The quest is where the story starts in any book, movie or MMORPG. Whether you like quest chains or hate them, it's time to gather the young'uns next to the hearth and tell them the story of that epic weapon, the forgetful gnome or the ancient Troll relic that took you all over Azeroth in Classic World of Warcraft.
Ranking these was tough, as all of these quests have a lot to offer for those that love their long and dramatic fantasy storylines. Some of these quests survived the Cataclysm expansion while many did not.
10 The Ancient Egg (Levels 44-50)
As you travel over the land of Azeroth, you'll notice that there are as many Troll ruins as Night Elf ruins. "The Ancient Egg" questline takes you through some of these more important locations and you get a lot of Troll backstory in the process, with a focus on Zul'Gurub and the Zandalar Tribe. With a mere eight steps, this is one of the shortest quest chains on the list, but it's connected to other quests like "Saving Sharpbeak" and "The Mallet of Zul'Farak," the latter of which is important for another dungeon in the Tanaris desert.
9 The Fallen Hero of the Horde (Level 56 and up)
This quest takes no less than 20 steps (with some variation) and starts with a ghostly NPC standing on the road that leads south from the Swamp of Sorrows into the Blasted Lands. Although he's an Orc he doesn't attack Alliance characters. The questline differs depending on your faction, and there are some quests only available to Warriors.
After you speak to another NPC in Nethergarde Keep nearby, the restless ghost on the road, named Trebor, offers you a quest. Regardless of your race or class, it all ends with killing a demon and freeing the restless ghosts of his dead friends. If you enjoyed the lore of the Warcraft movie, you could definitely check this one out.
8 The Tirion Fordring Quests (Level 52 and up)
This isn't just a quest chain for those interested in human lore or the history of Lordaeron. These quests detail the redemption arc of Tirion Fordring, one of the most important characters in the game. It has humble beginnings for what many think is the best questline in the game, starting with three kill quota quests before Tirion tells you his dark story.
We won't reveal any more about it, but keep in mind that this is the guy who started the Argent Dawn and is important to the Ashbringer Sword story arc. Even if you're not after that blue chest plate quest reward at the end, strap in for an epic adventure.
7 Linken's Sword (Level 55 and up)
Once upon a time, there was a little 8-bit game on the original Nintendo that blew everyone's collective minds and made the fantasy genre a permanent fixture in popular culture for all eternity.
Naturally, the developers at Blizzard had to include a homage to The Legend of Zelda in WoW, and this quest chain is it. With no less than 13 steps, with titles that recall several phrases from the Nintendo games, this one is intended for the dedicated adventurer. It's gone in modern WoW, but the legacy of this quest endures, with the Transmog for this sword one of the most valuable enhancements of its kind.
6 The Onyxia Attunement (Level 51 and up)
A big adventure that leads to the biggest perk of all, raiding. The quest for attunement to the dragon's lair is slightly different depending on your faction. Alliance players got the fat end of the stick on this one, as their faction has a more interesting storyline than the Horde's. Onyxia isn't all that she appears to be, and you actually catch her red-handed hiding in plain sight. This step of the quest, called "The Great Masquerade" is part 14 in a series of 16, and it's so crucial to the storyline the whole chain is often referred to just by referencing this one. To sum up, there's a dragon in the castle and you're going to get a few innocent NPCs killed. Have fun!
5 The Hermit (Levels 22-35)
When you were leveling through Duskwood, did you ever wonder why it looks so different from Elwynn Forest? If you want to wonder how Duskwood came to be such a dark and eerie blot on the sunny Eastern Kingdoms, then you need to stop by Darkshire and start this quest chain. It's one of the few on our list available to lower level players, too.
The quest giver is a crepy old alchemist named Abercrombie, and his story includes several tragedies, some of his own design. The culmination of this questline is the release of the abomination Stitches, an elite monster that pads along the road through Duskwood, attacking anything he comes across.
4 The Missing Diplomat (Levels 28-30)
Another way to get deep into Human lore and explore the world map while getting experience points and gear along the way, and it's available to fairly low-level characters. At eleven steps, it's in the middle of the road as far as length, and since it starts in Stormwind it's the first chain quest most Alliance toons experience. If you like quests that include a lot of exploration and intrigue as opposed to fighting, you'll enjoy this quest, but those who prefer the hack and slash type of adventure can still do it just for the easy experience points.
3 Pamela's Doll and Defenders of Darrowshire (Levels 50 and up)
No matter what side you're on, we know about the Lich King. Everyone has stood in the throne room of the Ruins of Lorderon and turned the ambiance all the way up to hear Athas kill his father, the King, a devastating moment in WoW lore. If you want a close look at how the civilians suffered, seek out this little town in the southwestern corner of the Eastern Plaguelands and live the story yourself.
This heartbreaking quest actually consists of two chains, one that starts with the restless ghost of a child and the story of the Redpath family. It gets worse, so keep that box of tissues handy. The first is eleven steps and takes place in the ruins of Darrowshire. This questline focuses on Pamela and other ghostly members of the family. These lead you to Light's Hope Chapel and a grief-stricken Carlin Redpath, who starts you on the six-step Defenders of Darrowshire quest.
2 The Scepter of the Shifting Sands
You thought the Onyxia attunement was epic? How about a quest chain that not only gets you some epic purple gear but also unlocks and triggers a world event? This could have been one of the longest quest lines in Classic WoW, with more than 30 steps that included searching for the materials to build the scepter in addition to a myriad of other quests in dangerous places like the Sunken Temple and Molten Core.
Every player on the server can participate in the "War effort" portion of the quest that actually preps the army to open the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj. As of the Cataclysm expansion, changes were made to important locations for this quest throughout Azeroth, which led to the quest's removal.
1 The Dreadsteed of Xoroth
Unlike any other quest on this list, this one is confined to a single class. By the time you're high enough level to start the initial quest, level 58, you know there's a bond among Warlocks that is more important than faction loyalties.
There are only 12 steps in this quest chain, making it ambitious but not exhausting. However, you also have to gather a large number of rare materials, visit some isolated and dangerous areas, and buy some very expensive reagents in the process. The adventure of how you raise that gold could be an interesting story itself, but perhaps more appropriate for the pub as opposed to the family hearth.