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Varok Saurfang is a veteran orc general of the Blackrock clan who fought in every war the Horde waged, and who spent the rest of his life trying to atone for what the blood curse made him do. In Classic he appears as High Overlord Saurfang in Orgrimmar's Valley of Strength, where Horde players bring him the head of Nefarian. Players remember him above all for being nearly impossible to kill.
Biography
Varok was born on Draenor into the Blackrock Clan, the younger brother of the warrior Broxigar. Under the warchief Blackhand he served as a lieutenant alongside Eitrigg and Orgrim Doomhammer. He chose to drink the blood of Mannoroth, and under its influence he took part in the sack of the draenei city of Shattrath, killing innocents, children among them. The memory never left him.
Before the Dark Portal opened, his mate Remda died. Varok had promised her that their son Dranosh would never cross the portal or be touched by the warlocks, so the boy stayed behind in Nagrand. Varok crossed alone. When Orgrim took over the Horde, he made Saurfang his second-in-command, and Varok led armies through the First War and the Second War without losing a battle until the Horde's final defeat.
After the blood curse was lifted by Grom Hellscream's death, Saurfang helped many old soldiers come to terms with what they had done under the curse. He became one of Thrall's most trusted commanders, a soldier who would never shy from a fight but would never start an unjust war.
In World of Warcraft
High Overlord Saurfang was added to Orgrimmar in patch 1.5. He stands in the Valley of Strength near the main gate, enforcing Thrall's rule over the city. He is a level 62 elite, and his counterpart on the Alliance side is Field Marshal Afrasiabi in Stormwind.
The Lord of Blackrock
When Horde raiders kill Nefarian in Blackwing Lair, the head goes to Thrall in The Lord of Blackrock. Thrall then sends them on to Saurfang in The Lord of Blackrock. Saurfang announces the victory to the whole city, the head is mounted for all to see, and every Horde player nearby receives Rallying Cry of the Dragonslayer. The rewards are the [Master Dragonslayer's Orb], the [Master Dragonslayer's Medallion] or the [Master Dragonslayer's Ring].
The War of the Shifting Sands
When the gates of Ahn'Qiraj opened in patch 1.9, Saurfang went to Silithus as Supreme Commander of the Might of Kalimdor, the joint army that fought the silithid and the qiraji at the gates during the second War of the Shifting Sands.
The Saurfang legend
Saurfang became a celebrity because Alliance raids attacking Orgrimmar for honor kept running into him at the gate. His Charge knocked players back about 30 yards, his rage never ran out, his Mortal Strike hit very hard, and he had a unique ability, [[forever:spell:26339]], that triggered when he took a critical hit. Many Alliance raids wiped on him before they ever reached Thrall. Horde players turned him into a running joke, trading "Saurfang facts" in the style of Chuck Norris jokes. For a time, Alliance priests could mind control him, and a bug let them use his Execute with a full rage bar, which only added to his fame.
Later history
- In Wrath of the Lich King, Varok reunited with his son Dranosh, who fell at the Wrathgate and was raised by the Lich King as Deathbringer Saurfang. Varok helped the Horde defeat his son in Icecrown Citadel and carried his body home.
- In Battle for Azeroth he became the leader of the orcs and a general under Sylvanas, but turned against her after the burning of Teldrassil. At the end of the war he challenged her to a mak'gora outside Orgrimmar and was killed. His death led Sylvanas to abandon the Horde.
Trivia
- Chris Metzen named Saurfang as his personal choice to lead the orcs at BlizzCon 2013.
- In the Trading Card Game he is drawn wielding an Arcanite Reaper, and the Arcanite Bladebreaker is said to be modeled on his weapon.
- In Classic his NPC exists in two places: Orgrimmar and the Ahn'Qiraj front in Silithus.
Sources
Categories: Characters