Beyond the Dark Portal #14: Honor Hold

August 21, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

"Beyond the Dark Portal" series — Beyond the Dark Portal #14. The story of Beyond the Dark Portal, from the internment camps to the end of Draenor. The episodes are listed in order at the end of the post.

To survive on Draenor, the Alliance built a base. Honor Hold became the heart of the expedition in Hellfire Peninsula. It held out against the Horde's attacks during the campaign and, years later, was still standing when players went through the Portal in The Burning Crusade.

A base in enemy land

The Alliance fortified the area around the Portal and picked a spot for its main base. That is how Honor Hold was born. From there the attacks went out, and there the wounded came back.

The war at sea

In the game campaign, the Alliance also attacked the shipyards of Zeth'kur, where the Horde was building ships. Destroying the orc fleet protected the coast and Honor Hold itself.

Honor Hold in TBC

Honor Hold survived the destruction of Draenor. In TBC, it is the Alliance base in Hellfire Peninsula, commanded by Danath Trollbane. It is the first town an Alliance player sees in Outland.

What this changes in the story

Honor Hold is one of the few places in Warcraft that link the strategy games directly to WoW. The fortress built by the expedition in Beyond the Dark Portal is the same one the player visits in TBC, with Danath Trollbane still in command.

The Honor Hold quests in TBC make several references to the Sons of Lothar and to the years they spent trapped in Outland, not knowing what was happening on Azeroth.

On the other side of Hellfire Peninsula lies Thrallmar, the Horde base in TBC, built much later, when Thrall's Horde goes through the Portal.

Episode timeline

The Alliance fortifies the area around the Portal.
Honor Hold is built as the main base.
The Alliance attacks the shipyards of Zeth'kur.
The fortress holds out against the Horde's attacks.
Years later, Honor Hold is still standing in Outland.

Who's who in this episode

| Name | Who they are | |------|--------| | Honor Hold | The Alliance base on Draenor. | | Danath Trollbane | The commander of Honor Hold in TBC. | | Turalyon | The commander of the expedition that built the fortress. | | Zeth'kur | The Horde shipyards attacked by the Alliance. |

Where to see it in WotLK

Honor Hold, in Hellfire Peninsula: the Alliance base in TBC, with Danath Trollbane's quests.
Thrallmar: the Horde base in the same zone, on the other side.
Hellfire Citadel: the Horde fortress that Honor Hold stood against.