Deathwing Deathwing the Destroyer , formerly known as Neltharion the Earth - Warder , was one of the five Dragon Aspect s and leader of the black dragonflight . Thousands of years ago , Neltharion was empowered by the Titan s with dominion over the earth and the deep places of Azeroth . However , driven mad by the Old Gods , he turned against the other Aspects during the War of the Ancients . Among both mortals and dragons his name became one whispered with a feeling of fear and contempt . The black aspect involved himself in the Second War , adopting the form of Lord Daval Prestor in order to destroy the Alliance from within . He also managed to turn his greatest enemy , Alexstrasza , into a slave of the Horde , with which he later allied himself . After a series of setbacks , culminating in his defeat at the hands of the other Aspects , Deathwing retreated to the elemental plane of Deepholm to recuperate . From there , he observed his former mate Sintharia ' s experiments with the twilight dragonflight in Grim Batol . He now continues his late consort ' s work . Though believed dead by many , Deathwing made his return in " " , the third expansion to " World of Warcraft " , and his wrath constituted a pre - release event known as the Shattering , which changed the world of Azeroth permanently . The world continues to reel from the effects of Deathwing ' s return as he flies over Azeroth to randomly cast his flame . He is the final raid encounter of " Cataclysm " , appearing as the last two encounters of the Dragon Soul raid . Deathwing had control over the land and its fathoms , including lava . Like the rest of his dragonflight , lava features prominently in his attacks . He also has the ability to withstand extreme temperatures , such as those within volcanoes . After making his final stand against the heroes and fellow Dragon Aspects who stood in his way , the final blow to the Destroyer was delivered by Thrall with the power of the Dragon Soul . As Deathwing ' s distorted body submerges into the Maelstrom , his reign of destruction was finally brought to an end . After his death , the world relished in relief as they survived the Cataclysm brought on by Deathwing , and the great purpose of the Aspects was finally fulfilled , their ancient power being expended as they looked to the mortals to foresee the new age . He is voiced by Michael McConnohie . Biography . Early history . " My blessing upon you will seem humble compared to those which have been bestowed upon the others : the managing of time , of life , of dreams and magic . I offer you the earth . The soil , the ground , the deep places . But know that the earth is the basis of all things . It is where we are rooted . Where you must come from , if you are to go to . Here is whence true strength comes . From deep places . . . within the world , and within oneself . " - Blessing of the Black Aspect , given by Khaz ' goroth Neltharion was originally the mighty black wyrm chosen by the titan Khaz ' goroth to be one of the five Dragon Aspect s , with domain over the earth and the deep places of the world . He was chosen as the caretaker of the continents of Azeroth , and he used his power to forge mountains and rivers for the benefit of mortal races . In peaceful times , Neltharion was renowned for his wisdom and power , and he became known as Neltharion the Earth - Warder , a great protector of the land . Malygos the Spell - Weaver , the Aspect of magic , was his closest friend . Then came the madness that destroyed Neltharion ' s mind , changing him and his kind forever and leading to the creation of the powerful item known as the Dragon Soul , later the Demon Soul . The inner - voices of the Old Gods convinced him that he could have power beyond his imagination if he served them . The voices made him paranoid of even his own black dragonflight . Neltharion began to yearn for a world dominated by his black dragonflight — a world in which the other dragonflights ceased to exist and Ysera and Alexstrasza would be his petty slaves for mating . The Old Gods convinced Neltharion to create the Dragon Soul . With the help of goblin s , Neltharion created a simple golden disc made of his blood and forged in the goblins ' cauldrons and anvils deep beneath the earth . Empowered by Neltharion ' s magic , the simple disc was magically shielded so that the other Dragon Aspect s could not see within it . There was an evil within the disc , some taint of the Old Gods , though what exactly it is not known . War of the Ancients . When the Burning Legion entered Azeroth during the War of the Ancients , Neltharion saw the opportunity to complete his Dragon Soul . Guided by the voices of the Old Gods , he first captured demons of the Burning Legion , and added their powers to the Dragon Soul . Neltharion then convinced Malygos to help him with the other Dragon Aspects . All of them agreed to give a portion of their powers to the Dragon Soul , including all dragons of their dragonflights . Neltharion proposed that the Dragon Soul disc could be a weapon of great power to destroy the demons of the Burning Legion . Unknown to the rest , Neltharion was the only one who did not give of his powers to the Dragon Soul . Neltharion , the Dragon Aspects and their dragonflights flew toward Zin - Azshari where the night elves held the demons at bay . The dragons awaited Neltharion ' s first attack . He grabbed the Dragon Soul and by channeling his destructive power through it destroyed thousands of demons with one swing of radiant magic . The Dragon Aspects watched in horror as Neltharion also killed hundreds of night elves and other allies along with the demons . Neltharion revealed the depths of his betrayal at last . Now with the disc at his command he wanted all races and the demons to see his power and to bow to him . The Dragon Aspects attacked Neltharion in an attempt to take the Dragon Soul from him and to reason with him in hopes of determining the cause of his perfidy . Malygos ' blue dragonflight surrounded Neltharion , but with a swing of the Dragon Soul , most of the blue dragons perished . The next swing of the Dragon Soul paralyzed all dragonflights and the Dragon Aspects in mid - air , rendering them unable to move or speak . Neltharion then struck out at the Dragon Aspects and their dragonflights , destroying many and scattering them far across the land . Neltharion ' s betrayal struck a great blow to the Aspects , and their fear of being destroyed like the blue dragonflight kept them in seclusion . In desperation , the Aspects shielded themselves and hid to become undetected even by each other . Rise of the Destroyer . The growing corruption in Neltharion ' s heart warped his body , as the angelic dragon began taking a more demonic appearance , similar to how Sargeras changed to a more demonic form after his corruption . Neltharion ' s body cracked open , revealing his molten heart , and magma and fire flowed off his chest . His eyes became aflame in red , demonstrating the magnitude of his power and the depths of his evil . Thus was Deathwing the Destroyer born , and the Dragon Soul was renamed the Demon Soul . Deathwing returned to his lair beneath a mountain . His proximity to the Demon Soul was ripping his body apart , so the goblin smiths forged an armor of adamantium to serve as a vessel to contain Deathwing ' s raging powers and keep them in check . Only the adamantium plates kept the power from destroying his body . The Old Gods had manipulated Deathwing into creating the Demon Soul , but their true intention was that the demons would inform their lord Sargeras of the great power of the weapon used against them . Sargeras would no doubt want the Demon Soul to power the gateway that would let him enter Azeroth . By using the Demon Soul to amplify the gateway , the three Old Gods hoped to escape their prison beneath the planet . However , Malfurion Stormrage used the Emerald Dream to find Deathwing ' s lair and stole the Demon Soul from the black dragon , who tried to pursue the thief in vain . Illidan and Varo ' then captured Malfurion and took the Demon Soul back to Zin - Azshari , to Mannoroth the Destructor , the general of the Legion ' s armies . It was used to power up the portal that would allow Sargeras to enter Azeroth . Deathwing tried one last time to recover the disk , when it was being used by both Sargeras and the Old Gods , and actually succeeded in reaching it . Deathwing was almost destroyed in the attempt , but after he got the Demon Soul , an enormous surge of power made him lose his grip on the disk , and sent him spiraling far away from the portal . After the Burning Legion was defeated , the Dragon Aspects sealed the Demon Soul with their energies , so that Deathwing should never be able to manipulate the Demon Soul . The artifact was hidden in an undisclosed location by Malfurion at the request of the Dragon Aspects . No longer in possession of the artifact and now unable to use it , Deathwing vowed to destroy most life and to wreak havoc on the planet . With his powers over earth , Neltharion caused volcanoes to rise along with the destruction already caused by the Well of Eternity ' s implosion , sinking most of Kalimdor below the ocean . When he succumbed , Neltharion ceased to exist , taking up a new name and a bitter purpose . He became Deathwing and his subjects were placed beneath the iron rule of a tyrant . Upon his irrevocable shift to evil , he turned against his destiny , and his mind unwound , causing suffering wherever he could . He himself chose Deathwing as his title , to better show his contempt and intentions for the lesser creatures around him . Certain legends surrounding Deathwing claim that as the Earth - Warder , Deathwing shaped the land so the races would not go to war over land and resources . When he went mad , Deathwing lowered the mountains and allowed the races to intermingle . He ruined fertile land and destroyed other terrain so that the races would be forced to fight for food . Deathwing ' s efforts gave birth to an occupation that has remained with all races since then : war . Second War . Ten thousand years later , during the Second War , Deathwing discovered the Demon Soul ' s location . Although he couldn ' t wield its power because of the enchantment placed upon it by the Dragon Aspects , he realized that he could manipulate someone else to do so . Eventually , he found the perfect pawns : the orcs of the Dragonmaw clan . Through visions , Deathwing led the chieftain of the clan , Zuluhed the Whacked , to find the Demon Soul . Zuluhed in turn gave the Demon Soul to the warlock Nekros Skullcrusher . Nekros had no clue as to the power he was wielding , but was able to tap into enough of its power to capture and enslave Alexstrasza and her consorts in order to breed dragons for the Horde . Kryll , a goblin servant of Deathwing , was sent to infiltrate the Dragonmaw clan and to serve Nekros Skullcrusher . Nekros ended up being manipulated by Kryll into doing Deathwing ' s bidding . The goblin served as an " advisor " to Nekros , whispering ideas to the orc in order to further Deathwing ' s aims . After Ner ' zhul reopened the portal to Azeroth , his forces were approached by Deathwing . He offered his own children for assistance in exchange for safe passage to Draenor . They agreed and Deathwing helped them prepare for several key battles to steal two artifacts from the Alliance in order for Ner ' zhul ' s newly reformed Horde to create new portals to other worlds . They then fled back to the Dark Portal to Draenor . Deathwing believed the world would be a relatively safe haven for his offspring and secreted away a cache of black dragon eggs there . While at his great mountain lair , he was attacked by the forces of the Alliance Expedition , who destroyed several of his eggs . Deathwing was temporarily defeated but survived . Having escaped back to Azeroth , Deathwing ended up in a fight with some of the archmagi of Dalaran and feigned defeat , falling into the sea , where most of the council assumed at the time that he died . He was not dead , however , and he took a human guise , pretending to be a heroic noble named Lord Prestor in an effort to be declared king of Alterac , where he could manipulate the Alliance from within . Soon after Ner ' zhul recklessly opened multiple portals on Draenor , the magical stress tore the planet apart . The energies released in this catastrophe altered Deathwing ' s eggs , resulting in the nether drakes : partially corporeal and partially ethereal dragons who possess the ability to shift between the astral and physical planes . Without Deathwing ' s guidance , these otherworldly nether drakes are just now finding their own way among the blasted ruins of Outland . Lord Prestor and the battle of Grim Batol . Deathwing , posing as Lord Prestor , managed to make himself popular with King Terenas and the kings of the Alliance nations , and for a while had strong influence in the decisions of state . Using subtle magic , he was able to ensnare the minds of the human leaders and forced them to grant him the title of king of Alterac . He also managed to trick King Terenas into giving him the hand of his daughter , Calia Menethil . His ultimate goal was to obtain a high level of power and influence within the Alliance , so he could destroy it from within . Deathwing began his campaign against the Alliance by pitting the kingdoms of Lordaeron , Stromgarde , Gilneas and Kul Tiras against the Kirin Tor of Dalaran - who Deathwing considered threats to his new identity . The only one to ever fully uncover the truth about his identity was the dragon mage Krasus , the mortal form of Korialstrasz . However , the Kirin Tor were able to discern that he was a powerful being hiding in a human form , and tried to devise a way to stop him . The orcs of the Dragonmaw clan at Grim Batol kept their hold over Alexstrasza , even though the bulk of the Horde had already been defeated . Deathwing tried to frighten the Dragonmaw orcs into believing that the humans were attacking Grim Batol , so that they would move Alexstrasza and her eggs north to Dun Algaz ; this left her eggs vulnerable . Deathwing hoped to steal Alextrasza ' s latest cache for himself to create a new dragonflight ; though bearing the crimson scales of the Dragonqueen , they would be raised by Deathwing and carry his hatred for the mortal races . Deathwing used his pawns to manipulate the mage Rhonin , who had been sent to Grim Batol by Krasus , as part of a plan to free Alexstrasza . He saved the young mage several times , and helped him reach Grim Batol , hoping that his appearance inside the mountain fortress would further convince Nekros to flee from it . Though the orcs were convinced and began leaving Grim Batol , Deathwing ' s attack on the caravan , however , failed . Nekros tried to use the Demon Soul on Deathwing , but was unsuccessful due to the disk having no power over the black dragon . He then sent Tyranastrasz , old and sick , to stop Deathwing , but he failed and was killed . At the behest of Krasus , the three remaining free aspects , Malygos , Ysera and Nozdormu , grudgingly decided to come out of their lairs and attack Deathwing . However , due to the power they had given to the Demon Soul , they were no match for the black leviathan . But Rhonin was able to steal the Demon Soul from Nekros , freeing Alexstrasza in the process . Furthermore , he discovered its weakness and destroyed it , releasing all the powers of the dragons who had given their power ten thousand years earlier . Deathwing was sent retreating with four very angry , fully - empowered Dragon Aspects on his heels , though he managed to elude them in the end . Lord Prestor vanished when Deathwing was forced to go into hiding , and Deathwing ' s influence over the nobles disappeared along with him . Names and titles . He is usually referred to as " Deathwing " by the majority of beings . Only a few mages , night elves and dragons still call him " Neltharion " . However , over the years Deathwing has been given many names , including , but not limited to : In World of Warcraft . Onyxia and Nefarian , offspring of Deathwing and masters of the black dragonflight in the absence of their father , have tried to control the world . Onyxia followed in her father ' s footsteps by taking the Prestor name to attempt to manipulate the Alliance . She posed as a human counselor named Katrana Prestor for the new child King of Stormwind . Nefarian , meanwhile , posed as a human named Lord Victor Nefarius , Lord of the Blackrock Mountain in the Burning Steppes . He was able to enslave the Blackrock Clan orcs who served him on the top of the mountain , the Blackrock Spire . In Wrath of the Lich King . Deathwing first made his debut in " World of Warcraft " as a cameo appearance during the battle against the Old God Yogg - Saron , inside Ulduar . He appears in human form and under his original name of Neltharion , and is featured along with all the other Aspects in a flashback that depicts the creation of the Dragon Soul , ten thousand years earlier . This was Deathwing ' s first official appearance in a Warcraft game since " " . In Cataclysm . " " marked the return of Deathwing and his wrath constituted a world - changing event known as the Shattering . He plays a part in a number of quests as well as the achievement Stood in the Fire and also the final boss encounter of the expansion . He is the last of the Dragon Aspects to appear in dragon form in the game , and will be the second one that can be confronted by raid s ( the first being Malygos ) . Following his explosive escape from Deepholm , Deathwing cast a deadly shadow over the people of Azeroth . Deathwing randomly chooses zones to attack ; a blackened sky is the only warning before every living creature caught in his approach is consumed by his terrible fire and killed . Dying in this manner also rewards the achievement . Deathwing will continue strafing random zones " until his ruinous reign is brought to an end " ( at least until the end of patch 4 . 3 ) Hidden away inside the Temple of Earth is the Stonecore , locked in the heart of Deepholm . It was here inside this mysterious domain that the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing waited , recovering from the wounds of his last battle against the forces of Azeroth . As he bided his time until he could reforge the world in molten fire , the Twilight ' s Hammer toiled over him , forging a new armor of elementium plates that were then hammered into the Dragon Aspect ' s very body to hold his tormented self together . In recent years , the whisperings of the Old Gods have gotten worse ; the Old Ones ' dread power steadily increased as C ' Thun and Yogg - Saron stirred from their ancient slumbers , and the growing influence of the Old Gods has magnified Deathwing ' s power ten - fold . From within his lair in the elemental plane of Deepholm , Deathwing has awoken from his slumber and literally erupted into the world . His explosion into Azeroth was so powerful that it tore a rift between the Elemental Plane and Azeroth and caused earthquakes , volcanic eruptions , and floods , reshaping the very face of the world . Very few lands have remained untouched in the wake of the devastating Shattering . The Badlands . The main storyline quest of the Badlands in Cataclysm is centered around Rheastrasza and her research of the black dragonflight and of a way of purifying them . She has captured the black dragon , Nyxondra , and forces her to lay eggs for the experiments . She feels pity for the black dragon , but knows it is for the greater good . After succeeding in creating a purified black dragon egg , she constantly moves around to avoid being found by agents of the black dragonflight , who want to destroy the egg . In the quest , she is killed by Deathwing , who was after the egg . The egg he destroyed , however , was not the purified one , but Rheastrasza ' s own egg . There is also a quest chain involving Theldurin the Lost and his friends telling rather tall tales about how each of them defeated Deathwing . Mount Hyjal . At the beginning of the storyline , Deathwing summons the Firelord , Ragnaros along with his fire elemental servants into the world of Azeroth , aided by his mortal followers , the Twilight ' s Hammer clan with the ultimate goal of destroying Nordrassil . Uldum . During the Uldum storyline it is revealed that Deathwing enlisted the aid of Al ' Akir and his air elemental minions to do his bidding . The Tol ' vir , native residents of Uldum have joined his ranks as well , seduced by the promises of power and removal of the Curse of Flesh . He also sent his mortal minions , led by Commander Schnottz to gain control of the Maker ' s Terrace and reconfigure it into a weapon of mass destruction . The Twilight Highlands . In Twilight Highlands the Horde fleet is ambushed , undefended , by Deathwing and his twilight drakes . Though Garrosh is personally able to fend one such drake off , his ship itself suffers massive damage and falls into the ocean below . The remainder of the fleet suffers a similar fate , crashing down into the sea . Deathwing is later seen in the Twilight highlands quest chain . After beating back his Twilight dragon minions , the player along with Alexstrasza and her son Calen , use a sanctified circle of life to lure Deathwing to their location so Alexstrasza could destroy him once and for all . The plan quickly falls apart as Deathwing proves to be more powerful then they realize . After a quick dialogue , Deathwing and Alexstrasza face each other above Grim Batol , shadowing the events of Day of the Dragon . After a long battle , Alexstrasza and Deathwing spiral out of sight , with Deathwing spitting a stream of magma . Alexstrasza , severely wounded , lands near the entrance and tells the player , along with Calen , that Deathwing was dead . Soon after however , Deathwing rises above the hillside , wounded , but not nearly as bad as Alexstrasza . The player then flees with the near - dead Alexstrasza as Calen distracts Deathwing long enough for them to escape . Deathwing then leaves as , according to Calen , he was wounded more than he let on and needed time to heal . Rage of The Firelands . Following the death of Malygos , the Blue Dragonflight are torn between two possible new leaders - Kalecgos , and Arygos . Ultimately , it is revealed that Arygos has entered into an alliance with the Blue Dragonflight ' s original despoiler , Deathwing , in order to become the new Aspect of Magic - and Deathwing , though eager to see him overthrow Kaelcgos , warns him not to repeat the mistakes of his father . Their plot ends in failure , however , as Tarecgosa sacrifices herself to save Kalecgos from Arygos ' assault , and Arygos flees Coldarra - swearing that Neltharion will destroy them all . The Dragon Soul . Deathwing is the final boss of the Dragon Soul raid that was opened with Patch 4 . 3 . 0 . The final battle against Deathwing is actually be " two " encounters within the same instance ; one fought on his back as he flies toward the Maelstrom , and then the final battle at the Maelstrom itself . Deathwing also features heavily in the three five - man dungeons that lead up to the raid . In the first , End Time , the future is shown if Deathwing is not defeated and the Hour of Twilight at last falls - a charred Dragonblight in Northrend , with all life extinguished forever . Deathwing is shown as a burnt - out shell of his former self , his powers having at last destroyed him from within . His lifeless corpse is impaled at the top of Wyrmrest Temple , his lava - like blood seeping from his mouth . To prevent the Hour of Twilight , the bronze aspect Nozdormu sends adventurers to go ten thousand years into the past , to the War of the Ancients , and retrieve the Dragon Soul - having been completely obliterated by Rhonin and Krasus shortly before the Shattering - so that Thrall could invoke its power to defeat Deathwing . Once the artifact is retrieved , the adventurers must escort Thrall to Wyrmrest Temple and protect him from Deathwing ' s minions , so that the weapon can be secured for the final battle . Thrall and his allies from the Wyrmrest Accord fight their way past Deathwing and the Old God ' s minions . Whilst atop the Skybreaker Thrall uses the Dragon Soul to wound Deathwing who flees to the Maelstrom . The heroes leap atop Deathwing ' s back and make use of the crazed Elementals atop his back to remove his Elementium plating . Deathwing then falls into the Maelstrom . When he rises he is completely insane and the gathered heroes manage to defeat him . After he falls Thrall announces that he can feel the elements awakening and rejoicing , and that the Cataclysm is over . Lord of the Clans . During the cancelled " " game , Thrall would have met with Deathwing in order to match wits . Whether this is still part of the lore remains to be seen , but it seems unlikely given that no source mentions a meeting of the two and other lore sources since have contradicted the possibility . The fact that Deathwing was seen smoking a hookah was blamed on a " miscommunication " . Thrall : Twilight of the Aspects . It is revealed that once , long ago , Deathwing had been warned that an orc named Thrall would rise to challenge and possibly defeat him . So Deathwing sent out the Twilight Father to kill him . Deathwing sends Blackmoore from an alternate ( false ) universe in an attempt to assassinate Thrall , but the plan fails when Thrall kills Blackmoore . Personality . While Deathwing was once a benevolent entity , he is now completely evil . He hates all mortal races , and wishes to kill them all . He ' s also utterly insane , most notably shown when he had the Demon Soul . Deathwing was attached to it , such that even when warned by the goblin alchemists who made his first armor that the Demon Soul ' s energies would kill him if he kept it with him too long , it wasn ' t enough for him to let go of it , and was only willing to part with , temporarily , when reminded that it would likely be stolen from him if he was dead . In spite of his insanity , Deathwing does display a degree of cunning . Although he hates mortals , he is apparently willing to tolerate them if it can prove of any help in his plans , though inevitably he will do away with them when they have outlived their usefulness . Despite Deathwing ' s overall loathing of mortals , he has respect for , and perhaps even a fear of , Medivh , stating in " Day of the Dragon " , that he would never willingly face Medivh in combat , though this might have technically been fear of the portion of Sargeras that was locked inside Medivh . Combat . Deathwing is a terrifying opponent who is as cruel as he is vicious . He cares nothing for honor or nobility , striking with whatever weapons and cunning he has at his disposal , reveling in causing earthquakes and ripping open volcanic fissures . He often sends his minions into combat while he surveys the battlefield , striking at whatever weaknesses he discovers . Memorable quotes . Cataclysm Cinematic . Deathwing narrates the Cataclysm cinematic as his armor is reforged in Deepholm . As it nears completion , various areas of Azeroth began to tremble , until Deathwing explodes from Deepholm causing the Shattering . Deathwing flies around the world to Stormwind City where the cinematic ends .