Backhand of Justice

World of Warcraft has been such a phenomenal success that people forget how important the Warcraft genre was even before the MMO’s launch. Both Orcs & Humans and Tides of Darkness were a big part of the RTS genre’s rise to prominence, and Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos was the most anticipated RTS since Starcraft.

Many see the precursors to World of Warcraft as immature efforts that ultimately culminated in the juggernaut of an MMO that we’re familiar with today, but Warcraft III was so much more than that. It not only created a new genre, it also refocused RTS games on smaller conflicts, a complete 180 from where they were trending at the time.

Most importantly, it introduced the character of Arthas, and forever changed the lore of Warcraft. 

Smaller is better

The dream of the RTS genre was for a long time to create the ultimate large scale representation of battle. Age of Empires, Command and Conquer and Total Annihilation were all games whose focus was on grand battles and more units. As technology improved, the dream of true strategic warfare simulation was in reach.

That’s why it was so shocking that Blizzard (at the time legendary RTS developers with Starcraft and Warcraft II as their pedigree), went the direction they did with Warcraft III. Not only did they focus on small scale battles and increasing unit importance, but they brought RPG elements into the genre.

Games in the past had implemented powerful ‘hero units,’ but nobody had a fully fleshed out progression system and individual spell abilities to the extent that Reign of Chaos did. The hero units in Warcraft III weren’t merely powerful versions of the regular soldiers, they were the centerpieces of your army and without them, all was lost.

Heroes had powerful battle-changing abilities. Also apparently one building is a floating present, or tome or something. WTF is that?

In addition, the relatively small size of armies forced the player to savor every unit and micro-strategies emerged to maximize the effectiveness of all resources. No longer was it feasible to throw endless units in to a grinder and focus on economy. The face of RTS war had changed and Warcraft III’s lasting impact can be felt today with RTS/RPG hybrids like the Dawn of War series.

Birth of a genre

Mods becoming as influential or more influential than the game from which they were based was not a new development when Reign of Chaos was released. Counter-Strike was far more popular online than Half-Life ever was.

That it was a mod was not what made the success of Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) so surprising. What made it so surprising was that while Counter-Strike was in the same genre as Half-Life (FPS), DOTA was a completely new genre. While it was heavily based off the hero combat dynamics in Warcraft III, it had become something unique.

Stone Giants: Embarrassing themselves by being slaughtered by tiny heroes since 2002

Even today we’re struggling to name the genre, but descriptors such as ‘Multiplayer Online Battle Arena’ have come to prominence. It’s unwieldy enough I think most would rather stick with ‘DOTA clone’ for games of this ilk. MOBA just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

DOTA wasn’t a unique example of lightning in a bottle, either. This year alone, three DOTA clones were either released or heavily previewed: Demigod, Heroes of Newerth and League of Legends. DOTA is still played today and is more popular than Warcraft III multiplayer. Blizzard’s focus on the hero was something of a compromise in terms of game design but gamers wanted even more and took matters into their own hands.

How many games can claim they created a genre? Most genres developed over time and weren’t birthed fully formed from an existing game. Warcraft III is one of a few that holds this special distinction.

The Lich King

The most important aspect of Warcraft III’s legacy is undoubtedly the introduction of Arthas. He is such a significant figure in the lore of Warcraft that it feels like he has been around forever. People forget that he was introduced and elevated to the title of ultimate antagonist over the course of a single game.

When you combine five Druids in bear form, they become Megazord. Or a pile of bears ... I can't remember. It's been a while

It is fitting that we take a look back at Warcraft III this week as adventurers in the World of Warcraft are about to have a crack at him and will bring the Arthas storyline to a close. Icecrown Citadel will likely become available next week and unlock the final battle against the great Lich King. He is one of the first villains to grow into his place in the storyline in front of the players rather than in some ‘recounted from long ago’ type legend where you merely have to trust that he’s evil.

We know what he did, and what his motivations were; he’s not some one dimensional caricature, he’s a tragic figure who engenders a great deal of empathy. He betrayed his father and his homeland but it was as a result of his overzealous attempt to save both. Arthas’ struggle is one of the more poignant storylines in Azeroth and it will likely be with mixed feelings that heroes finally dispatch him.

Finally, players continually lament the fact that World of Warcraft is killing off all the great enemies of antiquity in Azeroth. ‘What will Blizzard do when their subscribers have defeated everybody?’ Considering the creative team at Blizzard built up Arthas in a single game, I have no doubt that they’ll be able to keep the antagonist generator running and create even greater foes.

Warcraft III’s innovations still resonate across multiple genres. I would go so far as to say that it was the first big budget genre bending hybrid game and it paved the way for AAA titles such as Borderlands and Fallout 3, as well as eclectic gems like Henry Hatsworth.

Blizzard continue to be a force in game development. How many games can say they created a genre? How many created an icon? Games that accomplished both of those feats can be counted on one hand. Warcraft III is one of those elite gems and treating World of Warcraft as the pinnacle of the Warcraft universe is nowhere near the whole story.