World of Warcraft : Warlords of Draenor Warlords of Draenor ( sometimes called " WoD " or just " Warlords " ) is the 5th World of Warcraft expansion after Mists of Pandaria . It was officially announced on Friday , November 8 , by Chris Metzen at BlizzCon 2013 and was released on the 13th November 2014 . See also the . Probably related to the Legion release date announcement , Warlords of Draenor had a price drop to EUR / USD 9 . 99 on April 18 , 2016 . In mid May 2016 , this expansion was rolled into the World of Warcraft package . Plot and setting . The expansion is set after the events of and takes place on the world of Draenor , the original homeworld of the orcs , prior to its destruction and the creation of Outland . Legendary characters of Warcraft ' s past , such as Grom Hellscream , Ner ' zhul and Blackhand , make appearances . At the end of Mists of Pandaria , Garrosh Hellscream is overthrown as Warchief of the Horde by the combined Alliance - Horde forces and taken into custody by Taran Zhu so that he can stand trial for the atrocities he committed in Pandaria . However , before he can be judged , Garrosh escapes captivity and , with the aid of a mysterious ally named Kairozdormu , travels back in time to the orcish homeworld of Draenor prior to the rise of the Horde . He creates an alternate timeline by preventing the orcish clans from drinking the blood of the demon lord Mannoroth , which led to their corruption by the Burning Legion and played a major role in the events of the first three games . The clans unite into an " Iron Horde " , using technology Garrosh brought from his time , and begin a war of conquest on Draenor , building a Dark Portal that would allow them to travel through time and lay siege to Azeroth of the present era . In trailer narration . " When past and present collide , the fate of all worlds hangs in the balance . " - The Prophet Velen War . . . it is the lifeblood of this world . We are its children ; soon , its masters . Ours is a legacy of conquest , the rising tide of blood and iron that will wash over this world and all others ! Our bond is iron , our will unbreakable . Who will stand against us ? New character models . Warlords of Draenor includes new updates for the player models in World of Warcraft . They consist of more detailed textures and have more fluent animations and facial expressions . At BlizzCon 2013 , it was announced that the Orcs , Gnomes and Dwarves were more or less done , with others on the way . Dungeons and raids . There will be 7 new dungeons , 2 raids , and some world bosses at expansion launch . Pre - expansion event . Dark Portal . The Dark Portal in the Blasted Lands has turned blood red . Hundreds of strange - looking orcs are violently pouring into Azeroth , killing everything that stands in their path . Nethergarde and Okril ’ lon have already fallen , and while the Horde and the Alliance moved as quickly as they could to get reinforcements to their people , they are too late . The Iron Horde invasion has begun . In this desperate hour , King Wrynn and Warchief Vol ’ jin have called upon their greatest champions to join the front lines in the Blasted Lands and do whatever they can to stop the Iron Horde . . . before the rest of Azeroth falls before them . Word of this surprise attack sends players rushing to the Blasted Lands to reckon with the barbarous infiltration . After the fall of a high ranking Iron Horde general named Gar ’ mak Bladetwist , you ’ ll report what you ’ ve witnessed in the Blasted Lands to King Wrynn or Warchief Vol ’ jin . It ’ s apparent to both the Horde and the Alliance that this is only the first salvo in a much larger conflict , and the only way to win is to take the fight directly to the Iron Horde . . . by journeying through the Dark Portal into Draenor . Upper Blackrock Spire . An advance party of Iron Horde forces has barged right out of the Blasted Lands and pushed all the way to Blackrock Mountain , where they found refuge and supplies in Upper Blackrock Spire . There can be only one response : the Alliance and the Horde of Azeroth must face this iron incursion head on . Available to level - 90 characters for a limited time , this specially revamped five - player version of Upper Blackrock Spire sets the stage for the coming counterstrike against the Iron Horde . Here , you will face Orebender Gor ' ashan , Kyrak , and Commander Tharbek as you begin to take the fight to the enemy and sharpen the skills ( and swords ) you ’ ll need to succeed on an unwelcoming alien world . Media . See the BlizzCon 2013 gallery and the for additional videos and other media at the time of announcement .