One of the orc chieftains of legend. Prior to the creation of the Dark Portal, Grom Hellscream was the uncontested leader of the Warsong clan, marked by his slim build and black-tattooed lower jaw.

Gul'dan was a former orc shaman from Draenor who became the first orcish warlock as well as the de facto founder of the Orcish Horde. Abandoning the ways of shamanism and betraying both his people and his mentor to the demonlord Kil'jaeden for personal gain and power, Gul'dan was directly responsible for the orcs' fall to demonic enslavement as well as for the Horde's invasion of Azeroth. Tutored by the lord of the Burning Legion, he became the founder and master of the Shadow Council as well as the creator of the necromantic terrors known as death knights.

Kargath Bladefist (aka Korgath Bladefist) is the Warchief of the Fel Horde and Chieftain of the Shattered Hand Clan. He earned the sobriquet "Bladefist" after he cut off his own hand when he reached the station of grunt, replacing it with a deadly scythe. Hereafter, he quickly rose to the station of Chieftain of the Shattered Hand.

Orgrim Doomhammer, also known as the Backstabber by loyalists of Gul'dan and Blackhand, was the Warchief of the Orcish Horde during the end of the First War and the entirety of the Second War. The orcish capital of Orgrimmar, the Horde-controlled town of Hammerfall in the Arathi Highlands, and the flying battleship Orgrim's Hammer patrolling the skies of Icecrown, are named in his honor.


--- "I rule the Horde now, Gul'dan. Not you, not your warlocks. Doomhammer alone. And there will be no more dishonor. No more treachery. No more deceit and lies! "

A Raider of the Sythegore Arm, and one of the most respected warriors in the Horde, Blackhand became the renowned chieftain of the powerful Blackrock clan on Draenor. Known as a tactical genius and a ruthless dictator who demanded respect from his warriors, his ego and lust for power made him very easy to manipulate — a fact which Gul'dan discovered very quickly. Through political manipulation and by stoking the embers of Blackhand's ego, Gul'dan was able to convince the Blackrock chieftain that he was a respected equal in the warlock's dark scheme, both the public leader of the Horde and a member of the secret Shadow Council; he was in fact merely a means to an end for the evil warlock.

Durotan was the heir apparent to Garad, chieftain of the Frostwolf clan, in the years prior to the First War. During a Kosh'harg festival in Nagrand, he met a Blackrock orc named Orgrim, son of Telkar Doomhammer, and the two became fast friends despite belonging to different clans. Durotan was also brought to the "sacred mountain" of Oshu'gun by request of the ancestors, seeking to test whether he could become a shaman as well as chieftain of his clan; alas, he did not see the ancestors, though he knew they were there somehow.

Nekros Skullcrusher was the second to Zuluhed the Whacked, chieftain of the Dragonmaw clan, and was entrusted as both warden of the dragon queen Alexstrasza and wielder of the Demon Soul that held her prisoner. Nekros became her warden in Grim Batol, using the Demon Soul to inflict unimaginable pain on her whenever she did not cooperate. When she tried to starve herself, he shattered an egg before her which forced her to return to cooperation with the orc.

One of the few orcish warlocks who were not part of the Shadow Council, Nekros never cared for his dark, magical calling. He fled from the warlock ranks, returning to his warrior ways.

Ner'zhul was the chieftain and elder shaman of the Shadowmoon clan and one of the most popular figures in orcish society. He was admired, respected and venerated by all for his deep connection to the spirits, and was the closest thing the orcish race had to a single leader prior to the foundation of the Horde. However, deep within, Ner'zhul craved a power he did not have...

One day, Ner'zhul was contacted by the spirit of his deceased mate, Rulkan (with whom he had a regular correspondence), who warned him about the menace of the draenei, who were plotting to destroy the orcs. After several moons, she introduced him to Kil'jaeden, the "Great One", who began to instruct him in the treachery of the draenei. Though Ner'zhul was elated that he was saving his people (and finally getting the power and respect he secretly desired), he was puzzled why the ancestors would no longer speak to him, and why the spirits grew more distant.

A fierce forest troll of the Amani tribe, Zul'jin's ability as a warrior and leader meant that he did what no other troll has done since the Troll Wars: unite the warring tribes of Zul'Aman under a single leader. He was infamous for his daring raids on the outskirts of Quel'Thalas, at a time when trolls had been completely beaten into obscurity by the high elves. Some say he planned to unite all trolls, but his plans were quickly put on hold by the events of the Second War.

The shadow hunter Vol'jin, son of Sen'jin, is the chieftain of the Darkspear tribe, rightful ruler of the Echo Isles, and a staunch ally of Thrall. After the Echo Isles were conquered by the traitorous sorcerer Zalazane, he resided in Orgrimmar at the side of the Warchief, later fighting alongside him during the Battle for the Undercity. After years of exile, Vol'jin led an attack against the Echo Isles to end Zalazane's evil rule and retake the lands that Thrall had promised them.

Thrall is the son of Durotan, former chieftain of the Frostwolf clan, and Draka. As a baby, he was found amongst the bloody bodies of his murdered parents by Aedelas Blackmoore, commander of the internment camps which held orcs after the end of the Second War. Blackmoore gave him the name Thrall, which was another word for "slave" in the human tongue. Blackmoore returned with Thrall to his fortress, Durnholde Keep, raising him as a gladiator with all the savagery of an orc, but with the keen strategic intellect of a human. He was trained and taught by many, wet-nursed by a human woman, and grew to befriend her daughter, Taretha Foxton. Thrall proved to be an excellent student and a phenomenal fighter.

Kelgar was an orc that Thrall met when he was trapped in the internment camps. Kelgar told Thrall of the corruption of the orcs due to the treachery of Gul'dan, and how the old ways had been so much better for the Horde (thus being the first person to introduce him to the idea of shamanism and the spiritual cure that the orcs needed). He told him that the only one still thinking of embracing the old ways was the undefeated Grom Hellscream, Chieftain of the Warsong clan. He created a distraction by fighting the guards, allowing Thrall to escape the camp.

He was "demon-corrupted" with red eyes and, like many of the other orcs at the time, lethargic. He claimed that he could kill the guards easily, but he did not even have the desire to try to escape the camp