Orc Clans: full list and history of the Horde
Vanilla WoW Classic 1.12 · x5 realm · wowx5.ruOrcish society on Draenor was split into clans — kinship war-brotherhoods each with their own totem, traditions and chieftain. United by Gul'dan and the Shadow Council under the banner of the Burning Legion, these clans became the Horde that poured through the Dark Portal onto Azeroth. This overview covers the key orc clans of the First and Second Wars and their legacy in WoW Classic.
What is an orc clan
An orc clan is not merely a war-band but a kinship community with a shared history, a beast-totem and a code of honor. Each clan had a warchief and a council of shaman elders. Before the Legion the orcs were a shamanistic people who revered the elements and ancestor spirits; clans competed but rarely wiped one another out. That changed when Kil'jaeden and the Shadow Council pushed the orcs toward demonic corruption.
Clans and the Burning Legion
Ner'zhul, elder of the Shadowmoon clan, first accepted Kil'jaeden's visions, and his apprentice Gul'dan completed the fall: the orcs drank Mannoroth's blood and became a tool of the Burning Legion. Grom, chieftain of the Warsong clan, drank the pit lord's blood first and doomed the whole Horde. The orcs' skin turned green and their eyes burned red — the Old Horde was born.
Clans in the First and Second Wars
Through the Dark Portal came the Blackrock clan, Warsong, Dragonmaw, Bleeding Hollow and others. In the Second War the Dragonmaw used the Demon Soul to enslave the red dragons, while Gul'dan's Stormreaver clan betrayed the Horde for the Tomb of Sargeras. It was the clans' infighting that ruined the Old Horde.
The clans' legacy in WoW Classic
By the Vanilla era many clans are broken or scattered. Thrall and Durotan's Frostwolf clan became the backbone of the New Horde and holds Alterac Valley; the Warsong log timber in Ashenvale and fight in Warsong Gulch; Dragonmaw remnants hide in the Wetlands, and Blackrock Mountain serves Rend and Nefarian. Read about the people in the orc race article.
On the WowX5 server (x5)
The clans are a great lore entry point for newcomers. On WowX5 x5 you'll quickly reach Durotar as an orc and meet traces of the Burning Blade and Warsong by your 20s. The boosted rates give you time to read quests and dive into the story rather than just grind. Check the Horde and the orc race to tie the clans together.
Related pages
Join WowX5
Want to walk the path of the orc clans yourself — from the steppes of Durotar to the fire of Blackrock Mountain? On our WoW Classic x5 server leveling is brisker, and raids and PvP form up every evening. Register, download the client and connect to play.wowx5.ru.
FAQ
How many orc clans were there?
The classic Draenor clans number about a dozen — Warsong, Shadowmoon, Frostwolf, Dragonmaw, Bleeding Hollow, Blackrock, Stormreaver, Thunderlord, Laughing Skull, Burning Blade and others.
Which clan is central to the New Horde?
The backbone of Thrall's New Horde is the Frostwolf clan, from which his father Durotan came.
Did every clan serve the Legion?
No. The Frostwolf clan refused to drink Mannoroth's blood and was exiled, which spared it from the blood curse.