History of the Horde The History of the Horde spans several decades of an organization that has taken many forms . In the early years of the Horde , it existed as a ravenous war machine fueled by demonic energy . In the past the Horde was comprised mainly of orc s , but also including forest troll s , ogre s , goblin s , and undead death knight s . It was created through the manipulations of the Burning Legion , in particular , Kil ' jaeden the Deceiver , to act as the perfect puppet for their demonic masters and to serve them unquestioningly . In modern times it has become relatively peaceful , and includes orcs , Darkspear troll s , tauren , Forsaken , blood elves , goblins and Stonemaul ogres . The Horde ' s major military victory was the destruction of the former kingdom of Azeroth in the First War . Though at first they had the upper hand on the conflict , they were in the end defeated in the Second War , with the surviving orcs placed in internment camp s , and their allies going their separate ways . The liberation of the orcs from those camps , and eventually from demonic control , marked the beginning of the modern Horde . Current History . With King Varian of Stormwind having declared war upon the Horde following the events of the Battle of Angrathar the Wrathgate and Battle for the Undercity The dreams of Doomhammer , Durotan and his mate have been crushed . Complicating matters further is Thrall ' s decision to resign as Warchief in order to focus his efforts on repairing the damage wrought by the Cataclysm . As his replacement , he appointed Garrosh Hellscream , whose hotheaded attitude and willingness to reciprocate Varian ' s aggression have increased tensions within the Horde ' s constituent races to the point where Thrall himself is beginning to wonder if he did the right thing . History of membership . First War . Mostly orcs . However there were a few goblins and ogres . The forest troll s of Zul ' jin were neutral during the conflict , however , they promised not to attack any orcs . Second War . New allies of the Second War . In order to expand beyond their territory among the ruins of Azeroth , the orcs found a number of allies : Despite their bolstered forces , the Horde was ultimately defeated in the Second War , its power in Azeroth was forever broken . Clans of the Horde ( Second War ) . The following clans were known to have been a part of the Horde during the First and Second Wars . Though other , minor clans may have also been present , the following were the only clans to receive mention in " " . The invasion of Draenor . Most of the Horde ' s new allies abandoned them , however , Kilrogg Deadeye returned to Draenor and brought with him some forest troll s , some goblin s and a few still - controlled Red dragons , while Teron Gorefiend brought his order of Death Knights . Both of them and with the help of the elder shaman Ner ' zhul they reunited the Horde . New allies . Even with old and new allies they were hard pressed by the Alliance Expedition , however Ner ' zhul betrayed the Horde , he opened numerous portals and escaped in one of them while the rest of the Horde was left to die , many Horde warriors managed to cross to the safety of Azeroth , but a great part of the Horde stood on Draenor and became the Fel Horde . Clans of the Horde ( invasion of draenor ) . The following clans were known to have been a part of the Horde during Beyond the Dark Portal . Though other , minor clans may have also been present , the following were the only clans to receive mention in . Current membership . The alliances which comprised the Horde in earlier times , were never restored following their defeat in the Second War . Instead , the orcs forged new alliances which reflected their rediscovered shaman istic heritage , including the tauren and the Darkspear trolls . Even their pact with the undead Forsaken was based on compassion and a genuine desire to help the restless undead of Lordaeron . That alliance was consummated only reluctantly , however , and relations between the Forsaken and the rest of the Horde remain uneasy . Between the Horde and the Alliance , the current situation remains tense , however despite true peace apparently not being possible , both sides appear to prefer a state of cold rather than total war . There have also been isolated times , when the need was sufficiently great , that the two factions have been able to look past their differences and assist each other . Examples include both the Third War itself , and the brief resurgence of the Scourge , which saw members of both factions allying with the Argent Dawn . While the modern Alliance still retains representatives from all of the races which comprised the Alliance of Lordaeron ( though very few high elves remain ) , the modern Horde has only one major member race in common with the pre - Thrall Horde , the orcs . There are also small factions of ogres ( the Stonemaul clan ) , forest trolls ( the Revantusk tribe ) , and goblins ( responsible for zeppelin transportation ) . There are even orc clans that refuse Thrall ' s leadership in Eastern Kingdoms and so they formed the Dark Horde .