The Sundering: How the Continent of Kalimdor Broke Apart
Vanilla WoW Classic 1.12 · x5 realm · wowx5.ru
The Sundering was the greatest natural cataclysm in the history of Azeroth, bringing the War of the Ancients to an end. It gave the world the shape you see in WoW Classic: continents divided by ocean and the forever-raging Maelstrom.
Before the Sundering there was a single supercontinent, Kalimdor. All the familiar lands — the Eastern Kingdoms and today's Kalimdor — are its shards.
The death of the Well of Eternity
When the heroes destroyed the Well of Eternity to banish the Legion, a monstrous surge of energy was released. The sea rushed into the resulting vortex and the land cracked. The single continent was torn apart, and where the Well had stood the Maelstrom appeared — a vast, unhealing wound in the world, a swirling storm of water and magic.
The birth of the continents
The shards of ancient Kalimdor drifted across the planet and became the continents players know:
| Shard | What it is today |
|---|---|
| Western part | Kalimdor (Durotar, Teldrassil, the wastes) |
| Eastern part | Eastern Kingdoms (Lordaeron, Azeroth, Khaz Modan) |
| Centre of the vortex | The Maelstrom and the Broken Isles |
| Seabed by Azshara's palace | The realm of the naga |
The curse of the naga and the elves' legacy
Queen Azshara and her court did not perish — swallowed by the deep, they were reborn as serpentine naga, lurking on the ocean floor for a thousand years. The surviving night elves led by Malfurion renounced their dangerous magic. They withdrew to Mount Hyjal, where the World Tree Nordrassil grew over a new, secretly created well. The dragon Aspects blessed it, granting the elves immortality and an unseen link to the Emerald Dream, into which the druids departed for their long sleep.
Why it matters for the player
The Sundering explains the very map of WoW Classic. Sailing between Stormwind and Orgrimmar is a journey across the ocean born of that catastrophe. And the threats that slept ever since — naga, Old Gods, the qiraji of Ahn'Qiraj — awaken once more in the Vanilla era.
Want to see the sundered world with your own eyes? Create an account on WowX5 x5 and set out to explore the shards of ancient Kalimdor.
FAQ
What was the Sundering?
A cataclysm at the end of the War of the Ancients: the destruction of the Well of Eternity tore the single continent of Kalimdor into the landmasses we know and created a vast Maelstrom at the centre of the ocean.
Where did the naga come from?
The naga are the former Highborne of Queen Azshara, who sank to the ocean floor with her palace during the Sundering and were reborn as serpentine beings.
How is the Sundering tied to the night elves?
After the disaster the surviving night elves withdrew to Mount Hyjal, grew the World Tree Nordrassil and gained immortality, renouncing the very magic that had doomed them before.