Maelstrom

Maelstwow — The Maelstrom in *World of Warcraft*.

The Maelstrom is the gigantic rift that was created when the Well of Eternity collapsed into itself during the Great Sundering.

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos

This section concerns content related to Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos or its expansion The Frozen Throne.

From the Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos manual:

As the aftershocks from the Well of Eternity's implosion rattled the bones of the world, the seas rushed in to fill the gaping wound left in the earth. Nearly eighty percent of Kalimdor's landmass had been blasted apart, leaving only a handful of separate continents surrounding the new, raging sea. At the center of the new sea, where the Well of Eternity once stood, was a tumultuous storm of tidal fury and chaotic energies. This terrible scar, known as the Maelstrom, would never cease its furious spinning. It would remain a constant reminder of the terrible catastrophe... and the Utopian era that had been lost forever.

At the center of the Maelstrom is a location known as the Eye. The empires of the makrura and the naga lie beneath it.

In Warcraft III, when Thrall's fleet crashed, they made an emergency landing on an island near the Maelstrom where they found a group of trolls fighting desperately against human colonists and murloc invaders. The island was destroyed (though not by the Maelstrom), with Thrall barely escaping.

It is implied that the Maelstrom is slowly drawing the Broken Isles towards itself, and will ultimately destroy them for good.

World of Warcraft

This section concerns content related to the original World of Warcraft.

As things currently stand, the Maelstrom is a large storm only viewable in World of Warcraft on the world map, where it sits between Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. Ship and zeppelin routes go out of their way to avoid the Maelstrom, for fairly obvious reasons.

Cataclysm

This section concerns content related to Cataclysm.

According to a recent press event Deathwing reenters Azeroth from Deepholm via the Maelstrom instead of Deathwing Scar as originally announced.^[1] The Maelstrom is a sanctuary, where PvP combat is disabled. The zone can be reached through the breadcrumb quests leading to Deepholm from Stormwind and Orgrimmar. Thrall is also present here (now affiliated with the Earthen Ring), and is trying to maintain the rift.

Thrall working his magic outside of the Maelstrom
Entering the Maelstrom
WorldMap-TheMaelstromBeta12984.jpg

The Maelstrom continent during 12984 Beta Build
Zone map