Zombie Zombies are a variant of the undead . They are reanimated corpses who have not yet completed the transition into the " true " undeath form of ghoul s . Background . Zombies are nothing more than animated corpses . Zombies are often brought to horrifying unlife to serve as frontline troops for the Lich King ’ s armies . Zombies are often plague carriers , infested with all manner of parasitic creatures . Their bodies are in a suspended state of decay , their flesh perpetually sloughing away or peeling aside to reveal bone and desiccated organs . Of all the undead , zombies are one of the more horrific varieties , for their lack of free will is all the more apparent in their pitiable state of their bodies . Even more horrible is the fact that not all zombies lose their memories and personalities — a few zombies retain their memories , trapped within a decaying corpse compelled to serve their former enemies . Every so often , a zombie retains its intellect or develops a form of sentience over long years . No one has been able to create this circumstance intentionally , nor does anyone understand why or how it happens . Zombies are the lowest form of existence in the undead food chain and are often overlooked because of their simplicity and lack of ambition . These undead are created from plague - infected individuals , but their bodies are not as riddled with the disease as those of more powerful undead . In fact , zombies not only retain their mortal memories , but also are occasionally capable of retaining the original personality and morality of their mortal life . This does not often aid them , however , and usually is a torment to the zombie trapped within Ner ’ zhul ’ s vicious armies . Zombies are despicable , degraded creatures with little purpose other than to serve as cannon fodder for Ner ’ zhul ’ s massive forces . They are sorrowful creatures , capable of great strength but holding little hope for salvation other than their own deaths . Occasionally , one breaks free of the necromantic control imposed by Ner ’ zhul ’ s forces and escapes — but he is not accepted into society , nor offered a chance for peace through proving that he is more than a ravening undead creatures . Truly , these are beings to be pitied . Like ghouls , zombies were once men , peasants , and warriors alike . They lack a lot of the intelligence their risen comrades do , even in comparison to abomination s . Slow moving and instinctual , you can find these creatures within the areas either once or still under Scourge control . Zombies due to their lack of intelligence and their numbers are often used as fodder in the front lines of the Scourge . Most do not seem to be affiliated with any group and just mindlessly wander . Some Zombies have managed to be part of the Forsaken and seem to have rational thought . Zombies can be found most notably in Tirisfal Glades , the Western Plaguelands , and the Eastern Plaguelands . Human zombies . Zombies are corpses animated by necromancy . The creature was once human , but now stares ahead with dull , lifeless eyes . Bits and pieces of dead flesh hang from its body as the walking corpse slowly plods forward . Most zombies have no memories of their lives and are capable only of obeying simple commands , such as “ Attack ! ” or “ March ! ” Their unthinking obedience makes them perfect tools for frontline assaults , for their plodding onslaught is both demoralizing and relentless . Rumors say that not all zombies are so lucky as to have no memories . Some retain full knowledge of their pre - death identities as well as their knowledge and skills . These memories do them no good , however , for they remain under the control of the Scourge , forced to obey their masters ’ commands and to suffer their existence within their own decaying corpse . These creatures are objects of pity , but no less dangerous than their mindless fellows . Zombies without memories have no speech , though they can make meaningless sounds . Intelligent zombies know the same languages they did in life and can sometimes manage halting speech . A zombie ’ s approach to combat is simple : It attacks whatever enemy it is ordered to attack and does not stop until it is destroyed . Some zombies use weapons ( such as club s ) if they have them . If not , they use their slam attack . Zombies neither attempt to dodge nor do they retreat . Note . " Zombie " is an acquired template in the Warcraft RPG .