Highlights

  • The upcoming patch in World of Warcraft will bring the "Reclamation of Gilneas" and allows the worgen to return home after being away for over a decade.
  • Gilneas was once a powerful human kingdom before withdrawing its support for the Alliance and facing the Scourge alone. The release of the worgen curse and a civil war contributed to its downfall.
  • The night elves of the Alliance took responsibility for the worgen curse and taught the afflicted Gilneans how to control their beastly nature. The worgen joined the Alliance and remain loyal allies.

The worgen are one of World of Warcraft’s most intriguing races, and their story is inexorably tied to the human kingdom of Gilneas. The city-state fell into Forsaken control many years ago, but given the recent peace between the Alliance and Horde, the worgen will soon return home.

The next patch in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight will feature the eagerly awaited “Reclamation of Gilneas.” As part of a content update, this addition to the game will likely involve several quests and scenarios and hopefully will reinvigorate the old Gilneas zone by filing it with NPCs and players alike. The worgen have been away from home for over a decade at this point, so this change can’t come soon enough.

painting of anduin and genn greymane leading the alliance at the battle for lordaeron
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World of Warcraft's Worgen Have Been Homeless Since Cataclysm

Understanding why the worgen exist and how Gilneas was lost is a huge part of WoW’s story. Though they’ve been a playable race since Cataclysm, the worgen have been around since the game’s earliest days. In World of Warcraft Classic, they can be found roaming the wilds of Silverpine Forest, an eerie place that borders the lands of Gilneas.

The History of Gilneas

Gilneas was one of the original Seven Kingdoms ruled by humans before the Alliance was formed. The Second War was brutal and bitter, but the Alliance proved victorious against the Horde. Soon after, Gilneas withdrew its support for the other kingdoms, adamant that it was better off independent.

When the dreaded Scourge later swarmed the continent, Gilneas had to face it alone. Genn Greymane ordered the construction of an enormous wall enclosing the entire kingdom, and he also hired an Archmage called Arugal. This mage had learned of a secret sect of druids that had taken a forbidden form millennia ago. They had been imprisoned within the Emerald Dream for all those years, and they’d be the perfect weapon against the Scourge.

How the Worgen Curse Spread to Gilneas

Arugal released the worgen from their slumber, and they tore into the hordes of undead. These lupine beasts drove the Scourge back, and Gilneas endured without the Alliance's help. However, Arugal was not to be trusted. He let his worgen run rampant, and sooner or later, they would come for the humans they had once protected.

Unfortunately for Gilneas, the attack of the worgen coincided with a bloody civil war. Not all Gilneans were happy with the king’s decision to abandon the Alliance, and there grew a resistance. What’s more, this happened at the same moment Deathwing slammed through Azeroth’s crust in the Cataclysm, rending the earth with devastating earthquakes. Entire swathes of Gilnean land slipped into the ocean and the Greymane Wall crumbled.

The Final Nail In the Coffin

Pressured on all sides by natural, supernatural, and political disasters, Gilneas was falling apart at the seams. Crippled and without allies, the kingdom was ripe for the taking, and the Forsaken, led by Sylvanas Windrunner, moved in for the kill. The Gilneans found themselves beset by packs of wild worgen, and every human bitten would soon become a monster themselves.

Why the Worgen Are Loyal Friends to WoW's Night Elves

Once word of the worgen spread, the night elves of the Alliance took notice. They felt responsible for Gilneas falling victim to a curse that their people started, so they stepped in. They taught the afflicted Gilneans how to control their new beastly nature and to shift back and forth at will. Now able to turn their curse into an advantage, the worgen struck back against the Horde. However, their victory could not last, and Gilneas had to be abandoned. Torn from their home, the worgen were spirited to safety and granted amnesty in the night elf capital of Darnassus.

The worgen rejoined the Alliance, offering their newfound ferocity and prowess to turn the tides of war. Genn Greymane and the worgen have remained loyal to their allies ever since Gilneas fell, and at long last, they may have the opportunity they’ve been waiting for. Their broken homeland might never be the same again, but it still means the world to all Gilneans that they’ll finally come home.