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WoW Forever Lore Timeline: From the Sundering to Year 25

The WoW Forever lore timeline runs from the War of the Ancients, about 10,000 years before the Dark Portal, through three wars to year 25 after it, the first year of World of Warcraft. Warcraft Wiki counts from the opening of the Dark Portal and places World of Warcraft: Forever (WoW Forever), which launched on November 4, 2026, in year 25.

Quick answer: Ancients (year -10,000), Arathor (-2,800), First War (0 to 5), Second War (5 to 6), Third War (20 to 21), Mount Hyjal (21), then WoW Forever (25). The Lore Forever add-on stops at year 25 and leaves out later expansions.

Ten steps from the War of the Ancients at year -10,000 through the three wars to WoW Forever at year 25, with The Burning Crusade at year 26 outside the add-on.
Years after the Dark Portal, from Warcraft Wiki and the Ultimate Visual Guide.

For a short answer to when and where Forever takes place, read the WoW Forever timeline. This page is the longer road.

Key facts

  • Counting: years after the Dark Portal opened; negative numbers come before it (Warcraft Wiki)
  • Forever: "the first year of World of Warcraft (25 ADP)", after Forsaken Kingdom and before The Burning Crusade (Warcraft Wiki)
  • Add-on: first year only, with later expansions left out (Lore Forever FAQ)

What is the WoW Forever lore timeline in order?

  1. Year -10,000: the War of the Ancients and the Sundering. Warcraft Wiki's timeline puts the planting of Nordrassil at Mount Hyjal in the same entry.
  2. Years -2,800 to -1,200: Arathor helps Quel'Thalas defeat the Amani trolls, then fractures into Lordaeron, Alterac, Gilneas, Dalaran and Stromgarde.
  3. Years 0 to 5: the First War. The Horde comes through the Dark Portal, Stormwind falls in year 5, and Anduin Lothar leads the survivors to Lordaeron.
  4. Years 5 to 6: the Second War. The Alliance wins and the Dark Portal is destroyed.
  5. Year 18: per the Ultimate Visual Guide, interned orcs are freed and Thrall becomes warchief of the New Horde.
  6. Years 20 to 21: the Third War. The Scourge and the Burning Legion destroy Lordaeron, Dalaran and Quel'Thalas. See what happened to Lordaeron.
  7. Year 21: the Battle of Mount Hyjal. Archimonde is destroyed and the night elves lose their immortality. Afterwards the orcs settle Durotar and Jaina founds Theramore.
  8. Year 22: per the Ultimate Visual Guide, Arthas becomes the Lich King and Sylvanas establishes the Forsaken. Blizzard's Forsaken Kingdom campaign tells "the fall of Lordaeron, the founding of the Undercity, and the first Forsaken Paladin." See the Forsaken.
  9. Year 25: WoW Forever. Blizzard says it is set after Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core.
  10. Year 26: The Burning Crusade, per the Ultimate Visual Guide. Outside Forever.

The wars are retold in the Warcraft lore recap.

Where does the add-on's lore timeline stop?

At year 25. The Lore Forever FAQ says the add-on is set "in the first year of World of Warcraft, 25 years after the Dark Portal opened," that lore from later expansions is "left out of every entry and narration," and that a canon check flags anything after 25 ADP. Where sources disagree, "Forever's own text wins."

The add-on covers places and quests, not a chronology: the Lore page lists zones and capitals, places and people, dungeon bosses, items and quest-giver text, and I found no dedicated timeline page there. See the Lore FAQ.

What is not confirmed yet

  • Mount Hyjal's year: an early 2004 timeline said year 20; Warcraft Wiki says the World of Warcraft cinematic changed it to 21.
  • Year 25 events: the Ultimate Visual Guide lists year 25 events from modern WoW, such as Varian's kidnapping. Whether Forever follows them is unconfirmed; Warcraft Wiki says Forever does not share continuity with modern WoW.

How can the Lore Forever add-on and Willo help with this?

The Lore Forever add-on is free, fan-made and not affiliated with Blizzard, and it has no internet access. It tells the story of the zone, NPC or quest in front of you, with generated narrator voices where recorded. Willo is a separate companion app with a Windows 10 or 11 download and an Apple Silicon Mac download (macOS 12 or later); her page and the Lore Forever FAQ list both, though CurseForge still calls her a Windows app. She is free to start with 50 answers a day, and she can be wrong; her answers are not official.

Frequently asked questions

When does WoW Forever take place in the Warcraft timeline?

In year 25 after the Dark Portal, the first year of World of Warcraft, after Forsaken Kingdom and before The Burning Crusade (Warcraft Wiki).

What is the Warcraft timeline before WoW?

The Sundering, Arathor, then the First, Second and Third Wars (years -10,000, -2,800, 0 to 5, 5 to 6, 20 to 21).

Does the Lore Forever add-on spoil later expansions?

No. Its FAQ says lore from later expansions is left out, and big twists are marked as spoilers.

Does WoW Forever include the Burning Crusade?

No. The Ultimate Visual Guide places it in year 26, after Forever's year 25, and Warcraft Wiki says Forever is set in the first year of World of Warcraft.

Is the timeline the same as modern WoW's?

Not necessarily; Warcraft Wiki says Forever does not share its continuity.

Sources

Reviewed November 5, 2026. Lore Forever and Willo are fan-made and are not affiliated with Blizzard Entertainment.

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