Following the events of Siege of Orgrimmar, Garrosh Hellscream was imprisoned to be tried in Pandaria. Before the trial can conclude, aided by an ally who can manipulate the timelines, Garrosh escapes to Draenor of the past, and prevents the orcs from ever drinking the blood of Mannoroth, creating an untainted Iron Horde under the leadership of Grommash Hellscream.

Return to the Dark Portal

For both Horde and Alliance players, the campaign starts behind enemy lines in the Tanaan Jungle on Draenor. It’s up to the player and their allies on preventing the seemingly impossible Iron Horde from wreaking havoc in Draenor and eventually to Azeroth.

Once on Draenor, adventurers will face the might of great orc warlords such as Grommash Hellscream and Kilrogg Deadeye, legends who command a legion of 10,000 orcs from Draenor’s united clans—but you won’t have to take on this desperate mission alone. The ancient draenei champion Vindicator Maraad from Wrath of the Lich King will accompany the Alliance's expedition through the portal, while the Horde's faction rallies behind by Thrall. Your strike on Draenor is practically a suicide mission, but if you can destroy the portal from the other side, you’ll buy your faction—and Azeroth—some much-needed time. . . .

All level-90 players will begin in the Tanaan Jungle (pre-Hellfire Peninsula), and for newly boosted level-90 characters, the quest line will be edited to help you get up to speed and ready for taking on the challenges to come. Also for boosted 90s, insead of gaining all of your skills and abilities right away, you’ll be able to unlock them as you progress and learn your way around your more powerful character—and you’ll need every ounce of your ability to stop the Iron Horde and continue your campaign on Draenor.

Once the threat at the Dark Portal has been (temporarily) dealt with, Alliance and Horde players will go their divergent paths. Each will answer the call of their new allies to engage the native threats of the world and mount a long-term defense against the Iron Horde.

Alliance: Karabor, Shadowmoon Valley

In the aftermath of the Dark Portal strike, Alliance players will be led to the pre-Black Temple, otherwise known as Karabor in search of allies to face the Iron Horde. Once there, you and other travelers will work together to save the draenei holy temple and turn it into a capital city for your faction. Stay alert though, while the Iron Horde lays siege to the temple, Ner’zhul and his nefarious Shadowmoon Orc clan pursue another line of attack that could put the entire world in mortal danger.

Horde: Bladespire Fortress, Frostfire Ridge

Following the assault on the Dark Portal, Horde players will be led to Frostfire Ridge and the aid of the Frostwolf Clan. Once there, you will battle the ogres of Bladespire Fortress to secure a new base of operations in this harsh land. Don’t be fooled by your progress, though—the Thunderlord Clan will be right on their heels to reclaim their lands.

Altering the past

"We will never be slaves... but we will be conquerors!" - Grommash Hellscream

After arriving on Draenor, Garrosh encounters the timeline's orc clans, and apparently shares with them some knowledge of the course of future events, as well as technology from the original timeline, far outstripping the orcs' relatively primitive technology. After encountering Gul'dan during his transformation, Garrosh is able to persuade his father Grommash Hellscream not to drink Mannoroth's blood, but instead to prepare a technologically empowered army in order to ambush the pit lord Mannoroth, and overthrow the Burning Legion's efforts to enslave the orcs.

Garrosh goes with Grommash to the gathering of the orc clans, in response to Gul'dan's summons to imbibe the demon's blood. Grommash accepts the drinking horn from the warlock, but at the last moment refuses to drink from it, pouring the glowing blood onto the floor and incurring the wrath of Mannoroth. With the pit lord revealed, at Garrosh's signal the hidden Iron Horde bursts forth, firing ballistae and chains at Mannoroth. The orcs prepare to launch an iron star to destroy Mannoroth, but the mighty demon quickly overcomes their attempts to trap him and begins to lay waste to the orc army.

Grommash, seeing his chance to defeat the pit lord, seizes the now unmanned iron star and single-handedly launches it at the demon, but the projectile falls short, its explosion serving only to rebuff and anger the pit lord. As Mannoroth prepares to strike afresh at the orcs, Grommash soars out of the fire and smoke, leaping through the explosion to drive Gorehowl directly into the pit lord's forehead.

As the pit lord's death howl begins to build for a devastating explosion, a stunned Garrosh picks himself up off the ground and dives for his father, pulling him out of harm's way before the demon can destroy him, again altering the path of history.

With the Legion's plot foiled, Gul'dan is imprisoned, and the Iron Horde revealed. Grommash proclaims a glorious future for their people, with Gul'dan's original plans to invade Azeroth repurposed to suit the new Iron Horde.