The Orcs, who once cultivated a quiet Shamanistic society upon the world of Draenor, were corrupted by the chaos magics of the Burning Legion and formed into a voracious, unstoppable Horde. Lured to the world of Azeroth through a dimensional gateway, the Horde was manipulated into waging war against the human nations of Azeroth and Lordaeron. Hoping that the Horde would conquer the mortal armies of Azeroth, the Burning Legion made ready for its final invasion of the unsuspecting world. Now, under the visionary leadership of Thrall, the Orcs have stripped themselves of their demonic influences and stand ready to combat the vile Legion with courage and honor. Using the ancient, Shamanistic magics of their rediscovered culture, the powerful warriors of the Horde will stop at nothing to ensure that they're never used as pawns again.

The Horde possesses the game's most powerful ground units, including the savage Grunt and gargantuan Tauren. The Orcish Horde has modest air and ranged capabilities, but their true strength lies in their brute strength and raw melee power. Even the magic of their spellcasters is designed to enhance their frontline troops. Advantages Spiked Barricades The buildings of the Orcish Horde can be outfitted with spikes that damage all enemy melee units that attack them. There are multiple upgrades, each empowering the spikes to do more damage. The Spiked Barricades upgrades are researched at the War Mill. Pillage Certain Orc units can be upgraded to salvage gold and lumber when attacking enemy buildings. Once trained, Pillage enables Peons, Grunts, and Raiders to add gold to your coffers every time they hit an enemy building. Protective Burrows The Orcish food supply building is the Orc Burrow; however, it also doubles as a defensive structure. When garrisoned with Peons, it can provide defense against land and air units in the form of a ranged attack. The Orc Raiders are very good for destroying buildings.