Burning Legion The Burning Legion , also known as the " Great Burning Shadow " , the Legion of the Lower Planes , or simply The Legion , is a vast , innumerable army of demon s , infernal s , and corrupted races who seek to destroy any trace of order in the universe . They have thrice invaded Azeroth and were only beaten back at a terrible cost . Much of Azeroth ' s history — including the First , Second , and Third War — were due to the Legion ' s influence . It can be said that the Legion is Azeroth ' s nemesis ; it corrupted the orcs who then invaded Azeroth , created the Lich King , and is the source of most of Azeroth ' s scars . It should also be noted that Azeroth is the only known planet that they have ever failed to conquer . The Legion ' s mission in theory is to undo the works of the titan s and restore the universe back to its original , chaotic and disorganized state . In practice , the Legion scours all life from the worlds it invades ; they are cursed to roam the greater realms forever , consuming the primal energies of magic to survive . The Legion has destroyed world after world in its mad lust for arcane power and is thus responsible for the genocide of thousands of races across the universe , totaling in billions , if not trillions of lives . Their purpose is to destroy all so that the Void Lords can ' t corrupt all . Sargeras believes that if all is destroyed , life will begin again . Unbeknownst to him , the Void Lords and their servants the Old gods have used him and his Burning Legion for their benefit many times . History . Genesis . The Titan s , creators of order in the universe , were aware of the threat posed to their creations by the evil entities living in the Twisting Nether . These demonic beings existed only to devour the living energies of the universe . Over time , the demons began to make their way into the Titans ' worlds from the nether . The Titans selected their greatest warrior , Sargeras , to act as their first line of defense . A noble giant of bronze , Sargeras carried out his duties for countless millennia , seeking out and destroying these demons wherever he could find them . Over the aeons , Sargeras encountered two powerful demonic races , both of which were bent on gaining power and dominance over the physical universe . Though Sargeras ' nearly limitless powers were more than enough to defeat the demons he faced , he was greatly troubled by their corruption and all - consuming evil . Incapable of fathoming such depravity , the great Titan began to slip into a brooding depression . While his confusion and misery deepened , Sargeras was forced to contend with another group intent on disrupting the Titans ' order : the Nathrezim . This dark race of vampiric demons ( also known as dreadlord s ) conquered a number of populated worlds by possessing their inhabitants and turning them to the shadow . The nefarious , scheming dreadlords turned whole nations against one another by manipulating them into unthinking hatred and mistrust . Sargeras defeated the Nathrezim easily , but their corruption affected him deeply . As doubt and despair overwhelmed Sargeras ' senses , he lost all faith , not only in his mission , but also in the Titans ' vision of an ordered universe . Eventually he came to believe that the concept of order itself was folly , and that chaos and depravity were the only absolutes within the dark , lonely universe . His fellow Titans tried to convince him of his error and calm his raging emotions , but he disregarded their more optimistic beliefs as self - serving delusions . Storming from their ranks forever , Sargeras set out to find his own place in the universe . Although the Pantheon was sorrowful at his departure , the Titans could never have predicted just how far their lost brother would go . Even Sargeras ' titanic form became distorted from the corruption that plagued his once - noble heart . His eyes , hair , and beard erupted in fire , and his metallic bronze skin split open to reveal an endless furnace of blistering hate . By the time Sargeras ' madness had consumed the last vestiges of his valiant spirit , he believed that the Titans themselves were responsible for creation ' s failure . Deciding at last to undo their works throughout the universe , he resolved to form an unstoppable army that would set the physical universe aflame . In his fury , Sargeras shattered the prisons of the Nathrezim and all the other demon races he had imprisoned during his time as the Titans ' champion , setting the loathsome demons free . These cunning creatures bowed before the dark Titan ' s vast rage and offered to serve him in whatever malicious ways they could . Thus was born Sargeras ' unstoppable army : the Burning Legion . On the planet Argus , Sargeras found the army he sought : the eredar , a race of highly intelligent beings with a natural affinity for magic in all its myriad forms . From the ranks of these mighty creatures , Sargeras picked two champions to command his demonic army of destruction . Kil ' jaeden the Deceiver was chosen to seek out the darkest races in the universe and recruit them into Sargeras ' ranks . The second champion , Archimonde the Defiler , was chosen to lead Sargeras ' vast armies into battle against any who might resist the Titan ' s will . Kil ' jaeden ' s first move was to enslave the vampiric dreadlords with his terrible power . The dreadlords served as his personal agents throughout the universe , and they took pleasure in locating primitive races for their master to corrupt and bring into the fold . First amongst the dreadlords was Tichondrius the Darkener . Tichondrius served Kil ' jaeden as the perfect soldier and agreed to bring Sargeras ' burning will to all the dark corners of the universe . The mighty Archimonde also empowered agents of his own . Calling upon the malefic pit lords and their barbarous leader , Mannoroth the Destructor , Archimonde hoped to establish a fighting elite that would scour creation of all life . Once Sargeras saw that his armies were amassed and ready to follow his every command , he launched his raging forces into the vastness of the Great Dark . He referred to his growing army as the Burning Legion . To this date , it is still unclear how many worlds they consumed and burned on their unholy Burning Crusade across the universe . " In terms of exact dates , these events are difficult to pinpoint . The empowerment of the Dragon Aspects is listed as having occurred some 64 , 000 years ago , which most sources agree happened after Sargeras fell . However , the defection of the eredar didn ' t occur until 25 , 000 years ago , some 39 millennia later . This is confusing , as it means neither the eredar nor the Nathrezim ( the most important minions of the Legion ) joined until long after the Legion ' s foundation . Alternatively , the Legion was only formed after the eredar ' s defection 25 , 000 years ago , and not Sargeras ' fall 39 , 000 years earlier . In other words , the foundation of the Legion is shrouded in mystery . " The First Invasion . Many thousands of years ago ( 10 , 000 years before Warcraft I ) the Burning Legion became attracted to the world of Azeroth due to the reckless use of magic on that world . The Highborne ' s reckless use of magic sent ripples of energy spiraling out from the Well of Eternity and into the Great Dark Beyond . The streaming ripples of energy were felt by terrible alien minds . Sargeras — the Great Enemy of all life , the Destroyer of Worlds — felt the potent ripples and was drawn to their distant point of origin . Spying the primordial world of Azeroth and sensing the limitless energies of the Well of Eternity , Sargeras was consumed by an insatiable hunger . The great dark god of the Nameless Void resolved to destroy the fledgling world and claim its energies as his own . Sargeras gathered his vast Burning Legion and made his way towards the unsuspecting world of Azeroth . The Legion was composed of a million screaming demons , all ripped from the far corners of the universe , and the demons hungered for conquest . Sargeras ' lieutenants , Archimonde the Defiler and Mannoroth the Destructor , prepared their infernal minions to strike . Queen Azshara , overwhelmed by the terrible ecstasy of her magic , fell victim to Sargeras ' undeniable power and agreed to grant him entrance to her world . Even her Highborne servitors gave themselves over to magic ' s inevitable corruption and began to worship Sargeras as their god . To show their allegiance to the Legion , the Highborne aided their queen in opening a vast , swirling portal within the depths of the Well of Eternity . Once all his preparations had been made , Sargeras began his catastrophic invasion of Azeroth . The warrior - demons of the Burning Legion stormed into the world through the Well of Eternity and laid siege to the night elves ' sleeping cities . Led by Archimonde and Mannoroth , the Legion swarmed over the lands of Kalimdor , leaving only ash and sorrow in its wake . The demon warlocks called down searing Infernal s that crashed like hellish meteors into the graceful spires of Kalimdor ' s temples . A band of burning , bloodletting killers known as the Doomguard marched across Kalimdor ' s fields , slaughtering everyone in their path . Packs of wild , demonic Felhound s ravaged the countryside unopposed . Though the brave Kaldorei warriors rushed to defend their ancient homeland , they were forced to give ground , inch by inch , before the fury of the Legion ' s onslaught . Malfurion Stormrage , incensed by the growing corruption amongst the upper class , had set out to find Cenarius and muster a resistance force . Cenarius , accompanied by Alexstrasza and the dragonflight s , agreed to go to war against the demons and their infernal masters . Despite the strength of their newfound allies , Malfurion and his comrades realized that the Legion could not be defeated by martial strength alone . As the titanic battle raged around Azshara ' s capital city , Suramar , the delusional queen waited in anticipation for Sargeras ' arrival . The lord of the Legion was preparing to pass through the Well of Eternity and enter the ravaged world . As his impossibly huge shadow drew ever closer to the Well ' s raging surface , Azshara gathered the most powerful of her Highborne followers . Only by linking their magics together in one focused spell would they be able to create a gateway large enough for Sargeras to enter . Malfurion , convinced that the Well of Eternity was the demons ' umbilical link to the physical world , insisted that it should be destroyed . Knowing that the Well ' s destruction would prevent him from ever wielding magic again , Illidan abandoned the group and set out to warn the Highborne . Malfurion led his companions into the heart of Azshara ' s temple . Yet as they stormed into the main audience chamber , they found the Highborne in the midst of their final dark incantation . The communal spell created an unstable vortex of power within the Well ' s turbulent depths . As Sargeras ' ominous shadow drew ever closer to the surface , Malfurion and his allies rushed to attack . Azshara , having received Illidan ' s warning , was prepared for them . The ensuing battle between Malfurion and Azshara threw the Highborne ' s carefully crafted spellwork into chaos . The unstable vortex within the Well ' s depths exploded and ignited a catastrophic chain of events that would sunder the world forever . The massive explosion rocked the temple to its foundations and sent massive quakes ripping through the tortured earth . As the horrific battle between the Legion and the night elves ' allies raged around and above the ruined capital city , the surging Well of Eternity buckled in upon itself and collapsed . The resultant catastrophic explosion shattered the earth and blotted out the skies ( see The Great Sundering ) . Sargeras ' s link to Azeroth was severed , and he would have to find a new gateway to this coveted world . Sargeras ' return . Somewhere in Northrend , the demon forces invaded once again . Aegwynn fought against them here and even faced , and defeated , the avatar of Sargeras himself . The Second Invasion . For years , since their defeat at the hands of Malfurion Stormrage , the Legion had watched and waited for the moment to be right for a second attempt to conquer Azeroth . Kil ' jaeden was given orders to plan the invasion . He decided that a new force would be necessary in order to weaken the defenses of Azeroth before the Legion ' s main invasion force arrived . Kil ' jaeden discovered the world of Draenor and its two races , the shamanistic , clan based orcs and the peaceful Draenei . Of the two races , Kil ' jaeden surmised that the orcs , a race seemingly bred as warriors , would be the perfect tool of the Legion . By bending the elder shaman Ner ' zhul to his will , Kil ' jaeden was able to enact a series of events that would enslave the orcs and bind them to the will of the Legion . Complete control was established when Kil ' jaeden orchestrated a meeting between the orc chieftains and Mannoroth . The orcs were convinced to drink the blood of Mannoroth and thus cursed themselves to bloodlust and savagery . The orc s attempted to invade Azeroth twice through the Dark Portal . However , the natives of the planet formed an alliance led by the humans and fought back with unexpected determination ; casualties were high on both sides . At the end of the Second War , the Alliance of Lordaeron had pushed back the invasion . The orcs ' home world of Draenor was destroyed with Ner ' zhul ' s attempt to escape into another dimension . The remaining orcs were rounded up and placed in various internment camp s by the Alliance . After the defeat of the orcs , Kil ' jaeden determined to create a new force , one that would succeed where the orcs had failed . To this end he captured Ner ' zhul and remade him as the Lich King . Trapping his essence in the Frozen Throne , a large block of ice , Kil ' jaeden hurled the Lich King to Azeroth , where he crashed on the frozen continent of Northrend . The Lich King ' s mission was to prepare Azeroth for subjugation through the release of a Plague of Undeath . Thus , the Scourge was born . Where the orcs had failed , the Scourge succeeded impressively . Within months the Eastern Kingdoms were in disarray . Each soldier or townsfolk who fell to the Scourge was reborn as an undead minion of the Lich King . Finally , the time for the Legion ' s return was nigh . Servants of the scourge were able to summon Archimonde himself to lead the assault . . . with him came the myriad demons of the legion . The second invasion had truly begun . The forces of the Legion swept across the Eastern Kingdoms and soon reached the shores of Kalimdor , home of their old enemy , the night elves . The Legion chose as its main goal the consumption of the World Tree on Mount Hyjal , which contained the essence of all life on Azeroth and granted immortality to the night elves . At the final hour , an alliance of humans , orcs , and night elves fought desperately to hold back Archimonde and the legion while Malfurion Stormrage performed a desperate druidic ritual upon the World Tree itself . Finally , Malfurion gave the signal that he was ready and the Legion was allowed to reach their goal . . . the World Tree stood exposed to Archimonde . As the demon embraced the tree and began to feed upon its magics , Malfurion ' s spell took hold . The World Tree released all of its energy into Archimonde at once , destroying both the World Tree and the demon . The ensuing explosion destroyed the tree and laid waste to Hyjal summit . The Legion had been defeated once again , but at the cost of the night elves ' immortality . With Archimonde finally defeated , Kil ' jaeden assumed complete control of the Legion . Aftermath . Kalimdor . After the defeat of the Burning Legion , Azgalor returned to the Twisting Nether to plot revenge . Many of the Legion ' s followers were still in Kalimdor , scattered and leaderless . Some of these cultists abandoned the Legion altogether , but others still served their demon masters . The loyal cultists were divided in three groups : the " mad servants " , many of whom forgot their lives and lived only to kill ; the " depraved ones " , who wanted to destroy Azeroth , understanding the Legion goals ; and the " true disciples " , who knew the purpose of the Burning Legion and sought to turn this to their advantage . Among these latter disciples were those of the new Shadow Council , reformed by surviving warlock s . These cults do not present a threat to Kalimdor , however . The corruption continued expanding in Felwood , due primarily to the Shadow Council . Satyr s and twisted furbolg s inhabit this region . The corrupted furbolgs joined with the other corrupted creatures to carry out the Legion ' s goals , while the satyr joined with the Council . Further corruption is evidenced in the cursed , wandering ancient s who kill anyone they encounter . Their common , shared goal is to spread the corruption to Ashenvale Forest in an attempt to further the Legion ' s goal of destroying Kalimdor . The cults left behind by the Burning Legion followed an unified agenda to regain their power . Some demons , survivors of the Battle of Mount Hyjal , roamed Kalimdor , and more were summoned from the Twisting Nether by the cults . Warlock s sometimes took control of small towns or villages . The demons slowly destroyed towns , hamlets , and even cities , thanks to the cults . Although leaderless , the scattered cults and demons worked as a cohesive unit , with the capability of launching assaults against various locations simultaneously . The members of the cults remained scattered to protect themselves but communicated to each other via the Twisting Nether . Many were seeking a way to open a permanent portal so that the Legion could invade Azeroth again ; others continued spreading the corruption , guarding sites of power , while some joined together for some unknown purposes . Lordaeron . Although the Burning Legion was defeated and scattered in Kalimdor , in Lordaeron they continued ruling under Balnazzar . Continent of Azeroth . The Burning Legion in the Blasted Lands were under the command of Lord Kazzak . Thanks to the efforts of Razelikh the Defiler , the Burning Legion bolstered its ranks with Grol the Destroyer and his Dreadmaul Ogres , Lady Sevine , and Archmage Allistarj . This sect of the legion also included Ilifar , the only death knight who sided with the legion during the scourge rebellion . Outland . Magtheridon ruled as the Lord of Outland even after the Legion ' s defeat in Azeroth . The Frozen Throne . Aftermath of the Third War . An army of human and blood elves arose , labeled the New Alliance , under the leadership of Lord Garithos and Kael ' thas Sunstrider . This New Alliance fought back against the Scourge and the Burning Legion . They managed to retake Dalaran and fought against the undead in Silverpine Forest and Alterac Mountains . The blood elves were overrun by the Scourge but made an alliance with the night elves . With their help , they defeated many undead and even some dreadlords ; then the night elves fought against Illidan ' s Naga while the blood elves defended them from the Scourge , who were commanded by a dreadlord . After some battles Kael ' thas Sunstrider managed to kill Dalvengyr , but he was betrayed by Garithos . Kael ' thas fled to Outland and later joined Illidan ' s forces . Defeat in Outland . Magtheridon still ruled Outland after the Legion ' s defeat , but with the help of the escaped blood elves , Illidan Stormrage stormed his citadel and claimed Outland for his own . Although the pit lord was chained and his armies were absorbed into Illidan ' s forces , there were still numerous Legion strongholds all over the planet . The Cabal , cultists of the Shadow Council , were still attempting to further the demons ' goals . The draenei resisted the Legion , a group led by Akama assisting Illidan in his defeat of Magtheridon . Defeat in Lordaeron . Although the New Alliance suffered a great loss with the blood elves , they continued fighting against the Scourge . They were not initially considered a serious threat to the Burning Legion . The dreadlords in charge of the scourge , Balnazzar , Detheroc , and Varimathras , grew impatient waiting for orders from Archimonde , ignorant of the death of their leader . Arthas returned to Lordaeron ' s Capital City with the power of the Lich King . He told the scourge leaders that the city was now his and that he wouldn ' t require the dreadlords ' services to watch over it . When Balnazzar retorted that the Scourge belonged to the Legion , Arthas replied that their masters had been defeated , and that the Burning Legion was " undone . " He then tried to slaughter the dreadlords , but they managed to escape , warning Arthas of their inevitable retribution . Later , the dreadlords found out that the Lich King was weakening , and together with Sylvannas Windrunner planned to overthrow Arthas . Luckily for the scourge , Arthas escaped the Capital City , and Sylvanas ' assassination attempt was thwarted by Kel ' thuzad . Soon after , Varimathras invited Sylvanas to join the dreadlord ' s new order , but Sylvanas had no intention of losing her freedom . She declined the offer but knew it was only a matter of time before she would be attacked . Using her sister banshees , Sylvanas possessed Blackthorn , Mug ' thol , Snarlmane , and possibly the Murloc Puddle Lord to bolster her forces ; not only did she destroy the attacking undead , she even " turned " Varimathras to her side . The future forsaken killed Detheroc and acquired an ally in the freed Garithos . The banshee and her forces laid siege to Balnazzar ' s base , which he had fortified within the city ruins . Balnazzar found himself attacked from both sides by Sylvanas and Garithos . Though he was armed with demons and had made many threats , Balnazzar ' s forces were defeated . Sylvanas , Varimathras , and Garithos approached Balnazzar . Sylvanas ordered Varimathras to kill his brother as a testament of his loyalty to her . Varimathras was reluctant . Killing another nathrezim was forbidden , but Sylvanas was adamant . Balnazzar was sure that Varimathras would never take that final step . Varimathras allowed his brother to fake his death in order to fool Sylvanas . Varimathras then killed Garithos on Sylvanas ' orders . With all their enemies dead , Sylvanas made a proclamation to Varimathras . They would rule the Plaguelands as the Forsaken , and would stake out their own destiny , where none would get in their way . At some point Balnazzar killed and possessed Saidan Dathrohan ' s body and began using the Scarlet Crusade . The Burning Crusade continues . . . . Even with their defeat in Azeroth the Legion continues invading planets . Attempted Third Invasion . Attempt to enter through the Dark Portal . After Illidan ' s failure to destroy the Frozen Throne , Kil ' jaeden sent forces to Outland to destroy him . Illidan ' s forces proved to be equally as powerful and the Legion was unable to exact revenge . During the invasion of Outland , the Legion managed to open the Dark Portal and send troops into Azeroth , led by Highlord Kruul , but the Argent Dawn managed to hold the area surrounding the portal until reinforcements from the Alliance and Horde arrived . After that , the Azerothian resistance pressed on and managed to drive the demons back into Outland where they fought at The Stair of Destiny . The Alliance and Horde managed to defeat the Burning Legion in the first battle and entered through the Dark Portal , pressing to the middle of Hellfire Peninsula . The Horde established Thrallmar and the initial Expeditionary Force of the Alliance reinforced Honor Hold . A Pit Commander and more Legion forces blocked the reinforcements of both factions , and they stood together to fight on The Stair of Destiny for a long time . Lieutenant General Orion sent a Horde adventurer to Thrallmar for reinforcements ; General Krakork sent out what forces he could . The Legion stationed dreadlords in Felspark Ravine , but the Alliance and Horde defeated them , their imp s , and infernal s . The Alliance and Horde finally managed to destroy the portals , defeating the Legion ' s ground forces and by air . The Burning Legion continued to produce fel reaver s in . The Alliance and Horde discovered this and sent adventurers that defeated this force and destroyed the fel reavers . After this defeat , the Legion aimed fel cannons at Thrallmar , but both Alliance and Horde destroyed the cannons . The final Legion ' s base , commanded by Warbringer Arix ' Amal , housed warp - portals from which demonic reinforcements were being drawn , but the Alliance located the base and both factions sent adventurers to destroy the portals , subduing the Legion in Hellfire Peninsula . Kil ' jaeden ' s invasion may have been unsuccessful , but few people knew just what he had planned for Azeroth next . . . Activities in Outland . Doom Lord Kazzak is the commander of the Burning Legion in Outland , residing at the Throne of Kil ' jaeden . Although the Burning Legion in Hellfire Peninsula was defeated , its presence is still felt throughout all of Outland , with the exception of Zangarmarsh . Terokkar Forest . In Terokkar Forest the Shadow Council is still active . There are many cultists , who are part of a branch called Cabal . Blade ' s Edge Mountains . In Blade ' s Edge Mountains the Legion has accomplished several things : Netherstorm . In Netherstorm , the Legion ' s plans were carried out by blood elves , including those that were part of Kael ' thas ' forces , such as the Sunfury . The demons in the zone were led by the eredar Socrethar . The Legion ' s activities in Netherstorm consisted of the following : Kil ' jaeden ' s summoning . Kil ' jaeden was not finished yet however , for he had found a new pawn to manipulate in Prince Kael ' thas Sunstrider . After his defeat at Tempest Keep , and still blinded by his lust for power , Kael became an all - too - willing participant in The Burning Legion ' s next attempt to invade and conquer Azeroth . Kil ' jaeden restored Kael ' thas ' life and power through demonic means and empowered many of his followers with fel energy . Kael ' thas sent his new Felblood elves to Silvermoon , where they captured M ' uru from Kael ' s own people and took him to the Sunwell . Kael ' thas discovered that the energies of the Sunwell still existed in the form of the human girl Anveena ; she was subsequently imprisoned and taken to the Sunwell as well . Kael hoped to use her energies to reignite the Sunwell , to both bring his new master Kil ' jaeden into Azeroth , and to supply himself with a new font of limitless power . With the intervention of the Blue Dragonflight and numerous mortal heroes of Azeroth , Kael ' thas was killed once and for all in the Magister ' s Terrace , and Kil ' jaeden ' s plans to enter Azeroth were foiled . Anveena sacrificed herself to weaken Kil ' jaeden so that the mortal heroes battling him could defeat him and send him back through the Sunwell . After the battle , Velen used what was left of M ' uru " body " to reignite the Sunwell , saving the blood elves from their addiction to demonic power and allowing them to continue to use the powers of the Light . During the battles against the Lich King . The Royal Coup . In the wake of the Battle of Angrathar the Wrathgate , it was revealed that Varimathras plotted his way into controlling a substantial part of the Forsaken faction , using them and his chief underling , Grand Apothecary Putress , to launch a surprise assault upon the combatants at the Wrathgate . This ambush resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Alliance and Horde soldiers , including Bolvar Fordragon and Dranosh Saurfang . At the same time , Burning Legion forces under the command of Varimathras successfully took control of the Undercity and nearly killed The Dark Lady herself . He was eventually faced and defeated by Thrall , Sylvanas , and players during , after which he was not seen in - game again by the player ( s ) who completed the quest ( as part of the " phasing " system used in the Scarlet Enclave and areas of Northrend ) . During the battle , Varimathras made reference to " years of planning " ( attempting to undermine Sylvanas ) and the voice of an unseen " Master " is heard berating Varimathras for his failure to prevent the Horde party from reaching the throne room , after which point Varimathras enters the fray himself where he is defeated . Argent Tournament . A gnome named Grand Warlock Wilfred Fizzlebang accidentally summoned a powerful eredar , Lord Jaraxxus , during the Trial of the Crusader . Jaraxxus killed him and fought the champions in the Tournament , but was defeated . After the Cataclysm . Much of what the Legion took on Azeroth is still under their control . This includes Demon Fall Canyon and the surrounding areas within Ashenvale ; Jaedenar , Jadefire Run , and the Ruins of Constellas in Felwood ; and Mannoroc Coven in Desolace . Some of their holdings have been expanded , such as their annihilation of the Magram Village ( renaming it Shok ' thokar ) , yet they have lost areas as well . Darkwhisper Gorge is chief among them , now taken by the Twilight ' s Hammer clan . A druid , Marl Wormthorn , sought to heal the Tainted Forest of its demonic blight . Instead , he fell victim to the Legion , the druid and his success twisted by their influence . Wormthorn is sadly killed by adventurers in an attempt to stop the widening corruption . The Blackrock clan orcs try to summon a Pit lord to mind control it for their invasion of Redridge Mountains . Thank to Eitrigg ' s intervention , the mind control fails and the Pit lord instead begins slaughtering the orcs before being killed by a dragon . World of Warcraft : Legion . Following the events of Warlords of Draenor , the Burning Legion found their way back to Azeroth , thanks in part to from the alternate timeline creted by Garrosh Hellscream . The Legion has begun its biggest invasion yet , starting in the Broken Isles , that features the return of many previously defeated leaders and commanders and uses the rediscovered Tomb of Sargeras as their foothold . A Battle on the Broken Shore saw the Legion defeat the combined strength of the Horde and Alliance , also causing the deaths of their respective leaders : Warchief Vol ' jin and King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind . Since their initial battle on the Broken Isles , the Legion ' s assault on Azeroth has expanded to include calculated attacks on a variety of both Horde and Alliance settlements throughout the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor , as well as strategic seiges against Karazhan and Dalaran . Notable entities . Lords . " The Burning Legion leaders : " Races . The Burning Legion races consists mainly in demon s , but other non - demonic races serve them as well . Manual of Monsters . Appart from the mentioned above , the Appendix Three of " Manual of Monsters " mentions the following allies of the Burning Legion : Belsamaug , Blight Wolf , Celestian , Demons , Dragon , Firewrack , Dragon , Seawrack , Dragon , Woodwrack , Fatling , Feral , Fleshcrawlers , Gorgon , High ( presumed ) , Gorgon , Low ( presumed ) , Hag , Brine , Hag , Cavern , Hag , Ice , Murdersprite , Narleth , The Proud , Ratman , Savant Hydra , Skin Devil , some Sleet Devil , Vengaurak , Arcane Devourer ( suspected ) , Bitter Tree , Blood Crone , Blood Reaper , Blood Sprite , Carnivorous Tree , Gristly Minstrel Daemon , Plague Angel Daemon , Abyssal Larva Demon , Demon , Blade , Blood Horror Demon , Gauntling , Skullworm , Surged Giant , Wickerman , Forlarren , Cerberus , Daemons and Devils , Death Dog , Demonic Knight , Shadow Demons and Screaming Devilkin ; however the validity of the source is disputed . Organization . Numbers . The number of demon s in the Twisting Nether s are infinite . However not all demons are part of the Buring Legion . During the War of the Ancients , Sargeras gathered the Burning Legion , at that time it consisted of one million demons , although the Legion was defeated in both of their invasions and many demons were slain , their ranks have grown once again and it ' s estimated to consists in one million demons yet again .