For twenty-two years, World of Warcraft players have treated Azeroth's wildlife with remarkably little sympathy. Wolves have been killed for their pelts, boars have supplied enough meat to feed several continents, and generations of Murlocs have met their end because somebody in a nearby village needed a few more eyes.
Now Blizzard has decided that these unfortunate creatures deserve their own nature documentary.
And who better to guide us through this extraordinary ecosystem than British comedian, musician and occasional naturalist Bill Bailey?
In World of Warcraft: Planet Azeroth, a three-part comedy documentary created to promote World of Warcraft: Forever, Bailey becomes a Dwarven explorer wandering through the forests, coastlines and dangerous wilderness of Blizzard's fantasy world.
All three episodes are now available, with the finale arriving on November 1, ahead of Forever's launch.
It is one of Blizzard's more unusual promotional campaigns. And surprisingly, it captures something about the original World of Warcraft that enormous cinematic battles and spectacular dragons sometimes struggle to explain.
Bill Bailey Discovers the Natural Wonders of Azeroth
The first episode of Planet Azeroth introduces Bailey's Dwarven alter ego to the inhabitants of the old world, including Murlocs, Kobolds and other familiar creatures.
The presentation borrows the conventions of a traditional British wildlife documentary. There is the measured narration, the apparent scientific curiosity and the occasional suggestion that the presenter is about to discover something of enormous biological significance.
Unfortunately, this is Azeroth, where the local wildlife frequently regards visitors as lunch.
The second episode takes Bailey toward Stranglethorn's coastline, introducing crocolisks, raptors, tigers and the peculiar dangers of Booty Bay. Anyone who remembers accidentally attacking the wrong creature near the Goblin town will appreciate why this particular ecosystem requires caution.
The third and final episode, released through IGN on November 1, turns toward Azeroth's more extreme environments, including the plague-ridden Eastern Kingdoms and the frozen wilderness of Winterspring.
Blizzard originally announced a later release for the finale, but all three installments appeared before Forever's launch.
Bailey is an excellent choice for this sort of thing. His fascination with wildlife, combined with his ability to approach the completely ridiculous with an almost scholarly seriousness, makes him a surprisingly convincing guide to a world populated by giant spiders and amphibious creatures that communicate primarily through aggressive gurgling.
The series is certainly promotional material. But at least Blizzard has remembered that Warcraft can be funny without turning every character into a walking punchline.
Why Planet Azeroth Fits WoW Forever So Well
There is a reason this particular campaign feels appropriate for World of Warcraft: Forever.
When the original game arrived in 2004, much of its appeal came from simply exploring the world. Elwynn Forest wasn't memorable because every tree concealed an important reward. It was memorable because the forest felt like somewhere you could wander, get lost and occasionally discover that the local bears were considerably less friendly than expected.
The Barrens had its wandering wildlife, enormous distances and strange little stories. Stranglethorn Vale offered beautiful scenery interrupted by frequent attempts on your life. And Winterspring felt genuinely remote, a place you reached after a long journey rather than selecting a destination from a convenient menu.
As we discussed in our WoW Forever beta review, Blizzard's challenge is not simply to recreate those locations. It is to make exploring them feel meaningful again.
That philosophy appears throughout Forever's design. The new camping system encourages players to stop and interact with one another, while the updated world and environmental improvements give familiar landscapes a fresh appearance without abandoning their original identity.
Players can even choose between Classic and Enhanced presentation settings, deciding how much of the old visual experience they want to preserve.
Planet Azeroth communicates the philosophy behind those decisions rather neatly.
Instead of explaining another complicated feature, Blizzard asks us to look at the world itself. The animals, landscapes and peculiar inhabitants that once made a simple journey between two villages feel like an adventure.
It also offers newcomers a more welcoming introduction than a detailed lecture about talent builds, threat generation and why a level 60 Warrior apparently needs seventeen different pieces of equipment before entering a raid.
With WoW Forever launching worldwide on November 4, at midnight November 5 in Central Europe, that message could hardly be better timed.
Blizzard wants players to rediscover Azeroth, and Bill Bailey has spent three episodes reminding us that there is rather a lot worth discovering.
Of course, once the servers open, most adventurers will immediately return to their traditional relationship with the local wildlife.
They will admire a beautiful forest, appreciate the carefully designed ecosystem, and then kill twelve wolves because an innkeeper promised them a pair of trousers.
Some Warcraft traditions are apparently beyond conservation.
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