Playable races in World of Warcraft e
The Horde is made up of orcs, Forsaken, tauren, trolls, blood elves, goblins, and most recently, pandaren (Huojin). Misunderstood and cast aside, these diverse and powerful races strive to overcome their differences and unite as one in order to win freedom for their people and prosper in a land that has come to hate them.
Horde 64

The Horde is one of the two major political factions of the mortal races in Azeroth, its counterpart being the Alliance. The Horde, a faction founded by orcish immigrants from Draenor, has survived in the hostile world of Azeroth by forging alliances (some trusting, some less so) with local races such as the tauren people, the trolls, and the undead of the Forsaken.[3]



Eventually, the Horde was fractured in two and a civil war erupted, between Garrosh's followers and the Darkspear Rebellion led by Vol'Jin. With the help of the Alliance, the rebels ultimately overthrew Garrosh Hellscream. He was then arrested to stand trial in Pandaria. Thrall appointed Vol'Jin of the Darkspear trolls then as the new Warchief of the Horde, and King Varian Wrynn agreed to put an end to the war.

During the first (failed) assault on the Broken Shore, Vol'jin was mortally wounded in the battle. He later passed away whilst sitting on the throne. Before dying, he passed the Warchief mantle to Sylvanas Windrunner.

Major members Edit

Major member races include:

  • IconSmall Goblin MaleIconSmall Goblin Female The Goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel Icon Cataclysm 18x18.
    • With the Cataclysm consuming their home island of Kezan, the goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel are shipped across the sea, intended for slave labor in Azshara, when they were caught in a naval crossfire (between a fleet of the Alliance and a single vessel of the Horde) off the Lost Isles. While there, they were attacked by the Alliance and ally with the orcs to defeat their mutual foe, the hostile natives of the Lost Isles, and dissent from within their own ranks.
    • Led by Trade-Prince Gallywix.
    • Capital is Bilgewater Harbor in the heavily-reshaped Azshara.
    • The goblins use hot rods as mounts, which are like "cars".

Horde Forces Edit

Icon-time This section concerns content that is out-of-date. Reason: Need more info on forces from Warlords-Logo-Small onward.


  • Bc icon Thrallmar - is the name for the Horde expeditionary forces to Outland seeking to find what has become of their old world.
  • Bc icon The Mag'har orcs of Nagrand - a clan of orcs that wasn't corrupted by demons and remained in Outland through all the wars of Azeroth.
Northrend (Horde Expedition)
  • Wrath-Logo-Small Warsong Offensive - The main forces of the Horde's expedition to Northrend, led by Garrosh Hellscream.
  • Wrath-Logo-Small The taunka - Ancient relatives of the tauren, were thought to be lost until re-discovered by Garrosh Hellscream and his orc forces upon their arrival in Northrend. They were welcomed into the Horde soon after Roanauk Icemist was rescued.
  • Wrath-Logo-Small Sunreavers - The blood elven members of the Kirin Tor, named for their leader. The Horde, traditionally barred from Dalaran, was allowed entry to the city due to their efforts. Enemies of the Silver Covenant.
Pandaria Forces
Draenor Forces
Broken Isles Forces

Other members, factions and allies Edit



Horde-aligned Edit


  • The forest trolls of the Revantusk tribe in the Hinterlands, led by Primal Torntusk, are independent, though loosely allied with the Horde. While not members of the Horde, they are its friends. They know compassion, though they find it a bit difficult to relate to the Darkspear jungle trolls, having once been enemies.[11]

Former Horde forces Edit

See History of the Horde

History Edit


Crest of the Horde during the Third War.

Orc Heros




During the events of the Third War, Thrall has made lasting bonds with the tauren chief Cairne Bloodhoof and the troll shadowhunter Vol'jin of the Darkspear clan. The ties between the three races are very close, as they all share many similar cultural views. With the help of the tauren, both the orcs and the tribe of trolls have established a place for themselves in Kalimdor. Since then, certain ogre tribes, as well as the Forsaken and blood elves have chosen to affiliate themselves with the Horde.


Organization Edit


Although the name of this geopolitical entity suggests disunity and disorganization, the Horde is in truth a centralized nation with its own government, complete with the usual obstructionist bureaucracies and paper-pushing nonentities, backed by a well-equipped, properly trained and battle-hardened military. As of the time of the conflict on the Broken Shore, Sylvanas Windrunner is Warchief of the Horde. Her promotion following the death of the wise troll Vol'jin surprised many leaders of the Horde, as Windrunner is seen by most to be a bloodthirsty and ruthless leader, and her ascending to the throne at a time of tenuous relationships with the Alliance raises many questions for the future of Azeroth.

Prior to Vol'jin, the Horde endured the leadership of Garrosh Hellscream, a warmonger thrust to center stage by the sudden departure of Thrall following his choice to embrace shamanistic roots. Hellscream's ancestry was soaked in blood and reigned over by constant battle, however; he led Horde forces during the Northrend campaign and gained a reputation as a fierce, if headstrong, warrior. At the time that Hellscream rose to the title of Warchief, he was fresh from a series of controversial actions related to the aforementioned campaign against the dreaded Lich King, and his hand in the death of Cairne Bloodhoof following the Tauren's voiced opinions only worsened matters.

Contributing further still to the collapse in relations between the Alliance and Horde was the sudden re-appearance of Deathwing and the subsequent Sundering, an event that saw many areas of Azeroth warped by the malevolent flight of the twisted dragon. A series of battles erupted between forces of the two factions, most notably in the Stonetalon Mountains, where troops under the command of Overlord Krom'gar committed atrocities against Night elf druids and Tauren alike following the latter's disapproval at the bombing of a druid training camp. These war crimes were later pointed against Hellscream during his trial in Pandaria.

During his time as Warchief, Thrall accepted ambassadors from the numerous tribes and organizations around Azeroth and beyond, sometimes allowing into the fold of the Horde various factions that might benefit the greater good of the world or the faction in particular. Most notably, the goblins under Trade Prince Gallywix were allowed to join the Horde and establish their own sector in Orgrimmar shortly after the Sundering, as their technological expertise and pull with the various trade organizations around Azeroth would finally provide a counter to the gnomes and dwarves of the Alliance. Thrall also established a kinship with the human settlement of Theramore, led by the valiant Jaina Proudmoore, though these relations were severed by Hellscream-- indeed, Garrosh declared a state of war between Theramore and the Horde, resulting in a siege that culminated with the mana-bombing of the settlement and the deaths of scores of civilians.

The Horde is, as one may infer from the above information, quickly capable of moving to a war footing. The orcs, flagship race of the Horde, are known for their prowess in and enjoyment of mortal combat, especially with their primordial enemies, the Humans. Other client races, including the Tauren, are more inclined toward peace, while many leaders of the goblins simply prefer turning a profit to twisting a blade. In a more formal, diplomatic analysis of the Horde, one may find the disparate and rejected elements of Azeroth, so often thrust into the limelight of nightmares and horror stories by the members of the Alliance, coming together to establish their own nation, their own safe haven. Despite their somewhat monstrous appearance, the majority of the Horde is not evil; much like the Alliance, it is comprised of diverse factions and individuals who possess a wide range of values and virtues. The plague-loving undead, the trolls and their struggles with the voodoo as well as their imperial past, the corruption of the orcs by the blood of Mannoroth whose bones now decorate the throne of the Warchief-- these are just a few of the hindrances to a permanent peace within the Horde, not to mention the numerous vengeful vendettas held by leading elements of the faction, most notably Sylvanas and her loathing of the Lich King as well as her continued rivalry with the noble King Greymane of Gilneas.

The Horde's attempts to drive the Alliance from the key territories of Warsong Gulch and Alterac Valley remain ongoing, as well as the Forsaken's ambitious campaigns in the Arathi Highlands and Hillsbrad Foothills. Following the Cataclysm, a state of war also existed between the Dragonmaw clan and the Wildhammer dwarves in the infamous Twin Peaks area of the Twilight Highlands. In addition to the sizable forces needed to maintain a running conflict in these locales and others, the Horde also guards vast tracts of land at home; thankfully for them, the troops there and abroad have been supplemented by a number of Pandaren recruits and additional conscripts from the orcish villages in both the original Outland and the Draenor of a parallel dimension, exploited by the exiled Hellscream.
Burning Horde banner in the Barrens

The Horde's history is laced with conflict.

Despite the above-mentioned disputes and outright wars with the Alliance, a number of key instances have found the two factions cooperating against a greater evil. Repeated attempts by the Burning Legion to burn Azeroth to cinders as a part of their demonic crusade have been repelled by these factions combining the powers of their greatest adventurers. Furthermore, the malevolent works of Illidan Stormrage and Arthas Menethil, two titans of lore whose corruption shook the foundations of the world, were stopped only by combinations of Horde and Alliance troops, though disaster and conflict often loomed over their vague cooperation.

There have also been two invasions of significant Horde capitals by elements of the Alliance and Horde. The first was the Battle for the Undercity, where the treacherous Varimathras turned against his master, Sylvanas Windrunner, before her elevation to the rank of Warchief. This betrayal was swiftly put down after it nearly destroyed the Horde-Alliance cooperative attempting to defeat the Lich King in Northrend following a vicious assault by Grand Apothecary Putress on the forces of both factions. Some years later, a force led by King Varian himself, alongside Thrall and the secondary leaders of both sides, embarked on an unprecedented expedition to remove Garrosh Hellscream from his seat of authority in Orgrimmar. Battling the "true Horde," the troops of both factions were also forced to duel with the looted evils of Pandaria, a continent devastated by Hellscream during his earlier campaign.

According to some intelligence reports from SI:7, it believed that new members have to swear a blood oath to the Horde. It is unknown if this remains true at present, though the Horde remains loyal to its cause and its Warchief nonetheless; there have been a number of incidents, including the treacherous massacre at the Wrathgate and the prolonged conflict in Pandaria, where members of the Horde have eagerly let their blood be spilled in the name of victory.

The two Hordes Edit




"Forsaken" by Chris Metzen.[18]



The Horde of Kalimdor Edit

The Horde of Kalimdor followed mostly Thrall's leadership. They included most of the orcs, the tauren, the Darkspear trolls and some ogres. They were united by a shamanistic culture, honor, and their respect for Thrall, who they considered their hero and affirmed leader. This Horde was the result of the actions in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.

The orcs were undergoing a cultural revolution as they felt the unnatural, arcane bloodlust leave their bodies, giving them calmer and more focused states of mind. They, for the most part, followed Thrall as he forged ahead to reform the Horde both inside, with his shamanism, and outside, with the founding of Durotar. Still, not all orcs were pleased with these movements, namely the evil orcs who still reside on Azeroth. These orcs, who include a good number of the surviving warlocks, actively raid Alliance and independent caravans and towns, and renounce all that Thrall proclaimed the Horde is. Like the two faces of the Alliance, the different Horde factions meet rarely; but there are some orc warlocks on Kalimdor who would very much like to retake control of the Horde forces, and they are gaining strength in the wilderness to do so.[21]


The eastern Horde Edit







Relations between the groups Edit









In World of Warcraft Edit




In Legion Edit


As the Burning Legion descended onto the world again, Warchief Vol'jin was mortally injured during the battle with the Legion. Upon his death, Lady Sylvanas was made Warchief.

In Battle for Azeroth Edit


Continuing her established pattern of making controversial decisions, Warchief Sylvanas attempts to unite the Horde with the promise of battle. In a strategic move to weaken the Alliance presence in Kalimdor to almost nothing, she orders the Horde, led by Varok Saurfang, to rampage from Ashenvale up through Darkshore with the eventual goal of attacking and burning the World Tree, Teldrassil, into the sea. Apparently expecting the the Alliance counterattack on her stronghold beneath the ruins of Lordaeron, she has uses the blight to severely weaken the besieging Alliance forces. The Alliance is victorious in Lordaeron with the unexpected help of Jaina Proudmoore, but Sylvanas had already directed Saurfang to evacuate Undercity. Even the rest of the Horde leadership must guess what the Dark lady plans next.

Strengths Edit


Physical strength Edit


Leadership Edit


Post-Thrall Edit



Military tradition Edit



Ruthlessness Edit



Technology Edit

Main article: Horde technology


Goblin technology Edit



Weaknesses Edit



Mistrust Edit



Savagery Edit









Cohesion Edit



Delusions of Grandeur/Thirst for Glory Edit

Questionmark-medium This section concerns content that is potentially inaccurate.


Small forces Edit



Reputation Edit



Quests that give Horde rep
NameAmount of Reputation
Horde 15 [57] Lethtendris's Webω τ ϖ500

Checking reputation Edit

To see the Horde faction reputation, use the following code but adjust the number in the parentheses (it depends on how many factions are listed above "Horde"; factions marked as inactive are ignored): /run SetWatchedFactionIndex(12)

Media Edit

Images Edit

Videos Edit

Notes Edit

  • Data-mined content from Legion-Logo-Small Legion suggests that Vol'jin has gone missing[59] and Sylvanas has been elevated to Warchief.[60]

References Edit

  2. ^ Darkmoon Faire Cataclysm Promotion: Fortune card
  3. ^ "Beginnings and Ends"
  4. ^ Horde Player's Guide, 165-176
  6. ^ Eitrigg's Wisdom#Dialogue
  7. ^ Prologue
  9. ^ Theldurin the Lost
  10. ^
  11. ^ Horde Player's Guide, 10
  15. ^ World of Warcraft manual, 182
  16. ^ Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, 47
  18. ^ Manual of Monsters, 138
  19. ^ Horde Player's Guide, 85-86
  20. ^ a b Horde Player's Guide, 177
  22. ^ World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, 166
  24. ^ World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, 53
  25. ^ Lands of Conflict, 105, 107-8
  26. ^ Horde Player's Guide, 76, 154, 181
  27. ^ a b Monster Guide, 64
  28. ^ a b Monster Guide, 65
  29. ^ Alliance & Horde Compendium, 15
  30. ^ Lands of Mystery, 44, 48
  31. ^ Forsaken Diseases
  32. ^ World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, 370
  33. ^ World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, 371
  34. ^ Alliance & Horde Compendium, 68-69
  35. ^ Lands of Conflict, 108
  36. ^ a b Horde 15 [38D] Compendium of the Fallen
  38. ^ a b Horde Player's Guide, 151
  39. ^ Lands of Mystery, 42
  40. ^ a b c Horde Player's Guide, 181
  41. ^ Lands of Mystery, 34
  43. ^ Lands of Mystery, 147
  45. ^
  46. ^ World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, 167
  47. ^ Lands of Conflict, 106
  48. ^ Horde Player's Guide, 170
  49. ^ Rise of the Horde, 123
  50. ^ Kirith
  51. ^ Alliance Player's Guide 182
  52. ^ Horde Player's Guide, 190
  53. ^ a b c Horde Player's Guide, 191
  55. ^ Horde Player's Guide, 12
  56. ^ Alliance & Horde Compendium, 23
  57. ^ World of Warcraft manual, 51
  58. ^ Alliance & Horde Compendium, 64
  59. ^ Dalaranω ϖ
  60. ^ The Call of Warω ϖ

See also Edit

External links Edit

Overview as of Battle-Logo-Small Battle for Azeroth

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