The thing with WoD is the Frostwolves acted like I’d pictured the pre corruption Orcs. Certainly a lot more rough and tumble than your average human owning to the more dangerous Draenor environment but you know, basically reasonable people who probably wouldn’t attack you unless they felt you were a threat.
But the rest of them come off as crazier than their green cousins, and the Frostwolves were always the sensible Orc clan.
And on top of that the Iron Horde were kinda pushovers. Garrosh benefited from an element of surprise not enjoyed by anything attacking Azeroth since the Dark Portal opened. And his invasion doesn’t get farther than the Blasted Land before getting pushed back in and cut off. And then by the end it’s the Legion who are the big bads.
Dude, if being bloodthirsty and blindly pro-war is your standard for what constitutes a good Orc character, then our race is doomed. Cuz that’s literally what caused Orcs to be in the state they are in right now.
Too many Warhawks with no wisdom to temper their baseless warmongering.
Just for mentioning Kargath, you are forgiven for trying to cite Geya’rah as a good example of an Orc character.
Ok, but tbf here, they completely retconned her Twilight Highlands characterization to turn her into a xenophobic warmonger. I mean, her initial stance upon joining the Horde was that she was impressed at how Garrosh managed to lead such a diverse group like the Horde.
I agree, but Cata onward has been a flurry of retcons and retcons retconning retcons… so final characterization is all we really have to work with, sadly.
I’m an Orc main myself, so I say this with sympathy, but if Orcs remain “Blood/kill/conquer,” then they are required to keep taking a huge hit. It sucks now, yes, but “destroying” the Orcish themes of bloodlust and conquest is the kindest thing that Blizzard can do for us long term, because fantasy stories require evil to eventually be defeated.
Strong, conquering, dark Orcs are not “stable” in a fantasy setting like this: they have to eventually turn good or be destroyed. There’s no other path. My apologies, but what you want, simply can’t be done.
How many things got retconned from Cataclysm involving Garrosh though?
They never adressed Magatha Grimtotem betraying Cairne until Legion, they didn’t mind to showcase how much of a traitor Garrosh was before that.
The attack on the druids by the Twilight Hammer got retconned to being Garrosh his forces and Varian declaring war at the end of WotLK got retconned to Garrosh starting the war.
They were also so prone to infighting that they weren’t even stable. Doomhammer’s Second War Horde had a bit more cohesiveness, but it was largely due to their faith in him and their realization they were now trapped on a world that wanted them dead with no were to go. The Bloodthirsty Warmonger Orcs weren’t going to make friends easy, and sure as hell weren’t going to keep them when they got em.
Both the AU and MU Orcs truly are left in a horrific spot.
I agree with most of what was said. Yes the Orcish culture has been slowly transforming to something more Human and boring. Yes the male Orcs have been neutered while female orcs keep their traditional Orcish behaviour. Yes there are Orc characters that could still portray the old Horde, it’s just Blizzard doesn’t want the old Horde back.
Yet there’s an easy, logical writing solution that Blizzard could use that would keep Orcs Orcish and have no future regrets for it, ready?
Direct Orcish bloodthirst to enemies that are NOT the Alliance.
You think players or Blizzard or characters in lore would care about Centaurs or Scourge or Shadowlands Species #8472 being slaughtered in their thousands?
Orcs can still shout in rage, cleave skulls, snarl and bite down on massive ham legs washing it down with a skull full of enemy blood.
Just don’t have it be Alliance skulls they’re doing it too!
I agree with that, Thrall from Classic to Wrath was absolutely amazing. It was the golden age of the Horde, honestly. I always liked the idea that while Orcs are by nature their LOK’TAR OGAR! VICTORY OR DEATH, BLOOD AND THUNDER! Selves, they wanted to try and forge a place in their new world and under Thrall’s leadership, they also wanted to be more than that, what may have worked in Draenor doesn’t work in Azeroth.
But I also agree that they really need to step down the level of psychopathy and warmongering personality of the female Orcs, it’s almost like every single female Orc is like that, it’s a bit boring honestly.
My sympathies Azjon as it seems Blizzard only things of Orcs as dumb grunts and nameless fodder to kill whenever they ran out of enemies to kill and want the Alliance kick some Horde
