Half - orc Half - orc is a term used to describe the offspring of an orc or half - orc parent and a parent of any other species . Since the beginning of the First War , orcs have interbred with a number of species : mostly humans , but half - ogre s and half - draenei are not unheard of . It most often refers to a half orc / human , but can also be used to refer to a half - orc half - ogre , or half - orc half - draenei . Background . Orc s and human s can interbreed , and in this union create half - orcs . Humans and orcs have been enemies for decades and half - orcs represent something both races prefer not to think about . The half - orcs ' genesis is usually violent and perverse , and their appearance — too bestial to be human and too clean to be orc — reminds the parent races of the rift between them and the horrible deeds each has performed on the other . Thus , most humans and orcs ignore half - orcs . Other races are little better , as the human - orc conflict is only one facet of the Alliance - Horde tensions upon which no one likes to dwell . Conversely , some see half - orcs as symbols of unity . Not all half - orcs are born to abused or victimized parents ; some are the children of clandestine love . Perhaps half - orcs represent what could be accomplished if the races put aside their differences and lived in peace . After all , if humans and orcs , with their history of hatred and bloodshed and wildly different origins , can produce viable offspring , perhaps the races are not as different as they think . Half - orcs face mixed reactions . Even more so than half - elves , half - orcs are the targets of rage and derision brought about by stress . Azeroth is a violent place and tensions thrum like taut wires . The Third War lives in recent memory , and most humans and orcs lost loved ones at the hands of the other side . Half - orcs find little welcome , though the situation is better in the larger , more enlightened settlements . Unlike half - elves , who prefer to wander or blend in to avoid prejudice , half - orcs are vocal , daring , and foolishly brave . A product of their parent races ' pride , courage , and ferocity , half - orcs refuse to accept bias lightly . They demand attention . Half - orcs commit to audacious dares and acts of suicidal bravery to prove their worth to their parent races . Occasionally they succeed . Perspective . Half - orcs , because of their mixed - breed nature , have an outsider ' s perspective on events ; it seems unlikely that they will see things from the inside any time soon . Their unfortunate status as human - orc crossbreeds leaves them truly belonging to neither race , and forces them to find their own places in ( usually ) the Horde or ( more rarely ) the Alliance . Culture . Languages . Half - orcs normally speak Common or Orcish . Half - orcs learn many languages , like their human parents . Names . Half - orcs take the naming practices of the race in which they were raised . Half - orcs raised in human lands often take orc first names to display their heritage and vice versa . Appearance . " Half - orcs are a bit taller and heavier than humans , standing around 6 - 1 / 2 feet in height and weighing 200 to 250 pounds . Males are noticeably taller and heavier than females . Half - orc skin ranges from light green to grayish brown ; half - orc hair is coarse like an orc ' s and ranges from brown to black in color . The orc lineage is unmistakable , but half - orc features are not as pronounced as those of the orc parent . A half - orc ' s ears are not quite as large , the nose not as piggish , and the tusks just far less . Both humans and orcs view half - orcs as physically ugly , a view which infects some half - orcs with self - loathing . Half - orcs live longer than their orc parents , with life spans equivalent to a human ' s . " Region . If raised by humans , a half - orc most likely makes Theramore or Stormwind his home . If raised by orcs , he probably comes from the city of Orgrimmar in Durotar . Lands of Conflict " mentions that about 3 % of the population of Hillsbrad is half - orc ( human / orc ) . This means that there are roughly 450 half - orcs in the area . " Half - orcs of ogre descent , the mok ' nathal live in the Mok ' Nathal Village in Outland . Others ; Mag Bearmaul , Gorsh Talonfang , Maxx Rocmane , Gaz Boartusk , Mok Rocksnout , Gish Eagle Eye . Specific half - orcs . " Note : Many of these names come from random beastmasters in The Frozen Throne ( half - orcs of ogre descent ) . However the names are referenced in Horde Player ' s Guide . " Other types of half - orcs . The term half - orc is usually used to describe the union between a human and an orc , however , there are other half - orc hybrids : The Mok ' Nathal are usually referred to as a type of half - ogres , rather than half - orcs , due to more dominant ogre traits . The famous Rexxar is one well - known half - ogre . Sometimes the longer term " half - orc half - ogre " or " half orc / ogre " is used to describe the race , half - ogre being the short form . In " Beyond the Dark Portal " , Rexxar is simply called a " half - orc " throughout much of the book . A hybrid of an orc and a draenei can be called a " half - draenei " , a " half - orc half - draenei " , or an " orc - draenei half - breed " . Brann believes that they show draenei physical traits . Half - draenei is used as the short form . Garona has been called simply " half - orc " in several sources as well . It appears that what half a character is called at any given time depends on which heritage is being focused on , as is the case of Rexxar and Garona being called " half - orcs " at times , see half - . Inspiration . Traditionally , in classic fantasy settings such as the works of and later in , a half - orc by definition means an offspring that includes an orc and a human parent . < ref >