World of Warcraft has two distinct factions vying for resources on a planet that has seen much destruction over the years. In one corner there is the valiant Alliance, made up of noble races from across the planet. In the other corner sits the Horde, a conglomeration of races that are desperate for survival. The faction is composed of outsiders and off-world invaders who just want to survive in the hostile world of Azeroth, and they will do whatever they can to achieve this goal. This has been the focal point of the World of Warcraft story for a little time.
Currently, the Horde in World of Warcraft is composed of many unique races with their own unique cultures. The current members of the faction are the Orcs, Undead, Tauren, Trolls, Blood Elves, Goblins, Pandaren, Nightborne, Highmountain Tauren, Mag'har Orcs, Zandalari Trolls, and the Vulpera. However, it was not always this way, and there was a time when the Horde was simply made up of Orcs under the influence of demons. This is where the story of the Horde begins, on a completely different planet where they became bloodthirsty killers who wished to conquer all of Azeroth.
The Days of the Old Horde
Before World of Warcraft let players join Thrall's Horde, there was the Old Horde that lived on Draenor. It existed in smaller clans across the planet, but that would quickly change when the demon lord Kil'jaeden discovered Draenor and the Draenei that lived there. He approached the Orc shaman known as Ner'zhul and deceived him into attacking the Draenei villages. He would soon discover the treachery of Kil'jaeden too late, and he would be replaced by the far more loyal Gul'dan.
Gul'dan got to work reshaping Orc society into the first Orcish Horde. This Horde began to worship demons while dabbling in the art of demonology and necromancy, and they would use these abilities to continue their onslaught of the Draenei. The Horde met a roadblock when it tried to invade the city of Shattrath, but Gul'dan had an idea. He fed the blood of the Pit Lord Mannoroth to 12 of the Orc Chieftains which drove them into a rage and made them more powerful. With this new power, the Orcs smashed through the city and brought the Draenei to near extinction.
Kil'jaeden was pleased with the outcome of this war and left Draenor behind. The Orcs were thus stuck on a planet that was quickly dying, and they had no enemy to turn their bloodlust toward. They began turning on each other, and so Gul'dan searched for something new for their attention. He received a message from the human mage Medivh, and together they created the Dark Portal, which let them march into Azeroth to begin the First War.
The Rise of the New Horde
The Old Horde were victorious during the First War, but its victory would not last long as an internal struggle for leadership began during the Second War. Orgrim Doomhammer would turn on Warchief Blackhand and seize control of the Horde, which would then march on the Kingdom of Lordaeron. Gol'dan and his loyalists would abandon them to seek out the Tomb of Sargeras, splitting the Horde forces in half and forcing them to eventually retreat.
The Alliance would go on to defeat the Horde and destroy the Dark Portal, after which the Alliance rounded Orcs up into internment camps. In these camps, the Orcs would begin to suffer from demon blood withdrawal, and had no one to turn to until Thrall's liberation that reconnected them with the elements. After freeing his people, Thrall would take this New Horde across the seas to the continent of Kalimdor to build a new life.
The Horde would go on to recruit even more races to its cause, becoming the primary adversary of the Alliance. It would go through a lot of leadership changes, and more than a couple of rebellions, but throughout it all, the Horde's commitment to one another would stand strong. No one knows what the future of the Horde entails, but it will surely offer even more strife to overcome.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC.