Ogre art

An ogre in World of Warcraft

Ogres are large, brutish humanoids native to Draenor. Generally found to be lacking in intelligence, what ogres lack in smarts they make up for with brute strength and physical presence. However, some ogres have been known to possess remarkable intellect, as well as the ability to wield subtle and powerful shamanic, arcane and fel magics. Most ogres have only one head, but some have two, each with a distinct personality. In Hearthstone, ogres are best known as powerful, clumsy brutes.

Lore[edit | edit source]

This section uses content from the Warcraft Wiki.

Ogres are large, brutish humanoids of notable strength native to Draenor, which they refer to as Dawgar ("the Known Earth" in their native language). Descendants of the various stone giants known as Breakers, the ogres were originally enslaved by their progenitors, the ogron. Eventually, the ogre hero Gog the Gronnslayer showed that it was possible to kill the gronn, which both ogres and ogron revered as godlike beings, and he became the founder of the Gorian Empire that would come to rule much of Draenor for centuries until the arrival of the draenei. Over the years, ogre influence gradually waned across the world as they were slowly surpassed by their orc descendants and the draenei as the dominant races of the world. The ogres eventually allied with the Old Horde and crossed the Dark Portal to fight during the First and Second Wars on Azeroth. Following their defeat against the Alliance of Lordaeron, the ogre clans were scattered across the world.

Ogre society is based on a clan structure in which physical strength is greatly respected, and besting a rival is usually the only way to advance within the clan. Though ogres are generally seen as unintelligent brutes, the ancient Gorian Empire was ruled by a succession of powerful sorcerers, and during the Second War, many more two-headed Ogre Magi came into existence due to the magical intervention of the orc warlock Gul'dan. These ogre magi often enjoy an elevated position among the clans.

On the alternate Draenor, the Gorian Empire, ruled by Imperator Mar'gok, allied themselves with the Iron Horde. By the time of the Fourth War, Eitrigg brought not only the Mag'har Clans from alternate Draenor but also the alternate Stonemaul clan ogres to join the ranks of the Horde.

In Hearthstone[edit | edit source]

Ogres in Hearthstone are known for generally being large, powerful and expensive minions. Ogres are also known for their lack of intelligence and clumsiness, with ogre cards from Goblins vs Gnomes featuring a 50% chance of accidentally attacking the wrong target.

Rexxar, representative of the hunter class in Hearthstone, is half-orc, half-ogre.

Official[edit | edit source]

The large, brutish, often clumsy ogres have a knack for “CRUSH BIG THING INTO SMALL THINGS,” making them a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Don’t have a trash compactor handy to mash that malfunctioning mech into spare parts? Get ogre it! Ogres aren’t particularly careful in what they hit and don’t take orders kindly—as long as they hit something, they’re satisfied. This makes them both unpredictable and dangerous in combat.

In Goblins vs Gnomes, many ogres will have the “50% chance to attack the wrong enemy” card text, reflecting their wild and uncontrollable nature. Like previously mentioned, ogres don’t care about what they hit as long as they hit “something,” so their ability can also potentially bypass Taunt and Stealth if one of their wild swings manages to connect. When you see an Ogre on the battlefield, watch out; something is about to get smashed!^[1]