During the climactic finale of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the Dragon Aspects of Azeroth lost their immortality and declared that the age of dragons was over. It was time for the mortal heroes of Azeroth to take up the position of defenders of the land and the dragons vanished into the shadows. While they made their appearances throughout the next couple of expansions and lent their aid when it was needed, the Aspects were no longer one of the focal points of the storytelling. Now, World of Warcraft: Dragonflight seeks to change all that and make dragons the focus of Azeroth again.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight will see the Dragon Aspects return to their homeland of the Dragon Isles, a set of islands that they left when the sundering of Azeroth began. The Aspects that are returning to the islands are not the same ones that left as they have been through immense strife and change throughout their time in World of Warcraft. Some original five Aspects went mad, others perished, and most gave up their power.
Alexstrasza
Alexstrasza is the leader of the red dragonflight and the guardian of all life on Azeroth. She was one of the five dragons chosen as Aspects by the Titans and was appointed queen of all dragons. She led the charge during much of Azeroth's struggles including the war against Arthas in Wrath of the Lich King and the destruction of Deathwing in Cataclysm. Her cleansing fire also led to the rise of Bolvar Fordragon as the future Lich King, a character who made his grand return during Shadowlands.
Since giving up her power to defeat Deathwing in Cataclysm, Alexstrasza has not made many appearances. After the champions of Azeroth helped defend her flight against the Twilight dragonflight in Battle for Azeroth, she empowered the Heart of Azeroth with some other dragons, and she made a brief appearance in Shadowlands when she gave the Maw Walker a token made by Ysera. Other than that, Alexstrasza has kept her word and retreated into the shadows to allow the age of mortals to commence.
Malygos
Malygos was once the Aspect of the blue dragonflight and was tasked with protecting arcane magic by the Titans. However, he began to lose his mind as he believed that the mortal spellcasters were at fault for everything bad that has happened to Azeroth.and wanted to destroy them. The dragonflights laid siege to Wyrmrest Accord alongside the heroes of Azeroth during Wrath of the Lich King and tried to stop Malygos. They succeeded, and Malygos was destroyed leaving Azeroth. Kalecgos would take up the reins of the blue Dragon Aspect.and assist the world against Deathwing in Cataclysm.
Kalecgos would go on to join the Council of the Six and serve as an ally to the mortals of Azeroth. The blue dragonflight would disband due to the damage that Malygos caused, but Kalecgos remained committed to helping Azeroth. He would go on to help the heroes fight back against The Burning Legion in Legion and helped the champions power up the Heart of Azeroth during Battle for Azeroth. He remained a very active member of the World of Warcraft story and will continue to be in Dragonflight.
Nozdormu
Nozdormu is the leader of the bronze dragonflight and is the guardian of time. His flight was tasked with protecting the timeline by the Titans and as such, he would only intervene if it threatened the correct flow of time. He would assist the other flights in taking down Deathwing, and has since not made much of an appearance. Instead, Chromie has represented the bronze dragonflight in Azeroth.
Nozdormu's main conflict is with the infinite dragonflight which is led by a future version of himself named Murozond. They seek to save Azeroth from a worse fate by destroying the true timeline. He spends much of his time combating this threat and remains in seclusion. He has not been seen by the mortals of Azeroth since Cataclysm, but he will most likely appear once more in Dragonflight.
Ysera
Ysera was once the Dragon Aspect of the green dragonflight, She was charged with protecting the flow of nature of Azeroth through the Emerald Dream. Alongside the druids of Azeroth, her flight would fight off the Emerald Nightmare which seeks to corrupt nature. She spent much of her time in a slumber as her flight spent the majority of their time in the Emerald Dream, so much so that they found it hard to distinguish between reality and the dream. During Cataclysm, she woke up to assist her fellow aspects in defeating Deathwing.
Unlike some Aspects, Ysera continued to provide assistance to the mortals of Azeroth. During World of Warcraft: Legion, the satyr Xavius wished to corrupt the Emerald Dream with the Emerald Nightmare. He succeeded in corrupting Ysera herself and used her to attack the Temple of Elune. Alongside the heroes of Azeroth, Tyrande Whisperwind was able to bring Ysera down. Elune raised Ysera's soul and gave players the Tears of Elune in exchange. Ysera's spirit would later make an appearance in Shadowlands as players helped her be reborn in the realm of Ardenweald where she would be bound in the afterlife.
Neltharion
Neltharion is perhaps the most well known Aspect of Warcraft. He was once the protector of the Earth, but was driven mad by the whispers of the Old Gods. He turned against the other aspects and Azeroth itself, and took up the name Deathwing with the moniker Aspect of Death. He caused many conflicts during the time of the War of the Ancients and the Second War. He would show back up during Cataclysm where he tried to bring about the Hour of Twilight and end all life on Azeroth.
The heroes of Azeroth and the Dragon Aspects teamed up to combat his wave of destruction. Using the Dragon Soul, Thrall was able to bring him down, and he made his final stand in the Maelstrom. The Aspects utilized their combined powers and the Dragon Soul to finally defeat him for good. However, the Aspects had to give up their immortality and become mortal. It was the price they had to pay to save Azeroth, and the catalyst for their disappearance into the shadows.
After many years of dealing with other threats, World of Warcraft will see the return of the Aspects in all their glory. Little is known about the trajectory that the Dragonflight story will take, but it will surely shake up Azeroth. The Aspects have been through so much, and they will finally be returning home. Time will tell if this is a good reunion, or if this will lead to even more destruction.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC.