#5 Wrath of the Lich King
Lets first get out of the way what this list is not. It is NOT a ranking of expansions, but rather the action packed cinematics. There is little doubt that Blizzard makes possibly the best cinematic trailers out there. Here are the top 5 cinematics in World of Warcraft.
Wrath of the Lich King was an expansion you either liked or hated, but the trailer had everyone punching their tickets to Northrend to get a crack at Arthas. Gamers who played Warcraft III saw both the rise and the fall of Arthas. Arthas was a paladin/death knight that you loved to hate. Though some of the zones ended up being meh, taking down Arthas was something that was bittersweet in the end. Though Arthas is gone the shards of Frostmourne are still out their waiting until another Lich King to rise and take the blade to command the undead.
During the trailer the Terenes of Arthas talks about the day he was born and how Arthas would rise to be something great someday. Little did he know that eventually he'd kill him, destroy his beloved Lordaron and launch the invasion of the Burning Legion. The re-animated frostworm is amazing, not to mention the horde of the undead beneath the cliff.
#4 World of Warcraft
Like many, when word of World of Warcraft finally made it to my ears... I went batcrap crazy excited. Gamers finally got a game that continued the story from Warcraft III and they'd finally be even more immersed into the "world" of Warcraft. Why is this trailer in the top 5? It's the trailer that started a craze and so much more.
The first trailer ever for World of Warcraft features many of the classes that have inspired t-shirts, tv parody show (South Park) and so much more. Though the graphics in recent trailers are much better the trailer itself has aged very well in comparison to other trailers from that year. There was a reason it was the game of the year in 2004. Over the past 12 years, World of Warcraft has had its ups and downs, but there are still plenty of stories to be told.
#3 Legion
Everyone waited long enough for the return of the Burning Legion and boy did it deliver. The darkness once again falls on Azeroth and the heroes must unit to face the Legion once again.Many thought World of Warcraft was dying, but this could be a new change for the game. With zones that scale with you, dungeons that are entertaining and of course killing some Legion along the way doesn't hurt.
Aside from being a bit corny at times, the trailer introduces gamers to some of the mysteries that they'd encouter in Legion. King Wyrnn and Sylvanas Windrunner storm the shores of the broken isles, but what happens after they crash land on the shore is the true mystery, until the game is played of course. This trailer might have ranked a little higher if it wasn't for some corny parts, but then again the fine wine of Warcraft can't be served without a little cheese right?
#2 The Burning Crusade
Illidan Stormrage is one of the most recognizable characters in the Warcraft universe and probably one of the most powerful too. After all he still thinks he beat Arthas in his faceoff for the frozen throne. Some of us are stil fumming that they didn't do a full blown cinematic for that part in history. This trailer gave birth to one of Illidans favorite sayings. That of course is "YOU ARE NOT PREPARED!"
This was World of Warcraft's first expansion and is still regarded as one of the top dogs in the list of expansions. It injected a new life into World of Warcraft and was the launching pad to higher and higher subscriber numbers. I still remember the first time I raided the Black Temple and hope to pick up the warglaives of azzinoth. They're still the one of the coolest weapons in the game.
#1 Warlords of Draenor
This is by far the most epic trailer in the World of Warcraft cinematic universe. Who doesn't want to see a Demon Lord (spoilers) get stabbed in the head? Warlords of Draenor intruduced gamers to one of the most vile orcs in Gul'dan. Who ultimately would unleash the Burning Legion once again on the Broken Isles. Warlords of Draenor was a great set up for the return of Burning Legion.
After Mists of Pandaria, Blizzard needed something to get fans excited and Warlords of Draenor did just that. Numbers of subscribers jumped after the launch of WoD, but dropped dramatically after a few months. Warlords was a great game at the start, but it didn't age well. The reason for the hype can be attributed to this epic trailer!