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World of Warcraft patch 6.2 to bring back veteran villain for Hellfire Citadel raid

World of Warcraft

“Even as times change,” say Blizzard, “so too do they stay the same.”

So it is that an orcish iron tower in the Tanaan Jungle might share its name with the scorched Outland peninsula where the Draenei were massacred in an alternate timeline.

WoW lore has it that Grommash built this stronghold at the behest of Garrosh, who intended it to serve as both a staging ground for the assault on Azeroth and a raid area for players of item level 650 and up.

Hellfire Citadel follows Highmaul and Blackrock Foundry – a “fel-twisted bastion” that threatens the much-threatened Azeroth. For players, it offers items ranging in power from item level 675 to 685 in Raid Finder – and up to 735 in Mythic difficulty. A new Rare quality pet is up for grabs as well – the Corrupted Nest Guardian.

Its arch-boss is a man named Archimonde, which doesn’t sound especially sinister given its phonetic proximity to Archibald, but totally is. One of the first eredar who betrayed the draenei of Argus to join dark titan Sargeras, Archimonde the Defiler commands the Burning Legion. You might remember him from the Battle for Mount Hyjal; here he’s a sort of space-time hopping supervisor for Gul’dan, in Draenor to ensure the invasion of Azeroth happens as it should.

Which of course it won’t, because you and umpteen other players are there too.

“We planted some seeds that this confrontation might be coming in the level-up quest experience,” said the raid’s designers. “In the original timeline, Kil’jaeden was the broker behind Gul’dan’s dark deal with the Horde, but here – thanks to Garrosh’s interference – he failed, and so Archimonde was entrusted with the task of finishing the job.”

The green-eyed villain has learned a “number of nasty new tricks” since Mount Hyjal.

“Although you have the greatest heroes of Azeroth and Draenor standing beside you in this battle, even they cannot aid you within the Twisting Nether itself,” wrote Blizzard. Ominously.

Any of you lot been raiding since Draenor? If you’re hanging fire until the return of flying mounts to WoW, well – better stop holding your breath before you turn as green as Archi.