Great War (Prime)

The name or term "Great War" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Great War (disambiguation).

The Great War is a historical event from the Aligned continuity family.

The Great War was the first and most violent outburst of fighting on the planet Cybertron, between the newly christened Autobots and Decepticons. It was started by Megatron's initial drive to overthrow the caste system, although this noble goal was corrupted by his jealousy of Orion Pax's ascension to Prime. Fighting between the two forces lasted for several million stellar cycles. By its end, however, Cybertron was a barren and uninhabitable wasteland, devoid of pure Energon, forcing Prime to enact the Great Exodus.

Major Events of the Great War

• Orion Pax is appointed Prime by the High Council. Megatron kills counsellor Halogen in anger, sparking tensions between the two former friends. Exodus
• Fort Scyk is taken by the Decepticons, overwhelming the unprepared and lazy garrison stationed there. A regiment of Council Guardians ultimately turns the tide, led by Ultra Magnus. Exodus

My shiny windows sparkle
Just like a Christmas tree!

• The Hydrax Plateau is seized by the Decepticons; with this key feature captured the majority of Cybertron's eastern hemisphere falls to the Decepticons and remains as such for the remainder of the war. Exodus
• The Satellite Command Center at Polyhex is taken over by Decepticons. Exodus
• Crystal City is razed, primarily by Constructicons, using their "Devastator" gestalt modes for the first time. Though the Autobots fight hard, the city is ultimately destroyed, though many of its scientific treasures escape or survive the collapse. Exodus
• The Autobots win their first major victory of the Great War at Kalis, primarily due to a lack of Decepticon air support. The Autobots begin to use long-range combat as a primary tactical advantage. Bruticus Maximus is defeated by Sideswipe, Jazz, and Optimus Prime. Kalis remains in Autobot hands. Exodus
• The cities of Tarn and Vos are occupied by Shockwave's forces; the Decepticon turns the two cities against one another, resulting in Tarn's destruction. Vos is destroyed not long afterwards through Shockwave's machinations, crippling Starscream's power base and allowing the mad scientist to position himself as second-in-command. Exodus
• The Autobots and Decepticons battle at Praxus. The city-state is ultimately leveled by the fighting, and to this day the outcome is unclear. Prowl and Ironhide, citizens of Praxus, join the Autobot cause. Exodus
• Bruticus Maximus leads a massacre at Nova Cronum, killing every sentient being there. Megatron sets up a fortified command post among the ruins. Exodus
• The Tagan Heights are demolished by years of fighting. It is here that the Wreckers prove crucial to the Autobot war effort, and the Autobots manage to create their own combiner, Defensor, who fights a Devastator to a standstill. Exodus
• After centuries of stasis, the Allspark creates a final generation of Transformers, most of whom side with the Autobots. Exodus
• The Allspark is ejected from Cybertron. A standstill ensues. Exodus Predacons Rising

Allow me to introduce myself: I am the galactically feared and universally despised... they call me Ivan Ooze.

• Seeking a new edge in the war, Megatron storms Trypticon Station and wrests control of it from Starscream, empowering himself and other Decepticons with the Dark Energon stored there. Exodus
• The Seekers travel deep underneath Cybertron in search of the long-abandoned Geosynchronous Energon Bridge beneath the ruins of Crystal City, which will allow the manufacture of new Dark Energon for the Decepticons' use. Exodus
• Megatron leads a final attack on Iacon and attempt to travel to Cybertron's core. Though Sentinel Zeta Prime and Omega Supreme stand in his way, the Decepticons defeat them both. Because of this, the Decepticon leader manages to reach Cybertron's core and corrupt it with Dark Energon—a critical blow against the Autobots. Exodus War For Cybertron
• The Autobots manage to drive the Decepticons from Iacon. Exodus War For Cybertron
• Optimus and his inner circle lead a raid on the prison, but they cannot save Sentinel. Optimus now truly assumes leadership of the Autobot cause. Exodus War For Cybertron
• Heading down through Cybertron's inner layers, Optimus finds much of the planet to have been thoroughly infected. Optimus is given the Matrix of Leadership by the Core, a fragment of Prima's powerful sword that contains a portion of Cybertron's spark. Exodus War For Cybertron

CRUUUUSSSHHHH
ZEUUUUUUUUSSSS

• Optimus orders the Great Exodus of all Cybertronians, though a small portion of the Autobots stay behind under his direct command, and the same transpires for Megatron's Decepticons. Exodus War for Cybertron During the exodus' final days, Megatron is temporarily killed by the mighty Metroplex until he is revived by Soundwave. The Autobots depart Cybertron in the Ark while the Decepticons do so in the Nemesis. Fall of Cybertron Some stay behind, including Shockwave, the Dinobots, and Ultra Magnus and his Wreckers. Rage of the Dinobots
• After several adventures through the cosmos, Optimus clashes with Megatron on Earth, following which, the Decepticon leader departs into space to search for an army. While the Autobots ally themselves with the United States of America, Starscream is left in command and lays low, leaving the smaller conflict stagnant until he kills Cliffjumper three years into their stay on Earth. Three human children, Jack Darby, Miko Nakadai, and Raf Esquivel are caught up in the conflict and become members of Optimus' unit. Megatron soon returns and brings Dark Energon to Earth, officially renewing the war. Darkness Rising
• The Autobots and Decepticons ally to defeat Unicron, revealed to be residing within the Earth's core. One Shall Stand
• After a lengthy arms race over relics scattered on Earth, both factions battle over the right to revive Cybertron through the Omega Lock, but when forced into a corner, Optimus destroys it, dooming Cybertron to remain lifeless. The Autobots are dealt a crushing defeat by Megatron in retaliation, Darkest Hour but eventually successfully regain lost ground when Ultra Magnus arrives on Earth. Rebellion

Well, at least I don't have to pay the power bill for this stupid insignia anymore!

• On the verge of creating a new army of cloned Predacons, the Decepticons lose more than half of their military strength thanks to a mishap involving a Terrorcon infestation, severely weakening their war effort. Thirst This coupled with Predaking revealing his sentience causes Megatron to terminate the cloning scheme, and he resolves to repair the Omega Lock. Evolution Minus One
• When the Omega Lock is completed, the Autobots attack the Nemesis, killing Megatron and reviving Cybertron, effectively ending the Great War with an Autobot victory. Deadlock After reclaiming the AllSpark, Optimus returns to Cybertron to find Unicron attacking the planet, and seals the Chaos Bringer away. Optimus sacrifices himself to restore the AllSpark to the Core of the planet, while a revived Megatron dissolves the Decepticon movement. Predacons Rising