Emerald Dream The Emerald Dream ( also known as the Dream of Creation , Green Dream or simply the Dream ) is an ethereal , vast , ever - changing world of spirits and untamed nature , that exists outside the boundaries of the physical world , and is the verdant realm of the Dragon Aspect Ysera . As the Emerald Dream is a realm of life , its mirror representing death is the Shadowlands . The Emerald Dream is basically how the world would have been , if intelligent beings had not altered Azeroth ' s surface . History . The benevolent Titan s created the Emerald Dream to serve as the underlying blueprint for the Planet Azeroth . After the Titans had shaped Azeroth , they sent Ysera into an eternal trance and charged her with watching over all of Azeroth from the Dream . As a result , green dragons guard every portal into the Dream , and they always see both the landscape of Azeroth and the corresponding dreamscape . This enchanted vision , known as dreamsight , allows green dragons to perceive their surroundings with perfect clarity despite the dragons ' closed eyes . During the War of the Ancients , the druid Malfurion Stormrage made use of the Emerald Dream to enter into the palace of Queen Azshara and thwart the plans of Lord Xavius . As part of an ancient pact made between Ysera and Malfurion Stormrage , the druids are required to spend long periods of time sleeping in the Emerald Dream in exchange for their powers over the forces of nature , presumably so that they will better appreciate that which they have pledged themselves to preserve . Recently , strange events have been transpiring within the Emerald Dream and it appears that Malfurion himself may be trapped within its confines " ( see Emerald Nightmare ) " . In World of Warcraft . Currently , there are no entrances in " World of Warcraft " that lead to the Emerald Dream . Thus , it is impossible for players to enter it . A few exceptions will allow players to access it temporarily , but the areas visited are merely phased versions of places already found in Azeroth , and not actual areas found within the Dream . While it is still inaccessible , several players have either requested or suggested an " Emerald Dream Expansion " based on the lore so far " ( see Speculation ) " . Pre - expansion . Most references to the Emerald Dream in the original version of the game occur in Moonglade , which is the haven for the druid s on Azeroth . The references occurs in quests which involves Keeper Remulos , a Keeper of the grove and the ruler of Moonglade . Likewise , much of the Nightmare ' s influence upon the Emerald Dream involves the green dragonflight , the protectors of the Emerald Dream under the jurisdiction of Ysera . One of the earliest mentions of the green dragonflight ' s corruption - and thus the Nightmare ' s influence - was the dragon Eranikus within the Temple of Atal ' Hakkar , a lvl 45 - 50 dungeon . The dragon , along with an army of lesser green dragons , had been dispatched by Ysera to take care of the troll s within the temple in the Swamp of Sorrows . There , the trolls attempted to summon Hakkar the Soulflayer , a powerful Old Gods - like being . The temple was smashed to bits by the dragons , but they ultimately fell to Hakkar ' s corruption themselves . The Shade of Eranikus is now the final boss within the dungeon . A similar result of the Nightmare ' s corruption can be found in the Wailing Caverns where several druids have gone into madness . In patch 1 . 8 . 0 , the Dragons of Nightmare were also added to the game . These dragons were once the lieutenants of Ysera , protecting the Emerald Dream from evil and whatnot . They have , however , also been corrupted by the Nightmare , twisting their powers and turning the dragons into what they once fought . There are four of them , each having emerged from one of the four portals connecting Azeroth to the Emerald Dream . They are found in Duskwood ( Twilight Grove ) , the Hinterlands ( Seradane ) , Feralas ( Dream Bough ) , and Ashenvale ( Bough Shadow ) . Although the portals are inactive , the dragons can be fought and killed , all of them being outdoor raid - bosses . Each of the Dragons of Nightmare also drops a , which comes from the Emerald Dream . This item gives a which requests the player to hand it in to Keeper Remulos . Purifying the object reveals that it is actually the ring of Malfurion Stormrage , who is fighting the Nightmare inside the dream . The with Malfurion , who is communicating with Keeper Remulos , implies that the Nightmare does not only corrupt the Emerald Dream , but also seeks to invade Azeroth . The story behind the Nightmare ' s corruption of the Emerald Dream was further fueled by the Scepter of the Shifting Sands quest chain , added in patch 1 . 9 . 0 . Requesting the player to craft in order to open the raid - dungeons Ahn ' Qiraj , the player would seek out the red , blue and green dragonflight s to acquire the shards the scepter was made of . The focuses on the green dragonflight , combining the fate of Eranikus in the Sunken Temple with the one of the Dragons of Nightmare . It is revealed that Eranikus holds the Green Scepter Shard , but will not give it up while under control of the Nightmare . Malfurion Stormrage , again communicating from the dream , sends the player to Keeper Remulos which tells that Eranikus must be summoned and defeated in Moonglade in order to be freed from the Nightmare . To summon him , Keeper Remulos requires . Three of these fragments drops from random lesser green dragons which are also found at the Dragons of Nightmare ' s locations . The fourth one drops from a satyr which preaches the Nightmare ' s power . When Eranikus , now Tyrant of the Dream , is summoned , he declares that he will destroy both Moonglade and Malfurion . Holding Eranikus back , Tyrande Whisperwind eventually arrives and cleanses the dragon with the power of Elune . Redeemed and freed from the Nightmare ' s grasp , Eranikus hands over the shard and returns to the Emerald Dream to fight the Nightmare . In Burning Crusade . The describes how the Emerald Dream is under assault from outside forces as well , lead by an ancient arakkoa spirit called Anzu . In Wrath of the Lich King . So far , the Emerald Dream can only be visited two times : In Legion . Access to much of the Emerald Dream ( and the Emerald Nightmare ) will be greatly expanded , with high level druids having access to the dreamway s to travel around Azeroth . All players are able to visit the true Emerald Dream briefly after completing the Emerald Nightmare raid . According to Malfurion , " Merely an echo , but Val ' sharah is as close to the Dream as this world can come . " Geography . Description . It appears to those who travel within it as how Azeroth would have been if intelligent beings had not altered its surface , such as human s or elves , with the cut forests , farmed prairies , diverted rivers or built cities . It is a vision of the world as a verdant natural paradise . Tranquil forests stretch away in every direction , and rolling hills and majestic mountains mimic Azeroth ' s landscape . Azeroth and the Emerald Dream are quasi - duplicates of each other — the Emerald Dream is Azeroth as seen through a magic lens , untouched by the hands of mortals . The mountains are in the same places in both worlds , but where a human metropolis stands in Azeroth , a lush field , vacant of artifice , grows in the Emerald Dream . The Emerald Dream is the Azeroth that would not have been split by magic into the four landmasses of today — within it is the original greater landmass of Kalimdor , covered in the hazy emerald green forests of aeons past . The Emerald Dream was originally described as a " a vast , ever - changing spirit world , existed outside the boundaries of the physical world . From the Dream , Ysera regulated the ebb and flow of nature and the evolutionary path of the world itself . " This implies less stagnation than the Emerald Dream described in other sources . Zones . The plane is an exact twin of the world it echoes , save for the lushness of vegetation and the lack of corruption by intelligent creatures . However , there are several places of interest in the Dream not found in Azeroth : Layers . The Emerald Dream also has multiple layers , described by Cenarius as different testing versions of Azeroth . These layers were created because the titans invested a great deal of work in perfecting their design of Azeroth , so , the finished design of the planet was the product of many previous flawed or unfinished models . Each layer represents an abandoned segment or idea that the titans tried and ultimately discarded . Malfurion observed that it looks like neither the mortal plane nor the Emerald Dream . He saw that one mountain peak lacked its northern face , while another peak looked as if someone had started molding it like clay but had lost interest . These older layers were normally uninhabited , invisible and incomplete , therefore limited in scope , relative to the finalized Dream . But they could be accessed by any who knew how to navigate them . Traits . The Dream can be affected by all dreamers to a minor and temporary extent . However , no living creature except the titan s has ever been able to permanently change the Dream . Ysera herself cannot control or shape the Dream , which has its own ecology and a variety of inhabitants , both sentient and non - sentient . Time is meaningless inside the Dream . As a result , the green dragonflight , which spends the majority of its time in the Dream , is extremely long - lived . Ysera ' s consorts in particular almost never emerge from the Dream and are effectively immortal , as are all other permanent denizens in the Dream . Access . The Emerald Dream can be visited in dreams or in the flesh . Although the druid s enter the plane through their connection with nature , accessing the Emerald Dream via more conventional magic is possible , but the plane ' s natives do not look kindly on intruders . Some creatures cannot help but dream of the plane and find themselves there without any preparation or conscious intent ; these dreaming creatures arrive in the Emerald Dream and often have prophetic and helpful visions . Other creatures intentionally use dreams to reach the Emerald Dream , such as the druid s . When an individual ' s spirit visits the Dream , leaving the body behind , that individual will manifest his or her dream form , which normally looks and behaves much as that individual ' s physical body might . Hence , for most creatures , moving through the Dream is achieved in the normal fashion , despite the realm ' s chiefly spiritual character . These rules do not apply to druids of sufficient skill or experience , who are trained to see beyond physical reality . These druids might be capable of abnormal movement in the Dream ( e . g . , a night elf who can sprint at a greatly accelerated rate , walk through solid objects , or fly ) . It is quite rare to see such unusual capabilities in non - druids , but it is not beyond the realm of possibility . Threats . For all its wonder , the Emerald Dream is not without its dangers . Those who visit via their dreams are welcomed and enfolded within the natural balance , but those who bring their physical selves face suspicion and hostility . A darker force has found its way into the Emerald Dream as well . Called the Nightmare , this mobile area of corruption stems from the twisted thoughts and fears of sleeping beings ’ subconscious minds . The Nightmare travels slowly through the Emerald Dream , leaving corrupted , vicious animals and Unwaking travelers in its path . None , not even Ysera , knows why the Nightmare exists — nor why its boundaries grow . Inhabitants . Rulers . The entire plane is the dominion of Ysera , the mighty green dragon Aspect , and she and her brood ensure that none despoil this paradise . Races and creatures . Nature is in a perfect balance in the Emerald Dream . Animals of all types inhabit the world , including some that are extinct on Azeroth and subspecies that never got the chance to evolve . Many fey creatures , such as sprites , dryads and keepers of the grove , also roam the Dream . However , it is not only the inhabitant creatures that roam the Dream . Creatures from Azeroth constantly visit , though they may or may not know it . List of races : Speculation . Rumors dating back to the early development phase of " World of Warcraft " in 2003 suggest that the Emerald Dream would have been added in an ' at that time ' future patch or expansion pack as an endgame zone or as a new continent . Newer speculation suggests that the Emerald Dream was originally intended to be an endgame instance , but got scrapped because Blizzard wanted it to be the main theme of an expansion . Tigole stated in late May 2007 that Blizzard had " actually done a lot of work on the Emerald Dream but we scrapped what we had for bigger , grander plans . " Blizzard quotes . Back before WoW ' s closed beta phase , Tigole mentioned interesting details about the Emerald Dream , that seem to support the idea that it will be released . Tigole on Sat , 06 Dec 2003 06 : 01 : 04 PST Tigole on Sat , 06 Dec 2003 22 : 01 : 05 PST Nethaera on Wed , 06 Sep 2006 08 : 19 : 20 Gamescom 2015 . At Gamescom 2015 , during the announcement event for , Alex Afrasiabi gave the audience a description of the new zone of Val ' sharah . During his description , he dropped some hints that we will get to see some of the Emerald Dream in the coming expansion . Alex Afrasiabi on Thurs , 06 Aug 2015 Pre - Legion . Currently the Emerald Dream is only explorable two times in - game . The Emerald Dream will likely have more in - depth appearances in WoW at some point in the future , but it ' s still unclear if it will be a new zone , a world spanning several new zones ( Emerald Paradise , etc . ) , an instance , an expansion pack , or anything else . It is a fact that five Great Trees already exist in Azeroth , with swirling green portals in front which are believed to be entrances to the Emerald Dream . These portals are in Duskwood ( Twilight Grove ) , Feralas ( Dream Bough ) , Hinterlands ( Seradane ) , Ashenvale ( Bough Shadow ) and Crystalsong Forest ( The Great Tree ) in Northrend . Currently none of these portals do anything if a player steps through them . Crystalsong ' s tree does not even have a portal . However the portals in Ashenvale , Feralas , Duskwood , and the Hinterlands are protected by high level elite dragonkin . Starting in patch 1 . 8 . 0 , the Four Dragons , who normally live in the Emerald Dream , began emerging from the portals at regular intervals . However , they were removed at the release of ( Patch 4 . 0 . 3 ) and one of them , Ysondre , was converted into a quest NPC in Ferelas . In the " War of the Ancients Trilogy " , the Emerald Dream is accessed by Malfurion and Cenarius by achieving a deep meditative state . Therefore , it ' s unclear if it will be accessible to non - druids , or if it will indeed be something that can be entered via the aforementioned portals at all . It is possible Blizzard could even add a new high level druid spell to port them directly to the Dream itself from anywhere . The plot of " Stormrage " seems to resolve any plots related to the Emerald Dream , decreasing the likelihood of its inclusion in World of Warcraft .