The War Within Alpha - Isle of Dorn Main Story Quest Preview
Today we are taking a look at the main story quest for the Isle of Dorn. Keep in mind this quest chain is missing context and will likely change over time. MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD!

Isle of Dorn Main Story Quest
  • At some point, Dalaran crashes on a beach in the southwestern section of the Isle of Dorn, leaving you to claw out of the rubble.
  • Nerubians swarm the entire area and you reconvene with Jaina and Thrall, who tell you to look for survivors and kill the hostile creatures.
  • After rescuing some main characters, Anduin rushes to get your assistance as Magni is fighting off a Nerubian leader, Queensguard Zirix. You hold it back, and some Earthen Stormriders swoop in to help just as you seem overwhelmed.
  • Baelgrim, the leader, notes that you are outsiders, but is willing to trust you for now seeing as how you fought the Nerubians. He asks you to return with him to the capital of Dornogal to investigate an explosion.
  • The Coreway is a central tunnel in Dornogal that leads into the planet, and the explosion destroyed it, allowing Nerubians to swarm the city. Baelgrim has you take to the skies on a stormrook griffin to rain destruction down on them.
  • The Nerubians retreat from the city, giving you a moment of reprieve. The other stormriders bring the Dalaran survivors into the city
  • Jaina and Thrall portal away to rally more troops, while Anduin stays behind. Alleria sets out to hunt Xal’atath. While the story emphasizes that the Dalaran strike force was destroyed, it also mentions that you all “take a moment for Khadgar.” This seems to hint that he was either killed by Xal’atath before the crash or is missing.
  • Baelgrim wants to rally the other council members to discuss the destruction of the Coreway. He asks you to assist in clearing the debris to access the Archives. You find a memory core on a dead Earthen in the process.
  • Inside the Archives, you meet Merrix and Speaker Brinthe. After depositing the memory core into the Archives, you then explore Dornogal.


  • You reconvene with Merrix and Baelgrim in the Foundation Hall, where they discuss the next steps. The council was unprepared for a Nerubian invasion as they have been busy sustaining their city and declining population. They understand that they can’t repair the Coreway without help.
  • The council then explains how they came to be. The Titans uplifted four wards, the Councilward, Stormward, Stoneward, and High Speaker. Their purpose was to keep the edicts and build the Coreway and Dornogal. Merrix is the Councilward, Baelgrim is the Stormward, and Brinthe is the High Speaker. The Stoneward, Adelgonn, has abandoned her edict.
  • When the Titans left and the machines stopped, the Unbound abandoned the Edicts and the High Speaker retreated to the Ringing Deeps. The Machine Keepers are cut off from them and they can’t easily fix the Coreway.
  • Merrix suggests finding Adelgonn, the former stoneward, and her “unbound.” You are sent to Freywold Village to find her and to help unite the earthen and fix the Coreway.
  • Baelgrim leads you and Moira to a titan teleport pad to get high enough to soar to Freywold. He doesn’t believe this plan will work as Adelgonn’s betrayal runs deep.
  • You find Adelgonn tending to a fallen earthen. The meeting between her and Baelgrim is tense and Moira has to diffuse the situation.
  • Adelgonn says the Nerubian attack and the presence of outsiders is a lot to take in. She also needs your help rescuing some of her people taken by the Nerubians. You are tasked with completing your first Delve to rescue them.
  • After rescuing her people with the tutorial Delve, you reconvene in Freywold Village. You then aid in helping the injured earthen by collecting Fungarian flesh.
  • Ebona, the earthen Adelgonn was healing, is still critically injured. Baelgrim offers his griffon to take her to Dornogal, and Adelgonn agrees.
  • Nerubian fliers swarm overhead on their way to the city. Moira suggests we follow the swarm to the Proscenium to help.
  • After dealing with the Nerubian presence there, Moira states that the Nerubians and Xal’atath seem bent on destroying the earthen. Queensguard Zirix is in charge of the assault. We return to the Foundation Hall to discuss the next steps.
  • Adelgonn has returned to the council and brought the Unbound to help repair the Coreway. Merrix gives you orders to distribute to the workers at the Coreway.
  • Baelgrim wants to fortify defenses in case the Nerubians return. This leads you to complete the Rookery dungeon.



  • With the Stormriders inactive, Baelgrim has a plan to cripple the Nerubians. They are bent on taking the Cinderbrew, and he suggests we let them and then set it on fire. Wenbrandt, the Cinderbrew’s owner, is not ok with this, but Adelgonn promises to repair it after.
  • At the Cinderbrew Meadery, you prep the kegs to explode while evacuating workers. You then grab an explosive keg and meet Aleria at a Nerubian nest. After tossing the keg into the nest, you rush back to the Cinderbrew and hold off the Nerubians until Queensguard Zirix appears.
  • You place defenses and then take to the air on a griffon to defend the area. Eventually, Zirix appears, but the explosives have been compromised by the Nerubians chewing through the fuses.
  • Baelgrim sacrifices himself to ignite the fuses, killing him and Zirix. You escape on your griffon and reconvene with Wenbrandt and Adelgonn. They are relieved the plan worked but are saddened by Baelgrim’s death.
  • You return to Dornogal and inform Merrix of Baelgrim’s fate. The earthen decide to honor his sacrifice by continuing to unite. The Coreway has now been restored, and the earthen suggest you descend into the Ringing Deeps to seek out the Machine Speakers. Speaker Brinthe of the council decides to accompany you. This is where the Alpha story ends.


This article was originally published in forum thread: The War Within Alpha - Isle of Dorn Main Story Quest Preview started by Stoy View original post
Comments 27 Comments
  1. Bwgmon's Avatar
    Dalaran status: gone.
  1. Antbregante's Avatar
    Nice. One thing I missed in Dragonflight is no major cities fell. I may sound like a bloodthirsty nut but I like seeing the cities get destroyed in game.
  1. Darknessvamp's Avatar
    Dala-ran into the ground.
  1. Hawkknight97's Avatar
    Where's the huge chunks of dalaran besides just towers and ruins?
  1. Altmer's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bwgmon View Post
    Dalaran status: gone.
    Good. Another expansion in that city and I would have gone mad. Is too tiny for the number of peole who normally wander around Dragon Isles main city (yea, I forgot the name).
    This expansion looks like MOP but instead of Pandas and Kung-Fu, is Dwarves and Geology. Why they didn't made Geomancer a new class?
  1. Bwgmon's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Altmer View Post
    Good. Another expansion in that city and I would have gone mad. Is too tiny for the number of peole who normally wander around Dragon Isles main city (yea, I forgot the name).
    This expansion looks like MOP but instead of Pandas and Kung-Fu, is Dwarves and Geology. Why they didn't made Geomancer a new class?
    I just hope they have the cajónes to have us outright lose in the narrative, with the raids ending in victories that are pyrrhic at best.
  1. FelPlague's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bwgmon View Post
    I just hope they have the cajónes to have us outright lose in the narrative, with the raids ending in victories that are pyrrhic at best.
    We have lost a few times in the past, including recently in the dawn of the infinite dungeon. and yeah we will be losing in the launch of war within obviously, with a city destroyed and possibly a main charecter dead.

    we did also lose the legion invasion back at legions launch, and the horde and alliance both lost in some capacity at the start of BFA.
    also we did lose in sanctum of domination.
  1. Luthorite's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bwgmon View Post
    I just hope they have the cajónes to have us outright lose in the narrative, with the raids ending in victories that are pyrrhic at best.
    To be fair they've wrote it before. Just badly.

    I don't expect War Within to be any different. Storytelling is just not their thing, gameplay is.

    Although imo with Warbands looking like the only interesting thing coming even that's up for debate these days.
  1. Doffen's Avatar
    No no no... do not take him away from the game...
  1. Al Gorefiend's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bwgmon View Post
    I just hope they have the cajónes to have us outright lose in the narrative, with the raids ending in victories that are pyrrhic at best.
    Well this time they'll be writing entire expansions with patch cycle narratives, so I wouldn't expect major victories until TLT. I could see TWW being losses.
  1. Baraden's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Doffen View Post
    No no no... do not take him away from the game...
    I mean his VA is in his 70s, dude probably wants to retire

    His story has been concluded since the end of Legion, if he does go I just hope he gets a good ending like Varian or Saurfang, not something like Tirion
  1. FelPlague's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Baraden View Post
    I mean his VA is in his 70s, dude probably wants to retire

    His story has been concluded since the end of Legion, if he does go I just hope he gets a good ending like Varian or Saurfang, not something like Tirion
    yeah I think him sacrificing himself to mitigate the damage to dalaran, it still gets destroyed but not vaporized, and doing so saves most of the people in dalaran, the hero included, I think it could be quite nice, especially since there seems to be a cinematic for it.
  1. Baraden's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by FelPlague View Post
    yeah I think him sacrificing himself to mitigate the damage to dalaran, it still gets destroyed but not vaporized, and doing so saves most of the people in dalaran, the hero included, I think it could be quite nice, especially since there seems to be a cinematic for it.
    If Xal'atath is indeed the one to finish him, it would have to be whilst he's distracted doing something big as you say like shielding or teleporting people like Rhonin - no way a jobber like her is as strong as him

    This just makes me remember Sylvanas survived for 3 expansions at the forefront, and we all know she'll be back in midnight and somehow it'll be vereesa dying instead of her, I bet literally all of my money someone quote this in two years
  1. allegrian's Avatar
    If khadgar dies who will be the next guardian? Will medivh return? The logical choice would be Jaina but she's already the Kul Tiras leader. If they make Med'an canon for this...
  1. FelPlague's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Baraden View Post
    If Xal'atath is indeed the one to finish him, it would have to be whilst he's distracted doing something big as you say like shielding or teleporting people like Rhonin - no way a jobber like her is as strong as him

    This just makes me remember Sylvanas survived for 3 expansions at the forefront, and we all know she'll be back in midnight and somehow it'll be vereesa dying instead of her, I bet literally all of my money someone quote this in two years
    "Jobber like her"
    Xalatath is extremely powerful, the harbinger of the void. I could totally see her easily 1v1ing khadgar.
  1. Baraden's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by allegrian View Post
    If khadgar dies who will be the next guardian? Will medivh return? The logical choice would be Jaina but she's already the Kul Tiras leader. If they make Med'an canon for this...
    Considering Khadgar isn't a guardian, and there hasn't been one since Medivh - no one

    I imagine they're saving Medivh for when Sargeras comes back eventually

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by FelPlague View Post
    "Jobber like her"
    Xalatath is extremely powerful, the harbinger of the void. I could totally see her easily 1v1ing khadgar.
    I can already tell this is going to be a problem with her, she wasn't especially powerful the last time we saw her

    I know power levels are all over the place in WoW but there is nothing to suggest to me she's as powerful as the most iconic mage in Warcraft for the last 20-30 years

    If she is *extremely powerful* it's annoying unearned power like Sylvanas/ Mr Jay Lore that is just a mcguffin and not actually developed at all
  1. Jastall's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Baraden View Post
    Considering Khadgar isn't a guardian, and there hasn't been one since Medivh - no one

    I imagine they're saving Medivh for when Sargeras comes back eventually

    - - - Updated - - -



    I can already tell this is going to be a problem with her, she wasn't especially powerful the last time we saw her

    I know power levels are all over the place in WoW but there is nothing to suggest to me she's as powerful as the most iconic mage in Warcraft for the last 20-30 years

    If she is *extremely powerful* it's annoying unearned power like Sylvanas/ Mr Jay Lore that is just a mcguffin and not actually developed at all
    Dadgar is quite powerful, but he's "just" a really good Mage. He's not a Guardian level beatstick and doesn't have a track record of easily 1v1ing mighty enemies, for instance Gul'dan make him struggle and kinda bested him in the Tomb of Sargeras audio story. If she's a Void entity near the level of an Old God as the story seems to imply, it would make sense that she's stronger than him.

    Besides, Blizzard needs to establish the new villain as a threat, and there's no more tried and true method than having said villain kill X secondary character.
  1. angrywithmygod's Avatar
    I still don't get why they keep insisting to use anduin as a main character rather than Turaylon, considering Alleria's involvement, the arathi and the light it feels like its should be him going on this adventure and Anduin sitting on the throne. Can't see why having a depressed layabout like anduin is better than a guy who fought the void and legion for years. Also seems irresponsible to have someone suffering depression forced into a war against their will.
  1. Huggykaze2's Avatar
    Killing Khadgar off-screen would be a huge turn-off.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Baraden View Post
    If she is *extremely powerful* it's annoying unearned power like Sylvanas/ Mr Jay Lore that is just a mcguffin and not actually developed at all
    Saying it's unearned it's like saying nearly every new enemy's power was unearned. There's story behind her and we'll definitely learn whether it's unearned or not. It's simply too early to state things like this.
  1. allegrian's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by angrywithmygod View Post
    I still don't get why they keep insisting to use anduin as a main character rather than Turaylon, considering Alleria's involvement, the arathi and the light it feels like its should be him going on this adventure and Anduin sitting on the throne. Can't see why having a depressed layabout like anduin is better than a guy who fought the void and legion for years. Also seems irresponsible to have someone suffering depression forced into a war against their will.
    Anduin is younger and has been growing up with the player base, he's much more relatable and has more potential than a thousand year paladin dad (and the first paladin), who should be used more like a mentor, Jeigan style unit (fire emblem reference).

    Thrall was this young leader once, he was the "anduin" of the horde back in W3 to cata and now is starting to get older so he may kick the bucket or retire (again) for his son to take his place. Turalyion is like Khadgar: a relic of the past (W2!) who will probably die in midnight.

    Alleria is a bit different as she's waifu material that blizzard avoids to remove (see Sylvannas, Azshara, Tyrande and Jaina), and a decent replacement for Sylvannas as the hot edgy archer elf girl after they detroyed sylvannas reputation and character in bfa-SL. She's also kinda inmortal so being old is not an issue.

Site Navigation