How long have orcs been on azeroth

When they arrived in Kalimdor, they were greeted by Cairne Bloodhoof and his tauren. The orcs helped Cairne fend off the centaurs , and in return, he told the orcs the location of the Oracle. The Warsong clan however, was sent to Ashenvale to cut lumber as punishment for attacking the humans without permission. There they battled the Night elves. The Pit lord Mannoroth took advantage or the fact that the orcs were losing to empower them with his blood, and thus brought them back under his control.

Thrall allied with the human sorceress Jaina Proudmoore at the indication of the Prophet who was actually Medivh. They captured Hellscream and turned him back to normal. Thrall then went with him to confront the Mannoroth.

Mannoroth quickly subdued Thrall, but Grom was able to kill the demon, though it cost him his life, and free the orcs from their demonic master. With the Battle of Mount Hyjal over, and with it the immediate threat to the world, Thrall set out to found the new orcish homeland in Kalimdor. He named the land Durotar in honor of his father, and founded the city of Orgrimmar in honor of Orgrim Doomhammer.

With the orcs' new allies, the tauren , becoming part of the Horde and with the support of the Lordaeron survivors led by Jaina Proudmoore , Thrall was able to build quickly. However, this was not to last. Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore , Jaina's father, arrived in Kalimdor having left before the war was over to look for any surviving forces and launched an attack against the fledgling orc nation.

During the initial assault the Darkspear trolls lost their new home on the Echo Isles and with the help of the Mok'Nathal half-orc Rexxar , came to live with the orcs in Durotar. The witch doctor Vol'jin pledged the tribe's eternal allegiance to the Horde in return. Thrall, not knowing what humans had attacked him, initially suspected Jaina's forces, but her loyalty was proven when she helped the orcs destroy the invading forces of her father Admiral Proudmoore.

This section concerns content exclusive to Mists of Pandaria. Though once a symbol of evil and corruption, the Horde has reclaimed the Altar of Storms as part of their rebirth.

Orcish society has always been characterized by hardy and rugged living. As a result they are staunch pragmatists, and never shy from killing if it will protect the future of the orc or his clan. All orcs, regardless of gender or station, are expected to pull their own weight and weakness is considered a grave liability. The weakness of one contaminates the strength of all, and it is punishable by the greatest humiliation an orc can receive: exile.

Different orc clans however have different personalities; Thrall and the Frostwolves are notable for having brought a measure of mercy and compassion to the Horde, typically seen in Thrall's kinder treatment towards peons , who were once viewed as a despicable sub-race.

On the other hand, clans such as the Warsong remain who still cling to the rigid, spartan beliefs valued in the original Horde as it was first established on Draenor. Yet regardless of their clan affiliations, orcs prize honor over all other things in life — first to bring honor to their clan and by extension, the Horde and secondly bringing honor to the self and to their sense of self-worth as an individual. Likewise, hospitality is considered one of the greatest honors that can be bestowed.

The orcs and tauren have become fast and unswerving allies because the tauren gladly offered the orcs shelter in a strange new land as well as their assistance regardless of the cost to themselves. There is no discrimination between genders in orcish society. Women are able to pursue the same career choices as men, rise to positions of power and are even expected to answer to the call for battle just as men are.

Strength both physical and mental , courage, initiative and independence are prized traits in all orcs. Traditionally, children are seen as children of the parents, but are raised as children of the clan. However, because of the newly unified Horde and the current diaspora of individual orc families creating homes and settling down in various areas around Durotar, the Barrens and beyond, this typical clan scheme has been changing, and life is beginning to become more centered around the nuclear family rather than the greater clan.

One tradition of the orcs on Draenor was a ceremony for newborns of the clan. The infant's parents would stand in a body of water near the encampment with the entire clan observing from shore.

The mother would hand the baby to the father, who would then proclaim the child as his, through himself and his father, and present the baby for the clan's blessings. The clan chieftain would then hold the baby and declare the infant under their protection, with the hope that they bring honor and glory to the clan.

The chieftain's heir would then give a blessing. Finally the Elder Shaman would ask for the blessing of the elemental and wild spirits, and the hope that the ancestors would watch over the newborn. In some clans, if the child appears sickly or frail, they will instead be drowned, likely by the father. A common expression of scorn is that an orc "should have been drowned at birth". This is likely the reason that the parents would stand in the water when presenting a newborn. The Blackrock clan and Bonechewer clan were noted for doing this without any qualms.

The Frostwolf clan however, were known to have rejected such cruel practices. Orcs instinctively revere the rugged forces of the natural elements, and as such, Shamans are held in high regard. They generally have a close relationship with the nature elements and angering them is considered a grave offense.

Wolves are a major symbol of the orcs, serving as guards, scouts, pets, partners and mounts. Many such wolves came from Draenor. Horde shamans can speak to them and summon spectral wolves and many serve a giant wolf spirit. Orcish religion takes the form of an animistic faith that has strange parallels with the practices of the Kaldorei. Orc shamans draw their power from the spirits of nature, forming an intimate connection with the very world that surrounds them.

The practice of slavery has historically existed in orc society, and while in modern times it seems to occur less, the practice still continues among the orcs, though it is unclear how widespread it is. Despite Thrall's work to ensure that no orc would be cast into slavery ever again [11] , a small number of orcs have been found enslaved by other orcs in the Horde, for example Bloodeye Redfist.

It appears that some orcs are also willing to enslave members of other races, both Horde and Alliance. It is unclear why the orcs still allow slavery, and to what extent, or why they choose to ignore it. The fact that the Crimson Ring , a gladiatorial circuit that very often includes slaves, is described as underground [15] seem to indicate that slavery is an illegal or heavily discouraged practice.

However the secrecy may be due to the nature of the matches, which many times include battles to the death.

Surprisingly the Crimson Ring's gladiatorial death matches and the enslaved gladiators are in the open at times, some of the tournaments taking place in Orgrimmar's and other Horde arenas [16]. Bloodeye was well known enough to be described as a "champion of the orcs". Another example is the case of Jinxo, who had been captured by the orcs, and was going to be sold into slavery to a goblin, had she not developed a plan for escape. Orcs know Orcish and Common.

Orcs tend to only favor the languages of their allies, for example Goblin, Taur-ahe, and Low Common. Most orcish names derive from words in their language that have some complex meaning or hidden significance to their families.

Typically, this is the name of a favorite thing or relative. Family names don't exist; most orcs have last names related to some great deed of heroism or honor.

However, in the case of truly incredible deeds, an orc might take on the last name of his father to ensure that the chronicle of that terrific deed lives on. The tribe bestows the second name after the orc reaches maturity, this name based upon some great deed.

Such a practice gives rise to surnames such as Doomhammer, Elfkicker, Foe-ender, Skullsplitter, Thumper, and the like. This second name may be changed if a new one seems more appropriate. Orcish surnames are usually derived from great acts or merits a previous ancestor was lauded for, but some exceptional orcs earn their own surnames Kilrogg Deadeye , Kargath Bladefist , and many prefer to use the names of their fathers Thrall , Son of Durotan. Only the family leader can hold an eponymous title For example, there can only be one Doomhammer or Deadeye at a time , and the rest of the clan identify themselves through their line of birth.

Two types of orc names appear to have arisen: two syllables separated by an apostrophe and a simple name shortened from a longer one. The two-syllable ones — Gul'dan, Drak'Thul, Dal'Rend — appear to have initially been only used for spellcasters, but later exported Gar'Thok was a Grunt colonel. The second type was highly cultural; only those with powers over the warrior could use their full name, such as Shamans and chieftains, or the orc's personal religious leader.

For example Brox 's full name was Broxigar, a term which he allowed only Tyrande and Krasus to use. Grom Hellscream 's full name was Grommash, which Mannoroth used to address him as demonstration that Hellscream was his.

This is very inconsistent, however; most of the known orcish names such as Durotan , Orgrim , Nazgrel , and Kargath are never documented being used in short forms, this is perhaps because they have no shortening. Orc males are massive and brutish looking creatures. Weighing in at to pounds and standing from 6 to 7 feet in height, they are not a small race. Even orc women tend to be only a half-foot or so shorter and 50 to pounds lighter than most males and some of them are equal in stature to their male counterparts , having broad shoulders and muscular, powerful bodies.

Orcs tend to have coarse and bristly hair and beards, often black or brown in color, graying with age. Orc males sometimes choose to grow beards that are wild and untamed, while others prefer them to be braided and tasseled. These beards always hang from the chin, as orcs do not grow heavy facial hair above their upper-lip. Orcs are green-skinned, usually ranging from a light chartreuse yellow or olive to a dark forest or emerald green, and fel orcs often possess red skin.

Untainted orcs, however, have brown skin. Orcs wear a variety of clothing styles, from furs and hides in some clans to heavy metal armor in others. They favor clothes of hide, and armor and arm themselves with a variety of gear. Orc eye colors include blue, brown, hazel, amber, red and orcs who drank the blood of Mannoroth had eyes that glowed a bright, blood red. Pure blue eyes are quite rare in the orcish race, and are seen as a sign of great destiny.

Thrall has blue eyes, and Garona in some depictions is shown with blue eyes, though this may be more a sign of her half-orc heritage and not her fate. An orc's face would be described by some races of Azeroth as monstrous, their hideousness comparable to that of trolls. Orcs have large heavy jaws from which protrude sharp, tusk-like teeth, heavy brows, a broad and flat snout-like nose, and pointed ears. A fair amount of sexual dimorphism exists between the orc sexes, with male orcs possessing more extreme orcish physical characteristics, most noticeably broader shoulders and larger tusks.

Male orcs as depicted in World of Warcraft possess a slight slouch, while females stand entirely erect. Orcs, especially orc warriors, are fond of tattoos of orcish symbols that have abstract, yet personal meaning to the individual orc, such as a clan symbol or a battle standard.

In orcish society, scars are a source of pride for an orc; the amount of scars an orc has received in battle marks his experience as a warrior. However, other sources show that their blood is red. All original orcs were brown-skinned; from bark-like brown to reddish-brown. However, their bodies react when exposed to warlock magic; though the nature of this change is somewhat different in other fel-touched races.

The nature of orcish fel magic means that all nearby orcs, including those who avoid warlock magic, take on a green pigmentation and gain body mass though why the Mag'har are much bigger than Durotar orcs in World of Warcraft is unknown. This color change appears to be genetic as Thrall, who had little direct exposure to warlock magic until recently, has had green skin from birth. As this corruption progresses, the orc's eyes may become flaming orbs of red or green and their skin will soon change from green to scarlet, transforming them into fel orcs.

Through certain rituals, this state is reversible. However, should the orc continue to drink large amounts of demonic blood, they enter the final irreversible stage of transformation and mutate horrifically; growing additional fangs and erupting with horns from their backs, arms and hands. Currently, orcs of the Horde have a wide variety of "natural" pigments, ranging between shades of light green, dark drab olive, brown to grayish brown.

As of Warlords of Draenor, many of the orcs of the Burning Blade clan also have gray skin tone. In the newly established Horde, the orcs have strong ties to the recent race members of the Horde who are originally from Kalimdor. The ties between the orcs, tauren, and jungle trolls are unquestionable. In the aftermath of the Third War, Thrall, Cairne, and Vol'jin reluctantly allowed the Forsaken to join the Horde ranks, and with the reopening the Dark Portal the Horde recruited a fifth race to its ranks, the Blood Elves.

Although the Horde has five notable races, the Horde also counts as its members Mok'nathal, a race of half orcs, and the Stonemaul Ogres. Recently, Thrall has tried to establish a connection to the Ironforge Dwarves in order to minimize wars between the two races.

This can be seen in a quest chain taking a Horde player into the Blackrock Depths to find the daughter of Magni Bronzebeard. However, it is safe to assume the dwarves will not improve relations anytime soon due to their current affiliation with the Alliance. Either way, this mission proves to be a failure since the princess refuses to return to Ironforge.

The Taunka are Horde specific but the Tuskarr are a naturally neutral race. Orcs have a long history of violence with humans, though they grudgingly respect their strength [23] and some still cling to old hatreds even despite the fact that they fought alongside each other during the Third War. Post away! Log in , it's free! An alternative version of this wiki is now operational and ready for use.

WoWWiki Explore. WoW info. Gathering Production Secondary. Allied races. Deathknights, mages, and monks are not a thing for orcs. Nor was there "a few distinctive mounts at the Argent Tournament. The sad thing is everything is filled with mistakes like this Comment by Allakhazam Orcs Rule, They are slaughter inocent people Comment by Allakhazam I've seen a lot of debate on whether hunters should go troll, orc, or tauren I don't see many shortcomings here.

A fun race to play, also looks bad ss in mail armor ; p. Comment by Allakhazam i like shammans cause totems but orcs warriors own really need help here plzzzzz post message! Comment by Allakhazam im abouy 6th level and i have yet to find a pet and figure out how to skin and min? I am getting the game today inshallah Im muslim And would like to know before i create my first character Thanks for any help Sorry if i bothered you I haven't really played the Orc race.

I like Warriors and Hunters, so it's hard to decide If anyone could help me and give me some backround information on their Orc Warrior or Orc Hunter it would be greatly appriciated. Comment by Allakhazam Yea it just really sux. Garithos Realm I haven't put anything on the talent tree yet, and wanting to know what is better.

Beast Mastery, Survival, or Marksmanship. Comment by Allakhazam K my spelling sucks all tell you right now. But back to buzznez i am about to by the game and i need to now wat orcs are best at.

I mean better then any other race in the horde side that is. Is is warlock, shamon, warrior please i joust need to now. Comment by Allakhazam "The savage, green-skinned Orcs are one of the most prolific races of Azeroth. They were only savage at the time of the bloodlust curse. Which is gone now that hellscream killed mannaroth. Draenor is a hellish world now, but originally it wasn't. It only really became hellish after the orcs left it and Sargeras screwed Draenor up. I comment on this because I do not understand how the horde arrived at its present situation in the story of world of warocraft.

The orcs and humans were allies at the end of the frozen throne but only after 4 years they randomly start attacking each other again? Wasn't Jaina Proudmoore's father the last man in power to hold a grudge against the horde simply because he used to fight against them? Jaina stopped him though and last I read, she was still in charge. Comment by Allakhazam wait a minute shure im gonna be a orc warloc but Comment by Allakhazam I have an orc hunter im curious if they can use guns?

If they can i houw do you get they profidency.. I really like soloing, and I'm very interested in playing an orc character. After arriving in a unforgiving land later called Durotar they came across the Tauren who were beset by Centaur, after helping the Tauren deal with the Centaur they became Allies, This newly formed Horde then claimed Durotar as their home. A little while later the construction of Orgrimmar had begun. Rexxar came to Durotar and met with the Warchief.

He then helped the horde deal with problems, such as harpies, quilboar etc. They also discovered humans who had settled down in durotar and who were breaking the agreement made with Jaina ceasefire between the Horde and humans.

Rexxar also helped the trolls claim the Echo ilses at this time, after which he travelled to meet jaina, he also battled some ogres and became their warlord, and warned her that her father was behind the humans on Durotar.

She joined forces with the Horde to bring her father to reason. In the end they had to kill him. This is about the time that World of Warcrafts story begins, give or take a few years.

The human stronghold in Durotar is the settlement that rexxar initially discovered.