Vol ' jin The shadow hunter Vol ' jin , son of Sen ' jin , chieftain of the Darkspear tribe , and rightful ruler of the Echo Isles , was a staunch ally of former Warchief Thrall . After the Echo Isles were conquered by the traitorous sorcerer Zalazane , he resided in Orgrimmar at the side of the Warchief , later fighting alongside him during the Battle for the Undercity . After years of exile , Vol ' jin led an attack against the Echo Isles to end Zalazane ' s evil rule and retake the lands that Thrall had promised them . Following Garrosh ' s defeat in the end of " Mists of Pandaria " , at Thrall ' s insistence , he assumed the role of Warchief of The Horde , the first non - Orc to do so . During the attack on the Broken Shore he was pierced in the abdomen by a fel spear . Badly injured , he was taken back to Orgrimmar where he communed with the Loa who gave him a name , and as he drew his last breath in Grommash Hold , he named the new Warchief : Sylvanas Windrunner . Biography . Vol ' jin was the son and former apprentice of the troll witch doctor , Sen ' jin , who was leader of the exiled Darkspear tribe , that lived on a small island chain in Stranglethorn Vale . During this time period , the Darkspear trolls were almost wiped out by a human invasion , as well as constant murloc raids . Only through the timely intervention of Thrall and the orcs did any of the trolls survive . Sen ' jin died bravely on the islands trying to save his people . With Sen ' jin ' s death , Vol ' jin became chief Shadow Hunter for the tribe . In order to repay Thrall for saving his people , Vol ' jin pledged his loyalty and service to the Horde . Shortly after the orcs left , a large group of trolls also sailed for Kalimdor , but Vol ' jin was not among them . Instead , Vol ' jin chose to weather the Sea Witch ' s wrath with the rest of tribe until the time came when they could leave . Finally , a year later , they gathered up all the supplies they could and left for the new orc nation of Durotar . During the Third War , those of the Darkspear Tribe who were present fought alongside the orcs against the Burning Legion , without the leadership of their chieftain , who was still on Darkspear Isles at the time . After the war , Vol ' jin settled the tribe upon the Echo Isles , just off the shores of Durotar . It wasn ' t long before a new threat appeared , however , in the form of Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore ' s expeditionary fleet . Vol ' jin aided Rexxar , Rokhan , and Chen Stormstout in evacuating the Darkspear tribe , turning the three into wyverns , allowing them to attack the Alliance fleet from above and supplying them with a squadron of troll batriders . Outnumbered , he was forced to retreat , but he continued to aid Rexxar and Rokhan through his wise counsel , instructing Rexxar to recruit the Tauren and the ogres in the fight against the humans . After helping the Horde stop the human invasion , Vol ' jin led his tribe back to the Echo Isles . It was not to last , however , as a witch doctor named Zalazane used dark magic to enslave many of his Darkspear brethren , forcing Vol ' jin to order the retreat to the mainland for fear his whole tribe would fall victim to the mad witch doctor . Vol ' jin then founded Sen ' jin Village along the southern coast of Durotar as a base with which to strike back at Zalazane . However , he was called to Orgrimmar to aid Thrall , leaving the recapture of his people ' s home to Master Gadrin . Though raids by the Kul Tiras Marines persisted in the Barrens and Durotar , these invasions were lesser threats and not directly aimed at Sen ' jin Village . In World of Warcraft . Vol ' jin resided at Thrall ' s fortress in Orgrimmar , assisting the Warchief with sound advice and witty stratagems , such as the capture of Trol ' kalar for use against the trolls of Stranglethorn , all the while guiding his people to a better future . See List of Orgrimmar NPCs . Brewfest . During Brewfest , Vol ' jin would ride out of the city to the festival grounds at 6 a . m and 6 p . m each day for the ceremonial tapping of the keg . Players present when he did this would receive a two hour " Brewfest Enthusiast " buff that increased experience gained by 10 % . Battle for the Undercity . Vol ' jin was called upon to serve during the Battle for the Undercity . He maintained his position outside the gates of the Ruins of Lordaeron atop his raptor with the artillery and several grunts , until Thrall and Sylvanas Windrunner arrived . There he remained to send any adventurers that followed after the Warchief to help reclaim the Undercity . The Glory of the Darkspears . After many attempts by adventurers to reclaim the Echo Isles , Vol ' jin had come up with a plan to defeat Zalazane and reclaim the isles for the Darkspear Trolls . For this plan to succeed , he sought aid from the Loas that had still helped the Darkspear , and from other Horde members . In Cataclysm . Vol ' jin was removed from Orgrimmar in " Cataclysm " . He appeared on the reclaimed Echo Isles , renamed Darkspear Isles , the new troll starting zone . He was involved with many of the troll starting area quests , one of which where he showed a vision of himself and Garrosh Hellscream , the new Warchief of the Horde , talking in a previous encounter in Grommash Hold , using some sort of incense over a brazier . He was also present at the Elemental Invasion meeting . With the tension of the Horde arising , Vol ' jin began to consider resigning the Darkspear Trolls from the Horde entirely , though he knew that the decision would not be the best . In Mists of Pandaria . Landfall . Garrosh and Vol ' jin had another clash of opinions about Garrosh ' s decisions at Domination Point , resulting in Garrosh ordering Vol ' jin ' s murder , under the ruse of Vol ' jin being sent on a mission with Kor ' kron . Luckily , Vol ' jin survived and told adventurers to report his " death " to Garrosh , and to find other members of the Horde who would stand against Hellscream , including Baine Bloodhoof . Some time after , Vol ' jin was caught in a river , but was rescued by Chen Stormstout . Chen and adventurers helped Vol ' jin regain strength , and he sent them to find Thrall . In Vol ' jin ' s absence , Thrall stood with the Darkspear trolls who were under martial law by the Kor ' kron . Vol ' jin received a letter from Baine in which he says that , " Garrosh is capturing the mogu and using sha energies . " Vol ' jin told adventurers that they should keep Baine away from the Warchief , because Garrosh was not trusting of him . Escalation . Vol ' jin earned Lor ' themar Theron ' s support in overthrowing Garrosh Hellscream . Upon returning to Kalimdor , Vol ' jin learned that his people were put under a martial law by the Kor ' kron . After speaking with Thrall and Chen , Vol ' jin sent adventurers to gather Kor ' kron supplies from Northern Barrens . Shortly after receiving supplies , Garrosh ' s forces began an attack on Sen ' jin Village . After a fierce battle , the village was secured and invaders were pushed back . Vol ' jin planned to free Razor Hill from Garrosh ' s Kor ' kron , and Thrall left to Orgrimmar in order to find orcs like Varok and Eitrigg who would stand with him against Hellscream . Vol ' jin and his forces successfully eliminated Kor ' kron presence from Razor Hill . People of Razor Hill joined the rebellion . Baine Bloodhoof and Vol ' jin discussed their plans in overthrowing Garrosh . Baine told him that , " Orgrimmar became a fortress , and that they should look out for allies beyond the Horde . " Soon after , the Darkspear Rebellion was approached by the Alliance and , together , they formed a union . Siege of Orgrimmar . Vol ' jin ' s forces secured the gates of Orgrimmar where they faced General Nazgrim , who released the Iron Juggernaut . Baine and Vol ' jin , together with adventurers , destroyed the Iron Juggernaut . After its defeat , Tyrande Whisperwind told Vol ' jin and Baine to move forward into Orgrimmar while she held the line . Vol ' jin arrived to The Inner Sanctum upon Garrosh ' s defeat . He told Thrall that , " The Horde needs its true Warchief now , more than ever . " Thrall agreed , claiming that it was Vol ' jin who had held the Horde together in the dark times of Hellscream ' s reign , and that he should be the one to lead them all . The other Horde leaders agreed , and the decision was made . A few moments later , Varian approached the Horde leaders , demanding to speak with the Warchief . He was briefly shocked to see Vol ' jin as the new Warchief , but quickly returned to his usual stoicism . The king of Stormwind stood before Vol ' jin and said that , while he desired the peace encouraged by his son , Anduin Wrynn , if it transpired that the troll ' s reign as Warchief became as deadly and tyrannical as that of Garrosh , that the Alliance will " end him . " In Warlords of Draenor . Vol ' jin sent a group of Shadow Hunters to Draenor ( including Rokhan ) . In Legion . During the invasion of Azeroth by the Burning Legion , Vol ' jin led the contingent of Horde forces alongside the Alliance armada headed by King Varian Wrynn in the initial attempt to repel the demons . During the battle on the Broken Shore , however , Vol ' jin was stabbed through the torso by a demon . Mortally injured , he demanded of Sylvanas that she not let the Horde die in that moment . As part of her ongoing machinations , Windrunner seized upon the moment and called for a withdrawal of Horde forces from the battle , leaving the Alliance sorely exposed on the battlefield . The Val ' kyr commanded by Sylvanas ushered Vol ' jin and the Horde survivors of the battle to Orgrimmar , where he sat for the final time upon the throne of the Warchief . Upon returning to his seat of power , Vol ' jin communed with the spirits , who bestowed upon him the name of his successor : Sylvanas . Despite the clear shock of his fellow Horde leaders , Vol ' jin demanded that the will of the spirits be followed , and with his final breath , he bestowed his blessing upon Sylvanas and encouraged her to take up the mantle of Warchief . She accepted this burden and occupied the throne within the day , asking of her former compatriots which of them sought vengeance in Vol ' jin ' s name . Personality and traits . Little is known about Vol ' jin ' s personality . Vol ' jin was the only racial leader of the Horde to whom Thrall has given the distinction of requesting his presence at Grommash Hold . Vol ' jin has also been shown to be very loyal , staying at the former Warchief ' s side despite the troubles faced by his tribe . It also seems that Vol ' jin is a very powerful Shadow Hunter , using voodoo to transform Rexxar , Rokhan , and Chen Stormstout into invisible wyverns , a feat which has never been seen before . According to information gleaned from the quest The Admiral ' s Orders , he has a distrust of humans . However the dialogue was simply copy and pasted from Nazgrel who used to end the quest . Vol ' jin is very patient and most see that as a weakness , but Vol ' jin ' s strategies never fail .