Warcraft III: Reforged: The First War/Mission Outline

Transcription of the Warcraft1_Mission_Outline_v9.docx (full outline) design doc.

The document is commented by game designers Pete Stilwell, Justin Groot, and Ryan Quinn.

01/Orc01 – A New Land

Pre-Mission

• Garona, Blackhand, and a small vanguard of orcs emerge from the Dark Portal in the Black Morass.
• Blackhand orders Garona to secure the surrounding area and prevent human scouts from sounding the alarm while the Horde's armies cross through the portal.

Mission

• Garona and a handful of units explore the land looking for a location that can supply the Horde's army. Along the way, they run into human scouting patrols and destroy them.
  • The other orcs are surly and disrespectful because they resent reporting to a "half-breed." Garona keeps them in line, even slaying a particularly insubordinate lieutenant.
  • The orcs note that the countryside is much nicer than where they came from (even in the Black Morass).
  • Garona's primary NPC advisor is Blackhand
• Once the base location is found, Garona transitions into building a base, which she must then defend
  • Forces from a nearby garrison, led by Anduin Lothar, assail Garona's defenses.

Post-Mission

• Garona holds off the humans long enough for the first army of orcs to pour through the Dark Portal. Lothar retreats as this first force overruns the nearest garrison and its surrounding township.
• Blackhand offers Garona only cursory gratitude.
• Many prisoners are taken and slated to be interrogated by Garona.

02/Orc02 – Seeking the Magus

Pre-Mission

• Garona learns of a powerful human Magus while interrogating prisoners. Gul'dan, who is watching through her eyes from the far side of the Dark Portal, orders her to find the Magus.
• Blackhand has his sights set on plunder. A nearby fort stands in the way of Karazhan; Garona (at Gul'dan's direction) offers to lead the attack while Blackhand directs his attention elsewhere.

Mission

• Anduin Lothar leads the troops defending the fortress. A captured scout/overheard conversation reveals that his reinforcements are on the way, at which point the pass will become nearly unassailable. Garona has a limited amount of time to muster an army and breach the various lines of defense.
  • The player will be able to slow down the arrival of reinforcements by attacking and destroying bridges (or similar) along the way to the fortress.
  • Depending on what Design wants to go with, the timer could be another effect: a pass being sealed off, fortifications constructed, supplies gathered to hold out in a lengthy siege, etc.

Post-Mission

• Garona's forces overrun the objective, and Lothar is forced to beat a hasty retreat.
• Garona slips away from the orc forces and enters the tower at Karazhan, where she is ambushed and captured by Medivh. Her fate is left in question as the mission ends.

Interlude - A Guest in Karazhan

Pre-Mission

• Khadgar arrives at Karazhan and meets Medivh, who sends him to purge imps from the library (hidden info: a byproduct OR knowing experiment stemming from Medivh's demonic possession) to prove himself.
  • Medivh accuses Khadgar of being a spy for the Kirin Tor and suggests he will last no longer than any of the last dozen or so apprentices.

Mission

• Khadgar kills the first few imps in the library without much trouble
• Khadgar runs into Garona, who is Medivh's guest, and challenges her; they're about to fight when demons (more serious than the imps) swoop down
  • These demons are either attracted inadvertently by the presence of Sargeras or Medivh's fel researches have left a portal/gateway unattended.
• Garona and Khadgar fight together, complete the task, and gradually become more friendly

Post-Mission

• Garona, Khadgar, and Medivh convene. Medivh bats aside their curiosity about the demons. Medivh tells Khadgar that Garona is an invaluable source of information about the Horde.
• After the meeting, Gul'dan speaks to Garona, congratulating her on worming her way into the humans' good graces.

03/Human01 – Strike at Their Bellies

Pre-Mission

• Lothar and King Llane meet Medivh (who appears via "echo" projection) on the warfront to discuss the heavy defeats already suffered by the humans in the early days of the war.
• Medivh suggests disrupting the Horde's supply lines to hinder their advance.
  • When Lothar and Llane suggest that Medivh should use his powers to help, Medivh expresses reluctance, citing the last time he let loose (when he lost control, destroyed about a million trolls, and went into a decades-long coma).

Mission

• Lothar targets multiple orc bases to destroy their supply caches and slow the Horde's advance.
  • The three camps relate to one another in an escalating fashion (perhaps each camp belongs to a different clan).
• During the mission, the major human characters realize the scope of the threat. Lothar is grim and determined ("Their blood spills just the same"). Llane is horrified ("We need a unified human front. I will call for aid"). Medivh, who counsels Lothar throughout via echo projection, displays levity and gallows humor.
• Blackhand defends aggressively, demonstrating his thirst for blood and impatience.
  • Lothar is not intimidated, though his men are.

Post-Mission

• Though Lothar's mission was successful, it turns out the Horde didn't need the supply caches as much as Medivh suggested they did – they've taken advantage of the opening in the human defenses to push deeper into their territory.

04/Human02 – Shield of Faith

Pre-Mission

• Out on errands for Medivh, Khadgar runs into a raiding party of orcs in Elwynn Forest.

Mission

• Khadgar slays a few orcs, but when reinforcements arrive, his prospects seem dire; then Gavinrad and/or Lothar swoop down and save him.
• Khadgar helps the knights recruit and inspire fleeing clerics of Northshire Abbey (razed by Cho'gall's clan) and siege Northshire, recovering holy relics.

Post-Mission

• Khadgar parts ways with the knights and returns to Karazhan.

Interlude – The Chieftains Gather

• Blackhand, Doomhammer, Durotan, and Gul'dan meet to discuss strategy. It's the early days of the invasion. They're winning, but meeting more resistance than they expected. Blackhand and Gul'dan plan to terrorize the humans to break their morale. Durotan of the Frostwolves, upset over atrocities already committed, argues they can win honorably by defeating the human military.
  • Gul'dan calls Durotan weak.
  • Enraged, Blackhand dismisses Durotan, warning him against future insubordination.
• Doomhammer suggests a middle ground: capturing farms to support the war effort. He and the remaining chieftans^[sic] decide on a target (a major settlement nearby that we'll create for the purposes of this mission)

05/Orc03 – Warrior's Code

Mission

• Doomhammer and Durotan are tasked with claiming the settlement's outlying farms.
  • Durotan tells his friend that this is the Frostwolves' final mission. They're only here to back up Doomhammer. Durotan doubts Blackhand, and really doubts Gul'dan.
    • Durotan: "We should slay them on the field of battle. Killing human peons is a dishonorable waste."
    • Orgrim: "Look – I don't disagree. But we can seize their homes and farms this way, and they may lay down their arms once they see how much they stand to lose."
• Doomhammer and Durotan meet fierce resistance. As the humans fall back, they salt their fields and destroy their stores of crops.
• Blackhand is infuriated by the destruction of crops, and decides to go back to his original plan – burn everything and kill everyone. Gul'dan praises this decision.
  • This is the last straw for Durotan. The Frostwolves withdraw. Gul'dan calls them traitors.
  • Doomhammer grimly goes along with Blackhand's orders.
• Doomhammer clears the path for Gul'dan's warlocks to set the town alight.

Post-Mission

• The settlement is obliterated, and the humans are shaken—but they do not surrender. Instead, they fall back in defense of their capital and king. Orcs have suffered heavy losses and do not capture a livable front.

06/Human03 – We are the Kingdom

Pre-Mission (Possible interlude)

• The campaign is not going well; [Settlement from Orc03] has fallen. Llane sent to other kingdoms for aid and hasn't heard back yet. Lothar is promoted to King's Champion.
• Khadgar arrives at the front on a gryphon, dispatched by Medivh to assist Lothar. A projection of Medivh introduces Khadgar and urges Lothar to fall back.
• Lothar refuses; he is determined to hold the villages long enough for the civilians to escape.
  • "I will not have another [Settlement from Orc03] on my hands."

Mission

• Lothar and Khadgar race from village to village, holding against waves of orcs until everyone has escaped. It's impossible to save everyone.
• Possible appearance of a Named Orc who embodies cruelty, against whom the player races ("No more than X number of villagers may perish")
• As the mission progresses, Lothar and Khadgar move toward the frontier, from upper-class urban areas to rural homesteads. Emphasize the inclusiveness of the Alliance: everyone matters, rich or poor.
• Khadgar tells Lothar that the orcs plan to rush Stormwind (this is based on intel from Garona, but he doesn't share that part with Lothar).

Post-Mission

• The Horde rolls through the final village and Lothar beats a hasty retreat
• Back at Stormwind, Lothar delivers the bad news, and Llane adds some more: there's no help forthcoming from the other kingdoms.
  • Lothar second-guesses himself – with no reinforcements incoming, was it worth spending some of his army's strength to save those people?
• Llane meets Khadgar and thanks the apprentice mage for his help.

Interlude: Assassination of the Frostwolves

• Durotan and Draka lead the Frostwolves toward the Alterac mountains.
  • Draka sees their child, Go'el, to safety.
  • Gul'dan's assassins catch up to them shortly thereafter. Durotan and Draka are slain.

07/Human04 – The First Siege of Stormwind

Pre-Mission

• Blackhand, Cho'gall, Kilrogg, Doomhammer, and maybe even Gul'dan show up alongside the rest of the Horde. Their numbers are overwhelming.
• Possible Interlude: Llane and Lothar argue about the correct course of action as Khadgar stands by. Medivh is absent.
  • Lothar wants to take a significant portion of the human army and wrap around to strike the Horde's back lines.
  • Llane doesn't want to take the risk. The potential cost – to kingdom, army, and citizenry – is too great.
  • Possible: Khadgar weighs in with intelligence from Garona, arguing in favor of Lothar's plan.
• Llane ultimately (and reluctantly) agrees to hold the front line while Lothar gambles everything on the wraparound.

Mission

• Lothar and Khadgar lead an army around the orcs by sea and strike them from behind. Meanwhile, Llane leads the defense of Stormwind's main gates—though he can't hold for long.
• Lothar and Khadgar work from objective to objective, sabotaging the Horde's strategy and sowing chaos. Possible objectives:
  • Artillery
  • Magic users (e.g. Cho'gall's Hell Circle, deep in incantations)
• Blackhand is overconfident and dismisses the threat posed by Lothar. His tunnel vision is focused on taking the gates.
• Stormwind's defenders suffer terribly to enable Lothar's successful attack.

Post-Mission

• Stormwind is saved at great cost. Llane, tired but relieved, congratulates Lothar and Khadgar.
• Blackhand blames everyone except himself and his clan (the Blackrocks) for the defeat.
  • All clans suffer from the successful defense. Frostwolves in particular lament the wasteful loss of life.

CUTSCENE – A Vision of Horror

• Khadgar returns to Karazhan. It's been a while since the siege of Stormwind.
• Garona greets him, and mentions something that's been bothering her: she's learned that the Dark Portal required someone to open it on both sides.
• In the library, Khadgar invokes a vision spell to try and figure out who opened the portal from Azeroth's side. (Not shown: this sets off Medivh's magic alarm.)
• Khadgar's vision reveals Medivh appearing to Gul'dan on Draenor.
  • "I will smash the cycle and be free."
• Khadgar is in initial denial. Garona calls out similarities between Medivh's magic and the Horde's warlocks (demonic in nature).
• Medivh confronts them, his demonic nature on full display, but Khadgar summons a vision (of Aegwynn?) to distract him.
• Khadgar and Garona flee to Stormwind on gryphons.

08/Human05 – Traitor's End

Pre-Mission (Possible Interlude)

• Khadgar and Garona tell King Llane that Medivh opened the Dark Portal and appears to be possessed by a demonic force; Llane dismisses their concerns, though he is respectful to Garona.
  • Llane refuses to believe that his lifelong friend would betray him
  • Somewhere in here, Khadgar tells King Llane that Garona was the source providing intel on the Horde, and he thanks her.
• Certain the whole thing is a misunderstanding, Llane decides to send an emissary to Medivh. Lothar is silent.
• After the audience, Lothar takes Khadgar and Garona aside. He believes them. Together, the three depart on a secret mission to kill Medivh.

Mission

• Khadgar, Lothar, and Garona find Karazhan overrun by demons. They battle upward, across three floors, as an echo of Medivh speaks to them.
  • Floor 1: Medivh attempts to evade their accusations and claim innocence.
    • "I didn't do it!"
  • Floor 2: Medivh admits he did it, but tries to convince them it was the right thing to do (to strengthen Azeroth for the next demonic invasion).
    • "OK, I did it, but it was the right thing to do!"
  • Floor 3: Medivh gives up on convincing the heroes that his judgment was sound, and tries to convince them they have no chance to defeat him.
    • "You're powerless to stop me!"
  • When we are primarily controlling Garona, Gul'dan speaks to her, driving her onward.
    • If Garona distracts Medivh, Gul'dan may be able to overwhelm the Magus's mental defenses to uncover the location of the Tomb of Sargeras.
    • What Garona hears: "Distract him. Don't kill him until I have the information I need."
• Khadgar, Garona, and Lothar reach Medivh and defeat him in a boss battle.

Post-Mission (Possible Interlude)

• Medivh dies, releasing a torrent of demonic energy.
• Khadgar ages, Garona is barraged by tremendous psychic forces, and Lothar is forced to cut off Medivh's head.
• Gul'dan is still inside Medivh's head when the Magus dies, sending the warlock into a deep coma.

09/Orc04 – Mak'Gora

Pre-Mission

• Fast-forward to the aftermath of the failed siege of Stormwind. The orcs have fallen back and are regrouping. Blackhand is holed up in the Black Morass with his most loyal troops.
• Doomhammer heard of Durotan and Draka's assassination a while ago and has been biding his time. Now, with discontent brewing over Blackhand's failings, he decides to strike.
• Doomhammer convinces his forces to mutiny. He intends to destroy the Shadow Council and kill Blackhand in one-on-one combat to seize control.
  • Blackhand failed at [Settlement from Orc03] and Stormwind; he will lead the Horde to ruin.
  • Blackhand is a puppet of Gul'dan, and complicit in the cold-blooded murder of a chieftan.^[sic]

Mission

• Doomhammer and his mutineers crush Blackhand's loyalists (mainly the Shadow Council), opening a path to the Warchief.
  • Doomhammer is forced to battle the Shadow Council's foul warlocks. He swears to eradicate them completely when he becomes Warchief.
    • Gul'dan is nowhere to be seen (still in his coma)
• Doomhammer challenges Blackhand to mak'gora and kills him.
  • Blackhand is furious at the mutiny, but he does not quail from Mak'gora. He is a ferocious fighter—and he knows the prophecy of the Doomhammer.

Post-Mission

• Doomhammer is crowned Warchief of the Horde. The remnants of the Shadow Council, including Cho'gall, bow to him.
• Doomhammer gives a speech about the united purpose of the orcish clans, about building something new, freed from the influence of addled warlocks and the selfishness of old leaders.
  • First, they have to conquer Stormwind.

Possible Cutscene – The Backstabber

• Doomhammer subdues the Shadow Council, including Cho'gall, who tells him about Gul'dan's coma.
• Warchief Doomhammer gives a speech about their purpose—to claim a home, free from demons and selfish leaders.

10/Orc05 – The Fall of Stormwind

Pre-Mission

• Garona sows confusion by assassinating King Llane.
  • Garona does this against her will, at Gul'dan's behest. May actually be deceived into thinking she's killing Gul'dan.f^[sic]
  • Killing Llane horrifies Garona enough that she breaks free of Gul'dan's control forever. (perhaps Gul'dan tells her to kill someone else – maybe the Queen – and she refuses, breaking the link.)
• As cries of "the King is dead" echo through the ranks, the humans' resolve is broken.
• The full might of the Horde assembles before Stormwind's gates once again. Doomhammer leads them this time.

Mission

• Doomhammer leverages the strengths of all the clans, bringing new units and strategies to bear, e.g.:
  • Kilrogg's Bleeding Hollow warriors sneak over the walls
  • Cho'gall's Twilight's Hammer warlocks shell the front gates
  • Blackrock siege engines begin an assault.
• Doomhammer leads the vanguard of attackers. He creates a gap in the human lines for infantry and cavalry to enter what will become Stormwind's Valley of Heroes – a long bridge.
  • The gates are destroyed. Raiders and grunts pour into Stormwind.
• The chieftains fight deeper into the city, but run into stiff resistance. Khadgar and Lothar arrive with a few reinforcements.

Post-Mission

• Doomhammer's forces, crazed with bloodlust, raze Stormwind utterly. He watches with pride but also some minor annoyance—can we not simply claim it?

Epilogue

• The Alliance flees across the sea, led by Lothar and Khadgar.
  • "We fall when the last one of us dies—and not before. We can lose a kingdom, but we won't give this world up."
• Doomhammer, watching them sail away, begins planning his next steps. The Horde cannot rest; the humans will be back, in greater force, to wipe the orcs out. Doomhammer has no choice but to continue the conquest.