Lore · October 24, 2026

The Orcs of Azeroth: From Draenor to Durotar

The orcs are a shamanic people from the world of Draenor who were corrupted by the Burning Legion, invaded Azeroth through the Dark Portal, were imprisoned after the Second War, and were freed by Thrall, who led them to Kalimdor to found Durotar and Orgrimmar. In World of Warcraft: Forever (WoW Forever), set in the first year of World of Warcraft (year 25 after the Dark Portal), the orcs are the founding people of the Horde.

Quick answer: Orcs began as clans of shamans on Draenor. The demon lord Kil'jaeden and the warlock Gul'dan turned them into the Horde, which attacked Azeroth. After defeat they were held in internment camps until Thrall freed them. WoW Forever adds a new Orc Mage combination, and orcs start in the Valley of Trials in Durotar.

Orc history, step by step — A six-step timeline of the orcs: shamanic clans on Draenor, corruption by the Burning Legion, the Dark Portal and two wars, internment camps, Thrall's escape and the move to Kalimdor, and Durotar and Orgrimmar in the first year of WoW. Source: Warcraft Wiki.

Key facts

Homeland: Draenor, a world that orcs left through the Dark Portal (Warcraft Wiki, Wowpedia)
Beliefs: shamanism and respect for the elemental spirits before the Legion's influence (Warcraft Wiki, Wowpedia)
Corruption: Gul'dan had the clan chieftains drink the demon Mannoroth's blood, which fueled bloodlust (Warcraft Wiki, Wowpedia)
After the Second War: survivors were placed in human internment camps (Warcraft Wiki, Wowpedia)
Liberator: Thrall, who freed the camps and led the orcs to Kalimdor (Warcraft Wiki, Wowpedia, Wikipedia)
Capital and homeland: Orgrimmar in Durotar, in place by year 25 (Warcraft Wiki)
New in Forever: the Orc Mage combination, announced by Blizzard (Icy Veins)

Where did the orcs come from?

Warcraft Wiki and Wowpedia agree that orcs originated on Draenor. Warcraft Wiki says they were the smallest and weakest of their line, but made up for it with intellect and community. They settled in permanent villages and formed clans, and Shadowmoon mystics learned to work with the elemental spirits, so that shamanism spread through almost every clan.

Blizzard's official overview of WoW Forever, as summarized by Icy Veins, puts the orc story in one line: they came from Draenor, were enslaved by the Burning Legion and later freed themselves, and now "fight for honor in an alien world" that hates them.

How did the Burning Legion corrupt the orcs?

According to both wikis, the demon lord Kil'jaeden deceived the head shaman Ner'zhul. Ner'zhul's apprentice Gul'dan took over, founded warlock schools and united the clans under the Shadow Council. Before the assault on Shattrath, Gul'dan had the clan chieftains drink the blood of the demon Mannoroth. The blood fueled bloodlust. Warcraft Wiki says fel corruption then began turning the orcs green, while Wowpedia says warlock magic introduced by Gul'dan caused the change, even before the orcs drank the blood. The Shadow Council then built the Dark Portal; Warcraft Wiki's First War page dates the war that followed to year 0.

Read the Warcraft lore recap for the First and Second Wars, and Stormwind's history for the kingdom the orcs attacked first.

How did Thrall free the orcs?

After the Second War the Alliance placed surviving orcs in internment camps. Warcraft Wiki and Wowpedia say that cut off from demonic influence, the orcs fell into lethargy. Thrall escaped from Durnholde, trained as a shaman with Drek'Thar of the Frostwolf clan, and freed the camps with Grom Hellscream and Orgrim Doomhammer. Doomhammer died during the final attack, per Warcraft Wiki and Wowpedia.

Wowpedia says a prophet in raven form urged Thrall to leave Azeroth for Kalimdor, and the orcs rescued the Darkspear trolls on the way. In Ashenvale, Grom Hellscream killed Mannoroth and freed the orcs from demonic control, though he died. Read Who Is Thrall? and the night elf history for the other side of the Ashenvale story.

What happened in Durotar and Orgrimmar?

Warcraft Wiki's Durotar page puts the Battle of Mount Hyjal in year 21, after which Thrall led the orcs, with tauren help, to the land he named Durotar, after his father Durotan. Orgrimmar, named for Orgrim Doomhammer, was founded in Durotar's north, and Warcraft Wiki says it existed by year 25. Wowpedia says the Burning Crusade manual implies Durotar was founded in year 23 or 24, but notes that Chronicle Volume 3 places it after Mount Hyjal, so the sources do not agree on the exact year.

Two threats followed. Both wikis say the Burning Blade clan invaded Durotar about three years after Mount Hyjal, and that Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore's Alliance fleet threatened the orc homeland, an episode that involved Jaina Proudmoore. Read Durotar in WoW Forever for the zone, and Who Is Jaina Proudmoore?.

Where do orcs stand in WoW Forever?

Orcs are a Horde race and start in the Valley of Trials in Durotar, per Warcraft Wiki's Orc and Durotar pages. Warcraft Wiki's list of orc classes names Hunter, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock and Warrior, and its patch history shows orcs gained the Mage class later, in patch 4.0.3a at the start of the Cataclysm expansion. Blizzard says WoW Forever adds the Orc Mage as a new race and class combination, according to Icy Veins. Read the race and class combinations guide and the Horde leveling zones.

The free Lore Forever add-on adds readable zone and quest background while you level, and the optional Willo voice companion lets you ask lore questions by voice. Both are fan-made. For how the orcs and the rest of the Horde see the Alliance, read Alliance vs Horde: the lore.

What is not confirmed yet

Blizzard has not published Forever's orc quest list, and the new Orc Mage racial details are not covered here.
Sources disagree on the founding year of Durotar: after year 21 (Warcraft Wiki, and Chronicle Volume 3 as cited by Wowpedia) or year 23 or 24 (Wowpedia, reading the Burning Crusade manual).
Warcraft Wiki does not tag its orc class list by game version, so the five original classes come from its list and its note that Mage was added later.
Events after the first year of World of Warcraft, including the later Warchiefs, are outside WoW Forever.

Frequently asked questions

Where do orcs come from in Warcraft?

Orcs come from the world of Draenor. They entered Azeroth through the Dark Portal, and Warcraft Wiki dates the start of the First War to year 0, after the Burning Legion corrupted their clans.

Why are orcs green?

Warcraft Wiki says fel corruption turned orc skin green, while Wowpedia says Gul'dan's warlock magic began the change. Gul'dan also had the clan chieftains drink Mannoroth's blood before the assault on Shattrath, which fueled their bloodlust.

Who freed the orcs from the internment camps?

Thrall freed them, with Grom Hellscream and Orgrim Doomhammer. Doomhammer died during the final attack and passed Thrall his armor and war hammer.

Where do orcs start in WoW Forever?

Orcs start in the Valley of Trials in Durotar, where young orcs complete their rites of passage, according to Warcraft Wiki.

Can orcs be Mages in WoW Forever?

Yes. Blizzard announced the Orc Mage as one of the new race and class combinations in WoW Forever, along with Troll Warlock, Undead Paladin, Human Hunter, Gnome Priest and Dwarf Shaman.

Who leads the orcs in the first year of World of Warcraft?

Thrall is Warchief of the Horde and rules from Orgrimmar, according to Warcraft Wiki's description of that period.

Sources

Reviewed October 24, 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.