Outland The interdimensional realm of Outland , sometimes mistakenly referred to as " Outlands " or " the Outlands " , is the name given to the shattered floating remnants of the " red world " Draenor , the homeworld of the orc s and refuge of the draenei . Specifically , it is a large known remaining fragment of the former planet . It is also the current domain of Illidan Stormrage and his followers . Draenor was once a massive planet , and a large amount of the action in " " takes place on the largest of the planet ' s fragments , or continent . History . Outland was created when Draenor became the focus of an attack , via the Dark Portal , of an Alliance expedition aiming to end the orcish threat to Azeroth once and for all . In the midst of the ensuing battle the Elder Shaman Ner ' zhul attempted to allow the remaining orcs on Draenor to escape to other worlds by opening other dimensional portals ; however the presence of so many portals tore the planet apart , leaving only torn fragments of the former world floating in the Nether , and the barely - habitable remnants were renamed Outland . Most life on Draenor was wiped out in the explosion , although a number of orcs , ogres and some of the few remaining draenei survived . After the explosion , a Pit Lord named Magtheridon rallied the surviving orcs and took control of Outland . Using the remaining Dimensional Gates , he drew demons from the Twisting Nether to aid him . The night elf demon hunter Illidan Stormrage and many of the Naga and blood elves fled to Outland and succeeded in defeating Magtheridon and conquering the wasteland . After their defeat in Northrend at the hands of Prince Arthas , who used Frostmourne against Illidan , they returned and established permanent settlements there . Most draenei that remained in Outland have become horribly mutated , and bear only a passing resemblance to their former selves . Since then , both the forces of the Light and the Shadow have realized Outland ' s usefulness . It can serve as a launching pad for the invasions of the Burning Legion , or as the staging ground to the forces who fight against the Legion . In response , both the naaru and the Legion have sent their agents to secure the world for their own purposes . Now , the Alliance and the Horde must battle the forces of the maddened Illidan and the murderous followers of the Legion to safeguard Azeroth from Kil ' jaeden ' s Burning Crusade . Druids have magically replanted some locations on the central landmass of Outland that were formerly desolate , describing the areas as " Green Havens " , such as Sylvanaar in Blade ' s Edge Mountains and Cenarion Thicket in Terokkar Forest . The main base of the Cenarion Circle ' s expedition is from Cenarion Refuge in Zangarmarsh . Geography . Before Draenor was torn apart by the portal rifts , it was a vast planet of continents and seas , much like Azeroth . When the world was destroyed it was tossed into the Twisting Nether . It no longer had its sun , but its moon , the Pale Lady , still hovered looking far larger than it ever did before . Other spheres now existed as well , including a rosy one , and a smaller light blue one . Outland consists of one large , central land mass with smaller chunks and debris floating all around it . Black chains connect some of these islands ; adventures can walk across these chains ( they must be careful to avoid an unpleasant tumble into the Twisting Nether ) , fly , or in some cases jump to other islands . Outland is mostly bare and lifeless , like Draenor before its demise . The orcs built huge black fortresses across their world , and some of them still stand . Burning Legion encampments and wretched draenei communities are scattered across the isles . The damage to the world had sundered reality ; gravity , space , and even time may not even function properly . Although Outland lies within and is part of the Twisting Nether , in many sources its properties are different than the Nether itself . Outland is described as having normal gravity , normal time , and finite shape and size . Although it is still alterably morphic , and many of its rocks defy gravity . People from Azeroth who enter Outland also appear to have become taller over time , sometimes even twice as tall as before . This is due to a trait of the strange gravity of Outland . Zones . Outland currently consists of seven large zones that connect to each other but differ sharply in environment . Official site info . From Outland of the old Burning Crusade section of the old Official site : " The scattered wastes of Outland are all that remain of Draenor , the once beautiful homeworld of the orcs . Following the Second War , the Alliance invaded Draenor by crossing through the Dark Portal . To their horror , they discovered that Ner ' zhul - the dark warlord of Horde - had constructed a series of new gateways that could lead the beaten Horde to newer , unspoiled worlds . As the Alliance forces closed in around him , Ner ' zhul opened his gateways as a means of escape . However , the gateways ' clashing energies resulted in a catastrophic explosion that ultimately ripped the world of Draenor apart . " " Nearly thirteen years later - towards the end of the Third War - the fallen night elf , Illidan , discovered that huge chunks of Draenor still existed - floating upon the astral winds of the Twisting Nether . After his defeat at the hands of the evil Prince Arthas , Illidan fled to the remnants of Draenor and dubbed them Outland . He quickly seized control of the chaotic region and sealed the last of Ner ' zhul ' s cursed gateways . " " Though he is the undisputed ruler of the ravaged land , Illidan lives in fear that he will be discovered by his powerful enemies - most notably Arthas , the new Lich King , and the remaining Lords of the Burning Legion . Currently , Outland is home to a number of scattered draenei tribes , primitive orcs and the powerful , arcane creatures of the Nether itself . Agents of the Burning Legion have also targeted the region as a vital strategic location in their unending Burning Crusade to scour all life from the universe . " In Cataclysm . Questions have been raised about the continuity of the Burning Crusade storyline following the Cataclysm , and blue - poster Bornakk has addressed this issue : You have to consider the changes with some form of leniency , while technically you could say that if the story progresses then we need to remove a bunch of the content from Outland and Northrend as those are over - but for numerous reasons , you can probably see why that would be a bad idea . This is the same type of thing that happens by just having a persistent world , just because one quest was completed where something was killed doesn ' t mean it vanishes from your sight forever . While a level 80 doesn ' t need to return to the locations of Outland and Northrend and can focus on the new stories - a new character hasn ' t helped defeat the villains in those areas so they still need to answer the call and fight them off ( or in the terms people are tossing around , they need to level ) . Speculation . — An old book by and ( of the " " series of books ) . Maybe Draenor was inspired by this name .