WoW WotLK Classic: Return of the Lich King – the story of Arthas Menethil

From September 27, 2022 you can travel to Northrend again on the Classic servers. A special nostalgia trip awaits some of you, similar to WoW and TBC Classic. Others can catch up and find out for themselves if WotLK is, as many say, the best expansion in WoW history.

A big highlight for many players was the villain. The Lich King left his mark on the Northrend expansion with his presence and gave us one of the best boss fights in WoW history in the finale in Icecrown Citadel. The Lich King was also memorable for another reason: Warcraft fans have been following the career of Arthas Menethil since Warcraft 3 and the addon The Frozen Throne. First we saw him become the Lich King. Then it was up to us to stop him in WotLK. In this special, we look back at the events that form the foundation of the WotLK story.

It started with a plague

Prince Arthas Menethil was born four years before the outbreak of the First War. King Terenas II and Queen Liana were overjoyed, and all of Lordaeron celebrated the birth of Arthas. At the tender age of 19, Arthas fulfilled his father’s hopes and was inducted into the Order of the Silver Hand. The paladin Uther Lightbringer became the young knight’s mentor.

Five years later, Arthas and the mage Jaina Proudmoore were investigating a deadly plague. Their victims turned into fighters in an undead army that would soon become known as the Scourge. Arthas and Jaina found Kel’Thuzad, the necromancer who spread the plague, and defeated him.

Prince Arthas and the mage Jaina Proudmoore work together to investigate the mysterious plague that has afflicted various settlements.

Source: Blizzard



Tragically, the city of Stratholme was already infected, and Arthas ordered it purged. Eventually, Arthas encountered the dreadlord Mal’Ganis, who claimed to have been the driving force behind the plague. After evading capture, Mal’Ganis challenged the prince to a decisive battle on the continent of Northrend.

History lesson for WoW fans! In the WotLK version of the 5-player Stratholme dungeon, we relive the encounter between Arthas Menethil and the dreadlord Mal’Ganis.

Source: Blizzard

The icy shores of Northrend

After landing on Northrend’s frozen shores, Arthas encountered dwarves being attacked by the Scourge. The leader of the dwarves, Muradin Bronzebeard, was in search of the legendary runeblade Frostmourne. At Uther’s urging, King Terenas sent orders to Northrend to return the rest of the fleet to Lordaeron immediately. The troops of Arthas were only too happy to comply with this order.

Increasingly filled with revenge, however, Arthas would not give up the hunt for Mal’Ganis. So he secretly hired mercenaries to sink his own ships. When the ships burned, Arthas publicly blamed the mercenaries, who were promptly killed by the prince’s soldiers. Stranded in Northrend, the forces of Arthas and Muradin had to fend off the undead onslaught.

A sword to rule him

In the meantime, however, they found the Frostmourne blade locked in the ice. Though a curse rested on the blade, Arthas swore he would pay any price for victory. The ice surrounding Frostmourne broke and a splinter shot out, killing Muradin. Runeblade in hand, Arthas led his troops to victory, but Mal’Ganis remained confident. He explains that the Lich King, lord of the Scourge, manipulated Arthas into taking Frostmourne. Mal’Ganis also claimed to be in league with the Lich King.

However, he contradicted when he spoke to Arthas through the sword. With grim glee, Arthas slew the astonished dreadlord. After that, Arthas wandered the frozen wastes of Northrend. Haunted by the tormenting voice of Frostmourne, he fell under the Lich King’s spell forever.

From prince to kingslayer

Driven by the blade’s dark will, Arthas returned home, where he was greeted as a hero. Regardless of the questionable decisions he had been making lately, the king welcomed his son with open arms and full of confidence. Arthas took advantage of this and murdered his father. He then led the Scourge to reduce Lordaeron to rubble. He then took the remains of Kel’Thuzad and brought them to Quel’Thalas, the kingdom of the high elves.

The elves put up a fierce fight, but to no avail. Arthas defeated the ranger general Sylvanas Windrunner and transformed her into a banshee as punishment for her defiance. As one of the undead, Sylvanas was bound by the Lich King’s iron will. With their forced support, the Scourge possessed the Sunwell, the source of the elves’ arcane power. Using the Sunwell’s magic, Arthas transformed Kel’Thuzad into an undead lich. The demon lord Archimonde commanded Arthas and his new allies to find a magic book: the Book of Medivh.

Icecrown somehow reminds us of Mordor with its somber atmosphere, thick fortress walls, and the all-encompassing presence of the Lich King.

Source: Blizzard

The Scourge invaded the city-state of Dalaran, whose magi guarded the spellbook. Eventually Dalaran was overrun and Kel’Thuzad used the book to summon Archimonde to Azeroth. As Archimonde’s troops began invading Azeroth, Arthas convinced the demon hunter Illidan Stormrage to thwart Archimonde’s plans by stealing a powerful magical artifact: the Skull of Gul’dan. The theft of Illidan ultimately sealed Archimonde’s defeat on Azeroth.