Durotar Durotar . the land named after Thrall ' s father , Durotan , lies on the eastern coast of Kalimdor . It borders the Barrens to the west and the coastal lands of Azshara to the north . The land of Durotar is rocky , and the soil is cracked and red , not unlike the orcs ' Draenor ian homeland . The land has many crags and canyons , where various dangerous creatures take residence . It is a harsh land to survive in ; it is very dry and hot , and the vegetation and freshwater access is sparse . The orcs , however , see a harsh beauty in the land that reminds them of their home world . Durotar is a proving ground for young orcs , who are sent to the Valley of Trials to complete several rites of passage before they are considered fit for the challenges that lie ahead . Durotar is the new homeland of the orcs and the site of the orcs ' principal city of Orgrimmar . While the orcs founded their city of Orgrimmar here , Durotar has become something of a haven for all of the Horde races , especially the trolls . History . For many years , Durotar was home to the quilboar . Then Thrall , Warchief of the orcs , brought his race to Kalimdor in search of a new homeland after the war against the Burning Legion . The young warchief named the land after his father , Durotan . Upon this land , he laid the ground for the orcs ' new capital city of Orgrimmar , named for the previous warchief and hero of the Horde , Orgrim Doomhammer . The quilboar were tenacious in their attempts to stave off the Horde incursion , but ultimately they were no match for the unified might of the orc clans . The bristled " boar men " were driven back in a series of decisive orc victories along the northern canyons and ultimately pushed to the most remote regions of Durotar and even into the Barrens . The orcs claimed the coastal realm as their own , but the quilboar vowed to reclaim it someday . The orcs gained valuable allies in the Darkspear Trolls , and also forged an alliance with the Tauren by assisting Cairne Bloodhoof and his people in driving away the marauding centaur s from their lands . The capital of Durotar , Orgrimmar , is host to 14 , 000 inhabitants . In all , Durotar has a population of 21 , 000 , the majority of which is of orcish blood . 65 % of those living here are orcs , 20 % are trolls , 15 % are tauren , 8 % Forsaken , and the smallest , humans , at 2 % of the population . It is ruled as a tribal chiefdom by Warchief Thrall . Major settlements include Orgrimmar , Razor Hill , and Sen ' jin Village , with respective populations of 14 , 000 , 3 , 000 , and 2 , 000 . Spoken here are the languages of Orcish , Common , Low Common , Taurahe , and Zandali , otherwise known as Troll . Noted explorer Brann Bronzebeard had this to say about the area when he visited : In Cataclysm . Just prior to the events of the Cataclysm , the leader of the Darkspear trolls , Vol ' jin , rallied his forces against his long - time nemesis , Zalazane , to retake the Echo Isles . The Isles now serve as a proving grounds for the trolls , leaving the orcs to their own devices within the Valley of Trials . After the Cataclysm , the Alliance have pushed into Durotar . From Northwatch Hold they have taken Kolkar Crag from the centaur s and retain a strong presence within Tiragarde Keep . The Horde have not sat idly by , however , and the most glaring proof of this is the total rebuilding of Orgrimmar from the ground up . Bladefist Bay is now riddled with fortifications all the way to the capital , and the zeppelin tower s have been moved inside the walls of the city . Horde forces are attacking the Burning Blade clan at Skull Rock . Even with the build - up and fighting , the Valley of Trials has been made more accommodating for young orcs , new amenities such as a mailbox and training dummies added . Geography . The geography of Durotar is similar to that of the orcs ’ original homeland of Draenor , which is probably part of the reason why they are so comfortable settling here . The land is dry , baked red by the sun and littered with cacti and watering holes . The landmass itself is a long expanse separated from mainland Kalimdor by the Southfury River . Durotar is south of Azshara . The southern tip of Durotar ends at the Great Sea . The eastern coast is littered with sunken ships and considered to be a prime scavenging spot . The wildlife of the land includes boars , scorpids , raptors , crocolisks , thunder lizards , and makrura . The goblin port of Ratchet stands to the south , with the ruined shores of Azshara some distance to the north . The region is warm and rocky , but not as arid as the rest of the Barrens . A fair amount of vegetation grows thanks to the warm easterly winds blowing in from over the ocean , but truly fertile soil is rare , making farmland precious . Sagebrush on the plains and thin pine forests at higher elevations combine with rugged hills and canyons to break up the landscape . Orcs are by far the major inhabitants of Durotar . Quilboar cluster in the canyons along the northwestern borders and encroach from the Barrens to the west . Centaur warbands make the occasional foray , and furbolgs and undead have been seen in more than one instance . Herd animals such as deer and goats roam the land , preyed upon by wolves and coyotes . A number of Horde settlements have been established throughout the region , but much of the land has yet to be tamed . The cities and towns scattered along the frontier are heavily fortified against attacks from quilboar raiders , centaur warbands , rogue furbolgs , and even sudden appearances by undead and the occasional demon . Caravans are common targets , creating a strong market for caravan guards . The few large cities are distant from one another , with a variety of smaller encampments and villages scattered in between . Given that Durotar is the orcs ' new homeland , Horde races and independents are welcome throughout the region . Alliance races risk their lives when they venture into Durotar . There are no dungeon s , raid dungeon s , micro dungeon s , or battleground s in Durotar . However , Ragefire Chasm can be found in the Horde capital city , Orgrimmar , which is located in this zone . Cataclysm changes . Parts of Durotar were irrevocably changed during the events of the Cataclysm . Both Drygulch Ravine and Thunder Ridge were flooded , and more water damage is evident from the flooding along Scuttle Coast , and the disappearance of much of the road from Razor Hill to the Northern Barrens . Areas reduced to marshes include lands on the east bank of the Southfury River and Tor ' kren Farm . Travel . The Horde capital city , Orgrimmar , is located in this zone , and is a major travel hub for Horde characters . In addition , the Zeppelin towers in Orgrimmar carry players to the Eastern Kingdoms , to either Undercity or Grom ' Gol Base Camp , and also the continent of Northrend , to Warsong Hold . Getting there . Alliance : The Alliance can travel up the coast of the Northern Barrens from Ratchet , and then cross the Southfury River . Horde : The Horde can also travel from Ratchet , but have the option of walking from Azshara to the rear entrance of Orgrimmar . Resources . " Note : Though there are no pools , the waters around Durotar can be fished successfully with a minimum skill of 25 . " Notable characters . Durotar is home to several orcs and trolls of status . From the base camp in the Valley of Trials , Zureetha Fargaze sends promising young orcs and trolls out into the world . In Sen ' jin Village , Master Gadrin mentors more young bloods in his quest to eradicate the newly landed humans in Southern Durotar , and from his throne in Grommash Hold , in the capital city of Orgrimmar , Warchief Vol ' jin strives to repair the damage that nearly split the Horde in civil war . Previously , Warchief Hellscream sought to strengthen and expand the Horde war machine , until his downfall and flight to Draenor of the past . Quests . Since Durotar is the starting zone for troll s and orc s , the quest range here is level 1 - 10 . Quests in Durotar include a foray into the Echo Isles to the south to combat jungle trolls , battles against the human soldiers of Tiragarde Keep , and the hunt for the mysterious Shadow Council .