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 led by off-worlders and composed of outsiders, has survived these obstacles by bonding together, fighting as family,
comrades, or even uneasy allies. Although its ideals, policies, and beliefs have been revised and membership has changed over time, it is the same Horde inherited by Thrall through Warchief Ogrim Doomhammer.
Major members[]
- The Orcs of Durotar
- The Darkspear Trolls of the recently-reclaimed Echo Isles
- The Tauren of Mulgore
- The Undead of Lordaeron
- The Blood Elves of Quel'Thalas
- The Goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel
Horde Forces[]
- Defilers
- Frostwolf Clan
- Warsong Outriders
- Horde Expedition
Horde-aligned[]
The forest trolls of the Revantusk tribe
The Mag'har orcs of Garadar
History[]
In the past, the Horde referred to the orcs and their battle slaves from both Draenor and Azeroth, such as trolls and ogres. Following its utter defeat at the end of then Second War, the Horde's dark power was broken, allowing Thrall to awaken the dormant spirituality of his people and free them from the Burning Legion's control.
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 is very close, as both 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.
The present Horde is mostly about surviving in a land that has come to hate them. The orcs are hated because, much like the Forsaken, they were formerly mindless, controlled beings. Though redeemed, they are not forgiven by many members of the Alliance who believe them to be their old selves still. The trolls, tauren and their other allies are the ones who understood them, and so they are hated for that. An interesting fact is that every prominent Horde leader has been allied with certain members of the Alliance in times of war.
Weaknesses[]
Savagery[]
Perhaps its greatest weakness, as a whole the Horde is a group of primitive savages bound together by extreme circumstances. Subtelty is a four-letter word to these guys, and most prefer to talk with their fists. Even the Forsaken are bloodthirsty and prone to violent rages, as well as an inherent distrust in anyone else. While the bloodlust of the Sin'dorei is less overt and more contained by a veneer of elegance and refinement, in truth they can also revel in death and cruelty to the same degree as any of the Horde's other member nations.
Orcs connect with their legacy as mighty warriors, as barbaric, demon-bred savages, and as shamanistic spiritualists. Despite the fact that they are no longer under demonic influence, orcs can still enter bloodthirsty frenzies.
The Darkspear jungle trolls are steadfastly loyal to the orcs. Though they practice voodoo and many retain their savage natures, Thrall lets them live in his borders and generally do what they want.
Small forces[]
Despite their power, the Horde lacks the numbers it once enjoyed. They are the underdogs now, and it becomes easy to simply overwhelm their forces with greater numbers. Strength is good, but the many are stronger than the few.
Technology[]
Similar to their savage weakness, the Horde severely lacks in technological prowess since the goblins left their alliance. The Horde’s reliance on divine magic and beasts has proven a downfall due to their unpredictable and exhaustible nature. And technology still baffles the Horde. Enemy forces can overwhelm a Horde warband with a single siege engine; most warbands are simply ill equipped to handle a strong technological presence. The Horde does have Forsaken that continue to use some human technology, and a mix of dark necromantic technology.
The rejoining of the goblins, in the form of the Bilgewater Cartel, may soon solve this problem.
Strengths[]
Physical strength[]
If you put an orc, a tauren, a human and a dwarf in a room with no weapons, almost everyone can make a good guess as to who would come out alive.
Leadership[]
Unlike the Alliance, the Horde has had clear leaders for every race represented. in its ranks.