The Mag'har Orcs

The Mag’har orcs are in a unique situation in World of Warcraft’s lore. They are not only from a different planet, Draenor, they are also from an alternate timeline, where history took a number of different turns on Draenor. But they now find their fates linked to the Horde on Azeroth.

In the events of Warlords of Draenor, the Horde and Alliance chase the outlaw warchief Garrosh Hellscream through time and space. He flees to an alternate timeline of Draenor, and 30 years into the past. His goal is to prevent the orcs from drinking Mannoroth’s blood, and then to forge them into a vicious force with which to come back to his Azeroth and invade. When adventuring in this alternate Draenor, we encounter uncorrupted orcs, differentiated from the orcs of Azeroth by their lack of green skin (itself a side effect of the Legion’s fel corruption).

Eventually, the heroes of the Horde and Alliance help the draenei and Mag’har (led by Grommach Hellscream who refuses to drink of Mannoroth’s blood), defeating both Garrosh and Gul’dan when the warlock moves ahead with coercing orcs to drink demon blood.

As the heroes leave Draenor through portals for their own world and time, hopes were high that the now free mag’har orcs and draenei would coexist and live in peace.

Well, that didn’t happen.

As the Fourth War raged on Azeroth, one of the orc’s greatest heroes, Eitrigg, went in search of allies to bolster the Horde’s armies. He sought help in opening a portal to alternate Draenor, now 30 years past the events of Warlords of Draenor, in the hopes of getting help from the Mag’har clans. What he and the Horde hero found was that in the ensuing years, the Mag’har had been pushed to the brink of destruction by the draenei.

Sometime after the defeat of Gul’dan and the Legion forces on Draenor, a new group of nauru arrived, organizing the draenei into a more militant organization. The draenei began referring to themselves as the Lightbound, and Yrel, the exarch who had worked with the orcs in the past, began demanding the orcs submit to the Light. The orcs that did became Lightbound as well, those that resisted began a campaign to keep their freedom. These were the Mag’har that Eitrigg encountered, holding out in the Gorgrond mountains after the rest of Draenor had fallen to Yrel’s inexorable advance. The Horde hero and Eitrigg help the Mag’har deal with a traitorous ogre clan before preparing to face the full onslaught of the Exarch’s forces. Ultimately, warchief Grom Hellscream dispatches his second-in-command, the Frostwolf Geya’rah, to lead the remaining Mag’har civilians and the bulk of their forces through Eitrigg’s portal back to Azeroth, while he and a token force hold the fortifications to buy them time to escape.

With their arrival on Azeroth, Geya’rah and her Mag’har swear loyalty to Warchief Sylvanas and vow to fight the Alliance, who houses the draenei and Lightforged draenei that the Mag’har now hate acutely. As the Fourth War continued, Geya’rah would be one of the few Horde leaders to maintain her loyalty to Sylvanas, along with Trade Prince Gallywix. In time, Geya’rah would see her error in supporting Sylvanas, and join the council that now jointly leads the Horde as the Mag’har representative.

Mag’har can play as warriors, death knights, hunters, shamans, rogues, monks, mages, and priests.

Mag’har racials are based upon their affinity for living in the wilderness and their veneration of their ancestors. 

1. Ancestral Call. Every 2 minutes, a Mag’har orc can invoke the spirits of the ancestors, giving a random secondary stat buff for 12 seconds based upon which clan’s spirits answer the call.

2. Open Skies. Mag’har lived and died by their ability to stay on the move for their entire history. Increase mounted speed by 10%.

3. Savage Blood. Mag’har hardiness reduces the duration of Poisons, Diseases, and Curses by 10%.

4. Sympathetic Vigor. Mag’har orcs have a deep bond with their animals, due to their nomadic way of life. Pet health increased by 10%.

Mag’har orcs are a good choice for people who want their orcs orcier, their spikes spikier, and their zug-zug zug-zuggier. They have a strong tribal theme, with plenty of tattoo options, and a strong visual aesthetic. They’re also a good choice for someone who wants to play an orc that hasn’t been corrupted by demonic energies, and an orc that can be played as either more peace or more martial depending on how you want to roll with it. So, until our next article, victory or death!