What are the Dragonflights in WoW? – World of Warcraft lore, explained

With Dragonflight being the core focus of an entire expansion in World of Warcraft, it's time to delve into the different dragon factions. Each of the five dragonflights has control over a different aspect of life on Azeroth and must work with one another for the greater good. But that leads to messy relationships between the dragons and even mortals. Let's skip the mess and take to the skies to get a 1000-foot view.

Dragonflights of Azeroth

Red

The red dragonflight are dragons notable for their vibrant red scales and life-giving fire. The Life-Binder, Alextrasza, leads them. Long ago, the titan Eonar charged Alexstrasza with protecting all life on Azeroth. Throughout Azeroth's storied history, the red dragonflight has typically aided the mortal races in their conflicts against outer threats.

Related: Summary of WoW Dragonflight Profession Changes – TLDR

Green

Sporting a dazzling array of green scales, the green dragonflight are the guardians of nature and the Emerald Dream. Currently led by Merithra, who took over after the tragic death of Ysera, the green dragonflight was instrumental in fighting back the Old Gods and their thralls during the Fourth War.

Blue

Led by the wise and powerful Kalecgos, the blue dragonflight wields frost and arcane magic. After nearly being wiped out by Deathwing, the blue dragonflight went into a state of forced hiding. It took several millennia before their numbers replenished. However, despite their bolstered population, the blue dragonflight has been left fractured since the Nexus War.

Black

While initially tasked with protecting Azeroth, the black dragonflight largely fell to madness thanks to the Old Gods. Their corruption of the black dragonflight leader, Neltharion, spread to the rest of the brood. This kicked off several pivotal moments in Azeroth's history, including the Cataclysm, which nearly destroyed the world.

Bronze

Breathing superheated sand and wrapped in scales of yellowed bronze, the bronze dragonflight are the guardians of time itself. Though they typically don't interact with mortals, several important members of the bronze dragonflight, including Chromie and Nozdormu, have called on the aid of Azeroth's champions to push back their nemesis, the Infinite dragonflight. The Infinite dragonflight are a faction of bronze dragons corrupted by the Old Gods that wish to rewrite the timeline.

For more World of Warcraft goodies, check out Can you change the UI in WoW Dragonflight? on Pro Game Guides.