Orgrimmar Orgrimmar is the seat of power for the Horde and the capital city of the orc s , but also has many troll s and other members of the Horde . Found at the northern edge of Durotar , the imposing city is home to the Warchief of the Horde , . As with all capital cities , it has a bank , class , profession trainer s , and an auction house . History . Orgrimmar has been the central hub of the orcish community since the end of the Third War . The city was founded by Thrall and named after his friend and mentor , the former Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer . It is a fortified complex guarded by stout walls , massive gates and tall towers . The mountainous ranges of northern Durotar form a natural barrier to the rear of the fortress , and parts of the complex are carved into the mountain itself . Orgrimmar is openly hospitable to all members of the Horde and is an important center of commerce . Visitors may fly into the city by way of zeppelin or wyvern , or simply walk through the fortress ’ s main gates . Thrall led the orcs to the continent of Kalimdor , where they founded a new homeland with the help of their tauren brethren . Naming their new land Durotar after Thrall ' s father Durotan , the orcs settled down to rebuild their once - glorious society . The demon ic curse on their kind ended , the Horde changed from a bloodthirsty , warlike juggernaut into more of a loose coalition , dedicated to survival and prosperity rather than conquest . Aided by the noble tauren and the cunning trolls of the Darkspear tribe , Thrall and his orcs looked forward to a new era of peace in their own land . From there , they began the creation of the great warrior city , Orgrimmar . Today , Orgrimmar lies at the base of a mountain between Durotar and Azshara . A warrior city indeed , it is home to countless amounts of orcs , trolls , and tauren . An increasing amount of Forsaken are now joining the city , as well as the blood elves who have recently been accepted into the Horde . The city was attacked by the Scourge during the duel between Thrall and Garrosh . The duel had to stopped as orcs and some others leaders of the Horde went to defend the city . During the War against the Lich King , Putress betrayed Forsaken . Sylvanas and her loyal Forsaken took the refuge in Orgrimmar . From there , Sylvanas , Thrall and horde adventurers returned and liberated Undercity . During that time , all merchants and services have been shut down as the Warchief prepared for an unavoidable conflict . As whole Azeroth fell into the mists of Emerald Nightmare , so did Orgrimmar with its citizens . Orgrimmar was attacked by raging elements but the attack was successfully repelled . After the War against the Lich King and War against the Nightmare were over , a great celebration was held in honor of Garrosh and those who died and survived on Northrend . Nevertheless , raging fire elements burned plenty buildings in Orgrimmar and the city needed to repair . Thrall asked Gazlowe to do so and determined to set off to Nagrand in order to help raging elements . Before leaving , in Grommash Hold Thrall appointed Garrosh to lead the Horde . With the Cataclysm over and the threat of Deathwing subsided , a summit of the Horde ' s leaders was held in Orgrimmar . Here , Garrosh informed his allies about his desire to forcibly expel the Alliance from Kalimdor , and claim the continent for the good of the Horde . Garrosh intended to scour Theramore from the continent , and stunt the Alliance ' s military presence . With that done , he then aims to take the night elves ' land . After the successful destruction of Theramore , the battle force returned to Orgrimmar to celebrate their victory . Many cheers rose to Garrosh ' s victory . Over the course of Mists of Pandaria , Garrosh becomes increasingly crazed and tyrannical , turning the Horde against him and Orgrimmar changes to reflect this . Orgrimmar is effectively put under martial law , as Garrosh continues to opress the non - orc members of the city . All non - orc districts of the city lose most of their supplies and are heavily guarded by the Kor ' kron , under suspicion that they might be WORKING with the rebels . The supply lines to Orgrimmar from the Northern Barrens are cut off and Vol ' jin has taken the strategic settlement of Razor Hill from Garrosh ' s loyalists , essentially putting the city under threat of siege from the rebellion to the south as well as the Alliance armada amassing to the east . During the Siege of Orgrimmar , the city is put under siege by the forces of the Horde rebels and the Alliance . Kor ' kron barricades block access to most of the city ' s districts . Vol ' jin ' s revolutionary forces have entrenched themselves along the main road , launching a frontal assault on the city ' s gates to break into the Valley of Strength . Alliance frigates storm the Bladefist Bay and landing parties attempt to capture the docks around Orgrimmar . Invading forces discover a massive underground compound constructed by Garrosh ' s forces for his own purposes . Skirmishes at the gates occurred before a full - scale battle erupted between the forces led by Vol ' jin and the defenders still loyal to Garrosh . Despite Vol ' jin ' s attempts to ram the gate and attack the walls with siege engines , the walls could not be breached . The arrival of a combined rebel and Alliance armada under the command of Lor ' themar Theron , Varian Wrynn , Jaina Proudmoore , and Sylvanas Windrunner disabled Orgrimmar ' s naval defenses . Eventually the Kor ' kron were pushed back into the gates and the arrival of Night Elf reinforcements under Tyrande Whisperwind . Night Elf glaive throwers brought the gate down , and the allied forces charged into Orgrimmar . The Valley of Strength was quickly liberated , and the death of General Nazgrim brought the upper city under Alliance / rebel control . The Underhold eventually fell when adventurers defeated and imprisoned the Warchief Garrosh . Vol ' jin was quickly nominated and initiated as the new Warchief by Thrall and the other Horde leaders . Alliance forces left the city , and the rebels began rebuilding the damage that was done during the siege . People and culture . Although orcs comprise the majority of the city ’ s inhabitants , there is a strong troll presence here as well , primarily in the Valley of Spirits . With the recent change in leadership , Garrosh Hellscream has refurbished Orgrimmar ' s rustic and wooden architecture into reinforced steel and iron . The Horde races also use Orgrimmar as a center of trade , not only of physical goods , but ideas as well . For example , a number of different holidays are celebrated here , including a tauren festival for the winter solstice and a number of others . The most significant figure in Orgrimmar was undoubtedly Warchief Garrosh Hellscream himself before his defeat during the Siege of Orgrimmar . Geography . Orgrimmar is located in the far north of Durotar , at the foothills of the mountain range that separates Durotar from Azshara . Several valleys have been dug out from the mountain and provide a way of naturally dissecting the city into various zones , including the Valley of Spirits , Valley of Strength , Valley of Wisdom , and the Valley of Honor . Several specialty shops are found in the Drag , a pathway that leads from the Valley of Strength to the Valley of Honor . Those searching for potions or training in the darker arts of the rogue or warlock find a tunnel leading down to the Cleft of Shadow from the Drag . Orgrimmar received a heavy redesign in the Cataclysm . The tauren , trolls , and goblins each have their own sections of the city now , complete with architecture that reflects their culture . They are respectively the Valley of Wisdom , Valley of Spirits , and the newly added Goblin Slums . Each of these areas has their own bank , auction house , and trainers . Architecture in the remaining sections of Orgrimmar , minus the seedy Cleft of Shadow , reflect a Northrend feel , with blackened metal and giant structures . A number of buildings have been completely moved , like the main auction house in the Valley of Strength . Garrosh has built Grommash Hold , the main seat of power , within this Valley , offering a giant symbol of imposing power to those visiting . There are other changes of note . A rear entry now leads to Azshara , accessed by passing through the Valley of Honor . The Valley of Honor is now also a second trade district for those wishing to avoid the hustle and bustle of the Valley of Strength and also houses most of the profession trainers . The Drag is now open - air , and there are more entry points into the Cleft of Shadow from other Valleys . Perhaps the most notable change is that the zeppelin towers that once stood outside the gates of Orgrimmar have been demolished and brought inside , rebuilt upon the Orgrimmar Skyway ; the wyvern master has also been moved here , and the Western Earthshrine , offering portals to all the newly discovered zones in the Cataclysm as well as Tol Barad , rests across the divide . From his throne in the Valley of Wisdom , Warchief Thrall ruled with the support of the elder far seer Zor Lonetree and the Darkspear hero Vol ' jin . Together they formed a wise and noble leadership , capable of guiding the Horde in conflicts with opposing factions such as the Alliance , Scourge , and Burning Legion . While regarding the latter two as nothing but vile enemies , which they are , Thrall was attempting to repair the Horde ' s relationship with the Alliance . However , animosity between these factions remained during his rule , and have now spilled over . The continued aggression of the Kul ' Tiras forces from their base in Tiragarde , combined with several incidents on Azeroth ' s northernmost continent , have clearly indicated not everyone was keen on pursuing peace . Prior to his fall from grace and subsequent imprisonment , Garrosh Hellscream ruled in Thrall ' s stead , intent on showcasing the might of the Horde . His attitude distanced some heroes of the Horde from him that were more intent on peace , chief among them Vol ' jin . Garrosh , increasingly mad with power , expelled non - orcs from the city and fortified Orgrimmar . In addition , his loyal troops , now fashioned the True Horde , had been waging war on Pandaria against the Alliance . Vol ' jin , with the aid of several other Horde leaders as well as support from the Alliance , began to fight back and started an uprising called the Darkspear Rebellion against the dictator Garrosh . As his " True Horde " began to fight against the Darkspear Rebellion and the Alliance , Garrosh recovered the Heart of Y ' Shaarj and brought it back to Orgrimmar . Eventually , the city came under siege as the Horde and Alliance attacked . Garrosh ' s loyal belligerents , the Kor ' kron Guard under Malkorok , defended Orgrimmar while Garrosh was seeking to unleash the power of Y ' Shaarj . However , Garrosh was defeated and made to stand trial in Pandaria for his atrocities and crimes . Thrall then appointed Vol ' jin as the new Warchief of the Horde in the presence of all the other Horde leaders . Vol ' jin was approached by King Varian Wrynn and they agreed to end the war between the Alliance and the Horde . With Vol ' jin as the new head of state for the Horde , it can be assumed that the prior non - orc residents of Orgrimmar began to return and rebuild . Points of interest . " Note : Coordinates are not exact . General locations shown . Click to enlarge maps . " Points of interest old version . " Note : Coordinates are not exact . General locations shown . Click to enlarge maps . "