World of Warcraft is notorious for its bosses. Each expansion has provided tougher and tougher enemies for you to defeat — you'd be hard-pressed to find a boss in WoW that can be considered an easy challenge. Once you do take down a strong boss at the end of a raid, you'll feel accomplished and be rewarded for your efforts.
Each boss comes with their own backstory, whether they were once revered as a hero or a former god cast out and looking for revenge. They are all intricately designed and are a large part of the reason WoW became so successful. The majority of them will stand in your mind long after you've defeated them in battle.
10 Jaina Proudmoore And Her Chilling Touch
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Lady Jaina Proudmoore is known as the most powerful human sorceress World of Warcraft has ever seen. She serves as one of the Warcraft series' main protagonists, but delivers a challenging encounter in WoW.
Most boss battles see a plethora of abilities sent after you, and this one focused on Chilling Touch, an ability that will slow you down and stack up to eventually freeze you where you stand. The annoyance of Chilling Touch makes her one of the more memorable bosses in the MMO.
9 Garrosh Hellscream Of Draenor
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Garrosh Hellscream was born on Draenor where he learned from his father, the great warrior Grommash Hellscream. Garrosh was once the Warcheif of the Horde before Vol'jin took his place after the Siege of Orgrimmar.
The former Warchief became so corrupted by power that he would stop at nothing to become ruler of the world. As the final boss in Mists of Pandaria, Garrosh will give you a run for your money. The orc would eventually be felled by a single bolt of lightning, but his actions effected the world long into the future.
8 A Mighty Dragon Named Nefarian
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Dragons are typically the go-to boss battles for MMO developers. Fantasy worlds are often filled with them and center much of the story around ending their rule. In WoW, Nefarian was one such dragon as the eldest son of Deathwing.
Nefarian had a human form known as Victor Nefarious, Lord of Blackrock. Atop Blackrock Spire is where he ruled until the champions of Azeroth defeated him. Then he was brought back to life by his father only to be seen as a rotting freakshow rather than a mighty beast. His size alone made him a tough opponent for anyone who dared to face him.
7 Deathwing The Destroyer
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Deathwing is a dragon with many titles. He was known as The Destroyer, the Aspect of Death, The Black Scourge, and The Worldbreaker. He was the Herald of the Gods and leader of the black dragonflight, thought to be dead until his return after the fall of the Lich King.
Destruction and despair were all that followed Deathwing's wake. His goal was to end all life and liberate the Old Gods in a moment known as the Hour of Twilight. If you were to take him on in World of Warcraft, you'd have to fight through earthquakes and volcanoes while he watches from above, biding his time.
6 Yogg-Saron The Old God
The Old Gods are some of the most horrifying creatures in all video game history. Yogg-Saron is one of four and was imprisoned in the Ulduar titan complex. When he attempted to escape from his prison, he brought forth terrors never-before-seen in Azeroth. This included corruption of titans, the Curse of the Flesh, and the chopping down of the World Tree Andrassil.
The Fiend of a Thousand Faces is a massive creature sporting vicious teeth and long, powerful tentacles. In battle, you had to take down various portions of Yogg-Saron. His body, brain, tentacles, and a female avatar all served as their own mini-bosses in this difficult boss battle. The disgusting monster is one that you will never forget.
5 Ragnaros Is A Master Of Fire
Ragnaros is the Lord of Fire. Unlike many bosses in World of Warcarft that send out their minions to do their bidding, Ragnaros prided himself in being part of the battle. He fought alongside his minions to burn, pillage, and siege the likes of Mount Hyjal and the Molten Core.
His defeat would come at Azeroth's champions and the Gudarians of Hyjal in a four stage battle. Ragnaros tries to stop you with a barrage of lava from the ground and various fire-based attacks. Because he perished in his own domain, he suffered the fate of eternal death. Ragnaros' primal power is one that remained with his followers, however, never truly allowing the Firelands peace.
4 Uu'nat, Harbinger Of The Void
Uu'nat is the final boss in the Crucible of Storms raid for World of Warcraft. This boss delivered as frustrating a battle as they come, even for the most-skilled warriors of Azeroth. This was all because of the Unstable Resonance ability that would debuff the raid party. If you had a different debuff than one of your party members, you would need to avoid touching them or a devastating explosion would occur.
Patience was key to defeating Uu'nat, Harbinger of the Void. WoW lore says that Uu'nat was forced to service the Old Gods, waiting for his master to return as was written in the stars. His armies failed to accomplish their goal, but he remains one of the best bosses in the MMO simply because he's so memorable and probably wasn't meant to be.
3 Kil'Jaeden, Commander Of The Burning Legion
Kil'Jaeden is a demon lord who was second in command of the Burning Legion. The Burning Legion is a vast army of demons and other corrupted lifeforms who wish to bring about the destruction of all life. Kil'Jaeden was tasked with strengthening their numbers by corrupting as many races as possible, bringing them into the fold. You'll have to avoid minions, a round of attacks as he takes the sky, and shrouds of darkness to overcome his treachery.
Though his pedigree is immense, he would eventually become known for just one thing. Kil'Jaeden is the demon who created the Lich King. Of course, the Lich King would go on to betray him, but not before they would work together to weaken Azeroth. Kil'Jaeden was often forgiving if those under his command weren't complete failures, but he did not show that same forgiveness to champions who looked to stop his reign of terror.
2 Illidan The Chosen One
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Illidan Stormrage is one of the coolest names in World of Warcraft. The half-demon, half-night elf was but a simple sorcerer before he started to delve into some horrifying acts. He betrayed his people, joined the Burning Legion, and was sentenced to prion below Mount Hyjal for 10,000 years after the War of the Ancients.
Stormrage used his time imprisoned to hone his powers. He was able to wipe out champions with fire, summoning beings from the shadows, and strikes of sheer strength. And that was all before he would take on larger, winged form. Many thought he was the Chosen One, a hero of Light, but he rejected the idea and it only made him more dangerous. You will see this first-hand in the Black Temple raid. Demonic magic and rapid strikes from Illidan make for a tough five phase boss fight.
1 The Lich King Reigns Supreme
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The Lich King is infamous in World of Warcraft — so much so that he received an entire expansion named after him. He ruled the Scourge and was able to telepathically control them from the Frozen Throne. This made the Lich King a threat from near and far. What also makes the Lich King so unstoppable is that he can merge with other beings and their souls, essentially being eternal.
The raid at Icecrown Citadel will test every ounce of will you have as a World of Warcraft player. He dishes out strikes that deal damage in the tens of thousands, and gains attack buffs if he isn't defeated within 15 minutes. When you do eventually defeat The Lich King, he will be imprisoned in the body of Bolvar Fordragon, who is labeled the new Lich King. This all comes far too long after he laid waste to much of Azeroth and its champions throughout the lengthy Wrath of the Lich King expansion.