Draenor

This article is about the history, geography of the world of Draenor up to its destruction, as well as its depiction during the Warlords of Draenor timeline. For the history after its destruction, see Outland.

Draenor
Level: 90-100
Type	World
Races	Mag'har orc  Ogre  Draenei  Arakkoa  Gronn Genasaur Sabron
Ruler(s)	Grom Hellscream (Iron Horde) Ner'zhul (Shadowmoon Valley) Blackhand (Gorgrond) Kilrogg Deadeye (Tanaan Jungle) Kargath Bladefist (Spires of Arak) Prophet Velen (Draenei) Durotan (Frostfire Ridge)
Location	Great Dark Beyond

"War...it is the lifeblood of this world."

—Grom Hellscream in the Warlords of Draenor trailer

Draenor [ˈdɹænɔɹ] (also known as the Red World) is one of two worlds featured in Warcraft series to date. It was the homeworld of the orcish race and the last refuge of the draenei before their arrival on Azeroth. At the end of the Second War, the orc shaman Ner'zhul recklessly opened dimensional portals to find new worlds to conquer. It resulted in Draenor being torn apart and was believed completely lost. However, a large fragment of the world remained intact. That fragment is known today as Outland.

During its prime, Draenor was home to many notable native races such as ogres, orcs, grom, tanei, gronn, genasaurs, sabron, and arakkoa. An ogre empire also existed sometime during the events of the Rise of the Horde, spanning two continents of the planet.

Draenor before its destruction is the main setting of the Warlords of Draenor expansion, which takes place 35 years before the current events and in an alternate timeline. Because of the time warp, as well as alterations made by Garrosh Hellscream, alternate past Draenor has connected itself with Azeroth in 31 ADP through the Dark Portal, which originally led to Outland - the current, destroyed incarnation of the world.

Geographical features

File:Pale Lady.jpg

The Pale Lady, as seen from Frostfire Ridge

The world of Draenor is comprised at least two (most likely unnamed) continents, and only one of them is known to Azeroth's races. After Draenor's destruction that continent became Outland, the only surviving fragment of the Red World. The second continent is located southwest of it and is said to be the homeland of the ogres, as well as the heart of their empire.

Draenor has a moon, the Pale Lady.

Background

Draenor was a savage world dominated by fertile plains, lush jungles and volcanic peaks. It was inhabited by several native intelligent races: the arakkoa, an ancient race of bird-like humanoids, the ogres, a powerful race that controled a vast empire, the brutal gronn, the peaceful race of mushroom-like sporelings and the shamanistic orcs.

Arrival of the draenei

Nearly 200 years before the First War, the draenei settled upon this remote world that seemed an ideal refuge for their millenia-expanding exodus. They named it Draenor which meant "Exiles' Refuge" in their tongue; since the native orcs did not have a name for the planet, other than "world", they eventually adopted the Draenei term.

The settlers quietly cultivated their society once again and kept their magic hidden, ever wary of being discovered again by the Burning Legion's forces.

Rise of the Horde

The orcs lived in a shamanistic society that was in deep harmony with the surrounding natural world, until power-hungry leaders, led and manipulated by Gul'dan, made a blood pact with Mannoroth, a general of the Burning Legion, turning the orcs into bloodthirsty barbarian conquerors. The warlock magics wielded by the orcs turned Draenor into a dusty wasteland. The orcs, under orders from Kil'jaeden, decimated the draenei, enslaved the ogres, and gained dark dominion over Draenor. Velen and a handful of draenei survived the destruction of their cities by the orcs and fled to Zangarmarsh, where they stayed hidden until recent years. Before the Horde could destroy themselves in their bloodlust, Medivh and Gul'dan opened the Dark Portal, allowing the Horde access to the world of Azeroth to start a new war and pave the way for the Burning Legion's second invasion of Kalimdor.

Destruction of Draenor

Main article: Outland

Eventually the Horde was beaten back by the numerous Alliance forces, and Draenor became the focus of an attack, via the Dark Portal, by an Alliance Expedition aiming to end the orcish threat to Azeroth once and for all. In the midst of the ensuing battle the elder shaman Ner'zhul attempted to allow the remaining orcs on Draenor to escape to other worlds by opening other dimensional portals; however the presence of so many portals tore the planet apart, leaving only torn fragments of the former world floating in the Nether. It ceased to be a material world, and the barely-hospitable remnants were renamed Outland.

Timeline collision

This section concerns content related to Warlords of Draenor.

Thirty years after the Opening of the Dark Portal, Garrosh Hellscream was sent back in time before the events of Rise of the Horde by a bronze dragon Kairoz for reasons unknown. The overthrown warchief smuggled some of the modernized Horde technology into the past, as well as prevented his kin from entering the Blood Pact. This change created a splinter timeline, where the newly established union of the clans, the Iron Horde began their path to conquest under the leadership of Grommash Hellscream of Warsong Clan. They also intend to establish a link between alternate Draenor and original Azeroth with the aid of Garrosh and Kairoz, with the former bent on unleashing his revenge upon the races of Azeroth for his defeat at Orgrimmar.

Getting there

Players that will reach level 90 will embark on a journey that will lead them to repel the Iron Horde's invasion entering Azeroth through the Dark Portal, which has turned red because of a time warp that now connects it with the world of Draenor in the alternate past. The prologue quest will be a similar experience to the death knight starting experience. After defeating the invading army, they will travel through the portal and arrive at Tanaan Jungle (located in the same place as what will eventually become Hellfire Peninsula). After the prologue, Alliance will be sent to Shadowmoon Valley, while the Horde will go to the Frostfire Ridge - their own faction territories, with fully-fledged capitals (that they need to secure first) in Draenor.

Geography

File:WorldMap-Draenor.png

In-game map of Draenor

Main zones

• Frostfire Ridge (90-92)
• Shadowmoon Valley (90-92)
• Gorgrond (??)
• Spires of Arak (??)
• Talador (??)
• Nagrand (??)
• Tanaan Jungle (??)
• Zangar Sea
• Fields of Farahlon (100)
• Ashran (100 PvP)

Draenor and Outland comparison

• Hellfire Peninsula - formerly Tanaan Jungle
• Zangarmarsh - formerly Zangar Sea
• Terokkar Forest and Bone Wastes - formerly Talador
• Nagrand - largely untouched
• Blade's Edge Mountains - merger of the Frostfire Ridge and Gorgrond
• Netherstorm - remnants of Farahlon
• Shadowmoon Valley - transformed into a blackened wasteland

Lore

• Brokenrock Mountains
• Devouring Sea
• Shadowed Seas
• Skeletal Coast
• Coast of Bones

Dungeons

Main article: Instances by continent

•  Bloodmaul Slag Mines
•  Shadowmoon Burial Grounds
•  Blackrock Depot
•  Auchindoun
•  Arakkoa Spires
•  Iron Barracks
•  Highmaul 100+
•  Blackrock Foundry 100+

Outposts and cities

The draenei (Alliance)

• Shattrath City (draenei capital)
• Auchindoun (necropolis)
• Karabor (sanctum of the Prophet)
• Farahlon
• Sha'naar
• Telmor
• Telredor

The Horde

• Bladespire Citadel (Horde capital)
• Hellfire Citadel (prime timeline Horde capital)
• Black Temple (prime timeline, formerly Temple of Karabor)
• Fortress Shadowmoon (prime timeline)
• Fortress Auchindoun (prime timeline)
• Zeth'kur
• Zeth'Gor

Native sapient races

Template:Col-4
• Arakkoa
• Gronn
• Grom
• Ogres
• Orcs
• Sabron
• Genasaur
• Tanei
Template:Col-4 Template:Col-4

Resident aliens

• Draenei refugees from Argus have arrived in Draenor through Oshu'gun and massively settled the planet.

Speculation

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

In the Human Campaign of Warcraft: Beyond the Dark Portal, the humans close the Dark Portal and save Azeroth, but must escape a crumbling Draenor by entering one of the various rifts that have been opened by Ner'zhul, who with his followers have escaped into one of these rifts. In the Orc Campaign, the orcs are victorious and Ner'zhul with his followers travel to Draenor, where they enter a rift into the Twisting Nether to gain new glory. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos does not follow either outcome directly but instead continues the story in Azeroth. It takes a bit more from the human conclusion though as the Horde were not totally victorious on Azeroth, and instead were mostly scattered or taken to internment camps.

Gallery

• 

  Early concept of the layout of Draenor.

• 

  A map of the world of Draenor around the Dark Portal.

• 

  Another map of Draenor.

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  Draenor as seen in the PlayStation version of Warcraft II.

• 

  Draenor from Warlords of Draenor 6.0.1.18125 Alpha.

References

Others:

• Beyond the Dark Portal (game and novel)
• Rise of the Horde
• Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (manual)
• Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal Official Secrets & Solutions
• World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade

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