Canon

Canon is a term oft-used to refer to official lore, specifically the fictional accounts in the Warcraft universe as portrayed in Turtle WoW. It is used to define which lore should be considered a genuine part of the universe's history.

Turtle WoW's 'canon' is derived from the official Warcraft 'canon', and thus comprises a specific selection of works and sources of information considered from the Warcraft 'canon' to be authoritative and representative of the 'true' or official history of the Warcraft universe as it is portrayed in Turtle WoW. Therefore, 'canon' or 'canonical' lore is that which is part of this body of work, and is thus considered part of the true history in Turtle WoW.

In contrast, 'non-canon' information, while often containing characters and depicting events from canon sources, is not necessarily a reliable source of official information regarding the Warcraft universe as it is portrayed in Turtle WoW. Most works and installments of the official Warcraft franchise published or released during or following World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (2007) are considered non-canon in Turtle WoW.<ref name="Gheor TBC">Gheor from the Turtle WoW Community Discord - "what came before TBC is canon."</ref> The Warcraft RPG is not considered canon,<ref>Gheor from the Turtle WoW Community Discord - "that's what the canon from the rpg, if not mention--not canon."</ref> though elements are sometimes taken from it and added in-game.<ref>Gheor from the Turtle WoW Community Discord - "ask in, we pick stuff from it and we present it in game."</ref>

Which works are canon to Turtle WoW?

• Video games:
  • Warcraft: Orcs and Humans
  • Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
  • Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal
  • Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
  • Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
  • World of Warcraft
• Novels:
  • The Last Guardian by Jeff Grubb
  • Day of the Dragon by Richard A. Knaak<ref name="Mori">Moriena from the Turtle WoW Community Discord - "Both War of the Ancients and Day of the Dragon are canon in TWoW"</ref>
  • Lord of the Clans by Christie Golden
  • Of Blood and Honor by Chris Metzen
  • War of the Ancients Trilogy by Richard A. Knaak<ref name="Mori" />
    • The Well of Eternity
    • The Demon Soul
    • The Sundering
  • Cycle of Hatred by Keith R.A. DeCandido<ref name="Gheor TBC" />
• Short stories:
  • The War of the Shifting Sands by Micky Neilson
  • Road to Damnation by Evelyn Fredericksen
• Manga:
  • The Sunwell Trilogy by Richard A. Knaak (tentatively<ref>Moriena from the Turtle WoW Community Discord - "Technically"</ref>)
    • Volume 1: Dragon Hunt
    • Volume 2: Shadows of Ice
    • Volume 3: Ghostlands