The best final bosses of World of Warcraft are determined. You voted, and the result is clear. Find out here which fight was the best of all time.
A few days ago, we wanted to know from you, which boss in World of Warcraft is the best final boss of all. The trigger for this discussion was the major criticism of the current final boss N’Zoth, who hardly lives up to his role as an overpowering Old God. The fight is poorly staged in normal and heroic mode and is perceived by many fans as a disgrace.
One loves to reminisce and think back to former boss fights that were adored.
You participated diligently in the survey, and your result is quite clear. Therefore, here’s a quick overview of places 10 to 6.
- Place 10: Gul’dan (Nightwell)
- Place 9: Argus the Unmaker (Antorus, the Burning Throne)
- Place 8: Nefarian (Blackwing Lair)
- Place 7: Garrosh Hellscream (Siege of Orgrimmar)
- Place 6: Kael’thas Sunstrider (The Eye)
Place 5: Deathwing
Expansion: Cataclysm
Raid: Dragon Soul
That Deathwing placed 5th with 4% of the votes may come as a surprise. After all, many players were disappointed with the boss fight at the time, as they were essentially fighting against large claws and tentacles, but not an adult dragon.
Despite this disappointment, the fight was visually among the most impressive that World of Warcraft had to offer. A dragon emerging from the Maelstrom and fighting for its life while all other aspects support the players. Lightning flashes in the background and the roaring sea threatens to swallow everyone.
The fight itself was relatively hectic and required good reactions, as players had to jump from platform to platform to help the allied dragons and fight against various tentacles and claws.
Also, the immediate “after” is significant, as the cinematic revealed two important details that would have significant consequences: The dragons lost their power bestowed by the Titans, and the Orc Thrall would become a father.
Place 4: Yogg-Saron
Expansion: Wrath of the Lich King
Raid: Ulduar
With also 4%, but with the actual lead of a single vote, Yogg-Saron secures the spot ahead of Deathwing.
Yogg-Saron was like C’thun an Old God and thus one of the greatest threats Azeroth has ever seen. Like all Old Gods, Yogg-Saron drew heavily on the Lovecraft mythos, incorporating the best elements. Insidious madness, creepy illusions, and of course plenty of tentacles.
The madness was something that had to be prevented at all costs, as all players had mental health in the raid that decreased over time. Anyone who wasn’t careful soon lost control and became a servant of Yogg-Saron.
The fight was sprinkled with a separation of players into different groups. Thus, part of the players had to enter visions and damage the brain of the Old God so that later all players could deal actual damage.
The special thing about Yogg-Saron was that players could choose the difficulty themselves. Depending on how many supporting NPCs they asked for help, the fight became tougher and the loot better. This ensured that the already complex boss fight demanded even more from the raiders if they wanted the best loot.
An all-around successful final boss.
Place 3: Ragnaros
Expansion: Classic
Raid: The Molten Core
In third place with 5% of the votes is the Firelord in his original form, The Molten Core. He was the final boss of the first raid that Blizzard released, and thus also the first real grand objective for many players to work towards with 40 players.
For weeks and months, guilds tried to reach the Firelord, after all, exciting loot in the form of items from the T2 set and a legendary item needed to craft “Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros” was at stake.
But loot was by no means everything. The fight itself took place in the center of the core and was gigantic by the standards of the time. Ragnaros was a huge elemental lord and the players were just tiny figures compared to him. While the fight – like so many during Classic – had only a few phases and mechanics, the joy of the first kill by one’s own guild in the first real raid of World of Warcraft likely contributed to Ragnaros securing a solid 3rd place.
And who among us can still quote the little dialogue between Majordomo Executus and Ragnaros today? Too soon, Executus. You have awakened me too soon …
Place 2: Illidan
Expansion: The Burning Crusade
Raid: The Black Temple
In second place is a certain demon hunter and the personification of the “You are not prepared” meme: Illidan Stormrage at the end of the Black Temple.
Although the Sunwell was released after Illidan, the fight against the demon hunter is considered one of the great highlights of the expansion. Illidan was not only a popular character from Warcraft 3, his fight also had many different phases and could last over 20 minutes – which became a test of patience for many players.
Illidan stood as the final boss of a gigantic raid atop the Black Temple, a particularly imposing scenery. Together with Akama, players fought against the demon hunter, the powers of the Skull of Gul’dan, and the flames of Azzinoth. Although Illidan himself had few hit points, he could constantly heal himself off the players – the more players he hit, the greater the healing.
Additionally, there were other exciting mechanics, such as the fact that Illidan had to be tanked by a warlock at times.
The fight against Illidan was, by the standards of the time, considered one of the most complex of all. Every single player had to be on point, and a single mistake could mean a complete wipe. Who doesn’t shudder at the little adds that infected hit players and created new adds? A chain reaction that could quickly lead to chaos.
It’s no surprise that the popular Illidan was “revived” in Legion and his story was brought to a close there.
Place 1: The Lich King
Expansion: Wrath of the Lich King
Raid: Icecrown Citadel
Okay, to be honest, the first place should surprise very few people. That the result is so clear, however, is a surprise. A whopping 42% of the votes went to Arthas Menethil, the most famous death knight, leader of the Scourge, and the fallen prince of Lordaeron. Or in short: The Lich King. He is also considered one of the best MMORPG villains ever.
The Lich King is more than just the boss of a complete expansion; he is a character that players have followed for well over a decade. After all, he was one of the protagonists of Warcraft III and the expansion “The Frozen Throne”. For many players, the Lich King might have been the character that tied them to the Warcraft franchise for a long time.
But even apart from this long history, the fight against the Lich King had a lot to offer. It went through several phases where many mechanics had to be considered. In addition to deadly Val’kyr that could throw players off the platform, one had to avoid corrupt areas, kill many adds, and dispel diseases.
All of this culminated in a grand finale where the Lich King killed all players and revealed his plan – to make us all servants of his Scourge. Although this effect is not as impressive today (players at max level no longer die), it was still impressive at the time. It was a fight in which all players died and were then resurrected by Arthas’ father to finally confront his son.
Moreover, the Lich King was the first boss after which there was a proper cutscene with a great story twist. After Arthas’ death, a new Lich King was needed, and Bolvar was crowned – who now plays a larger role again.
Additionally, the entire expansion was purposefully built around the Lich King, and the raid was even accompanied by 3 small dungeons that revealed more about the story of Arthas and Frostmourne.
All of this together makes the Lich King the best final boss of all time in World of Warcraft and earns him a well-deserved 1st place.
Do you agree with this ranking? Do you believe that Arthas, Illidan, and others were the best boss fights of all time? Or are they completely overrated?
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