurer to defend the Celestial Blacksmith from the sha until it finished forging the Lightning Lance. Once completed, Wrathion's champion used the Lightning Lance to vanquish the Sha Amalgamation. Although the Lightning Lance proved itself a useful weapon, it needed to be charged by the power of the Thunder King in order to wake it from its dormancy.^[51] Wrathion then asked his champion to assault the Foot of Lei Shen and to use the Lightning Lance on Storm Lord Nalak before slaying the beast.^[52] From the mogu artifacts the adventurer collected, Wrathion learned how to create the legendary metagem, Crown of the Heavens. After imbuing the Lightning Lance with Nalak's power, the adventurer and Wrathion returned to Mason's Folly where they created the Sha-Touched gem. There, Wrathion used the Lightning Lance to create the Crown of Heaven, which he gifted to his champion.^[53]

Anduin distrusted Wrathion and warned the adventurer to think twice before putting that thing on their head. As Wrathion needed more information to piece together how the mogu related to the titans, he sent the adventurer back to the Throne of Thunder to collect 12 Titan Runestones, which an image of Wrathion used to uncover mogu history as he translated the stones.^[54]

Once all of them have been translated, Wrathion wanted the adventurer to kill Lei Shen himself, to bring him the Heart of the Thunder King, and end the Thunder King's reign once and for all. Once the heart was given to Wrathion, he ate it and absorbed its titan magic. A glowing light appeared, showing Wrathion cosmic visions and spoke through Wrathion of a fallen titan that some mysterious power sought to rebuild. As the light faded away, Wrathion seemed to have forgotten all the information and thought the predecessors of the titans' power have forgotten as well. Not even Anduin could comprehend the message. To that regard, it was the message that the mogu didn't remember all this time, and Wrathion laughed at the irony of it. Anduin still didn't trust Wrathion, and the latter told him that it was wise that he didn't. He then asked the adventurer to give him time to "digest" what he has learned.^[55]

Escalation

Wrathion empowering the [Timeless Essence of the Black Dragonflight].

After Lei Shen was dead, and his artifacts were in the hands of the Horde and Alliance, Wrathion wanted to empower his champion with the full array of his draconic power, but their mortal body wasn't capable of holding such power. Instead, Wrathion planed to create a cloak of virtue that they could imbue with the power of the August Celestials and some of his own as well. To create such a vessel, Wrathion required the blessings of all the August Celestials, which was only granted to those who completed their challenges. Thus Wrathion and his champion set off for the celestials' temples to fulfill their quest.

At Niuzao Temple, Niuzao tested the adventurer's fortitude; at the Temple of the Red Crane, Chi-Ji tested their hope; at the Temple of the White Tiger, Xuen tested their strength; and at the Temple of the Jade Serpent, Yu'lon tested their wisdom.^[56] With the blessing of each of the celestials, Wrathion was able to create the Cloak of Virtue at Mason's Folly, which he gifted to his champion. Although the cloak of virtue granted the champion the power of the celestials, Wrathion was still searching for a way to imbue his own draconic power onto the cloak.^[57]

Siege of Orgrimmar

Wrathion breathes fire in a fit of anger.

Wrathion was eager to explore the secrets of the Timeless Isle, and with good reason: the island held the secret of imbuing celestial cloaks with his own formidable draconic power.^[58] Wrathion tasked his champion to collect 5,000 Timeless Coins so that he could deconstruct their mysterious power in order to enhance his champion's cloak.^[59] He also challenged his champion to showcase their capabilities to the public of the Celestial Court by defeating the August Celestials in combat.^[60] Bearers of this new legendary-quality cloak were able to do battle with the deadly Ordos atop the Timeless Isle, but that wasn't Wrathion's ultimate goal. Instead, the black prince hoped to send his empowered cloak-bearers into the bowels of Orgrimmar to overthrow Warchief Garrosh Hellscream himself. Wrathion also participated in the Celestial Tournament with his companions - Alex, Dah'da, and Cindy. After the Celestials are defeated, Wrathion, Lorewalker Cho and the adventurer return to the Seat of Knowledge where they narrate the legend of the adventurer. Cho wished for the legend to portray the adventurer as a hero, liberator, and protector, while Wrathion wished to see them as a conqueror with none able to stand in their way.^[61] After the legend was done, Wrathion sent the adventurer to the Siege of Orgrimmar to fulfill his hopes.

When the adventurer arrived back in the Tavern in the Mists, Wrathion was pacing around the room; awaiting information about what happened during the Siege of Orgrimmar. The adventurer told him about what happened in Orgrimmar and he was not happy with the outcome: calling Varian Wrynn a fool for allowing the Horde to continue existing. Tong the Fixer was infuriated with his constant speaking and his lack of understanding of the lessons of Pandaria. Tong said that the Alliance and the Horde were not strong despite each other, they were strong because of one another. Wrathion thought he was just a fool waiter, and started walking out the Tavern and proclaimed for the battle to come, he would leave nothing to chance.^[62]

War Crimes

This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

Wrathion, alongside his bodyguards, Right and Left, attended the trial of Garrosh Hellscream, frequently corresponding with Anduin Wrynn during intermissions. He came to acknowledge the prince of Stormwind as a personal friend, though he told him that his kind heart and desire to see good in the world would be his undoing. He sat as far from Alexstrasza as he could.

Eventually, Wrathion revealed himself to be working with Kairozdormu and the Infinite dragonflight to free Garrosh and send him back in time to the Draenor of thirty-five years ago. After incapacitating the Chu brothers so he could lock up Chromie for investigating Kairoz, Wrathion was confronted by Anduin, who attempted to deter his friend from freeing the captured warchief. Proclaiming that as the last of the Black Dragonflight, the protection of Azeroth now falls to him, Wrathion knocked Anduin out and took his leave. Despite his actions, Wrathion believed this would be best for Azeroth in the coming conflict with the Legion, and maintained hope that Anduin would eventually understand his motives and even stand with him as a brother when the time comes.^[6]

Warlords of Draenor

This section concerns content related to Warlords of Draenor.

Wrathion outside Khadgar's Tower in Talador.

Wrathion, having traveled to the alternate Draenor after the Dark Portal became connected to it, traveled to Admiral Taylor's Garrison in the Spires of Arak, brought there by Sir Edward. Wrathion sought asylum in the Garrison, claiming he had somehow angered the local ogres. As Wrathion was a wanted fugitive of the Alliance following the events of Garrosh's trial, the troops led by Lady Claudia took aim. Admiral Taylor claimed that Wrathion would be a "guest" in the Garrison provided he stay under house arrest and full-time guard.

Wrathion provided Taylor's Garrison the resources to build an inn, and when Taylor confronted him about it Wrathion told him not to trust Ephial. Taylor offered a group of guards money to keep a close eye on Wrathion, but Wrathion had already paid those very same guards to watch Taylor. When Taylor left to participate in the Ring of Blood, Wrathion left the Garrison and took several of Taylor's best followers with him.^[63]

Wrathion remained in hiding somewhere on Draenor until he made a minor cameo at Khadgar's Tower once the adventurer had to return the Tomes of Chaos to Cordana Felsong. Wrathion was momentarily seen sitting on a Kirin Tor banner in whelp form until seeing his former ally, upon which he quickly flew off to parts unknown.^[64]

Legion

This section concerns content related to Legion.

During the third invasion of the Burning Legion, Wrathion wandered around Azeroth.^[65]

Deaths of Chromie

When Chronormu and an adventurer discovered that the former was going to die in the near future, they began searching for clues to who could be behind her assassination across the future Dragonshrines in Dragonblight. At the pathway leading into the Obsidian Dragonshrine, they found Wrathion, who was bemused by skeletons occupying the shrine even though the dragons had abandoned it for some years, musing that his father would never have approved. Chromie and the adventurer confronted Wrathion, thinking he may have known something, and Wrathion was ashamed that Chromie suspected him simply for being a black dragon. As Wrathion explained, he knew nothing about the attack and was simply visiting Northrend for "[his] own amusement", but was surprised to see a demonic infestation at the Obsidian Dragonshrine. He reminded Chromie and the adventurer that if they were looking for someone who might take umbrage at a dragon, they should start with the undead and whoever was controlling them. Chromie agreed that Wrathion made a fair point and the two of them left him to search inside the dragonshrine.^[66]

Battle for Azeroth

This section concerns content related to Battle for Azeroth.

After finding an Unscarred Black Scale from a young black dragon while on an island expedition, the adventurer knew that Wrathion would want to hear about it and sought him out at Blackrock Mountain. Though Wrathion was not there himself, one of his Blacktalon Agents was. She revealed to the adventurer that Wrathion was searching for the Dragon Isles and that other dragons had not been forthcoming in information.^[67]

One of Wrathion's Blacktalon Watchers was in the former lair of Deathwing, observing as another uncorrupted black dragon, Ebyssian, took an essence of the black dragonflight's magic to help heal the world.^[68] More Blacktalon Watchers can be found in Nazjatar.

When Wrathion was next seen, he had physically matured significantly, his humanoid form now resembling a young man with jet black hair, a short beard, and red, burning eyes. He sought out the Shen'dralar library in Dire Maul,^[69] as well as the aid of the Lorewalkers and Shado-Pan,^[70] in order to find a way to counter the Old Gods' corruption. He also traveled to the Vault of Archavon in Wintergrasp, hoping that it would contain information on the Forge of Origination which, he felt, would be the key to defeating the Old Gods for good. Unfortunately, the giants that watched over the Vault were not trusting of him.^[71] Wrathion then journeyed to Karazhan, where he received information from the library that allowed him to craft a potion that could cleanse someone of Old God corruption. While within the tower, Wrathion also met with the shade of Medivh, who encouraged him that while Wrathion could not change the past, he could forge a new legacy to leave for the future.^[72] As all this was going on, the Old Gods reached out to another uncorrupted black dragon, Ebyssian, and began to corrupt him. At the behest of Kalecgos, the adventurer sought out Wrathion for aid, and it turned out that the Old Gods' servants were also in pursuit of the Black Prince. While neither of them found Wrathion himself, the adventurer was able to find Wrathion's potion in Karazhan and used it to save Ebyssian.^[73]

Visions of N'Zoth

As the Alliance and the Horde defeated Azshara, and in the process let N'Zoth free from its prison, the Horde and the Alliance had to consider how to deal with the new threat looming. Wrathion, who had not been seen since Garrosh was freed, appeared in Stormwind City with Magni. He came to advise Anduin on how to deal with N'Zoth. Wrathion told Anduin that the armies of Stormwind would be useless. N'Zoth will strike in the mind.^[74] Later he joined Magni back at the Chamber of Heart and guided the adventurers in dealing with the visions of N'Zoth. Revealing that the best way to protect one's mind against the Old Gods required an object pure corruption, Wrathion and adventurers ventured to Blackwing Descent atop the Blackrock Mountain in Burning Steppes. Upon arriving, the pair discovered that N'Zoth's agents had seized control of Nefarian's liar, and Dark Inquisitor Xanesh planned on making Nefarian's legacy their own. Amidst the fighting, Wrathion was captured with the Dark Inquisitor revealing her intentions to use his essence to resurrect both Nefarian and Onyxia as tools of war for N'Zoth. However, Xanesh failed when adventurers freed Wrathion, who declared that the black dragonflight would purge N'Zoth from Azeroth. Following Xanesh's retreat into Ny'alotha, Wrathion destroyed the remains of Nefarian and Onyxia and used the Corrupt Black Dragonscales left behind to create Ashjra'kamas. Declaring that this cloak was all that remained of the once-proud black dragonflight, Wrathion revealed that it would defend them from sanity loss and the corruption of N'Zoth.^[75]

Sometime after Wrathion arrived to the Chamber of Heart, Ebyssian inquired as to how the Black Prince had known he had begun to hear N'Zoth's whispers. In response, Wrathion admitted that he had one of his agents watching over him due to knowing that Ebyssian would become vulnerable upon leaving Highmountain. In a surprise, Ebyssian remarked that he was unaware that Wrathion had such a personal concern for his well-being, causing the younger dragon to remark that they were brothers and the only one that Wrathion had left.^[76]

A projection of Wrathion in the Chamber of Heart.
Wrathion opening the gate of the Blackwing Descent.
Wrathion in Ny'alotha.
Wrathion, the Black Emperor a n'raqi disguised as a corrupted Wrathion.
Azshara giving Xal'atath to Wrathion.
Wrathion with Xal'atath.
Wrathion dodges N'Zoth's tentacles.
Wrathion jumps to N'Zoth.

Wrathion stabs the Carapace of N'Zoth with Xal'atath, helping the heroes to defeat the Old God.

As adventurers entered Ny'alotha they had to face Wrathion, the Black Emperor, who was supposedly a Wrathion who had given in to the Old Gods' corruption, but after killing it they discovered that it was a faceless one in disguise rather than the Black Prince himself. Wrathion was present within the realm of N'Zoth, however. He was given the Blade of the Black Empire by Azshara who told him to stab N'Zoth in the heart with it.^[77] Wrathion instead stabbed the Carapace of N'Zoth which during the fight with the Fury of N'Zoth helped adventurers regain their sanity by teleporting back to him. Following the death of N'Zoth, when asked as to what lied next for him, Wrathion remarked that though the Old Gods had been vanquished, they were but one threat to Azeroth and that many more lurked on the horizon and in the shadows. He further declared that from this day forth the black dragonflight will honor its ancient charge and stand in defense of Azeroth, along with its champions.

The adventurers also brought forth young dragons of the twilight dragonflight, ones which had been raised inside N'Zoth's carapace and so been exposed more directly to his corruption. Wrathion clears the dragons' minds of the whispers, with the promise that they, as well as he himself, will find themselves again one day despite their pasts.^[78]

Dragonflight

This section concerns content related to Dragonflight.

Wrathion struggled as to whether he truly desired to be the leader of the black dragonflight. Nevertheless, with the return of the Dragon Isles to Azeroth, he returned to his flight's ancient homeland. Despite their past disagreements, Alexstrasza offered him guidance.^[79]

World of Warcraft Anniversary

Wrathion and Medivh in the Caverns of Time during the 15th Anniversary Event.

The subject of this article or section is part of WoW's Anniversary, a seasonal event that typically lasts two weeks. Once the event has run its course, this will no longer be available until next year, but there are no guarantees.

Medivh and Wrathion were found partaking in the festivities of Warcraft's Anniversary in the Caverns of Time.

Sells


	[Black Dragonscale Backpack] 5,000			[Gouged Eye of N'Zoth] 25,000
	[Vessel of Horrific Visions] 10,000			[Wicked Swarmer] 100,000

Locations

Notable appearances
Location	Level range	Health range
Hillsbrad Foothills	85	387,450
Pandaria	90	106,032
[90] The Thunder Forge	90	2,363,646
[90] Celestial Blessings	90	19,697,050
Celestial Tournament	90	393,941
Seat of Knowledge	90	2,363,646
Khadgar's Tower	100	587,100
The Deaths of Chromie	112	6,673,278

Quests

Ravenholdt Manor

Tavern in the Mists

The subject of this section was removed from World of Warcraft in patch 6.0.2.

Patch 5.0 - Mists of Pandaria

Optional breadcrumb: [90] Stranger in a Strange Land
[90] A Legend in the Making
[90] The Strength of One's Foes & [90] Trial of the Black Prince
[90] Fear Itself
[90] Breath of the Black Prince

Patch 5.1 - Landfall

Optional breadcrumb: [90] Incoming... ( [15-35] Lion's Landing / [15-35] Domination Point required to continue)
[90] The Measure of a Leader
[90] The Prince's Pursuit & [90] A Test of Valor
Complete all of:
- [90] The Lion Roars / [90] Glory to the Horde
- [90] A Change of Command
[90] Call of the Packmaster / [90] The Soul of the Horde

Patch 5.2 - The Thunder King

Optional breadcrumbs: [90] The Thunder King / [90] Meet Me Upstairs
[90] Secrets of the First Empire & [90] I Need a Champion
[90] The Thunder Forge ( [35] To the Skies! required to continue)
[90] Spirit of the Storm Lord ( [35] The Fall of Shan Bu required to continue)
[90] The Crown of Heaven
[90] Echoes of the Titans
[90] Heart of the Thunder King

Patch 5.3 - Escalation

[90] Celestial Blessings
[90] Cloak of Virtue
[90] Preparing to Strike / [90] Meet Me Back at the Inn

Patch 5.4 - Siege of Orgrimmar

[90] A Timeless Discovery
[90] Secrets of the Timeless Isle & [90] The Emperor's Way
[90] A Pandaren Legend
[90] Judgment of the Black Prince

5.1. PTR

The subject of this section did not make it out of the PTR stages of patch 5.1.0.

[90] The Eye of the Naaru
- [90] Awaiting the Black Harvest

Legion alpha

The subject of this section did not make it out of the beta stages of World of Warcraft: Legion.

Ny'alotha, the Waking City

[50R] Ny'alotha: MOTHER's Guidance

Chamber of Heart

[50] Accessing the Archives
[50] Beginning the Descent
[50] Deeper Into the Darkness
[50] Descending Into Madness
[50] Dream Catcher
[50] Elements of Corruption
[50] Into the Darkest Depths
[50] Investigating the Halls
[50] Lost Flight
[50] Maintaining Focus
[50] Opening the Gateway
[50] Reconstructing "Fear and Flesh"
[50] Reconstructing "The Curse of Stone"
[50] Remnants of a Shattered World
[50] Something in Your Mind
[50] Stepping Through the Darkness
[50] Whispers of N'Zoth

Abilities

Wrathion wields unusually powerful abilities for a black whelp. He has displayed power over fire, magma, and magic on par with a full-grown black dragon. During [90] Celestial Blessings, he claims that he wields the power of the titans, and was probably referring to the powers of Keeper Ra that he stole from Lei Shen by devouring his heart. Wrathion also knows how to wield weapons such as the [Lightning Lance] he used against the player.

Blindside — Standing behind Wrathion increases your damage dealt to him by 250%. Aura on Wrathion for the duration of the encounter.
Crumbling Arc — Wrathion jumps in front of you and does a semicircle AoE attack. It is an uninterruptable 3 second cast that you can dodge by moving out of the dust clouds. It hits for approximately 200k damage. Be advised that this ability is currently buggy, and you may get hit even if you are outside the dust clouds.
Reign of Fire — Fireballs rain down from the ceiling, doing damage if they hit you. You can easily dodge this by avoiding the black shadows the fireballs cast when they appear.
Blood of the Deathborn — 2 second cast creates a void zone that deals about 50k damage/second. This spell can be interrupted.
Neltharion's Tears — About every minute or so, Wrathion summons or resurrects 5 adds. They have 500k health and melee for approximately 35k damage.
Inferno — About 2 minutes in, Wrathion will spawn many images of himself, all channeling Inferno. A single attack (including AoE) will kill any images it hits. Hitting the real Wrathion will stop the spell and despawn all the images. If Inferno goes off, it will deal damage depending on how many images remain. It will kill you if you killed too few images. This repeats 3 times in sequence.