The Caverns of Time is a location set in Blizzard Entertainment's video game and book series, Warcraft. In the MMORPG World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade it acts as an instance dungeon in the virtual world.

Overview

The Caverns of Time, located in the desert of Tanaris in southern Kalimdor, is not a single instance but a sort of portal to a number of different instances. The Caverns of Time, guarded by the bronze dragon flight, allows players to travel through the history of WarCraft and relive some of its most exciting moments. This provides a tremendous opportunity for Blizzard to implement a near infinite amount of new content, should they choose, allowing players to fight the epic battles seen in their previous strategy games. Currently Thrall's escape from Durnholde Keep, the opening of the Dark Portal, the Battle of Mount Hyjal and the battle on Hellfire Peninsula are all events slated to be included in the Caverns of Time upon its release. The Caverns of Time is being designed for players between level 60 and 70.

Instances

Thrall's Escape from Durnholde

Durnholde Keep was the headquarters of the orcish internment camps in southern Lordaeron following the Horde's defeat in the Second War. At this time, Thrall was a 19-year-old slave to human officer Aedelas Blackmoore, who intended to use Thrall as a puppet Warchief to control the orcish Horde, and thus gain power over his fellow humans. However, Thrall knew that he was destined for more, and so he made his escape from Durnholde to find others of his kind.

The Opening of the Dark Portal

The spark to the powderkeg that became the First War. The sorcerer Medivh - possessed by the fallen Titan Sargeras at his birth - had been haunted by visions of a red world of green-skinned warriors looking for more worlds to conquer. Striking a bargain with the powerful warlock Gul'dan, trained by Sargeras' lieutenant Kil'jaeden, Medivh used his artifacts to open a portal between his world of Azeroth and the orcs' red homeworld of Draenor...

The Battle of Mount Hyjal

The final battle of the Third War. Facing annihilation, the Night Elves, Humans, and Orcs joined forces to fight the Burning Legion. The newfound allied forces had to defend the World Tree atop Mount Hyjal so Malfurion Stormrage, the powerful Night Elf archdruid, could channel its primal energies to destroy Sargeras' other lieutenant, Archimonde, and deal a crippling blow to the Burning Legion. If Archimonde had reached it too soon, the Alliance and Horde would have been doomed forever.

Battle on Hellfire Peninsula

Draenor's Hellfire Peninsula was considered to be the site of the final battle of the Second War. In order to destroy the orcish Horde, King Terenas of Lordaeron sent a great army led by General Turalyon, former lieutenant to Anduin Lothar, to wipe them out. The mad shaman Ner'zhul attempted to open portals to other worlds, but the incredible power of opening those portals began to tear Draenor apart. Realizing that the destruction of Draenor would doom Azeroth as well, Turalyon and his companions - his chief advisor Archmage Khadgar, his scout commander Alleria Windrunner, his tactical advisor Danath Trollbane, and the dwarf leader Kurdran and his gryphon mount Sky'ree - volunteered to remain on Draenor and destroy the Draenor end of the Dark Portal to preserve Azeroth. Their fate remains unknown to this day, but they are all presumed dead.