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- This article is about the playable worgen and the Gilneas faction. For general history of the race, see worgen.
Horse (faction), (racial)
The worgen [ˈwɔɹgɛn] are a race of feral wolf-beasts whose very name inspires fear. The Greymane worgen of Gilneas are the new playable Alliance race introduced in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and are able to choose a class from death knight, druid, warrior, hunter, mage, priest, rogue, or warlock. Outside of combat, worgen can appear in either their human form or their worgen form. However, they will immediately turn into their worgen form should they enter combat or activate their or racial abilities.
- 1 History
- 2 Your character
- 3 Lore reasons for classes
- 4 Starting attributes
- 5 Racial traits
- 6 Mounts
- 7 Gallery
- 8 Videos
- 9 Patch changes
- 10 Trivia
- 11 References
- 12 External links
- Main article: Worgen
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 years following the Second War, the kingdom drew ever inward. Distrustful of their former 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 once again teeters on the edge 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 risen within the kingdom's borders of feral, nightmare creatures that walk upright as men but hunt and howl as wolves.
The Worgen curse originated from a druidic sect who followed Goldrinn, known as Druids of the Scythe. They shapeshifted into the feral worgen and eventually lost their minds to its violent nature. The other druids agreed that they must be locked away, and thus put them into eternal slumber deep beneath a tree... until the day Arugal and Velinde Starsong tampered with the Scythe of Elune, releasing them.
The curse could not be contained, persisting in the lands of Silverpine and extending into the walled nation of Gilneas, where the curse rapidly reached epidemic levels. The citizens of Gilneas found themselves trapped, with no hope of escape. They retreated deeper within the isolated domain, and there they survived, fearful of the savage presence that lurked just outside the barricades.
Tensions among the displaced citizens escalated over time, resulting in a civil war that now threatened to destabilize the embattled nation even more. There were those among the Gilneans, however, who clinged to hope. Many believed that a cure for the worgen curse may exist, although others had nearly given up, fearful that if the barricades should fall, their humanity would be lost forever.
Induction to the Alliance
After the Shattering, the Greymane Wall was destroyed. Setting their sights on the vulnerable country of Gilneas, the Forsaken have started an invasion of the kingdom. In their hour of greatest need, the worgen of Gilneas called out for their old allies' aid. As it was the night elves who created the curse in the first place, they felt obliged to help their newfound allies. The Gilneans are now back in the Alliance, and with their new allies by their side they aren't giving up their home without a fight.
When starting a Worgen character, the first 5-6 levels are played as a Human, shortly after the Northgate rebellion. You start off within Gilneas City as it is being evacuated, only for the Worgen to attack before the evacuation can be finished. Following the initial few levels, in which players go about performing various important tasks such as reuniting the Gilnean people, your character is bitten and transformed into a Worgen. After finishing the questline in Gilneas City, the player is moved to Duskhaven, prior to the Forsaken invasion of Gilneas.
When creating a Worgen character, a Human stands in the background displaying the Worgen's human form.
Lore reasons for classes
As stated above the worgen curse was created by night elf druids, and the night elves feel somewhat responsible and are helping the worgen fight for their city. During this time the night elves have taught the worgen the terms of magic that led to their creation, druidism.
The presence of harvest-witches like Celestine suggests that Gilneans already had a good start with druidism. She makes reference of druid practices being "the old ways" and recounts a time when their powers supplied food during a time of famine, pointing to druidic roots as a base, even before night elf contact. This is agreed with in "Lord of the Pack" short story when Genn Greymane stated "He had heard that druidism was practiced among some of Gilneas's agrarian folk, but he hadn't been exposed to it until recently". It seems many Worgen have at least tried to embrace the druidic herritage of their new race after their transformation. This can be seen as a coping mechanism, or the fact that the natural powers can help them keep control of their animalistic rage.
There is sufficient proof and reason to believe that the practices of primitive druidism or "the old ways" were once alive and well within or around Gilnean society before the sealing of the Wall. It is likely that that the people of Gilneas would have once practiced or acknowledged (in varying degrees) the traditions and reverences of nature worship. In time though (before the Greymane Wall was erected) the followers of the Holy Light must have spread their teachings to Gilneas and succeeded in converting many of its people, causing druidism to slowly fade into the past and become mostly forgotten.
When starting a Worgen Druid the quest text from Celestine of the Harvest does seem to support these assumptions. During Hallow's End the Faction Commoners and Celestine of the Harvest also have quest text supporting these assumptions, connecting Gilneas, druidism, and the traditions of Hallow's End.
That said, the Night Elves have taken great interest in the Worgen and are readily teaching them more about druidism, helping them to understand other areas of the path. It seems that this is the kaldorei's attempt at redemption in the eyes of their allies as they are partially responsible for the Worgen curse reaching them... They feel they owe it to the Worgen to explain and teach the magic that can lead to their salvation, druidism.
Mage, warlock, priest, rogue, warrior and hunter
The worgen have retained the skills they had as human citizens and choose to continue using them after their transformation.
Worgen death knights are former slaves of Arugal. These former Gilnean citizens of Pyrewood Village managed to escape the wizard's control only to fall prey to the Lich King. During the Death Knight starting quests, you learn how Worgen death knights came to be.
- Lord Harford says: Come to finish the job, have you?
- Lord Harford says: You'll look me in the eyes when...
- Lord Harford says: <Name>?
- Lord Harford says: <Name>, I'd recognize that face anywhere... What... What have they done to you, <name>?
- Lord Harford says: You don't remember me? We were both servants of Arugal back in Silverpine Forest. We put up with his merciless torture for ages. It was you who saved me on that fateful night when we escaped Shadowfang Keep.
- Lord Harford says: Without you I would have died. YOU! The most noble worgen I ever knew.
- Lord Harford says: What have they done to you, <name>? How could this have happened?
- Lord Harford says: Remember the worgen you once were, <brother/sister>! You were our savior! Fight this!
- Lord Harford says: Listen to me <name>. You must fight against the Lich King's control. He is a monster that wants to see this world - our world - in ruin.
- Lord Harford says: Don't let him use you to accomplish his goals. You were once a hero and you can be again.
- Lord Harford says: Fight, damn you! Fight his control!
- Knight Commander Plaguefist yells: What's going on in there? What's taking so long, <name>?
- Lord Harford says: There... There's no more time for me. I'm done for. Finish me off, <name>. Do it or they'll kill us both. <Name>... Remember Gilneas, our beloved home. This world is worth saving.
- Lord Harford says: Do it, <name>! Put me out of my misery!
Worgen have , in which they take to all fours and travel at mount speed. Running Wild is automatically learned at level 20, allowing worgen players to travel 60% faster, but they'll have to purchase Journeyman riding skill at Level 40 to upgrade the ability to go 100% faster.
- Patch 4.3.0 (2011-11-29): Introduced two faction mounts sold by Astrid Langstrump located in Darnassus between the Cenarion Enclave and The Howling Oak.
- The males are voiced by Seth Duerr.
- Worgen are shown in the ranks of SI: 7 during the goblin leveling experience, indicating that they joined the Alliance some time before the goblins joined the Horde.
- ^ World of Warcraft: Cataclysm - Features - Worgen. Retrieved on 2009-09-30.
- ^ http://www.worldofraids.com/topic/17055-cataclysm-hands-on-worgen-starting-experience/
- ^ Added base stats to worgen obtained via gameplay video from Blizzcon showing stats of mage at level 6 with arcane intellect, then subtracting back to level 1.
- ^ Blue posts from MMO-Champion
- ^ Maticus 2009-08-25. WoW Director J Allen Brack Interview. WorldofWar.net. Retrieved on 2009-09-30.