by Jeff Woleslagle on Mar 01, 2006
High above Orgrimmar in the Valley of Wisdom, the orcish warchief Thrall holds council, struggling to unify the loose collective of tribes and races that makes up the Horde. From the peaceable Tauren, to the proud yet war-weary Orcs, to the resilent, easygoing Trolls and the mistrusted, scheming Forsaken, the tenuous seat of power for the Horde lies in Orgrimmar, among the harsh, barren red canyons of Durotar.
Orgrimmar was named for Orgrim Doomhammer, the last true warchief of the Azeroth orcs. Orgrim was defeated and enslaved by the Alliance at the end of the second war, only to make his way back to fight alongside his orcish brethren before dying in battle to the Alliance. Upon his death, Orgrim ceded the title of warchief to Thrall, along with his coveted Doomhammer and Black Armor.
Orgrimmar serves as the travel hub city of the Horde, with direct connections to Thunder Bluff (via the Flight Master), Undercity and Azeroth / Stranglethorn Vale (via zeppelin), as well as offering a flight path to the Crossroads in central Kalimdor (which offers connections to many of Kalimdor's regions, provided you've first visited the appropriate Flight Masters on foot ). Since travel to and from Orgrimmar is so convenient, many group and raid leaders use this city as a staging area before tackling instances and other group-dependent content. Being the first Horde city to offer an Auction House, much of the Horde's player-market transactions occur here as well.
As an Orc or Troll - Travel directly north from the starting areas of The Den and Sen'jin Village, past Razor Hill, and you'll come to Orgrimmar in no time. Remember to talk to the Innkeeper at Razor Hill or Sen'jin Village so that you can return quickly and easily.
As a Tauren - Travelling to Orgrimmar is an arduous journey, and shouldn't be attempted until the teens due to the dangerous creatures along the Barrens road from Camp Taurajo First, make sure you've spoken with the Flight Master atop the central totem in Thunder Bluff (to simplify the return trip). Travel southwest through Mulgore and take the road to the Barrens. You'll come to Camp Taurajo; speak to the Flight Master here (though you won't have reason to return again until the mid-teens). Tread carefully northwards to the Crossroads, where you can pick up a handfull of quests and speak to a Flight Master as well. Exit Crossroads heading north, but take the eastward road when you come to the "T". You'll cross a river and enter Durotar; almost there! When you reach Razor Hill, head northwards to Orgrimmar.
As Undead - Travel eastwards from Deathknell, past Brill, to the entrance of Undercity (the Ruins of Lordaeron). Once you have spoken with the Undercity Flight Master (into the ruins, down the elevator, and along the topmost ring of the first area you come to), before Lordaeron / Undercity you'll find the zeppelin tower. Make sure you choose the correct loading platform (it's the one with a small flight of separate steps on the outside of the building - check with the goblin on the platform if you forget which is which!). You may have to wait a few minutes for the zeppelin; just jump on when it comes. It's a quick ~3 minute ride to Orgrimmar. When you arrive, it's just a westward hop, skip, and a jump to Orgrimmar's gates.
The following are quests that begin in Orgrimmar and require no specific class nor only prequisite quest completions. This is a simplified listing, i.e. Jarkal's 7-part Uldaman quest begins with "Necklace Recovery" and branches into quests like "Translating the Journal," "Find the Gems and the Power Source" etc. but only "Necklace Recovery" and the final reward is listed for simplicity's sake.
Minimum Level
Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with comments, suggestions, or whatnot. Also, if you enjoyed this guide and have a Horde character, please check out the Orgrimmar city guide.