Which WoW villain is the best?

When a game has been around for as long as World of Warcraft has, it’s only natural that you’d rack up a few memorable villains. In WoW’s case, many of their villains tend to be the highlight of an expansion! Here we’ll be ranking some of the amazing villains that WoW players have faced over the years.

10. Hogger (Vanilla)

Hogger and his Gnolls preapre for chaos.

The leader of the Riverpaw Gnolls and the terror of Elwynn, Hogger has been terrorizing low-level adventures since the dawn of World of Warcraft. With humans being one of the most played races at the game’s launch, thousands of players started their WoW adventures in Elwynn forest. There, they found Hogger’s wanted poster and set off to kill him, only to get absolutely destroyed. Hogger was the first elite mob most Alliance players came across, and most just weren’t ready to handle his power. Back in vanilla, the quest ends when you somehow manage to kill Hogger. However in the Cataclysm revamp, when you lowered Hogger’s health enough he was imprisoned in the Stormwind Stockades. Not too much later you would be called upon to end his existence once more because this absolute monster of a Gnoll had torn the stockades to shreds along with the help of his tribe. It takes a whole dungeon team, and probably several wipes, to take him down, but eventually, Hogger is killed and his horrific reign of terror over Elwynn is ended. 

9. Sire Denathrius (Shadowlands)

Sire Denathrisu threatens Prince Renethal.

The most recent boss featured here, Sire Denathrius was the final boss of Shadowlands’ first raid: Castle Nathria. He started off the Shadowlands expansion by revealing that he had actually betrayed the other covenant leaders and was in league with the Jailer. Adventurers were then sent to his castle to take him down, and after many, many tries, we eventually were able to trap him in his sword permanently. Well, actually we only trapped him for about half a patch. See, originally this was going to be the end of Denathrius’s story. However, the player base loved him so much that the devs decided to write more content for him, and keep him around for future expansions. In patch 9.1, the Dread Lords stage a heist and manage to steal him from his prison. While he hasn’t made an appearance in the game since it’s only a matter of time before he shows back up! It’s too bad that we didn’t get to see him again in Shadowlands because he certainly is a way more entertaining and complex villain than the Jailer turned out to be. 

8. Lei Shen, The Thunder King (Mists of Pandaria)

Lei Shen summons the lightening of Ra.

As the final boss of the Throne of Thunder, one of WoW’s greatest raids, Lei Shen has a lot going for him. Lei Shen was the first emperor of the Mogu and was the most powerful Mogu in Pandaria’s history. He was able to subdue the Titan Keeper Ra-den and steal his powers, which is no small feat. Now with the power to control lightning and thunder, Lei Shen began a brutal reign over Pandaria and all of its races. Eventually, he and much of his army would be wiped out by the Forge of Origination in Uldum. In Mists of Pandaria, the Zandalari trolls team up with the Mogu and resurrect Lei Shen. With no other choice, the heroes of the Horde and Alliance must storm (pun intended) the Throne of Thunder and kill Lei Shen once and for all. Not only is Lei Shen one of the most impressively strong characters in WoW’s lore, but a Mogu with the power of a titan is just straight-up cool! As mentioned earlier, Throne of Thunder is a contender for WoW’s best raid, so it’s no surprise that its final boss would be a favorite of the WoW community! 

7. Ragnaros (Vanilla/Cataclysm)

Ragnaros is ready to cruch some unforunate raiders.

What’s better than an amazing villain you get to fight once? An amazing villain you get to fight twice! Ragnaros the Firelord is the Elemental Lord of Fire, who adventurers originally encountered as the end boss of Molten Core, one of WoW’s first raids.  After his defeat, Ragnaros was sent back to The Firelands, his home realm. During Cataclysm, Thrall sees a vision of Rangnaros and the Firelands consuming all of Azeroth. Malfurion Stormrage and the Defenders of Hyjal launched an attack on the Firelands and were eventually able to conquer the Firelord once and for all. Ragnaros has been a fan favorite since the game launched! Those who were lucky enough got to run around Azeroth with his iconic mace to show that they were strong enough to kill him. While it’s unlikely that he’ll make another appearance in-game, being called an insect by this amazing villain will always have a special place in players’ hearts. 

6. Yogg-Saron (Wrath of the Lich King)

Yogg-Saron reveals his true face.

Old Gods are one of those things in World of Warcraft that Blizzard just absolutely nails. This spot could have gone to any of the Old Gods because each one of them is amazing and creepy in their own right. However, Yogg-Saron is inadvertently responsible for so many of the terrible things that happen on Azeroth that it would be wrong to not put him here. Yogg-Saron established himself in Northrend, where he used his powers to corrupt the Titan Keeper Loken. With this, the Curse of Flesh was created, and all of the titan-forged became the mortal denizens of Azeroth we know today. Yogg-Saron’s first in-game appearance was as the final boss of Ulduar in Wrath of the Lich King. Not only was he the final boss of such a great and well-remembered raid, but his fight featured three epic visions that imply Yogg-Saron was somehow involved in the creation of the Dragon Soul, the assassination of King Llane, and the capture and torture of Bolvar Fordragon at the hands of The Lich King. With so many major lore moments under his belt, it’s easy to understand why he’s one of WoW’s best villains!

5. Garrosh Hellscream (Mists of Pandaria)

Garrosh Hellscream sits proudly in his throne.

Very few mortals have had the destructive impact of Garrosh Hellscream. The son of Grommash Hellscream, Garrosh rose through the Horde and eventually succeeded Thrall as its Warchief. It wasn’t long before this power corrupted Garrosh, and he ultimately became the Horde and Alliance’s enemy. After being fully corrupted by the old god Y’Shaarj, Garrosh was subdued and arrested in the Siege of Orgrimmar raid. Unlike many of the other villains on this list, this isn’t where Garrosh’s story ends. The people of Azeroth tried to put Garrosh on trial, but he was able to escape to an alternative version of Draenor with the help of some bronze dragons. There he altered the history of the orcs and began creating the Iron Horde to seek revenge on Azeroth. The heroes of Azeroth go to Draenor to stop him, and he is eventually killed in mak’gora by Thrall (who technically cheated, but let’s not get into it). His story ends when he is sent to Revendreth and used as fuel by Denathrius. He makes an appearance in the Sanctum of Domination raid, where he eventually destroys his own soul rather than be used or forced to repent for his actions. You might be wondering why this guy gets so much screen-time, and it’s because fans absolutely love him! While certainly a terrible and flawed character, his detailed story arc is one of the best stories in WoW. 

4. Kil’Jaeden (The Burning Crusade/Legion)

Backed by the Legion, Kil'Jaedne seeks revenge on Velen.

Kil’Jaeden, Archimonde, and Velen all used to be peaceful and wise leaders of the Eredar. The three were offered unimaginable power from the Dark Titan Sargeras. Kil’Jaeden and Archimonde accepted, while Velen refused and fled with the remains of his people. It became Kil’Jaeden’s job to bring as many new races into The Burning Legion as possible, and he used this job to get revenge on Velen and the Draenei by corrupting the orcs. In The Burning Crusade, Kil’Jaeden tried to enter Azeroth by using the Sunwell, but adventurers got there in time to push him back through and close the portal. Kil’Jaeden once again showed up during Legion, where he was the (infamous) final boss of the Tomb of Sargeras. After fighting their way through the Tomb, Adventurers find themselves on Kil’Jaeden’s ship, where they face off against the Deceiver one final time. Kil’Jaeden has been a terrifying and iconic enemy since the early days of Warcraft. His power can’t be overstated, and if you don’t believe me then you should look into the Race to World First drama surrounding his fight in the Tomb of Sargeras! Kil’Jaeden’s story is an amazing one full of deceit and betrayal, and the final cinematic he got is one of the best character deaths WoW has ever seen!

3. Deathwing (Cataclysm)

The World Breaker destroys the face of Azeroth.

Remember how I said Old Gods were responsible for so many terrible things on Azeroth? Well, you can blame them for Deathwing too. Once known as the Dragon Aspect Neltharion the Earth-Warder, Deathwing was corrupted by the Old God N'zoth. He turned against his fellow Dragon Aspects during the War of the Ancients and even helped Alexstrasza get captured by the Horde. After his brothers and sisters eventually defeated him, Deathwing hid in Deepholm to regain his strength. When he eventually did return to Azeroth, it was with such an intense strength that it caused the cataclysm and literally shattered the world. Deathwing tried to bring about the Hour of Twilight and free the Old Gods, but like every villain before him, he eventually lost at the hands of Azeroth's greatest heroes. It goes without saying that dragons are already really cool, so a giant evil one with a metal jaw was obviously a massive hit with the player base. Deathwing has one of the best models in the game and was an absolutely terrifying enemy to go up against. While he didn't have a fantastic final boss fight like many of the other bosses on this list (looking at you Spine of Deathwing), he still changed the face of Azeroth, and WoW, forever! 

2. Sargeras (Legion)

Sargeras preapres to stab his sword into Azeroth.

If you’ve gotten this far in the list, then the name Sargeras should sound familiar. He’s a major player in Warcraft’s lore and was once one of the original Titans. Unfortunately, he went mad after seeing the strength of Void Lords. He left the other Titans behind and created The Burning Legion to destroy all life in the universe before the Void Lords could corrupt it. Sargeras was involved in several major problems on Azeroth, ranging from The Burning Legion to the corruption of Medivh. Sargeras would return to Azeroth during the Legion’s third invasion, where he created Argus the Unmaker in an attempt to stop adventurers and the Titans from halting his plans. Argus failed and Sargeras was imprisoned by his siblings but not before stabbing his sword into Azeroth. Yes, you read that correctly, he stabbed the entire planet. Honestly, it doesn’t get much more awesome than that. While Sargeras is responsible for countless atrocities we can’t forget the worst of them all: being the catalyst for Battle for Azeroth. 

1. Arthas (Wrath of the Lich King)

Arthas raises the dead with Frostmourne. 

This man needs no introduction. Arthas Menethil was once the promising prince of Lordaeron before picking up Frostmourne and becoming the corrupted Lich King we all know and love today. While he was officially killed by Tirion Fordring and some Champions on Ice Crown Citadel nearly thirteen years ago, that hasn’t stopped him from being the poster boy for World of Warcraft. With much of his story taking place in Warcraft 3, fans were able to watch him slowly become corrupted throughout some amazing story-telling. Wrath of the Lich King was then able to focus on him just being a great antagonist, easily capable of wiping out all life on Azeroth with his Scourge armies. Arthas Menethil is not only the greatest villain in World of Warcraft, but he’s also easily one of the greatest villains ever created. 

Villains can often make or break a Warcraft expansion. With the Jailer being such a disappointing end boss for Shadowlands, it was nice to take a trip down memory lane and look at some of the villainous icons from WoW’s past!

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