Orc

Biodata

Background / History

Orcs came from Draenor, where the Gorian Empire once enslaved them and forced them to mine and fight in arenas. An uprising led by Kargath Bladefist and the emergence of orc shamans helped shift the balance of power 65. Medivh later opened a portal that brought orcs from another world to Azeroth 3.

In Azeroth, the Horde fought Stormwind for years. After an earlier failure against the city's walls, its forces returned with goblin-supplied siege engines. Orgrim Doomhammer had become Warchief, and Stormwind fell; its survivors fled north to seek an alliance against the Horde 38 39 43.

Appearance

Adult male orcs who crossed the Dark Portal average about seven feet tall and weigh 250–300 pounds 58.

• Green skin and prominent tusks are visible among Horde warriors 44 58.
• Grom Hellscream's skin turns bloodred and his muscles swell when he enters a battle frenzy 77.

Abilities & Warfare

Warriors

• Orc warriors are formidable in close combat; Grom Hellscream cuts through armored Alliance soldiers with an axe during the Hillsbrad landing 77.
• The Horde's strength does not make it immune to environmental hardship: blizzards, temperature changes, and lagging supplies render one-fifth of its warriors combat-ineffective in Dun Morogh 49.

Spellcasters

• Orcs have a shamanic tradition rooted in communication with elemental spirits 65.
• Warlocks use shadow and fel magic. Gul'dan raises dead Shadow Council warlocks as Death Knights using human corpses 58.
• Such power can exact a physical cost: dark magic corrodes Gul'dan's body, while repeated use of a shadow crystal prematurely ages the young warlock Kabal 58 67.

Siege, Naval, and Aerial Forces

• The Horde acquires catapults, battering rams, and siege towers from goblins for its renewed assault on Stormwind 38.
• Ships supplied and operated by pirates help orc forces raid Menethil Harbor 48.
• The Dragonmaw Clan uses the Dragon Soul to control Red Dragons, which subsequently carry orc riders into battle 49 53 57.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Fall of Stormwind: The Horde's renewed siege breaks the kingdom's defenses. Stormwind survivors travel to Lordaeron, where the threat helps prompt the formation of the Alliance of Arathor 38 39 43 44.
• Advance through the Wetlands: Orcs secure the Wetlands, but Ironforge's defenses and Dun Morogh's climate slow their main force. Alliance leaders identify the Thandol Span and a Hillsbrad port as potential routes for Horde supplies and troops 48 49.
• War on several fronts: Orc-mounted Red Dragons attack the Alliance fleet. Elsewhere, Death Knights strike at the Wall of Thoradin, and orc forces move through Hillsbrad toward the Hinterlands 53 58 59 61 62.
• Northern offensive: Kabal's force attacks Aerie Peak and is defeated. The threat also reaches Quel'Thalas, where Alvin warns the High Elves to prepare for orc and troll forces, possibly including Red Dragonriders 67 69 70 71 76.
• Hillsbrad landing: Grom Hellscream and the Saurfang brothers lead an orc landing that breaks through Alliance defenses. Alterac's king secretly arranges to open a route through the mountains if the Horde gains the advantage 77.