On Warchief Vol'jin

[Ramz]

Following that logic, gallywix is one of the most involved leaders since, ever since cata, you can see goblins everywhere. So gallywix was participating in taking down twillight hammer in TW highlands.

But the thing is that during the meeting Vol'Jin was speaking on the behalf of his people with "our success in Northrend", while Garrosh being his usual self took it literally, and made a problem out of thing that was rather obvious to the whole rest.

And I wouldn't use goblins as example there are many cartels our there, and each one is working independently, Gallywix only is the boss of Bilgewater Cartel, while Steamwheedle Preservation Society - the one that appears in Draenor is completely different Cartel, so Gallywix couldn't take credit for them and neither for Gazlowe who is also from independent Cartel. Horde only had Darkspear trolls among thier ranks in Northrend campaign, and Vol'Jin sent his finest there.

But all in all I guess it was more the fact he was not needed there, after all it was mostly Garrosh job to lead the campaign, after Dranosh fallen and the civil War in undercity Thrall step out to keep an eye on Garrosh. Sylvanas had her own personal agenda going on. All other leaders were not involved. Someone had to stay to watch over the remaining Horde on Kalimdor, you can't just place all the eggs in one basket. Or there is flaw in my reasoning?

[Amerrol]

I think we learned something from Sha of Pride. I think I do not need to say more.

Orcs don't learn. They're mindless brutes that feed off violence and bloodshed while hiding their blood thirst behind honor.

[Ramz]

Yes it does. Sending prayers and wishes doesn't count as doing anything. Neither does a twitter hashtag, which is the equivalent of Vol'jin's involvement. Anything else you want to manufacture is your own head canon.

But it was retconned in book. It was written that Vol'Jin personally was fighting among Rexxar and Rokhan on many battles. It was nothing specific so we can't tell exactly where it was and how it looked like, all it said was "he was there and done that". Therefore it is a canon now.

I've said this in another thread but it's apparently not clear for people to pick up on their own: darkspear lore is different from Vol'jin lore. Get that clear and the ridiculousness of your argument will abate.

Kinda sorta. The problem is that Vol'Jin is the only prominent figure right now from entire tribe. If he does something then it apprently means his tribe gets the spotlight. I'm also against it, but that's how it looks right now. My biggest desire is for all the races to get some more minor but important lore characters that would help making the lore for inner factions.

[Deleted]

Yes it does. Sending prayers and wishes doesn't count as doing anything. Neither does a twitter hashtag, which is the equivalent of Vol'jin's involvement. Anything else you want to manufacture is your own head canon.
I've said this in another thread but it's apparently not clear for people to pick up on their own: darkspear lore is different from Vol'jin lore. Get that clear and the ridiculousness of your argument will abate.

Every leader is pretty much involved in what the Horde does. Same for Alliance. It is the same as saying a random president sent troops to random country. While not personally there, they did have a participation for they planned and considered what would be done next. If no leader is involved in whatever actions related to their people then it means they are acting on their own doing whatever they please. And if it applies to the Horde then I suppose leaders are not needed because if someone says "Hey, let's go eat that cake" then every single individual will just do whatever they please, some will eat the cake, some will watch, some will walk away. So that Cake being the Lich King means that if there was absolutely no leadership to guide those individuals, Azeroth would not stand a chance because everyone would just randomly go all over the place. That is why I say, Yes, directly or not, he did participate and what is not written in game is not automatically a head canon, it is just something you will eventually consider because it is only logical.

Darkspear Lore is not Vol'jin lore, but for the good or the bad they are tangled and one influences the other at all times.

[Zulkhan]

Yet compared to other threats other races faced Zalazane was not really in the top tier, he is nothing compared to the scarlet crusade or scourge armies for example, true he was strong, but not that strong

It was never much about Zalazane possessing incredibly destructive powers but more about the efficiency of his voodoo magic and the fact that said magic arrived from internal betrayal.

"The witch doctor Zalazane had been one of the tribe's leading mystical instructors when he was inexplicably driven to insanity by the powers under his control. Utilizing dark magic, he enslaved many of his fellow tribespeople and amassed an army of mindless Darkspear trolls. Fearing that all of his tribe would come under Zalazane's sway, Vol'jin ordered the remaining free Darkspears to abandon the Echo Isles."

...

"Yet Vol'jin's trolls are short on forces, and the enslaved Darkspears on the Echo Isles outnumber them."

It was never much about Zalazane himself but about him being protected by an army of mind-slaved Darkspear, a Scourge-like army he "created" through his magic by "stealing" troops from Vol'jin's very ranks, basically. The fact that he was tricky and hard to kill was just a further annoyance.

He was correct though Vol'jin was not personally involved into the Northrend campaignm which is one of the reasons Garrosh had such a low opinion of him.

Which did more than show his bias though, since most Horde leaders did pretty much nothing in Northrend, and only Vol'jin and Lor'themar had "domestic problems" to care about. Even Thrall did nothing except show his face in some public events. The only Horde leader that briefly did something in Northrend was Sylvanas in the 3.3, but we all know how damn personal the matter was for her.

It is a manabomb and if Vol'jin would really prohibit the use of such weapons in the future there is only one word to describe him and that would be idiot. These bombs are incredibly potent and can turn an entire war around, not having a few in reserve would be utterly stupidity.

Mana bombs as weapons of war should and must be produced. Anything "made in Horde" which doesn't require the slaughtering of neutral parties and stealing of key artifacts that don't belong to them is 100% legit.

But it was retconned in book. It was written that Vol'Jin personally was fighting among Rexxar and Rokhan on many battles. It was nothing specific so we can't tell exactly where it was and how it looked like, all it said was "he was there and done that". Therefore it is a canon now.

The topic was the Northrend campaign, maybe I lost something in the way but I don't think this has anything to do with it.

[Deleted]

Vol'jin came to Kalimdor several months later, so he did not fight alongside the horde during the third war, later on the horde more or less disbanded afterwards,with only the orcs remaining, but was reformed once Admiral Daelin Proudmoore attacked and Vol'jins role in that was quite minor.

I want to recall he stood back to hold the Sea Witch back while some parted and he joined them only an year later.

Yet compared to other threats other races faced Zalazane was not really in the top tier, he is nothing compared to the scarlet crusade or scourge armies for example, true he was strong, but not that strong.

I think it is irrelevant to compare him to forces of such dimension. He was a great threat all by himself and his raised Trolls. And they were not an incredible number, so considering that and the time he managed to keep everyone at bay is rather impressive in my opinion.

That is not quite true, Bwonswamdi helped because he wants to devour souls so to speak, it doesn't matter if it is Vol'jin or someone else do his bidding as long as someone does it, the moment another troll has more chances to get him more souls he would drop vol'jin like a hot potato, never forget the loa don't really care for the trolls.

Oh but it does matter because Vol'jin is actually one of his favourites and he has had oportunity to claim his soul but he did not, at a certain point you can even say he helped him recover the essence of his being. The moment Vol'jin stopped giving him souls to feast on he could have simply dropped him which did not happen. So there must be something more.

He was correct though Vol'jin was not personally involved into the Northrend campaignm which is one of the reasons Garrosh had such a low opinion of him.

He was not directly involved, as so weren't other leaders, that not meaning they did not have a part in it.

Vol'jin did not really bring the other races together, it was Garrosh, who brought them to his side, he didn't have to convince anyone to fight for him, they all wanted a piece of Hellscream, Vol'jin just became the figurehead of the movement.

While you have a point, the fact everyone wanted a piece of him wouldn't bring them any success by itself. I'd say Garrosh was the reason they wanted to act but not the ultimate reason they united themselves to the Darkspear Rebellion. In the end it was Vol'jin who appeared as a leader of a new Horde finally coming together as equals. Something that hardly would have happened otherwise. I suppose he was more than a figurehead, I'd say his devotion to the Horde was an example worth following.

Some extras!

The Vol'jin's pride manabomb



It is a manabomb and if Vol'jin would really prohibit the use of such weapons in the future there is only one word to describe him and that would be idiot. These bombs are incredibly potent and can turn an entire war around, not having a few in reserve would be utterly stupidity.

Again that cannot be confirmed based on lack of ingame information, it is all speculation.

[Arrashi]

Which did more than show his bias though, since most Horde leaders did pretty much nothing in Northrend, and only Vol'jin and Lor'themar had "domestic problems" to care about. Even Thrall did nothing except show his face in some public events. The only Horde leader that briefly did something in Northrend was Sylvanas in the 3.3, but we all know how damn personal the matter was for her.

The diffrence is that therons "domestic problem" was kil'jaeden popping out of sunwell. Vol'jins - single deranged witch doctor.

[Zulkhan]

The diffrence is that therons "domestic problem" was kil'jaeden popping out of sunwell. Vol'jins - single deranged witch doctor.

Lor'themar's "domestic problem" was the remnants of the Scourge (and the Amani, before the adventurers wrecked their asses) pressing on Quel'thalas with Blood Elves having little troops to handle them properly, reason he needed the Forsaken and got "blackmailed" by Sylvanas. If it wasn't for Sylvanas, not a single Blood Elf would have shown his face in Northrend.

[Arrashi]

Lor'themar's "domestic problem" was the remnants of the Scourge (and the Amani, before the adventurers wrecked their asses) pressing on Quel'thalas with Blood Elves having little troops to handle them properly, reason he needed the Forsaken and got "blackmailed" by Sylvanas. If it wasn't for Sylvanas, not a single Blood Elf would have shown his face in Northrend.

Also, he may, or may not need to recover because you know, kael'thas and his followers decided that sunwell is best place for next burning legion invasion (i know its nothing compared to zalazane but still something).

[Combatbutler]

It was never much about Zalazane possessing incredibly destructive powers but more about the efficiency of his voodoo magic and the fact that said magic arrived from internal betrayal.

"The witch doctor Zalazane had been one of the tribe's leading mystical instructors when he was inexplicably driven to insanity by the powers under his control. Utilizing dark magic, he enslaved many of his fellow tribespeople and amassed an army of mindless Darkspear trolls. Fearing that all of his tribe would come under Zalazane's sway, Vol'jin ordered the remaining free Darkspears to abandon the Echo Isles."

...

"Yet Vol'jin's trolls are short on forces, and the enslaved Darkspears on the Echo Isles outnumber them."

It was never much about Zalazane himself but about him being protected by an army of mind-slaved Darkspear, a Scourge-like army he "created" through his magic by "stealing" troops from Vol'jin's very ranks, basically. The fact that he was tricky and hard to kill was just a further annoyance.

Which doesn't make it a bigger threat, the echo Isles are small and the dark spear aren't that numerous to begin with, the only thing that might have stayed Vol'jins hand is that he was unwilling to kill so many of his people.

Which did more than show his bias though, since most Horde leaders did pretty much nothing in Northrend, and only Vol'jin and Lor'themar had "domestic problems" to care about. Even Thrall did nothing except show his face in some public events. The only Horde leader that briefly did something in Northrend was Sylvanas in the 3.3, but we all know how damn personal the matter was for her.

Just saying he would be correct to throw this kind of insult into Cairne's, Lorthemar and Vol'jins faces, since it is the truth.

- - - Updated - - -

I want to recall he stood back to hold the Sea Witch back while some parted and he joined them only an year later.

The third war was over at that time.

I think it is irrelevant to compare him to forces of such dimension. He was a great threat all by himself and his raised Trolls. And they were not an incredible number, so considering that and the time he managed to keep everyone at bay is rather impressive in my opinion.

It just puts his accomplishments in perspective, sure it was quite a feat if we look at locally but Zalazane was simply not that big of a threat, globally.

Oh but it does matter because Vol'jin is actually one of his favourites and he has had oportunity to claim his soul but he did not, at a certain point you can even say he helped him recover the essence of his being. The moment Vol'jin stopped giving him souls to feast on he could have simply dropped him which did not happen. So there must be something more.

Vol'jin is only so long his favourite as long as he does something for him, Bwonsamdi reminded him of the troll way in the hopes he would come around and continue to serve him in the future, otherwise he would have abandoned him, for a time the loa did abandon him, which is why he lost his troll regeneration.

He was not directly involved, as so weren't other leaders, that not meaning they did not have a part in it.

Most leaders were not personally involved, that is a simply fact.

While you have a point, the fact everyone wanted a piece of him wouldn't bring them any success by itself. I'd say Garrosh was the reason they wanted to act but not the ultimate reason they united themselves to the Darkspear Rebellion. In the end it was Vol'jin who appeared as a leader of a new Horde finally coming together as equals. Something that hardly would have happened otherwise. I suppose he was more than a figurehead, I'd say his devotion to the Horde was an example worth following.

I wouldn't say there is real devotion, Gallywix cares only for profit, Lor'themar cares mostly about his people, Sylvanas outright says she doesn't accept his authority, Thrall trusts him and Baine most likely as well, but the horde is no family despite what Vol'jin wants to believe.

Again that cannot be confirmed based on lack of ingame information, it is all speculation.

You can't outright deny it either, but the fact that a manabomb model is around is quite the indication, not to mention the blood elves continued to use them on the Isle of thunder.

[Wildberry]

Since there are many questioning the competence of our current warchief, Vol’jin, I thought I’d write a few facts about him to end some doubts.

Facts, you say? Alrighty, let's begin.

And so, having found their new troll allies, all escaped together to Kalimdor, the Darkspear now led by Sen’jin’s young son.

According to the Troll Compendium, that's not true.

I want to recall he stood back to hold the Sea Witch back while some parted and he joined them only an year later.

Not exactly...

Vol'jin and the rest of the tribe weathered the sea witch's anger, gathered all the supplies they could take with them, and joined their brethren roughly a year later in the new orc nation, Durotar.

--Troll Compendium, "The Trolls and the Horde: Rebuilding the Horde"

“How is it possible that Vol’jin took so long to release the Echo isles from Zalazane?”

Honestly this one hurts to see everytime, because an important factor seems to always be cast aside. It seems like people are not aware, at all, of Zalazane’s true power.
People tend to make it look like a measly novice expelled an entire tribe away from their land. Zalazane was no Lich King but he was non the less an incredible threat. Trolls bear knowledge unknown to most races of the planet, they are masters of dark magics, empowered by powerful Gods. Many Trolls have even been able to transcend death itself.

There are great examples:

Zanzil could revive the dead with ease. Indeed the “New” Zul’gurub would have been nothing without him.

Jin’do. Aah, the Godbreaker! A Troll so powerful he could bend the Blood God Hakkar to his will.

Gara’jal, the Spiritbinder, This Zandalari lived on as a spirit after his defeat in Mogu’shan Vaults, only to empower every Troll leader in the throne of thunder through posession.

Hex Lord Malacrass. This powerful Amani Troll, allied with Zul’jin, imprisoned the spirits of powerful Loa into four carefully picked Amani warriors, giving them incredible power.

The feats and strengths of other Trolls are in no way indicative of Zalazane's prowess. To put things in perspective, Neeru Fireblade isn't a threat just because Gul'dan was.

You said it best though, Zalazane was no Lich King, and yet it Vol'jin required divine intervention, the same thing (Not from the same source of course) that was required to defeat the Lich King, to kill Zalazane. Erecting a barrier that "no living thing" can pass through isn't terribly impressive, and quite honestly, Vol'jin should have planned for it. In fact, with proper planning, he would've found that he already had the means to kill Zalazane. Sure, no living thing can pass through the barrier; however, the Horde is allied with things that aren't living. This would've been an excellent use of the Forsaken, and it's not like Vol'jin didn't have their help:

With the full support of Thrall and his counterparts, Vol'jin is calling upon all factions of the Horde to prepare for an assault on Echo Isles and the twisted witch doctor Zalazane.

--Zalazane's Fall (Second Announcement)

That being said, according to the UVG Timeline, it took Vol'jin approximately 4-6 years to reclaim the Echo Isles. Which is indefensible in and of itself.

There is absolutely no reason to believe Zalazane was not an incredible force to be reckoned with. Had his story been more developed we would have known more about the overwhelming nature of his powers. Mind control, necromancy, the ability to make himself immune to attacks are merely a few of his powers.

Can you prove this claim? Or is it merely wishful speculation on your part?

As many are aware, Vol’jin used to be close to Thrall in Orgrimmar. It is impossible to think he has done nothing for the Horde. Cunning as he was, he’d be present whenever Thrall needed advice, regularly displaying his tactical prowess.

Tactical prowess? When has he displayed that? Was that when he sought to secure Trol'kalar, and the mission ended in failure because he couldn't be bothered to arrange an escort for Zengu?

Oh, wait, no you've glossed over that mistake of his, you'd rather focus on the Undercity:

While it is not present in the game, there must be countless Horde operations in which he was involved. One example that does exist is the retaking of Undercity after the events at the Wrath gate, as you can even read in the WoW website:

“Vol'jin became one of the warchief's most trusted advisors. Vol'jin collaborated with Thrall to resolve crisis after crisis: he stabilized the Undercity after a coup orchestrated by Grand Apothecary Putress and the dreadlord Varimathras, and ousted the witch doctor Zalazane from the Echo Isles, the home of the Darkspear trolls.”

The extent of Vol'jin's involvement in this affair was that he directed artillery at the ground level of the Undercity. This really isn't indicative of any tactical prowess at all, considering the fact that the majority of the Undercity's defenses were below the ground level, somewhere that Vol'jin didn't bother to go.

It was Thrall and Sylvanas that planned the counter-attack, and it was Thrall and Sylvanas that actually took the city. I guess our favorite Troll was just too busy directing artillery.

Vol’jin’s devotion to the Horde cannot even be questioned, many horde victories were achieved thanks to his wisdom, and heroic actions are not always measured by the amount of skulls you crack in a battlefield.

Considering Vol'jin wanted to leave the Horde twice, yes his devotion can be questioned.

After the cataclysm he helped dismantle the Zandalari operations in Zul’Aman and Zul’gurub, having gone personally to solve the problem.

Yes, he did. However, let's look at this objectively and realistically:

Vol'jin received firsthand knowledge of the Zandalari operations just because he was a Troll. No well placed spies or anything like that, he heard firsthand what the Zandalari were planning from their own mouths, because he was present at the meeting.

He then ran to the Alliance, Horde and neutral organizations for help, and what did he need help for? Zul'Aman and Zul'Gurub, these were not the powerful, threatening Empires that they were in the past, nor were they the powerful, unified Empire that the Zandalari hoped to forge, in reality these two city-states were completely and utterly broken.

Zul'Gurub was sieged ~3 years before Vol'jin's brilliant attack, its leadership was killed, their God broken, their plans foiled. Zul'Aman was sieged, and suffered the same fate as Zul'Gurub ~2 years before Vol'jin's attack.

This was not a display of tactical genius against an overwhelming enemy. This was Vol'jin, having enough common sense, to foil the plans of two broken city-states, who hadn't even recovered (As implied by Zul's dialogue in the 4.1 Trailer), with the assistance of an excessive coalition.

Seeing that the Darkspear had been left out of the Pandaren campaign, Vol’jin thought it would be wise to sail to the new continent to see what Garrosh’s recent erratic actions were taking him, for his increasing violence could cause issues between the Pandaren and the Horde. It is very likely the locals would not appreciate his actions.

It's also very likely that the locals really couldn't pose a legitimate threat to the Horde. The Shado-Pan are few in numbers and are the only defense Pandaria has.

Everything he has done, he did thinking about the Horde’s best interests. For more than once he received the oportunity to join forces with the Zandalari, and every time he turned them down. Notice that in “Shadows of the Horde” He thinks about how attractive such an offer would be considering the attempt to have him killed, but he never thinks about accepting it. There is a difference.

He was actually considering accepting it:

Hers was an offer he couldn't dismiss without due consideration.

--Shadows of the Horde, p233

He is guilty of threatening Garrosh, altough, it was the orc who first was disrespectful to him, saying he took no part in the Northrend campaign, when many good Troll soldiers were involved in the struggle, when many fought within the Kor’kron ranks, and completely dismissed the threat represented by Zalazane, showing how low the ever loyal Darkspear tribe was in his consideration.
While this does not fully justify Vol’jin’s action, it is the only time you can consider Vol’jin acted close to how Garrosh would, and he does admit he was far too rash, for he let his temper get the best of him. It was a bad moment, and he does recognize it was not the most correct action.

Vol'jin played no part in the Northrend Campaign. The presence of Trolls does not prove his involvement. Actually, we've seen that Thrall has the authority to deploy Trolls on his own (Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne -- Founding of Durotar, "To Tame a Land")

Furthermore, having his feelings hurt for Garrosh reminding him of his.. contributions does not justify a death threat made against his superior.

He did contact the alliance during the rise of the Zandalari. It was never out of immediate need, it was about warning people about a common threat. It is merely a honorable action. With the awareness and counter attack from both factions, the threat was even more easily contained. This is not even in question, for the good and the bad, both factions always end up joining forces against a common enemy.

The Horde and Alliance have joined forces to fight The Scourge, The Burning Legion and now... two broken city-states.

Why don't these trolls just deal with their problems on their own?

--"The Troll Incursion"

First of all he managed to bring the races together, working in sync, more than Garrosh had managed so far. To be a great leader is not merely measured by the conquests achieved, but also by the respect you have towards those who follow you and viceversa. Vol’jin’s horde promotes equality of the races. None is better or more important than the other. The Horde is a family.

Garrosh had hurt the feelings of every other Horde race, aside from the Orcs. We see every Horde leader express distaste for Garrosh, reluctance to be a part of the Horde, and desire to get off from the Horde's current course, before Vol'jin's Rebellion. Vol'jin bringing the races of the Horde together is no feat indicative of any diplomatic prowess on his end, considering the state of affairs. The other Horde leaders and races merely needed a unified figurehead to stand behind.

Later on, despite people believing Vol’jin failed to hold the front at the gates of Orgrimmar, despite the heavy casualties, it was ultimately a success, as it succeed in holding the “True” Horde enough time so that the ship forces could make landfall and successfully take the shore.

Vol'jin's job wasn't to hold the Horde at the gates, it was to breach the gates. This is clearly seen during the Pre-Juggernaut Nazgrim dialogue. He failed to do that.

Vol'jin couldn't even manage to take down the Iron Juggernaut, it was technically the forces under Lor'themar Theron, Sylvanas Windrunner, Jaina Proudmoore and King Varian Wrynn that did, not Vol'jin. The gates themselves had to be breached by Tyrande and her Night Elves.

Inside the Underhold it is questioned why Vol’jin did not follow the forces further in. The answer is he went back to the surface to ensure the chaotic battle still going on in the city would be contained. Just because it is not seen, does not erase its’ existence and effort. It would be highly unwise to think the only way Vol’jin’s actions would have been great was if he had stormed the city on his own slaying one hundred orcs with every single swing of his glaive.

Nobody is suggesting Vol'jin do that, drop the Strawman. What people do say, is that after his massive failure at the gates, it is pathetic on Vol'jin's part to have returned to the surface where the main line of the cities defenses had already been taken care of. Was there fighting going on? Sure, was it as bad as the initial fighting that took place? Common sense would suggest that it wasn't.


For the record, your "extras" boil down to: "I-it's not canon because I say so!"

May our new Warchief start a new era of prosperity for our beloved Horde. May his power and wisdom guide us to a great future!

Prosperity? He's already regressed the Horde.

[Zulkhan]

Also, he may, or may not need to recover because you know, kael'thas and his followers decided that sunwell is best place for next burning legion invasion (i know its nothing compared to zalazane but still something).

Which maybe is the reason why he had little troops, which I pointed out. The Sunfury were just returning from the Outland. You haven't changed the point at all.

Which doesn't make it a bigger threat

Nope it wasn't, but the circumstances were widely different.

the echo Isles are small and the dark spear aren't that numerous to begin with, the only thing that might have stayed Vol'jins hand is that he was unwilling to kill so many of his people

As the quote said, Zalazane's numbers actually surpassed Vol'jin's. Plus, he could have potentially enslaved them all. Zalazane basically stole the majority of the Darkspear and claimed the Echo Isles as home for his "people", forcing the survivors to escape for avoid a full enslaving and playing the part of those who had to reclaim their home from the majority of their enslaved counterpart.

The fact that the Darkspear weren't numerous to begin doesn't change a thing since it was a matter the Darkspear alone had deal with by themselves (unless we consider spared inexperienced recruits which obviously consisted of Trolls and Orcs attempting sneaky attacks to kill Zalazane massive support from the Horde) since even the Horde troops of the pre-Cata event were just volunteers who decided by their own will to support Vol'jin's cause.

[Combatbutler]

As the quote said, Zalazane's numbers actually surpassed Vol'jin's. Plus, he could have potentially enslaved them all. Zalazane basically stole the majority of the Darkspear and claimed the Echo Isles as home for his "people", forcing the survivors to escape for avoid a full enslaving and playing the part of those who had to reclaim their home from the majority of their enslaved counterpart.

The fact that the Darkspear weren't numerous to begin doesn't change a thing since it was a matter the Darkspear alone had deal with by themselves (unless we consider spared inexperienced recruits which obviously consisted of Trolls and Orcs attempting sneaky attacks to kill Zalazane massive support from the Horde) since even the Horde troops of the pre-Cata event were just volunteers who decided by their own will to support Vol'jin's cause.

That is the thing the Darkspear were not really alone in this all they had to do was ask, Orgrimmar and Thunderbluff were just around the corner and would have helped if asked.

[rowaasr13]

Sounds so
You ignoring his 'story' development, not to mention he did beg alliance mercs - or 'heroes' - for help
The horde was is to fight doing right thing even if odds are against u and u'll mostly die, not go 'beg' alliance for help, I hate garrosh, but if game gave me option, i'd stand and die with Garrosh then ever helping - or getting help - from alliance

Why do you hate your own mirror image?

[Arrashi]

I love how people claim how powerful zalazane is, and then we have statement that they were sending RECRUITS after him. Those 2 statements seems to be contradicting themselves, especially since vast majority of recruits were returning nice and clean. Perhaps zalazane was too merciful ?

[Wildberry]

The fact that the Darkspear weren't numerous to begin doesn't change a thing since it was a matter the Darkspear alone had deal with by themselves (unless we consider spared inexperienced recruits which obviously consisted of Trolls and Orcs attempting sneaky attacks to kill Zalazane massive support from the Horde) since even the Horde troops of the pre-Cata event were just volunteers who decided by their own will to support Vol'jin's cause.

Vol'jin did have the support of his Warchief and counterparts:

With the full support of Thrall and his counterparts, Vol'jin is calling upon all factions of the Horde to prepare for an assault on Echo Isles and the twisted witch doctor Zalazane.

--Zalazane's Fall (Second Announcement)

That at least implies that not all of the forces were Darkspear and/or volunteers.

[Zulkhan]

That is the thing the Darkspear were not really alone in this all they had to do was ask, Orgrimmar and Thunderbluff were just around the corner and would have helped if asked.

The mere fact that non-Darkspear troops supported Vol'jin out of rationalization about the benefits of the retaking and not because anyone ordered them to do so or because of mere good will kinda implies that having an Horde army at the ready for such a matter wasn't anything easy to have. On the contrary, the Troll and Orc recruits alike occupied their time with other Durotar issues like the Burning/Searing Blade.

I love how people claim how powerful zalazane is, and then we have statement that they were sending RECRUITS after him. Those 2 statements seems to be contradicting themselves, especially since vast majority of recruits were returning nice and clean. Perhaps zalazane was too merciful ?

Recruits are what every race use in their starting zones actually. They're supposed to be better than random troops, but surely they hardly compare with the shiny heroes who smashed their weapons upon Arthas' head. When a full scale attack took place, there weren't really "recruits" there.

[Wildberry]

When a full scale attack took place, there weren't really "recruits" there.

There were recruits helping the efforts, though:

honorable members of the Horde passing through the village proper -- whether they've never slain a boar in their lives or are the subject of every dragon's nightmare -- will be given a chance to help their upstanding troll brothers in what will surely be the most brutal of attacks.

--Zalazane's Fall (Second Announcement)

[Zulkhan]

Vol'jin did have the support of his Warchief and counterparts:



--Zalazane's Fall (Second Announcement)

That at least implies that not all of the forces were Darkspear and/or volunteers.

It could simply imply the consensus of the various Horde leaders in having their respective troops involved, which isn't the same as ordering them to do so.

But it's a wild guess, the two announcements don't take each other in consideration and we can just assume if it's just a mix of the two or otherwise.

[Arrashi]

Not to mention that vol'jin was sending recruits after zalazane for years. And falling for the same trick time after time.