Cataclysm Beta: New character introductions for all races

UPDATE: The Forsaken now have their transcript up.
This post contains Cataclysm story spoilers!
UPDATED WITH THE FORSAKEN
The new character introductions serve as a story primer for players, bringing them up to speed on the events of the original WoW and the two expansions. Blood elves are seeing their lore and story advanced quite dramatically, the cause of Cairne Bloodhoof's death is revealed officially, and the dwarven Council of Three Hammers is set up, lore-wise. Currently, goblin, worgen, blood elf, troll, dwarf and tauren transcripts are available, but this post will be updated as more information becomes available. Thanks to Nihilum for all this great information.
Though Lady Sylvanas and the Forsaken finally took vengeance upon their hated enemy, The Lich King, their dark crusade in Northrend proved costly. Betrayed by Grand Apothecary Putress at the Battle of the Wrathgate, the Forsaken's devious plague of death was unleashed upon both the Alliance and Horde to calamitous event. Unbeknownst to Sylvanas, Putress and his demonic ally Varimathras had taken control of the Undercity. As a result, the Forsaken were wrongfully blamed for the traitorous atrocities. Though the Undercity was eventually retaken, Sylvanas and her followers still bear the weight of Putress's sins. Mistrusted by the other members of the Horde, the Forsaken must prove their loyalty to the cause and redeem themselves from their supposed treachery.
To this end, Sylvanas has bolstered her defenses within the Tirisfal Glades and readied her undead forces for any contingency. As one of the forsaken, you must use your cunning and viciousness to slay any who would pose a threat to Sylvanas's rule. Be it undead, human, or otherwise.
To this end, Sylvanas has bolstered her defenses within the Tirisfal Glades and readied her undead forces for any contingency. As one of the forsaken, you must use your cunning and viciousness to slay any who would pose a threat to Sylvanas's rule. Be it undead, human, or otherwise.
The wiley cunning goblins of Kezan have lived in relative peace for generations. Though some of their race sided with the marauding orcs during the second war, most goblins have remained neutral throughout the various conflicts between the Alliance and Horde. Ruled over by corrupt yet highly affluent trade princes, the goblins created a virtual paradise for themselves throughout the islands of the South Seas.
Their ingenious feats of engineering and vast trade fleets helped make their island, Capital of Kezan, one of the great technological wonders of the world, but now as the elements themselves rise up in anger across the world, the goblins mechanical paradise will be put to the test, for very soon fate will force them to choose sides in a conflict that will shake the very history of the world.
Their ingenious feats of engineering and vast trade fleets helped make their island, Capital of Kezan, one of the great technological wonders of the world, but now as the elements themselves rise up in anger across the world, the goblins mechanical paradise will be put to the test, for very soon fate will force them to choose sides in a conflict that will shake the very history of the world.
Led by their indomitable King Genn Greymane, the proud citizens of Gilneas once stood with the Alliance against the vile orcish Horde that sought to conquer all of Lordaeron. Gilneas survived but in the chaotic years following the Second War, the mighty kingdom drew ever inward distrustful of their formal allies, the Gilneans erected a mighty wall at the borders of their land closing off their nation and their hearts from an ever-darkening world.
Now, many years later as the seemingly unstoppable undead scourge marches across Lordaeron, human civilization teeters on the brink of destruction as war and terror close in all around them. The citizens of Gilneas are faced with one terrible truth, their mighty wall cannot hold back the dead for much longer and worse, rumors of a new threat have arisen within the kingdom's borders, feral nightmare creatures that walk upright as men but hunt and howl as wolves.
Now, many years later as the seemingly unstoppable undead scourge marches across Lordaeron, human civilization teeters on the brink of destruction as war and terror close in all around them. The citizens of Gilneas are faced with one terrible truth, their mighty wall cannot hold back the dead for much longer and worse, rumors of a new threat have arisen within the kingdom's borders, feral nightmare creatures that walk upright as men but hunt and howl as wolves.
The past few years have seen unprecedented changes within the eternal land of Quel'Thalas. The blood elves, following the will of their crazed leader Kael'thas Sunstrider channled dangerous chaotic magics to transform their sacred Sunwell into a gateway of unspeakable evil. While Kael'thas and his demonic masters were eventually defeated, a different kind of trasnformation occured within the Sunwell itself, as a dying Nauru sacrificed it's life essence to reignite the Sunwell into a fount of Holy energy.
Now the Blood Elf reagent Lor'themar Theron sees a new hope on the horizon for his people. Over time, the Sunwell's light could cure the Blood Elves of their cursed state, but many still cling to the Arcane powers their procured, and are hesitant to relinquish them. As one of the remaining Blood Elves, you must fight to protect Quel'Thalas and help redeem the soul of your ancient people.
Now the Blood Elf reagent Lor'themar Theron sees a new hope on the horizon for his people. Over time, the Sunwell's light could cure the Blood Elves of their cursed state, but many still cling to the Arcane powers their procured, and are hesitant to relinquish them. As one of the remaining Blood Elves, you must fight to protect Quel'Thalas and help redeem the soul of your ancient people.
Exiled years ago from their lands in Stranglethorn Vale, the Darkspear trolls attempted to make a new life for themselves amongst the races of the Horde. Under the leadership of the noble warchief Thrall, Vol'Jin and his savage trolls had at last found the honor and purpose they've been searching for, but now under the rule of headstrong Garrosh Hellscream, the trolls fear that the Horde could tear itself apart. Vol'Jin knows that whatever threats loom ahead, whether they be within the Horde or from without, it is cunning trolls like you who will fight to preserve the honor of the Horde.
Empowered by the holy light and the undying strength of their convictions, the Draenei led the charge against the Demonic Burning Legion in Outland. Now with the legion's defeat, they have completed the desperate mission that first brought them to Azeroth, through some Draenei were sent back to Outland to revitalize their former civilization, the majority have vouched to remain and uphold their sacred commitment to the Alliance. Driven by a powerful vision, the immortal prophet Velen believes that a great war between the darkness and the light is fast approaching and that Azeroth will be its principle battleground. As one of Velen's chosen you must stand bravely before the shadow and ensure that your people are ready for the war to come.
Great change has come to the enduring halls of Ironforge, obsessed with the working of the Titans, the dwarves retrieved their creator's mystical tablets from the fable city of Ulduar. Activating one such tablet King Magni Bronzebeard fell prey to a terrible curse that fused his statue-liked form into the diamond heart of Ironforge itself. To compound this tragedy, Magni's estranged daughter Moira arrived, claiming her Father's throne for herself and for her infant dark iron son.
To avert civil war, the dwarves created the council of Three Hammers, an uneasy coalition that would share power equally amongst the clans. Now with political upheaval rising within the Kingdom and the great Cataclysm ravaging the surrounding lands, the future of Ironforge falls to brave dwarves like you.
To avert civil war, the dwarves created the council of Three Hammers, an uneasy coalition that would share power equally amongst the clans. Now with political upheaval rising within the Kingdom and the great Cataclysm ravaging the surrounding lands, the future of Ironforge falls to brave dwarves like you.
Great tragedy has rocked the Tauren tribes and shaken their once stalled devotion towards the Horde, a disagreement between the new orc warchief Garrosh Hellscream and the beloved Tauren chieftain Cairne Bloodhoof led to a duel that ended in Cairne's death. With his loss the vile matriarch Magatha Grimtotem launched a murderous attack attempting to seize control of Thunderbluff for herself, however Cairne's brave son, Bane Bloodhoof successfully repeled the attack and banished the surviving Grimtotem to the farthest reaches of the land.
Under Bane's hopeful leadership, the Tauren people now seek to heal their wounds and restore the balance between the various factions of the Horde. To this end a new generation of Tauren Sunwalkers has arisen, to lead their people into the light of the new dawn and the promise of rebirth. As a proud tribesman of Mulgore you must uphold the honor of your people and safeguard the lands of your Ancestors.
Under Bane's hopeful leadership, the Tauren people now seek to heal their wounds and restore the balance between the various factions of the Horde. To this end a new generation of Tauren Sunwalkers has arisen, to lead their people into the light of the new dawn and the promise of rebirth. As a proud tribesman of Mulgore you must uphold the honor of your people and safeguard the lands of your Ancestors.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW.com's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.





Reader Comments (Page 1 of 11)
alabngpuso Aug 31st 2010 12:04PM
Taurens v. Orcs. There must be blood.
matiaid1 Aug 31st 2010 12:21PM
if a crazy brown orc kills you hero, your legeng, your leader and asks you to kindly forget about it and help him fight the night elves for his sake, wouldn't the smart thing be too quietly leave from this crazy cult? the only races that are awright with their leaders' insanity are belves and Goblin, but i'm sure they will understand soon.
matiaid1 Aug 31st 2010 12:21PM
amazing amount of typos by me btw
Dril Aug 31st 2010 12:26PM
From what I know from elsewhere, it wasn't Garrosh that killed Cairne per se. Garrosh defeated him, but as Cairne was recovering he was poisoned, and (supposedly) Garrosh was horrified and had nothing to do with it. To that end, he thought it was the Grimtotem, and I believe he either helps or at least encourages Bane to drive the Grimtotem out.
Arturis Aug 31st 2010 12:27PM
@matiaid1
That amount of typos is legengary. ^_^
JAREDO Aug 31st 2010 12:28PM
I hate Garrosh with a passion. If he doesn't die by the end of Cataclysm's arc I'm not buying the next expansion.
I know he's in a very central location of new Orgrimmar but I'm doubtful many people are going to defend him. At least I wouldn't...
Arbolamante Aug 31st 2010 12:36PM
Taurens in the Horde always struck me as a bit odd - their deep connection to nature and to the very force of life contrasted with the industrial destruction of the Orcs and, well, the very existence of the Forsaken makes for an odd set of allies. The trolls, of all people, seem a more natural linkage, at least within the Horde. Now with the addition of those madmen Goblins tearing up the earth itself, one wonders how the Tauren fit in the Horde, past debts of gratitude aside.
If game mechanics were not such an insuperable barrier, I could easily see some major shakeups in the factions, and alliances rearranged.
Kunikenwad! Aug 31st 2010 12:38PM
Shocking amount of typos and run-on sentences in the article. Hopefully this will fixed by Blizz, eh?
Ilmyrn Aug 31st 2010 12:58PM
Aren't these just transcripts of the narration that plays when you roll a new character? If so, Nihilum is the source of the typos.
Suzaku Aug 31st 2010 2:54PM
Dril is correct. While Cairne died after his duel with Garrosh, it was Magatha that killed him. This narration is likely unreliable for the sake of making a more compelling story, just as the conflict between Garrosh and Vol'jin is essentially resolved at the end of the troll starting area. The relationship between the tauren and orcs actually seems to be stronger than ever in Cataclysm, in fact.
breaklance Aug 31st 2010 2:11PM
We aren't given a whole lot of detail however regarding the beloved Cairne. What did they disagree on, why was it so heated they called for a dual. Why did the young and powerful orc fight a several hundred year old Tauren to the death?
We know both leaders can be extremely strong willed when it comes to the decisions they make but it also seems very rash for someone so wise as Cairne.
Zakarii Aug 31st 2010 4:29PM
At first, I really, REALLY hated Garrosh, but I'm really starting to warm up to him now.
Goodk4t Aug 31st 2010 5:15PM
@Arbolamante: If you play Warcraft 3, you will see that Thrall saves the Cairne and his tribe from the marauding centaur, that's why the Taurens join the Horde. To the same extention, when the Orcs were fleeing to Kalimdor, they crashed into the isle where the Darkspear Tribe lived and saved Vol'jin and his crew when the isle got destroyed. They all owe their lives to Thrall, and that's why he is the Warchief.
Blood Elves and Forsaken are in the Horde only for sake of gameplay. A lot of people wanted to play as Undead, it was the most popular race in WC3. I think it would be too hard for Blizzard to implement a 3rd faction for the Forsaken-only 5 years ago, when the game was launched and it's easier to explain the Forsaken in the Horde than in the Alliance. The same deal with the Blood Elves: we (the Alliance) tried to kill Kael'thas and we are the only reason some he fled to Outlands and renamed his crew to Blood Elves. Wouldn't make much sense to have them in the Alliance and "Ogres" wouldn't fit so well the Burning Crusade expansion nor would be so popular as Blood Elves (although I think a race that says "It's hammer time" it's cooler than a race that says "my body wasn't built for hard labor")
Byron Aug 31st 2010 6:21PM
@Arbolamante: Agreed.
The Dwarves, Goblins, Gnomes, and Orcs are all hell bent on various forms of industrialism at the cost of tearing up the world (or irradiating it), and should form their own alliance.
The Tauren should replace the Dwarves in the Alliance, and the Blood Elves and Forsaken should form their own third faction, since they are geographically nearby, and Sylvanis used to be one and vouched for the Blood Elves' entry into the Horde in the first place.
Those factions would be a bit better aligned than the current ones, methinks.
Angrycelt Aug 31st 2010 9:46PM
As a proud Alliance-playing lore geek, (heck, half the reason I raid is for the epic stories) this actually makes me want to roll a bunch of Horde characters to see how all these conflicts will get resolved.
Shakeababy Sep 1st 2010 1:19AM
Ok, there's a definate need to clear some things up here.
1) As many have stated above me, Garrosh did not kill Cairne. Magatha Grimtotem poisoned him while recovering from his wounds. Cairne challenge Garrosh to the duel, not the other way around and did so because after Garrosh's Warsong Hold debacle (That YOU fix so that the horde isn't wiped off the map) and way he acted throughout most of Wrath, Cairne didn't think Garrosh would be a good Warchief.
2) Blood Elves and the Forsaken are both in the Horde because the Alliance shafted them. In WC3, a racist Alliance leader told the Blood Elves to basically go die on the front lines against the Scourge with little to no support. In other words, they were shafted and feel like they have no other place to go, and rightly so. I don't see the Blood Elves leaving the Horde any time soon since the Horde welcomed them with open arms after they had proven what they could do. (Read what Thrall says to you at the end of the BE starting quests)
The Alliance considers the Forsaken to be abominations, therefore part of the Scourge and so had a KoS order on them. Events between the last WC and WoW are a little fuzzy, but it can be assumed that since the Alliance rejected them, the Forsaken turned to the Horde out of convienence and Thrall accepted since the Horde had almost no staging point for an in invasion should the Alliance get a little to rowdy. Which we know they do. "Admiral Proudmoore.. cough cough"
3) Garrosh was a complete tool in Wrath, it's true, but to think that he didn't learn ANYTHING from Saurfang, especially when Saurfang retrieved his son in ICC with the permission of Wrynn (You see this if your Ally) is really rather short-sighted.
Lots of people don't really get Garrosh. In TBC, he's depressed because the last time he had seen his father, Grom was damning his race to enslavement by demons, his world was being corrupted and swept clean of life by warlocks, Orcs were on a genocidal rampage wiping the Draenei out, the elements and spirits his people had worshipped for generations were ignoring them, and just when it seemed things couldn't get any worse, HIS WORLD EXPLODED! All of these events were caused by Grom, his father when he was the first to drink the demon blood. You'd be depressed too.
Then Thrall shows up, tells Garrosh that his father had redeemed his people, weren't enslaved to demons anymore and had made themselves into a strong, proud nation. Once again, enabled by his father. Something to be proud of.
Fast forward to Wrath. How many wars do you think Garrosh has fought? I'll give you a clue. It's none. How much experience do you think he has with the other races of the Horde and their motivations. Again, probably very little. His inexperience shows in Borean Tundra, but you and Saurfang pulled his ass out of the fire without telling him how bad things were because of him. The plague that was used at the Wrathgate? That was finalized in Northrend, right under Garrosh's nose. So many things were screwed up in Northrend because of Garrosh and I think he tries to make up for it by being a prideful ass. I also think he learned alot about the Horde and it's race/faction relations in Wrath. Something he must have had little knowledge in.
All indications from the Cata beta show that Garrosh has mellowed out quite a bit, and has taken what Saurfang told him to heart, to the point where he is actually a competent leader. Bottom line however is this: Thrall has been a damn good leader since the beginning of the New Horde. Thrall's, and as a result the Horde's "theme" has always been one of societies reject's banding together, overcoming their own demons and in the end, redeeming themselves. Should we not extend the same ideal to Garrosh?
Broon Sep 7th 2010 2:59PM
@breaklance According to wowwiki, tauren lifespans are "114-150 (or rarely over 100)". Granted, Cairne was still a very old tauren.
choco Sep 21st 2010 1:12PM
*You see this if your Ally*
"You're" not "your"
But yes agreed @ all points, very well put =) Let's just hope he's older and more mature now, otherwise the Horde is in for some trying times...
James Sep 23rd 2010 4:56PM
I disagree with the idea of Orc's not fitting in with Tauren, what you have to remember is that the Orcs were originally a very Shamanistic race, which is shown within Thrall's own grasp of shamanism. Thrall wanted to take the Horde and the Orcs back to a more shamanistic and peaceful setting. Thrall never wanted war with the Alliance, he was always fighting for peace, sometimes in what may be called a foolhardy way when the Alliance has no respect or acceptance of the Orcs or the Horde in general.
Rufin Sep 27th 2010 5:26PM
@Shakeababy
perfect. very well done. of course, i still wanna rip out Garrosh's guts for calling my Dark Lady a bitch.
For The Forsaken (horde geekdom FTW!)