WoW History: Warlords of Draenor

September 26, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

"The History of the Expansions" series — Episode 6. The story of World of Warcraft told expansion by expansion, with the patches that changed it. The episodes are listed in order at the end of the post.

The story of Warlords of Draenor starts with an escape through time. Garrosh Hellscream flees his own trial, goes back to the Draenor of 35 years earlier and stops the orcs from drinking the blood of the demon Mannoroth. Without the corruption, the orc chieftains create the Iron Horde, an army of machines that tries to invade Azeroth. The expansion ends with Gul'dan back in the game and the Burning Legion ready for its next attack.

Garrosh's escape

At the end of Mists of Pandaria, Garrosh was on trial in Pandaria. With the help of Kairozdormu, a rogue bronze dragon, he fled through time to an alternate Draenor, at a moment before the orcs were corrupted by the Legion.

Garrosh found his father, Grom Hellscream, right when Gul'dan was offering the chieftains Mannoroth's blood. This time, Grom refused. With weapons from Azeroth that Garrosh had brought, the orcs killed Mannoroth on the spot, and Gul'dan was taken prisoner.

The Iron Horde

Free from the Legion, the orc chieftains did not become peaceful. With the technology Garrosh brought, they built war machines, ironclads and giant furnaces, and formed the Iron Horde. The warlords had the same names as in the original story, but without the demonic blood:

Grommash Hellscream, of the Warsong clan, the supreme chieftain.
Blackhand, of the Blackrock clan, lord of the forge.
Kargath Bladefist, of the Shattered Hand clan, the gladiator.
Kilrogg Deadeye, of the Bleeding Hollow clan, who saw his own death in a vision.
Ner'zhul, of the Shadowmoon, who sought power from the dead.

Their plan was the same as 35 years before, only with steel instead of demons: cross a Dark Portal and conquer Azeroth.

The invasion through the Dark Portal

The Iron Horde crossed a new Dark Portal and invaded the Blasted Lands. The heroes of Azeroth, led by Khadgar, went to the other side and destroyed the portal from within, leaving themselves trapped on Draenor.

There, Horde and Alliance built garrisons and met characters who, in the original timeline, were dead or corrupted: Durotan and the Frostwolf clan alive, the draenei of Velen and the young Yrel, and versions of Ner'zhul and Gul'dan before their fall.

Garrosh's death

Thrall went to Draenor and faced Garrosh in an honor duel, the mak'gora, in Nagrand. Thrall killed Garrosh using the elements. It was the end of the man who had led the Horde to the Siege of Orgrimmar.

Blackhand and Blackrock Foundry

One by one, the warlords fell. The strongest of them, Blackhand, was defeated in Blackrock Foundry, the Iron Horde's weapons factory. Without him, the orc army began to crumble.

Gul'dan and Hellfire Citadel

With the Iron Horde weakened, Gul'dan escaped. He went to the commander who was left, Grommash, and offered the same thing as before: power in exchange for serving the Legion. Grom refused again and was imprisoned. Kilrogg accepted and became the first piece of the new corruption.

Gul'dan turned Hellfire Citadel, in Tanaan Jungle, into a portal for the Legion and opened the way for Archimonde. The heroes stormed the citadel and killed Archimonde, once again.

In the end, Gul'dan was sent to the original Azeroth by the Legion itself. Grom, set free, united the orcs of Draenor against the demons. But the damage was done: Gul'dan was loose in the players' world, and his next step was to open the Tomb of Sargeras.

Where to see it in WotLK

Warlords of Draenor does not exist in the 3.3.5a client, but the original Draenor is in the game as Outland, and there you can compare the two versions:

Hellfire Peninsula: the original Hellfire Citadel and the Outland side of the Dark Portal.
Nagrand: the Mag'har, orcs who never drank the blood, led by Garrosh in TBC.
Shadowmoon Valley: the homeland of the Shadowmoon clan and of Ner'zhul.
Blackrock Depths and Blackrock Spire: the Blackrock clan as it ended up in Azeroth.

Frequently asked questions

Why did Garrosh go to Draenor?

To escape his trial in Pandaria and create a Horde that had never served the Legion. He was taken to the past of an alternate Draenor by the bronze dragon Kairozdormu.