First and Second Wars: how the rivalry between Horde and Alliance was born

What came before WoW?

World of Warcraft began after three strategy games: Warcraft I, II and III. Each covered a war. If you jumped straight into WoW, you missed the basics of why Horde hates Alliance — and vice versa.

It's not just political rivalry. It's blood, destruction and betrayal accumulated over decades.

The First War — Horde invades Azeroth

The First War (Warcraft I) was the initial Orc invasion of Azeroth through the Dark Portal.

The Orcs arrived already corrupted — demonic blood in their veins, a desire to destroy. The human kingdom of Azeroth (base of the future Alliance) was the first target. Stormwind fell. Humans were forced to flee north.

Result: destruction of Stormwind, refuge for human survivors in Lordaeron, formation of what would become the Lordaeron Alliance.

The Second War — The Alliance forms to survive

The Second War (Warcraft II) was the organized response. With Lordaeron, Quel'Thalas, Ironforge, Gnomeregan, and others united, the Lordaeron Alliance faced the Great Horde — now including Trolls and Dragons.

Key moments:

• Destruction of Draenor — the Orcish world itself was destroyed by abusive magic
• Alliance Victory — Horde defeated, leaders captured or killed
• Orc Internment — survivors were placed in prison camps

Result: Alliance wins, but the political structure begins to crack. Each kingdom had its interests, and forced cooperation created resentment.

Leaders and decisions that changed the course

Orgrim Doomhammer (Horde): took leadership of the Blackhand Orcs, was captured after their defeat. Symbol of Orc resistance.

Anduin Lothar (Alliance): supreme commander of the Alliance forces, died in a duel against Orgrim Doomhammer at Blackrock Spire, in the war's greatest battle; Turalyon took command and led the Alliance to victory. His sacrifice cemented the unity of the Alliance—for a time.

Khadgar: wizard who destroyed the Dark Portal at the end of the Second War, isolating the surviving Orcs from any reinforcements from Draenor.

The formation of Horde and Alliance identities

After the Second War, the identities became clear:

Alliance = humans, dwarves, gnomes, elves (high elves at the time). Values: order, law, protection of established territories.

Horde = Orc survivors, demoralized and dazed by the withdrawal of demonic blood. No leadership, no purpose. Until Thrall.

Thrall's Horde in Classic/WotLK is different from the Horde of Wars — he rebuilt an identity based on honor and shamanism, not conquest. But the Alliance still retains the memory of what Orcs did.

The political consequences that reach WotLK

In WotLK, cooperation between Horde and Alliance is always tense because this history does not disappear:

• Wrathgate happens because the Forsaken never truly belonged to Thrall's "honorable" Horde
• The Alliance constantly questions whether it can trust the Horde in Northrend
• Players on both sides share goals but rarely collaborate directly

Knowing where this conflict came from makes each tension in the game more understandable — and more interesting.