Draenor (alternate universe)



Draenor is the main setting of the Warlords of Draenor expansion, which takes place thirty-five years ago in a parallel universe that Kairozdormu brought Garrosh to using the Vision of Time. Khadgar describes it as 'the far side of the looking glass'. As a result it's extremely important to note that this Draenor, while almost the same as the one that became Outland, is not exactly the same (see the pertinent section below for further details).

The arrival of Garrosh Hellscream from the main universe and his subsequent meddling with history allowed him to create a technologically advanced Iron Horde under the leadership of. The Iron Horde has constructed their own and connected it with Azeroth in 31 ADP through the same dimensional gateway, which originally connected Azeroth with Outland — the destroyed, main universe version of the world.

History
Compared to Azeroth, Draenor was a young world. The primal forces that shaped and bent the land are still accessible - if one knows where to look. Draenor is a land of magma and metal, stone and steam. City-forges wrap her twin moons in smog, and wheels deform the earth. Vicious saberon, winged arakkoa, spike-skinned gronn, and more unusual creatures rule the edges of the world, feasting on anything they kill. Enigmatic draenei refugees have built a coastal foothold into a glimmering state replete with the libraries and worship-halls of their timeless civilization. Meanwhile, the Iron Horde's slaves labor on engines of war pointed at the draenei and worlds beyond. Kingdoms, clans, tribes, men, women, children – all are tense as coiled muscles.

Warlords of Draenor
In Year 31 of the main universe's timeline, Garrosh Hellscream was sent to an alternate universe in Year -4, by the bronze dragon Kairozdormu at the behest of Wrathion. The overthrown warchief was tasked to prevent the Blood Curse from coming to pass within this parallel universe in order to create an uncorrupted orcish Horde for Kairoz's own machinations. Garrosh, however had no intention of being a pawn in someone else's plans and betrayed Kairoz, killed him and stole the fragment of the Vision of Time, which was the catalyst that could bridge both universes, and then departed to exact Kairoz's plan on his own terms and gain.

Garrosh convinced Grommash of his race's eventual fate, using the Vision of Time to show him the prime universe's events up to the aftermath of the Second War, shared information about some of the modernized Horde technology and how to create it, with himself later smuggling some of it into the parallel universe, thanks to his connections within Blackfuse Company, and then plotted his way to prevent the orcs from entering the Blood Pact, which ultimately succeeded. This was the major turning point of this universe's timeline, where the newly established union of the clans, the Iron Horde, started their conquest of Draenor under the leadership of of the. Grom also put Garrosh in the position of Warlord of the Warsong clan to replace him. The orcs proceeded to build the, using the captive as its power source, and connected the gateway with the prime universe's Azeroth in order to invade and conquer it.

Legion
During the third invasion of the Burning Legion, an adventurer was sent to Hellfire Citadel in order to find something that could help Mama Diggs unlock the mystery of infernal brimstones, and succeeded by retrieving The Infernal Codex off Archimonde's corpse.

Late during the conflict, Alliance and Horde soldiers who previously fought in Ashran traveled to the Seething Shore and resumed their battle there.

Battle for Azeroth
At an unknown point in time the connection between Draenor and Azeroth closed.

After Archimonde's fall, the orcs and draenei worked together to drive the Burning Legion from Draenor. Orc and draenei lived alongside each other for years. However, without demons to fight, the draenei became fixated upon the Light. The naaru then compelled them to spread their influence among the orcs, and they formed an army known as the Lightbound. A few orcs were converted willingly, while others had the Light forced upon them. Ogres also joined the Lightbound. Decades later, the planet began to die. While only Gorgrond is seen, it is considerably less forested than it was before, the sky is clouded over, and there is a green tint in the air. The Lightbound accuse the orcs of causing this, while the Mag'har, in turn, accuse the Lightbound of causing it.

While decades had passed on Draenor, only a handful of years had passed on Azeroth. Eitrigg and the old Commander arrived on Draenor in the middle of the war between the Lightbound and Mag'har, led by Yrel and Grommash respectively. Having been unaware of this and of the years that had passed from Draenor's perspective, the forces from Azeroth had intended on recruiting the Mag'har to the Horde. A group of Mag'har led by Overlord Geya'rah, the daughter of Draka and the deceased Durotan, fled to Azeroth with Eitrigg and the Commander while Grommash held off Yrel.

Geography
The world of Draenor is comprised of at least two (most likely unnamed) continents, and only one of them is known to Azeroth's races. The continent we visit is the central one. After Draenor's destruction in the prime universe, that continent became Outland, the only known surviving fragment of the Red World. The second landmass is located southwest of it and is said to be the homeland of the ogres, as well as the heart of their empire.

The Zangar encroachment is the name given to a fungal ecosystem seeking to overtake the land by spreading its spores from the.

Draenor has two moons. The larger moon is bright with reflected light, responsible for the illumination of, while the smaller appears closer and is far darker. Nowhere is the larger of the two moons more imposing than over Shadowmoon Valley. The name "Pale Lady" is assumed to refer to the larger of the two moons.



Zones

 * Frostfire Ridge (10 - 40)
 * (10 - 40)
 * Gorgrond (15 - 40)
 * Talador (20 - 40)
 * Spires of Arak (30 - 40)
 * (35 - 40)
 * Tanaan Jungle (40)
 * Ashran (40 PvP)

Draenor and Outland comparison

 * Hellfire Peninsula — formerly the Tanaan Jungle.
 * Zangarmarsh — formerly the Zangar Sea.
 * Terokkar Forest and Bone Wastes — formerly Talador and the northern parts of Spires of Arak.
 * Nagrand — largely untouched; but the western Highmaul peninsula destroyed.
 * Blade's Edge Mountains — merger of the Frostfire Ridge and Gorgrond.
 * Netherstorm — remnants of Farahlon.
 * Shadowmoon Valley — transformed into a blackened wasteland.
 * Ashran — presumed obliterated.

Differences between the alternate Draenor and prime Draenor
According to Don Adams, Blizzard's goal with the expansion was to depict Draenor's past. Because of that, the general background presented in the alternate universe is the same as the one of the prime universe.

However, there are two types of differences between both backstories:
 * a) Changes triggered by Garrosh's interference.
 * b) Pre-existing differences and the changes triggered by them — as the alternate Draenor is not a perfect mirror image of the prime universe. These few are exceptions and not the rule.

Among the differences of the second type we can count:

Outposts and cities
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The Alliance

 * Elodor
 * Embaari Village
 * Fort Wrynn
 * Highpass
 * Karabor (Draenei capital)
 * Lunarfall (Garrison)
 * Southport
 * Stormshield (Capital)
 * Telaari Station
 * Teluuna Observatory
 * Twilight Glade
 * Yrel's Watch
 * Yrel's Watch

The Horde

 * Axefall
 * Beastwatch
 * Bladespire Citadel (Frostwolf capital)
 * Darkspear's Edge
 * Durotan's Grasp
 * Frostwall (Garrison)
 * Frostwolf Overlook
 * Riverside Post
 * Stonefang Outpost
 * Throm'var
 * Vol'jin's Pride
 * Warspear (Capital)
 * Wolf's Stand
 * Wor'gol
 * Wor'var

Getting there
Players that will reach level 90 will embark on a journey that will lead them to repel the Iron Horde's invasion entering Azeroth through the Dark Portal, which has turned red because of a time warp that now connects it with the world of Draenor in the alternate past. The prologue quest will be a similar experience to the death knight starting experience. After defeating the invading army, they will travel through the portal and arrive at Tanaan Jungle (located in the same place as what will eventually become Hellfire Peninsula). After the prologue, Alliance will be sent to, while the Horde will go to the Frostfire Ridge - their own faction territories, with fully-fledged Garrisons (that they need to build first) in Draenor.

Native
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 * Dire orc
 * Fel orc
 * Pale orc
 * Ogres
 * Arakkoa
 * Saberon
 * Goren
 * Furies
 * Furies

Breakers
🇨🇴
 * Colossals
 * Magnaron
 * Gronn / Gronnling
 * Ogron

Primals

 * Genesaur
 * Draenor ancients
 * Botani
 * Mandragoras
 * Podlings


 * Fara
 * Farah

Speculation

 * As he was the only known titan to have interacted with Draenor, Aggramar is very likely the one that left behind several Ancient Titan Chests, the Vault of the Titan in, the treasure inside Rukmaz's Vault and the artifacts responsible for the creations of the magic breakers before leaving. It is also possible he might have left behind servants comparable to keepers who wielded remnants of his power, and the relics contain their legacy.
 * It is unclear how the vast majority of Mag'har orcs and draenei initially viewed the orcs and draenei who originated from Azeroth, as their obvious racial similarities were never really commented upon by any of their NPCs despite being acknowledged to come from another world. For example, it is unclear why alternate Velen did not seem to openly recognize Maraad or any of the other Exodar draenei, and why they seemed to lack any counterparts in Draenor.
 * It is currently unknown what has caused the planet to begin to die. While the Mag'har and the Lightbound blame each other, it is possible that both Mag'har's industrialism and the Lightbound's spreading of the Light contributed to the planet's decay. Alternatively, something could have caused this timeline to collapse in on itself, with the planet dying as a side effect.
 * Another possibility is that Kairoz, perhaps using the Vision of Time, actually removed alternate Draenor from its own timeline and pulled it into the Prime one (even Nozdormu is likely not powerful enough to link Timestreams indefinitely, let alone one of his subordinates, especially after the Dragon Aspects and their flights losing most of their powers), thus causing some form of "Temporal Decay." This would also explain why the Horde's attempt to re-connect with alternate Draenor's Mag'har connected with its equivalent to the time of the Prime timeline, rather than the time Kairoz and Garrosh escaped to. Chronicles mentions that alternate timelines are natural but unstable and will eventually dissipate into nothing if they are left alone, but beings from their realities can remain in existence "indefinitely" if efforts are made to preserve them. The bronze dragonflight apparently expected the Horde's arrival at the Caverns of Time and went to considerable efforts to assist them, implying they believed it was "meant" for them to reunite with the Mag'har and recruit them from alternate Draenor.

Gallery

 * In-game maps