World of Warcraft: Exploring Azeroth

By Sean Copeland

By fang and feather, explore the vibrant lands of Kalimdor!

Join famed hunter Rexxar, his animal companions, and Horde Ambassador Zekhan as they make the perilous journey across the lush and vivid reaches of Kalimdor to learn the secrets of the realm. Leave no stone unturned and no tracks unfollowed as Rexxar and Zekhan reveal lore, insights, equipment, and breathtaking landscapes from the ramparts of Orgrimmar to the golden plains of Mulgore to the wilds of Un’Goro Crater—and share one final kindness with a friend along the way. Featuring stunning, immersive artwork and new insights crafted by Blizzard’s own loremaster, Sean Copeland, Exploring Azeroth: Kalimdor is your next step in a remarkable journey across Azeroth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
• Release date: Jan 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781950366996

Book preview

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DUROTAR

The stories I learned of Durotar say that the Horde settled this harsh land as penance for its past. Thrall named this place after his fa’da, Durotan, the late chieftain of the orcish Frostwolf clan. Durotar be home to some of the toughest creatures around. After the Cataclysm, many of those predators became prey. Everything here is fighting for what it needs to survive. It’s made the people grateful for the little things.

As Rexxar tells it, orcs came to Azeroth from another world called Draenor. They lived as separate shamanic clans before they came to occupy Kalimdor. They left their mark on all they touched. Rexxar stood among them, but his half-orc people, the mok’nathal, were outcasts.

The orcs named many places in Durotar for their chieftains. I like that these heroes live on in both their deeds and in the places of their people. This way, they are never forgotten. Ships coming from the Great Sea dock in Bladefist Bay. The port is built up with wood and steel and named for Kargath Bladefist, the former chieftain of the Shattered Hand orc clan. Down the coastline be Deadeye Shore, a place of sand and stone mostly empty except for raptors, scorpids, and boars. There’s a large patch of sand missing from the desert, shaped like a skull missing an eye—just like Kilrogg Deadeye, the orc chieftain of the Bleeding Hollow clan.

Farther down the shoreline is the Scuttle Coast. It not be named for any orc, but for the ships and machines that the tides have broken against it. All the smashed wood and leaking machines made my heart sink. The ocean must be sick from that mess. Tiragarde Keep sits on the coast too. The Horde tried to stop Keep Watcher Kerry from restoring it during the Fourth War but failed. Maybe we’ll get ’em someday. The Alliance’s Northwatch Expeditionary Unit guards and rebuilds the keep to this day.

The quilboar are mean, pig-snouted bullies that infest the wilds of Kalimdor. Before the orcs, the quilboar were more common in the area that would become Durotar. The tauren braves who war against the quilboar say their foes be willing to do anything—even throw away their best fighters—to save their bramble homes. Quilboar build their dwellings out of big, barbed vines they control with magic. I can’t imagine these be comfortable, but home is home. The biggest of these thorn buildings I’ve seen are in Razormane Downs in southern Durotar. Between the spines and the thorns, seems like tangling with the quilboar be a quick way to end up like a pincushion.

VALLEY OF STRENGTH

The mighty Gates of Orgrimmar guard the Valley of Strength, the heart of the capital. People of all kinds peddle their trades and wares here, kept safe under the watchful eye of Grommash Hold. You gotta watch yourself in the markets here, though. The goblin vendors’ll try to sell you any piece of junk they get their hands on. This time they tried to sell me water-damaged gnomish tools. At first I brushed him off, but then my curiosity got the better of me. I asked the goblin how he got them, and the merchant bragged up a seller in Razor Hill. He didn’t like that I wrote it down, though … pointed to the flamethrower by his shredder. Rexxar dragged me out before I could ask anything else.

ORGRIMMAR

One of my favorite things about Orgrimmar be the canyon walls. When I look up, I can see the clouds floating above the big red rocks like sea-foam on the shore. Makes me feel like home isn’t so far away at all.

The capital was named for Orgrim Doomhammer, a legendary Blackrock orc Warchief who led the Horde to many victories. Orgrimmar be one of the mightiest cities in Kalimdor and one of the largest cities I’ve known. Rexxar tells me it wasn’t always this way. Orgrimmar has been rebuilt and hardened over many sieges. Just like the Horde, it comes back stronger for the fight. The lumber and leather buildings have cores made from iron and stone to better protect those who make their home within.

Orgrimmar is a city of cities, all built within a canyon of four valleys. Each valley be filled with proud members of the Horde from all its races. Truth be told, I been lost here … more than once. It’s easy to get turned around in all the noise. In the past, the guards of Orgrimmar helped me find my way to the Valley of Spirits for my shaman duties or the Valley of Strength for my ambassador ones. Sometimes even politely. Today, though, my feet be sure.

Booming from the Broken Tusk inn are the lok’vadnods—orcish shout-songs of great heroes. From the market, goblin merchants natter in the tongue of trade with the best craftsmen in Orgrimmar. Even in hard times, under Garrosh Hellscream and Sylvanas Windrunner, the rhythm of Orgrimmar beats with the heart of its people. No matter its leader or the changes it’s been through, this city does what Thrall wanted it to do—bring our people together and protect them.

GROMMASH HOLD

The orcs named Grommash Hold after the fallen Warsong chieftain, Grommash Hellscream.* Thrall built it in the Valley of Wisdom, but Grommash’s son, Garrosh Hellscream, had it moved to the very center of Orgrimmar after becoming Warchief. To frighten his enemies, Garrosh had the head of the pit lord Mannoroth mounted behind the seat. But even that wasn’t enough. He gotta wear its tusks on his shoulders as armor too.

The hold be key to all the Horde’s dealings. I only been inside a few times myself. Ambassadors gather here to guide the Warchief through the needs of the people. The hold itself is round, with a vast open space in its center for big audiences. Last time I was here, Rokhan showed me that there are smaller rooms hidden within the keep. I’m sure he holds secret meetings in those rooms often.

Today, the hold no longer be a place where the Warchief dwells. We now have a council joined by the Horde’s many races. Each faction has a leader to voice their ideas, and they chart a course for the Horde together. The council still be new, but it gives me hope.

VALLEY OF WISDOM

The Valley of Wisdom is home to the tauren of Orgrimmar and a treasured place to me. I’ll never forget seeing it for the first time. A towering waterfall casts a cool mist over the valley, making the tauren totems, windmills, and leather-skinned homes shine against the mud-colored stone.

The tauren who live here make their home along the pools shaped by the Cataclysm. After a long day in the city, the innkeeper and stable master’ll make you feel right at home. Even better, many artisans call this valley home, and they’ll teach any willing to learn—even a poor student like me. During my time here, I picked up some shamanic skills from Sahi Cloudsinger. The elder tauren may not be accepting new students, but that’s not because she’s lost her connection with the elements … and those who wonder that aloud’ll learn how fast fire and lightning heed her call. My singed sorry tusks*

Reviews for World of Warcraft

[q46xrj2bhn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

not as bad as the woke world says at all.
good fluff for understanding a bit more lore in addition to the Chronicles series