Orc

Orcs are the founding race of the Horde: green-skinned warriors from the world of Draenor who came to Azeroth as invaders and now live as free people in the harsh land of Durotar. In Classic they begin in the Valley of Trials and are ruled by the young warchief Thrall from the city of Orgrimmar. Their racial traits are built for fighting: Blood Fury raises attack power, Hardiness resists stuns, and orc hunters and warlocks command stronger pets.

History

Orcs were once a shamanistic people living in clans on Draenor. The demon lord Kil'jaeden, working through the orc shaman Ner'zhul and his apprentice Gul'dan, turned them toward warlock magic and demonic power. Gul'dan's council led the orcs to drink the blood of the demon Mannoroth, which bound them to the Burning Legion and filled them with bloodlust. United as the Horde, they invaded Azeroth through the Dark Portal, sacked Stormwind in the First War, and were finally beaten in the Second War under the warchief Orgrim Doomhammer.

Most surviving orcs were locked in internment camps, where they fell into a listless stupor. Thrall, the son of Durotan, raised as a gladiator by humans, escaped and freed them, rebuilding the Horde with shamanism instead of demon magic. In the Third War he led the orcs across the sea to Kalimdor, where Grom Hellscream killed Mannoroth and broke the blood curse at the cost of his own life. Thrall named the new homeland Durotar after his father.

Homeland and starting zone

Orcs begin in the Valley of Trials, a red canyon in southwestern Durotar which they share with trolls. New players report to Gornek through the quest Your Place In The World, then hunt mottled boars and scorpids, and drive off the quilboars and the Burning Blade cultists who hide in a cave in the valley, ending with the harpy Sarkoth.

After the valley, orcs move on to Razor Hill and Sen'jin Village in Durotar, then west across the river into The Barrens, the great savanna where most Horde players spend levels 10 to 25. Zeppelins from outside Orgrimmar link Durotar to Tirisfal Glades and Stranglethorn Vale.

Capital

Orgrimmar stands in a canyon in northern Durotar, a fortress of wood, stone and hide built after the Third War. Thrall rules from Grommash Hold, and the city holds trainers for every Horde class except druid, along with the Horde's busiest auction house. The Cleft of Shadow beneath the city is home to warlocks and rogues, and Ragefire Chasm, a low-level dungeon, opens off it. Orcs buy their wolf mounts from Ogunaro Wolfrunner, the kennel master in Orgrimmar's Valley of Honor.

Racial traits

Axe Specialization works like the human weapon bonuses: extra skill means fewer misses and glancing blows against raid bosses, so an orc warrior or rogue with an axe hits harder than other races. Weapons such as Arcanite Reaper, Deathbringer from Onyxia, and Crul'shorukh from Blackwing Lair all benefit. Blood Fury is a short burst of extra damage, and its healing penalty matters less for a warrior or rogue who uses it at the start of a fight.

Classes

Orcs can be warriors, hunters, rogues, shamans and warlocks. Shamans are the Horde's counterpart to paladins in Classic, and orcs are the race most associated with them, through Thrall. Orc warlocks are a reminder of the race's darker past.

How orcs play

Hardiness is the orc's defining player-versus-player trait. Most classes in Classic rely heavily on stuns: rogues chain Cheap Shot and Kidney Shot, warriors Charge and Intercept, paladins Hammer of Justice. A 25 percent extra chance to resist each stun means orcs often break out of chains that would kill other races, and an orc warrior who resists a rogue's opener can turn the fight. For that reason orc was the most popular Horde race for warriors in player-versus-player combat, and orc rogues are feared in duels.

Command makes orcs strong hunters and warlocks, since much of their damage comes from the pet. Blood Fury adds burst for melee classes, though it does little for casters in Classic, where it raises only melee attack power. Orcs have no way to break fears, which they make up for with the honor trinket.

Notable orcs

Thrall leads the Horde from Orgrimmar. His father Durotan and his mentor Orgrim Doomhammer are remembered as heroes, and Grom Hellscream as the orc who broke the blood curse. Varok Saurfang serves as High Overlord, and the half-orc Rexxar roams the wilds as the Champion of the Horde. On the darker side are the Blackrock Clan, still loyal to the old ways under Warchief Rend Blackhand in Blackrock Spire, and the warlock Gul'dan, whose betrayal haunts orc history.

Later history

Thrall handed over leadership of the Horde in Cataclysm to Garrosh Hellscream, Grom's son, whose rule led to war with the rest of Azeroth. Mag'har orcs from an alternate Draenor later became a playable allied race.

Sources

• Orc on Warcraft Wiki
• Hardiness on Warcraft Wiki