There’s few beings in the World of Warcraft that, when stumbled upon, make the player run away screaming in terror. Not so much because they look dangerous or like they might hurt you. But moreso because they are so, so ugly that it hurts your eyes, makes you want to vomit and leaves you wondering, “WHY??”

This is unfortunately what I am facing right now as I work through the end quests of Deepholm involving the lovely lady Therazane, and it got me thinking — could she be, perhaps, the ugliest being ever to grace the lands of Azeroth? Read on to find out where she stands among the  Top 10.

Yes, my friends, these are the fuglies of Azeroth. And while we may disagree on the rankings I assigned, I’m relatively certain that we all can at least agree on one thing: these dudes are not pretty.

10. Eck the Ferocious (Gorloc)

This side-boss in Gundrak not only has a name that makes me think of phlegm getting caught in my throat (not pleasant), but also has attacks that leave you bearing his stenchy, slimy grossness. His spit attack leaves an  hour-long debuff on toons that makes them smell “ferocious.” Ew. Although the smaller gorlocs that players encounter in Northrend are slightly less rank, they bear many of the same nasty traits as Eck here, which makes grinding reputation on their behalf that much more unbearable.

9. Hogger (Gnoll)

The king of killing newbs in a starting zone near you (ie Elwynn Forest), Hogger’s sight is worse that his bite. That hunchback with bristles of unkempt hair; that giant nose with flaring nostrils; that snarling mouth dripping with globs of drool (undoubtedly as he imagines eating you with his pack of ugly friends).

It’s all too much for some low-levels to bear. I don’t blame them; I might also just turn around and run if I saw this creature staring me down. And I would agree for most gnolls in general — not the prettiest of beasts. Continue Reading

Warning: this review may contain spoilers for Cataclysm or to anyone who hasn’t already read the War of the Ancients trilogy and who is not familiar with that area of lore. Read at your own risk.

A few weeks back I took up the fun task of telling all of you about my first experience reading a Warcraft-themed novel, and how it had as a result made Azeroth feel much more alive and personal. That was upon my finishing of The Well of Eternity. Now, I’ve completed the remaining two books of the War of the Ancients trilogy by Richard Knaak — The Demon Soul and The Sundering — and am happy to say that they have not only continued to strengthen my understanding of WoW lore, but also of the Cataclysm that is soon to come.

Knaak’s writing style isn’t always my favorite, but I get sucked into the story firmly enough that it doesn’t bother me — especially when it means that I’m getting an intimate view of some of the characters who will be playing major roles in WoW: Cataclysm.

I’ll point to three characters who share two things in common — they all play key roles within the War of the Ancients and are heavily explored within the trilogy, and also all three will play a role in the coming expansion.

1. Neltharion the Earth Warder / Deathwing the Destroyer
   

The last two books of the trilogy provide a nice glimpse into this character much beyond the surface traits with which many of us are familiar. Several sections are told completely from his point of view, and we see first-hand-accounts of his completely self-obsessed, power-driven, maniacal thoughts as he has been slowly driven insane, at least partially from the voices of the Old Gods who plan to use him as a tool in their efforts to reclaim the world.

We see and feel his impatience as he counts down the hours and seconds until his ultimate treachery against the world, and we witness how he relishes the thought of every living creature bowing to him — be they from the Burning Legion, the masses of night elves fighting against them, or even his own kind. We mourn the deaths of the blue flight when Deathwing turns his power against them, and are pained by the futility of the other aspects who can do nothing to stop him.

We even hear his tortured cries as he affixes to his own body plated armor that is driven through his scales and into his flesh. And when two thieves take advantage of this time of his distraction to steal his ultimate death-device, the dragon/demon soul, we understand his mad pursuit of sweet revenge.

Perhaps the single-most telling aspect to his story within this trilogy, in my opinion, was the extent to which Deathwing was willing to endure through anything to win back the demon soul, just before the sundering of the well of eternity.

Check this excerpt from near the end of The Sundering, and tell me you’d like to face THIS madness in battle:

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