Strongest Orcs In Warcraft Lore

Key Takeaways

• Orcs in Warcraft lore are known for their strength and honor, with powerful characters like Blackhand and Ogrim Doomhammer.
• Characters like Broxigar and Grommash Hellscream have made significant impacts in the Warcraft universe.
• Thrall, Gul’dan, and Ner’zhul are crucial figures, each powerful and influential in their own right.

The Warcraft franchise is incredibly popular and well-tenured, spanning RTS games, tabletop Games, and the famous MMO, World of Warcraft. Warcraft lore is extensive and long-spanning, featuring many incredibly powerful characters and entities constantly fighting for control and victory. Some of these characters are encountered in-game, some from novels, and others are core to entire expansions worth of narrative.

Orcs are one of the main races in Warcraft lore. They hail from the now-destroyed Draenor, known as Outland since it was shattered. They are often honorable, and most known for their large stature and strength. Many Orcs are central to narratives across the Warcraft universe and can be seen imposing their power across many aspects of the lore, be they main antagonists or consistent allies.

8 Blackhand

The First Warchief Of The Horde

• Prominently featured in Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor

Blackhand has two notable variations in Warcraft lore, each powerful in their own right. One is the original Blackhand, the first Warchief of the Horde, and the orc that led the first Horde through the Dark Portal. The other variation is from the Warlords of Draenor expansion, wherein he was a Warlord of the Iron Horde Blackrock Clan and a secondary antagonist.

Regardless of iteration, Blackhand was an incredibly powerful fighter. The first Warchief of the Horde was a great tactician and ruthless, often prideful and self-assured. He was manipulated by Gul’dan and led the Horde through the Dark Portal, ultimately falling short of winning the First War for the Horde. His Warlords of Draenor iteration was equally powerful and wielded the legendary Doomhammer.

7 Ogrim Doomhammer

The Orc That Defeated Blackhand

• Prominently featured in Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness

Ogrim Doomhammer was a powerful warrior, often winning multiple one-on-one contests, besting many opponents in single combat. He wielded the legendary Doomhammer, passed down through his family lineage, using the powerful weapon to defeat many of his enemies. He would become the second Warchief of the Horde.

Ogrim Doomhammer became the second Warchief of the Horde after defeating Blackhand in single combat, cementing his position of power above Blackhand. Despite being seen as a backstabber by loyalists to Gul’dan and Blackhand, Ogrim fairly bested the former Warchief and gained his title fairly in a Mak’gora. Doomhammer would then go on to lead the Horde to victory in the First War. Doomhammer pledged to purge the Horde of the evil influence of Gul’dan, desiring to restore honor to the orcs. Years on, before his death, Doomhammer would bestow his weapon on Thrall, a powerful move that would serve to set the restoration of the Horde into motion.

6 Broxigar

Wielder Of The Axe of Cenarius

• Prominently featured in World of Warcraft: War of the Ancients Trilogy

Broxigar, or Broxigar The Red, is a storied veteran of all three wars. He was seen as a hero of the Horde for his accomplishments in battle, cementing his position as a storied and experienced combatant. Broxigar wielded the Axe of Cenarius, an incredibly powerful weapon in and of itself.

Despite his many accomplishments in battle, Broxigar would become most known for one incredibly powerful feat and a pure demonstration of his prowess. After being sent back in time to the events of the War of the Ancients, Broxigar would stand one-on-one against the Titan Sargeras, causing a small but distracting wound that allowed for the portal to be closed, and victory to be attained. A lot of his strength came from the Axe. However, such a feat may not have been done by a lesser Orc, solidifying Broxigar’s position.

5 Grommash Hellscream

Redeemer Of The Orcs

• Prominently featured in World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor

Grommash Hellscream was the Chieftan of the Warsong clan, already solidifying his power and status among the Horde ranks. He was the first Orc to drink the blood of Mannoroth, an action that would doom the Horde, but gave him even greater strength in combat. Many events, such as his torture or the isolation of the Warsong clan after the first war, would demonstrate a key trait of Grommash. He never broke, demonstrating an iron will that never faltered.

The iron will of Grommash, along with his status and combat prowess, would already be enough to consider him one of the strongest orcs within Warcraft lore. However, Grommash is known for one larger act. Despite having been the orc to first drink the demon’s blood and doom his people, he ultimately freed them. Grommash would face down the Pit Lord Mannoroth, dealing him a critical wound that resulted in freedom for his people from the curse he had bestowed upon them. This gave him the title, Redeemer of the Orcs, and solidified his place in the lore.

4 Garrosh Hellscream

Empowered By Y’Shaarj

• Prominently featured in World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria

Garrosh Hellscream, son of Grommash, is one of the most contentious figures in Warcraft lore. Despite any moralistic contentions, his power cannot be argued. Garrosh proved himself in the Northrend campaign, a feat that eventually led to his appointment as the Warchief of the Horde. He would then go on to attempt to create a “True Horde,” operating with an iron fist and a desire to instill Orc supremacy.

Early on, most of his strength came from his ability to manipulate and inspire those around him, pulling them toward his cause. Despite being a fierce warrior, it was this influence that ensured his power. His power became far more tangible, however, when he absorbed the power of the Old God Y’Shaarj, solidifying him as one of the purely strongest Orcs in the lore.

3 Ner’zhul

Elder Shaman

• Prominently featured in World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde

Ner’zhul was one of the most powerful Shamans at his peak, later becoming a Warlock. He was the creator of the Horde, and it was he who bound the orcs to a pact with the Burning Legion, cursing them with demon blood. Ner’zhul was incredibly influential and powerful due to his Shamanistic abilities.

The most important example of Ner’zhul’s power, and his place in the lore, is his opening of portals. He opened many portals from Draenor in an attempt to find the Orcs a new home, ultimately shattering Draenor through the sheer power of the portals, resulting in the creation of Outland. Later on, it was Ner’zhul’s body that was used to create the Lich King, a pivotal moment in the Warcraft timeline.

2 Thrall

The Most Powerful Shaman

• Prominently featured in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects

Thrall, for many World of Warcraft expansions, has been one of the main characters, ultimately serving as one of the most important protagonists in the franchise. Thrall is a powerful Shaman, educated by humans but maintaining his Orcish honor. Thrall was a Warchief of the Horde, before ultimately serving beyond that title, abandoning it to help elsewhere.

The many feats of Thrall are too plentiful to name. He played a role in the defeat of the Lich King, fought against the Legion, killed Garrosh in a Mak’gora, and directly helped defeat Deathwing. During his defeat of Deathwing, he became an honorary Earth Warder for the aspects, also joining the Earthen Ring and becoming the most powerful Shaman in Warcraft lore. Thrall continues to play pivotal roles in subsequent expansions, making him the most important Orc in Warcraft lore, but not the most outright powerful.

1 Gul’dan

The Strongest Mortal Warlock

• Prominently featured in World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor and World of Warcraft: Legion

Gul’dan is a heavily recurring name throughout the history of the Orcs, as well as throughout the lore of Warcraft in general. The first, and strongest, mortal Warlock, Gul’dan used his power to manipulate and corrupt those around him every chance he got. Gul’dan was incredibly powerful, his Warlock magic having little rival when compared to other mortals. Even long after his death, his skull became an artifact that held immense power itself. Gul’dan was also another Orc that had an alternate version, each with immense power and wreaking havoc in their own right.

It was the manipulation of the Orcish clans, at the hands of Gul’dan, that led the Orcs into their demonic corruption. Gul’dan was responsible for the invasion of Azeroth and was a vital tool for The Burning Legion. Even beyond the death of the first iteration of Gul’dan, his alternate universe version from Warlords of Draenor brought the invasion of the Legion upon the Broken Shore. Not only having set about the events of the initial Warcraft wars but also the events of the Legion expansion. These reasons, along with his raw magical power, mean that Gul’dan is the most influential and powerful Orc in Warcraft.