Illidan Stormrage was branded the Betrayer more than 10,000 years before the first player logged into World of Warcraft. The twin brother of Malfurion Stormrage and a sorcerer of the night elf Moon Guard, he made a deal with Sargeras during the War of the Ancients, spent ten millennia in a prison under Mount Hyjal, and returned to become one of the central figures of Blizzard's Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne. This first GB Lore Corner follows his story from the War of the Ancients through his duel with Arthas at Icecrown. Check out the official trailer down below:
Twin Brother Of Malfurion
Illidan and Malfurion grew up together in ancient Kalimdor, long before the continent broke apart in the Great Sundering. Both brothers studied under the demigod Cenarius, and both grew close to Tyrande Whisperwind, a priestess of the moon goddess Elune. Malfurion took to druidism and became the first night elf druid. Illidan had little patience for the slow study of nature magic and turned to the arcane, joining the Moon Guard, the night elf sorcerers who served in battle.
Illidan was also born with amber eyes, which night elf tradition held as a sign that a child was destined for greatness. That expectation followed him through his early life, and it made his brother's rise as a druid and Tyrande's growing affection for Malfurion even harder for him to accept.
The War Of The Ancients
The night elf Highborne, led by Queen Azshara and her advisor Lord Xavius, used the Well of Eternity to open a portal for the Burning Legion. As the demons poured into Kalimdor, Lord Kur'talos Ravencrest raised a resistance army. When Latosius, the leader of the Moon Guard, was killed in battle, Illidan took command of the surviving sorcerers and led them against the Legion.
The war went badly. Malfurion left to seek help from the dragonflights, and Illidan, rejected by Tyrande after confessing his feelings for her, went to the Highborne and offered his services to Sargeras, the leader of the Burning Legion. Sargeras accepted. He burned out Illidan's eyes and gave him magical sight in their place, and covered his body in glowing tattoos that filled him with fel power. Those tattoos and the blindfold over his ruined eyes became his look in every game that followed.
Illidan still ended up on his brother's side. When the Highborne's portal collapsed and the Well of Eternity imploded, he helped stop Sargeras from entering Azeroth. The Great Sundering that followed tore Kalimdor apart and left the Maelstrom where the Well had been.
The Second Well And 10,000 Years In Prison
Before the Well was destroyed, Illidan filled seven vials with its waters. He poured three of them into a lake at the top of Mount Hyjal, creating a second Well of Eternity so the night elves would not lose their source of magic. Malfurion saw it as an invitation for the Legion to return. Illidan was imprisoned rather than executed, and the warden Maiev Shadowsong and her Watchers locked him in the Barrow Deeps beneath Mount Hyjal.
The Dragon Aspects planted the World Tree Nordrassil on top of the second Well so its power could be contained. In return, the night elves were granted immortality while Nordrassil stood. Illidan spent the next 10,000 years in his cell, guarded by Maiev's Watchers.
Warcraft III: Reign Of Chaos
Reign of Chaos launched in July 2002 and brought Illidan back during the Third War. With the Scourge and the Burning Legion overrunning Ashenvale, Tyrande fought her way past Maiev's Watchers and freed him from the Barrow Deeps so he could help fight the demons. Malfurion was not happy to see his brother free.
Arthas, by then a death knight serving the Lich King, told Illidan about the Skull of Gul'dan, a powerful warlock artifact held by the demons in the forests of northern Ashenvale. He consumed the Skull's power and was transformed into a demon with horns, wings and hooves, then used that power to kill the dreadlord Tichondrius. When he returned, Malfurion banished him from the night elves for good. Illidan left Ashenvale as an outcast, which set up his story in the expansion.
The Frozen Throne And The Road To Outland
The Frozen Throne arrived in July 2003 and gave Illidan the spotlight. He recruited Lady Vashj and the naga, the former Highborne who had survived the Sundering under the sea, and led them to the Tomb of Sargeras on the Broken Isles to claim the Eye of Sargeras. He took it to the ruins of Dalaran and tried to use it to destroy the Frozen Throne in Northrend, the seat of the Lich King, under orders from the demon lord Kil'jaeden.
Malfurion and Tyrande stopped the spell. During the fight, Maiev told Malfurion that Tyrande had been lost to the undead, and Illidan joined his brother to rescue her. With the brothers reconciled for the moment, Illidan fled through a portal to Outland, the shattered orc homeworld, with Maiev in pursuit.
In Outland, Illidan met Kael'thas Sunstrider and his blood elves, who were struggling with their addiction to magic. Kael'thas pledged his people to Illidan, and together with Lady Vashj and Akama's Broken draenei they defeated the pit lord Magtheridon and took the Black Temple. Kil'jaeden then confronted Illidan and ordered him to destroy the Lich King.
Illidan led his army to Icecrown. Arthas reached the Frozen Throne first, and the two met in a duel before it. Arthas cut Illidan down and left him for dead, then claimed the throne and merged with Ner'zhul to become the Lich King. Illidan's allies carried him back to Outland. He appeared next in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade in 2007, as the final boss of the Black Temple raid.
Playing Through His Story Today
Illidan's Reign of Chaos and Frozen Throne campaigns are both included in Warcraft III: Reforged, which launched in January 2020 with remade models, cinematics and voice work. His time in Outland plays out in The Burning Crusade, which Blizzard brought back in Burning Crusade Classic.
Blizzard's WoW: Forever also launched today. Our recent Warcraft coverage includes WoW: Forever Launches Today As Blizzard Releases New Video For Legacy Talents, WoW: Forever Teases Its First New Raid Bosses Including A Spider Duo And A Possessed Wild God, and WoW: Forever Short Story Unbowed Asks Whether A Forsaken Can Still Serve The Light.
Do you see Illidan as a villain or as a hero who made hard choices, and which moment from his story before World of Warcraft is your favorite?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.