Lore · October 26, 2026

Who Is Gul'dan? The Warlock Who Built the Horde and Betrayed It

Gul'dan was the first orcish warlock and the founder of the Horde, the Shadowmoon orc who served the Burning Legion, opened the Dark Portal with Medivh and died in the Tomb of Sargeras. He is long dead in World of Warcraft: Forever (WoW Forever), set in the first year of World of Warcraft (year 25 after the Dark Portal), but the corruption his skull spread still stains the lands players walk.

Quick answer: Gul'dan betrayed his teacher Ner'zhul to the demon Kil'jaeden, built the Shadow Council, fed his people demon blood and helped Medivh open the Dark Portal. He survived Medivh's death, bargained with Orgrim Doomhammer, then fled to find the Tomb of Sargeras and did not come back.

Gul'dan's story, step by step — A six-step timeline of Gul'dan: Shadowmoon apprentice of Ner'zhul, betrayal of Ner'zhul to Kil'jaeden, the Horde and the Shadow Council, the Dark Portal opened with Medivh, a bargain with Doomhammer and the death knights, and his death at the Tomb of Sargeras after which his skull corrupts Felwood. Sources: Warcraft Wiki, Engadget and Blizzard Watch.

Some stories begin with a prophecy and some with a bargain. This one began with a young apprentice who learned that whispers from beyond the sky would answer anyone who asked for power and was not careful about the price.

Key facts

Clan: Shadowmoon, apprentice to the shaman Ner'zhul (Warcraft Wiki, Engadget)
Patron: the demon Kil'jaeden, whom he served by betraying Ner'zhul (Warcraft Wiki, Engadget)
Body he built: the Shadow Council, a secret circle of former shamans (Warcraft Wiki, Engadget)
Puppet: Blackhand, whom he installed as Warchief (Warcraft Wiki, Engadget)
Deal with Medivh: help to open the Dark Portal, in return for Medivh's promise of power and the location of the Tomb of Sargeras (Warcraft Wiki, Engadget)
Second War clan: Stormreaver (Warcraft Wiki, Blizzard Watch)
Death: at the Tomb of Sargeras, after leaving the Horde's march on Lordaeron (Warcraft Wiki, Engadget, Blizzard Watch)
Legacy: his skull, which corrupted Felwood (Warcraft Wiki, Engadget)

How did Gul'dan build the Horde?

Gul'dan built it by turning a tribal people into a war machine. Warcraft Wiki says he joined the Shadowmoon clan and became Ner'zhul's secret apprentice, and Engadget's Know Your Lore column says he became Ner'zhul's apprentice as a Shadowmoon shaman. Both say that when Ner'zhul's doubts about Kil'jaeden's plan came to light at Oshu'gun, Gul'dan betrayed him and told Kil'jaeden. Engadget says Kil'jaeden stripped Ner'zhul of his power and rewarded Gul'dan.

Warcraft Wiki says Gul'dan founded the Shadow Council, which steered orc society, and opened schools that trained shamans as necrolytes and warlocks, and calls him the de facto founder of the Horde. Engadget says he united the orc clans, installed Blackhand as Warchief and secretly controlled him through a sect of shamans that became the Shadow Council. Warcraft Wiki says Gul'dan and the Council offered the blood of Mannoroth to the clan chieftains, and that Grommash Hellscream accepted first. Read Who Is Grom Hellscream? for the orc who drank first.

How did Gul'dan open the Dark Portal?

A door between worlds needs a hand on each side. Warcraft Wiki, Engadget and Blizzard Watch all say Medivh and Gul'dan worked together to build the Dark Portal, and Engadget's Medivh article says Medivh acted under the direction of the titan Sargeras. Engadget's Gul'dan article says Medivh promised him godlike power if the Horde conquered Azeroth, Warcraft Wiki ties that promise to the Tomb of Sargeras, and Engadget's Medivh article says the price of the bargain was the location of the Tomb. Read Who Is Medivh? for the other side of the bargain.

Engadget and Blizzard Watch say Gul'dan had a mental link to Medivh and fell into a coma when Medivh died. Warcraft Wiki's First War page says he was comatosed after entering Medivh's mind to search for information at the time of his death. When he woke, Blizzard Watch says, he held fragments of the Tomb's secret from Medivh's mind.

Why did Gul'dan betray the Horde?

His loyalty was always to the next scrap of power. Warcraft Wiki and Engadget say Orgrim Doomhammer killed Blackhand, took the Horde and destroyed most of the Shadow Council. Engadget and Blizzard Watch say Gul'dan won his survival by offering Doomhammer the first death knights, and Warcraft Wiki says he created them and then founded the Stormreaver clan. Read Who Is Orgrim Doomhammer? for the man he served and fooled.

Blizzard Watch says Gul'dan betrayed Doomhammer's Horde after it had marched on Lordaeron. Warcraft Wiki and Blizzard Watch say he led his Stormreaver and Twilight's Hammer clans to the Tomb of Sargeras, and Engadget says he abandoned the war to seek it. Warcraft Wiki says he raised the Tomb from the sea and was torn apart by demons inside, Engadget says demons killed him there, while Blizzard Watch says demons and the Horde armies that pursued him killed nearly all his followers and that he did not survive. For the clan that followed him, read The Twilight's Hammer Explained.

Where does Gul'dan's legacy appear in WoW Forever's era?

A dead warlock can still leave a stain. Warcraft Wiki and Engadget say Gul'dan's skull became a vessel of demonic power, used to open portals on Draenor and to corrupt Felwood, and Engadget says it fully corrupted Illidan Stormrage, who Warcraft Wiki says absorbed its power and became half-demon. Felwood is a zone in the original game, and Forever has not published its own zone list for it, so treat Forever's Felwood as unconfirmed. Read Who Is Illidan Stormrage? for the demon hunter who took the skull's power.

The clan that left with him survives in another form. Warcraft Wiki says loyalists in the Twilight's Hammer turned from the Burning Legion to the Old Gods, and the cult is a living threat in the Blackfathom Deeps guide. The Warlock class, the craft Warcraft Wiki says began in his demonology schools, has a full Warlock guide.

The free Lore Forever add-on shows readable zone and quest background as you travel, and the optional Willo voice companion lets you ask about the villains behind the names. Both are fan-made.

What happens to Gul'dan later?

Gul'dan appears again in later eras of the story, outside WoW Forever. This article leaves those events out so the first year of the game stays unspoiled.

What is not confirmed yet

Blizzard has not published a list of Forever's Gul'dan quests or dialogue, so this article describes the character, not new content.
Sources disagree on who raised the Tomb of Sargeras. Warcraft Wiki says Gul'dan raised it from the sea, while Blizzard Watch says Aegwynn raised a sunken structure over the Avatar of Sargeras's body long before and that Gul'dan only reached the Tomb.
Sources disagree on how Gul'dan died. Warcraft Wiki says demons tore him apart, Engadget says its demons killed him, and Blizzard Watch says only that he did not survive.
Whether Forever's Felwood is playable, and how it treats the skull, is not confirmed.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Gul'dan in World of Warcraft?

Gul'dan is the first orc warlock and the founder of the Horde. He served the Burning Legion, helped Medivh open the Dark Portal and died in the Tomb of Sargeras.

Is Gul'dan alive in WoW Forever?

No. Gul'dan died during the Second War, long before WoW Forever's first year of World of Warcraft. His skull's corruption of Felwood is part of the story that reaches Forever's era.

What did Gul'dan do to the orcs?

Gul'dan turned the orc clans into a demon-served Horde. Warcraft Wiki says he founded the Shadow Council, opened schools of demonology, and offered the chieftains Mannoroth's blood.

Who killed Gul'dan?

Demons in the Tomb of Sargeras killed Gul'dan, according to Warcraft Wiki and Engadget. Blizzard Watch says only that he did not survive the Tomb.

What happened to Gul'dan's skull?

Warcraft Wiki and Engadget say the skull became a demonic artifact, used to open portals on Draenor and to corrupt Felwood, and it fully corrupted Illidan.

Sources

Reviewed October 25, 2026. This article covers history before and during Forever's setting and does not treat later events as Forever canon. Lore Forever and Willo are fan-made and are not affiliated with Blizzard Entertainment.