How strong was really the Iron Horde ?

[Ivarr]

I for one appreciate what a colossal piece of shit garrison tables were.

That's exactly what makes this so painful. Blizzard wasn't just winging it, they deeply committed to creating this garbage at the cost of what people usually buy their games for.

[Jastall]

Considering their hopelessly-inept leadership and strategies that amounted to "overwhelm them with numerical superiority and explosives," the Iron Horde ranks somewhere between 'the kobolds of Jasperlode' and 'the Dark Iron dwarves in Searing Gorge' on the threat meter for Azeroth, and don't fare much better once Azeroth's forces begin rawdogging them on Draenor.

By all accounts, the only reason they were so successful against the draenei is because they blindsided them and attacked civilian targets with the intent of wiping out every man, woman, and child. The Iron Horde was fighting a war on multiple fronts and Draenor was far from secured territory when they invaded Azeroth, making yet another front to stretch their forces thin. When Azeroth's incursion force destroyed the Dark Portal, instead of rain artillery down on the fleeing invaders, Grom decided instead to pose on a cliff and talk shit, then proceed to hole up somewhere while his forces and lieutenants were systematically dismantled one by one by those same invaders, because he was too stupid to make sure he was finished wiping out the draenei, Frostwolves, arakkoa, and ogres before he started picking another fight.

Having a lower-tier villain wouldn't have been an issue, excepting that Azeroth's best and brightest went up against tactical retards who relied on WAAAAAGH and bombs to do the hard work for them.

This. Whatever theoretical threat the Iron Horde posed with its numbers, fierce warriors and technology, it was squandered by its incredibly awful leadership. One can say what one wills about MU Gul'dan and Blackhand, but they at least conquered their world, or at least the most easily reachable part thereof, before moving on to another. The Iron Horde moves on to Azeroth when it has literally one zone fully secured, Tanaan. Frostfire is mostly held by rival Orcs/Ogres and one proxy, half of Gorgrond is a forested hellhole and half of the other half has giant rock monsters, Talador is still being assaulted as the Dark Portal opens, Spires of Arak is held by the Arakkoa, Shadowmoon Valley is still full of Draenei, and while Nagrand is mostly Warsong turf the Gorian ogres are still untrustworthy as an ally, at best. They were already fighting wars on several fronts and opened another major one? That's just totally incompetent stupidity from Grom and Garrosh, especially from the latter who by now should know fully well that "Orcs stronk" isn't anywhere near enough to take on the united races of Azeroth.

Also, technology and numbers in Warcraft rarely means that much anyway. The Legion had tech far, far more advanced than what the IH fielded and literally infinite numbers, we still whooped them thanks to having Artifacts, mighty forces behind us, and the power of friendship. We regularly beat giant demon mechs the size of buildings and huge monsters like dragons or Old Gods. Orcs with tanks aren't that scary a prospect by comparison.

[Raisei]

The biggest strength of the Iron Horde was that it was a completely amoral group that had no regards for anyones lives and as all Orcs they do not care who they kill. If they had been able to fully invade our planet they would have repeated all the slaughters of the original Horde, murdering entire cities full of civilians for their sick fantasy of being "Conquerors" and once they had been done with our planet they would have moved on and on, like a swarm of locusts.

In truth they never would be Conquerors. Conquerors build a civilisation, develop culture, they do not, they just want to destroy and kill because they think that makes them great people, exactly like Garrosh.

This complete single-mindedness is their strength, because it removes all the weaknesses that other armies have. They will never consider mercy, never hold back, never retreat and they will never accept peace, because they have no idea what to do with it. A culture that exists only in a state of war is logically the best at it, while a culture that only uses war if it has to, focusses on other things.

The only reason we beat them is because we knew them well enough to prepare and we had some incredibly powerful people on our side. Also, while Garrosh had given them some goblin tech we had the combined knowledge and science of all races on Azeroth.

But yes, the point is, their strength doesn't come from any specific weapon or the size of their army, it comes from their mental conviction that allows them to commit any evil act against their enemies (and allies, since Grom also threatened to kill Ner'zhul and his clan just for not having great military power to offer him) without a shred of remorse. Being evil is an incredibly strong asset in war.

Which reminds me, why exactly did we allow that mass murderer to survive in the end? Luckily Yrel fixed that for us.

[Venziir]

They nearly flattened Stormwind already.

Wut now? They managed to wreck Nethergarde, and then they got absolutely wrecked. They didn't even make it out of the Blasted Lands.

[Rockefellah]

Wut now? They managed to wreck Nethergarde, and then they got absolutely wrecked. They didn't even make it out of the Blasted Lands.

Probably because they faced the champions of both Alliance and Horde (while the original Horde faced no resistance, the blasted lands being a swamp before the opening of the portal). Subsequently the champions destroyed the portal from the inside, and destroyed a large part of the mustered troops.

Had the troops gathered at the portal entered Azeroth they would have likely sacked Stormwind just like the original horde had done before them.

To be fair they could have had this as a pre-expansion event, with us fighting for the defense of Stormwind and fight them back to the Blasted Lands over Elwynn Forest, Westfall, Duskwood, Deadwind Pass, Swamp of Sorrows and Blasted Lands in weekly phases.

If need be a horde version could have been reconquering (or at least kicking them out) Blackrock Mountain, with first liberating Burning Steppes, Redridge then having the other two groups meet up in Duskwood

[Venziir]

Probably because they faced the champions of both Alliance and Horde (while the original Horde faced no resistance, the blasted lands being a swamp before the opening of the portal). Subsequently the champions destroyed the portal from the inside, and destroyed a large part of the mustered troops.

Had the troops gathered at the portal entered Azeroth they would have likely sacked Stormwind just like the original horde had done before them.

To be fair they could have had this as a pre-expansion event, with us fighting for the defense of Stormwind and fight them back to the Blasted Lands over Elwynn Forest, Duskwood, Deadwind Pass, Swamp of Sorrows and Blasted Lands in weekly phases.

Could have, should have would have...

[Lord Pebbleton]

It was a colossal dump. A slightly stronger horde, which would have been devastating 30 in-game years ago, but that now felt like child's play. They got halfway through a zone, then we beat them back, destroyed the portal, and invaded them instead. They were the most pitiful thing ever

[Ivarr]

Wut now? They managed to wreck Nethergarde, and then they got absolutely wrecked. They didn't even make it out of the Blasted Lands.

Warlord Zaela was about to let the Black Rock Volcano erupt and end Stormwind.

[Accendor]

Wait what? The Iron Horde was supposed to be an actual threat?
I thought the storyline was that Garrosh fled there, thought he managed to create an invincible army just to realize he completely failed and got crushed from day 1?
I'm not even trolling, I thought he just severely miscalculated and overestimated himself and his new army. Dafuq.

[Arrashi]

Threat level - minor inconvenience. WoD was when blizzard went all out on miserable villains.

[Divada]

On paper, should have been a devastating force that would have teared through Azeroth. Blizzard's in-game execution of the idea? Damp squib.

[Venziir]

Wait what? The Iron Horde was supposed to be an actual threat?
I thought the storyline was that Garrosh fled there, thought he managed to create an invincible army just to realize he completely failed and got crushed from day 1?
I'm not even trolling, I thought he just severely miscalculated and overestimated himself and his new army. Dafuq.

The army it self was grand, but had absolutely no clue as to how to fight or strategize. They hadn't even conquered Draenor before going to Azeroth, so once again Garrosh's lack of patience was the end of him.

[Rustedsaint]

The original horde had the advantage of surprise and lack of communication/cooperation amongst the powers that be. When the horde first attacked the world, the humans didn’t know what was happening and the other races mostly set small detachments of troops thinking these invaders would be easy to put down.

The iron horde had a similar element of surprise, aswell as allies waiting for them(zaela and the dreadmaul ogres) but they weren’t able to stop the people from learning about the invasion before they had built up enough fortifications. Honestly all the horde/alliance had to do was toss afew mana/plague bombs through the portal, killing off the few remaining warlocks in drenor would have put a huge dent in the iron horde plans.

[Powerogue]

Very strong, not so much in the brains department.

"Blood and Honor Zo'gosh, that is all we orcs understand."

[nnelson54]

They hadn't even conquered Draenor before going to Azeroth, so once again Garrosh's lack of patience was the end of him.

It wasn't a lack of patience. The Iron Horde had been trying to conquer Draenor for 30 years.

[Venziir]

It wasn't a lack of patience. The Iron Horde had been trying to conquer Draenor for 30 years.

No, that's not how WoD worked... At all. Garrosh wasn't 60 when he and the Iron Horde attacked. Garrosh spend two years on Draenor, building up the Iron Horde with his alternate daddy, before he opened the portal and attuned it to the MU timeline and MU Dark Portal.

[Talrath]

The orginal Horde was a big threat cuz of the fel blood coursing in their veins which also makes them much more stronger, hell grommash killed a demi god when he drank twice the blood of mannoroth. The iron horde didnt have this but had the engineering and subjigated other races. If the Iron Horde attacked the previous factions then everyone would be talking zug zug, but that wouldnt be fair, would be nice for story though. In the end the Iron Horde is more dangerous than the original fel buffed orcs.

At fel buffed orcs time, humans didnt work with eachother until stormwind fell, also had to fight the trolls.
Iron Horde had to fight alliance + horde + Draneai + frostwolf + Guldan

Really liked the WoD concept but they just ruined it

[|Dexter|]

Was all that WoD concept not just for the Movie that was going out, they were hoping that the movie made people want to play the game and added WoD so they saw some of the characters of that movie ingame? But the movie bombed everywhere but china so they canceled most WoD content and headed to finish everything up in one last patch... to change the theme...

[Venziir]

Was all that WoD concept not just for the Movie that was going out, they were hoping that the movie made people want to play the game and added WoD so they saw some of the characters of that movie ingame? But the movie bombed everywhere but china so they canceled most WoD content and headed to finish everything up in one last patch... to change the theme...

If it was, then why the whole time-travel? Why put focus on Garrosh and Grom - two characters not in the movie (minus a few deleted scenes in terms of Grom). Why the focus on draenei (again, not in the movie aside from a single scene), why Yrel? Why did the movie have such as focus on Lothar?

[Verdugo]

Warlord Zaela was about to let the Black Rock Volcano erupt and end Stormwind.

How, original explosion barely reached Redridge, and that was caused by elemental lord of fire. What the fuck would a small bomb do that he couldnt.