Hellfire Citadel
- For the raid and location from an alternate universe, see Hellfire Citadel (alternate universe).
 Hellfire Citadel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Fortress |
| Leader(s) | Unknown |
| Formerly |
 Kargath Bladefist † Ner'zhul † Blackhand † |
| Race(s) |
  Fel orc |
| Formerly |
  Orc Ogre |
| Affiliation(s) | Fel Horde (Illidari) |
| Formerly | Blackrock clan, Old Horde, Horde of Draenor |
| Location | Hellfire Peninsula |
| Status | Unknown |
Hellfire Citadel is the headquarters of the fel orcs of Outland, a nearly impenetrable bastion that once served as the base of operations for the orcs of the Old Horde throughout the First and Second Wars. By the time of the Invasion of Draenor, it fell under the control of the Horde of Draenor until the forces of the Alliance Expedition assaulted the citadel to find Ner'zhul. Following the destruction of Draenor, Warchief Kargath Bladefist and his Fel Horde made their home in the citadel, where they were eventually defeated by the forces of the Alliance and Horde during the Invasion of Outland.
History
Hellfire Citadel was originally referred to as simply "the Citadel", and was built as the fortress of Blackhand, the first Warchief of the Orcish Horde. It was intended as the new headquarters of the Horde, where a standing army could be conveniently quartered, trained, and equipped, something of a scale that the orcs had never done as a people before.[1] Blackhand ordered his Blackrock masons to construct this new capital in western Tanaan Jungle, where it would act as neutral ground for the clans, a place where chieftains could meet and strategize about battles to come. The Citadel would also house the Horde's warlocks, where they would hone their abilities and tutor apprentices in the ways of fel magic. In time, the Shadow Council used it as their new headquarters, blending in with its inhabitants, secretly watching over them, and reporting all that they saw to their master Gul'dan.[2] The clans of the Horde were later ordered to abandon their ancestral homelands and gather all together at this new location, ready to follow when Blackhand would order.[1]
The fortress was originally also surrounded by other buildings: barracks, storage silos, a flat expanse of training areas that were crowded with siege weapons. During its construction, Durotan of the Frostwolves considered the Citadel as blasphemous and a blight upon the land, out of harmony with everything the orcs were, and an offense to the eyes and the spirit. It was also where the ogres were integrated into the ranks of the Horde, despite the reluctance of several orc veterans who had fought against them all their lives.[3]
The fortress was used as the primary staging ground of the military forces of the Horde in their conquest, whereas the captured Temple of Karabor (now the Black Temple) would be used for meetings of the Shadow Council. When the orcs conquered the temple, Gul'dan immediately claimed it after he convinced Blackhand that separating his clandestine order from the Citadel would allow them to remain unseen by the rest of the Horde. In reality, he also wanted to distance himself from the warchief so that he could work free from Blackhand's ever-watchful eyes.[4] He later convinced Blackhand to arrange a gathering of the clans atop a mountain near the Citadel,[5] later known as the Throne of Kil'jaeden, where Gul'dan called the orc clans to drink the blood of the demon Mannoroth, thus enslaving his kin to the Burning Legion's will.[6]
After the orcs' abandonment of the elemental spirits, fel magic had transformed most of Draenor into a barren desert and nowhere was this more apparent than in Tanaan Jungle. The region was now a cracked wasteland of red dust and bones; it became known as Hellfire Peninsula and thus the citadel was given its current name.[7][8] It was from this location that the final battle against the draenei, at Shattrath City, was organized and carried out, ending the genocide of the draenei.
During the Dying Time, some clans lost themselves completely to the depths of madness, including the Warsongs, the Bonechewers, the Laughing Skull, the Shattered Hand, and the Thunderlords. To protect the rest of the Horde from these violent clans, Warchief Blackhand banished them from Hellfire Citadel into remote areas of Hellfire Peninsula, where they could fight among themselves.[9]
After the creation of the Dark Portal, the Horde was organized at Hellfire Citadel and marched up the Path of Glory to what they called the "Stair of Destiny".[10]
Ner'zhul's followers later occupied the fortress as the capital of the Horde of Draenor. When the Alliance Expedition entered Draenor to stop the shaman from opening more dimensional gateways, they managed to capture the citadel only to find that Ner'zhul was no longer there and had moved to the Black Temple.
Its fate after the destruction of Draenor was unknown until recently; it was presumably abandoned until Kargath Bladefist, Warchief of the Fel Horde, and the fel orc minions of Illidan Stormrage took possession of the Citadel as their base of operations. Illidan also used the citadel as a prison for Magtheridon, the former Lord of Outland; it is here that Illidan's fel orcs take the blood of Magtheridon and use it to create more fel orcs, much as the blood of Mannoroth was used to corrupt the original Horde.
Summary
Hellfire Ramparts
- Main article: Hellfire Ramparts
- Level 60-62 mobs, 5 player groups
- Bosses: Watchkeeper Gargolmar - Vazruden & Nazan - Omor the Unscarred
- Quest(s):
[62D] Weaken the Ramparts- [62D] Dark Tidings
Blood Furnace
- Main article: Blood Furnace
- Level 61-63 mobs, 5 player groups
- Bosses: The Maker - Broggok - Keli'dan the Breaker
- Quest(s):
- [63D] The Blood is Life (Followup to Ominous Letter)
- [10-30D] Heart of Rage
The Shattered Halls
- Main article: The Shattered Halls
- Level 70-72 mobs, 5 player groups
- Bosses: Grand Warlock Nethekurse - Blood Guard Porung - Warbringer O'mrogg - Warchief Kargath Bladefist
- Quest(s):
[70D] Fel Embers- [20-30D] Turning the Tide
- [70D] Pride of the Fel Horde
Magtheridon's Lair
- Main article: Magtheridon's Lair
- Level 70, 25 player raid, similar to Onyxia's Lair
- Bosses: Magtheridon
Official Info
Hellfire Citadel from the WoW site:
On the blasted world of Outland near the Dark Portal stands the Hellfire Citadel, a nearly impenetrable bastion that served as the base of operations throughout the First and Second Wars. For years this gargantuan fortress was thought to be abandoned... until recently. This very much operation battle station has become inhabited by marauding bands of red, furious fel orcs. Where this savage new breed came from is a mystery, but whats[sic] worse is that their numbers seem to be growing. Hellfire Citadel is the first new dungeon that players will encounter in Outland. It will consist of three complete dungeon wings designed for 5-man groups, as well as an exciting raid encounter.[11]
Some info posted by Tigole on the WoW forums:
This is the first dungeon players will encounter in the expansion. It lies in Hellfire Peninsula, the zone just beyond the Dark Portal. We're planning on making this a winged dungeon. Right now, two of the wings are scheduled to be lower level level up wings (for players leveling to 70). One of the wings is slated to be a maximum level 5-person dungeon. And lastly, there's Magtheridon's Lair, a raid wing similar to Onyxia's Lair in size and scope what I like to call a quick raid. Of course, during the development cycle this could all change. Same goes for the Beta. But thats how we're approaching this dungeon currently.[12]
Dungeon denizens
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Notes and trivia
- The Citadel is noted for being an utterly hideous place, angular and organic at the same time, as if it was some massive beast whose flesh had melted in places to expose the sharp bones that had given it form.[13]
- The novel Beyond the Dark Portal stated that the throne of the Old Horde (and then of the Horde of Draenor) was situated in Hellfire Citadel's back, in a taller tower with a peaked roof.[14] Architecturally, this would mean the tower of the Blood Furnace, but no such throne room can be found the dungeon. Grand Warlock Nethekurse, however, has a throne in the Shattered Halls.
- Hellfire Citadel is a Common Location card in the World of Warcraft: Trading Card Game's Drums of War set.
- In Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, the Citadel appeared on the various maps of Draenor but otherwise never did during any of the campaign missions.
- The Hellfire Citadel trailer is narrated by Alan Shearman.[15]
- Until patch 4.2.0, access to Heroic Mode required the
[Flamewrought Key], purchasable at Honored Reputation from Honor Hold or Thrallmar. - In alternate Draenor, Garrosh Hellscream encouraged Grommash Hellscream to begin the construction of a massive stronghold at the heart of Tanaan Jungle. He suggested the name "Hellfire", as he dreamed of seeing mighty orcish iron towering over an unblighted landscape, so very different from the wasteland he had known in Outland.[16]
- Unlike the concept art, the Path of Glory does not seem to end at a door, intact or otherwise, only a small staging camp.
Gallery
Early concept art
Hellfire Citadel before the destruction of Draenor
If you control the Outlook, Broken Hill, and the Stadium, you control Hellfire Peninsula.
Hellfire Citadel in Beyond the Dark Portal?
Videos
Patch changes
Patch 2.0.3 (2007-01-09): Added.
See also
- Hellfire Citadel, TCG card
References
- ^ a b Rise of the Horde, chapter 16
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 82
- ^ Rise of the Horde, chapter 17
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 87
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 88 - 89
- ^ Rise of the Horde, pg. 309
- ^ Rise of the Horde, chapter 21
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 99
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 100
- ^ Rise of the Horde, chapter 22
- ^ The Burning Crusade Flash site#Hellfire Citadel
- ^ WoW BlueTracker
- ^ Beyond the Dark Portal, chapter 18
- ^ Beyond the Dark Portal, chapter 15
- ^ World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade
- ^ Hellfire Citadel (alternate universe)#Adventure Guide
External links
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