Undead

This article is about the living dead in general. For the undead Forsaken playable race, see Undead (playable). For the two main undead factions, see Forsaken and Scourge.

The undead armies of the Scourge fighting the Alliance of Lordaeron during the Third War.

The undead are former mortals who have died and whose souls are trapped between life and death. These tragic beings derive power from the necromantic energies that pervade the universe. Most undead are driven by vengeance and hatred to destroy the one thing that they can never have again: life. Most common examples being zombies or ghosts, undead are typically mindless, bloodthirsty fiends hostile toward any living thing that comes across their path. But some have managed to retain their memories and be who they were in life.

In the Shadowlands, they are all soldiers of the Necrolord Covenant, the armies that serve as the first line of defense in the realm of Death, and that honor those who seek power and glory in battle.

Background

Necromancy and the creation of undead soldiers were invented by the Primus and the necrolords of Maldraxxus who use the undead as a militia force in defense of the Shadowlands, should it come under attack. All of them receive a portion of the Primus' power in order to carry out their duty.

Undead have appeared all throughout Azeroth, they were used as a combat tool by the nathrezim during the War of the Ancients, and once again during First War when the necrolytes of the Orcish Horde animated skeletal warriors to fight against the humans. During the Second War, the essence of those necrolytes was used to power the Horde's death knights during their creation. Later, the studies of necromancy took an important role and were used heavily in the Third War when the Cult of the Damned spread the plague across Lordaeron, reanimating the majority of the dead denizens under the control of the Lich King. In modern times, the main groups of undead are the Scourge, the Forsaken, and the Knights of the Ebon Blade.

Racial history

The "Army of the Dead" artwork by Graven Tung.

Maldraxxi

In Maldraxxus, birthplace of necromantic magic, the undead Maldraxxi are unified under an Eternal One known as the Primus. They are split into five houses that pledged unending loyalty to the Primus, the House of the Chosen, the House of Constructs, the House of Eyes, the House of Rituals and the House of Plagues; each with their own specialties to protect the Shadowlands. The purpose of the House of Constructs is the creation of necrotic constructs to populate Maldraxxus's armies. Among their ranks, the house employs many Maldraxxi necromancers to insert Maldraxxian souls in the bodies they created, or alternatively, to separate body and soul from already existing constructions.

Forsaken

A great portion of the human denizens of the kingdom of Lordaeron was resurrected by the plague propagated by the Cult of the Damned. First under the Lich King influence, they managed to get free thanks to Sylvanas Windrunner and the weakening of the Lich King in Northrend. Following the Plaguelands civil war, the undead survivors proclaimed themselves as the Forsaken, with Sylvanas Windrunner as their Queen, and vowed to defeat the Scourge and ultimately the Lich King himself.

Free will is one of the cornerstones of Forsaken culture, with the great capacity for both good and evil that it entails. However, some undead, especially those who die in combat or under extreme stress and are raised soon after, enter into a violent, frenzied state. Undead in this state are easily manipulated and their rage is often directed at the foes of those who raised them. After the effects wear off, if the risen corpse has not been destroyed, they are given the same ultimatum that other Forsaken are offered: join the Dark Lady or return to the grave. Each Forsaken member follows their queen for various reasons: fear, loyalty, and nowhere else to go.

Darkfallen

When the death knight Arthas Menethil invaded Quel'Thalas, he raised the fallen members of Sylvanas Windrunner's army either as incorporeal banshee or as intact bodies. These fallen high elves would become known as Darkfallen, prowling the lands as either dark rangers or blood mages for the Scourge. The San'layn are a sect of vampiric Darkfallen in service to the Scourge. They are known for their guile and dark magic, particularly the manipulation of blood and shadow magic. They used to be among Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider's greatest followers, until they were raised into undeath by Arthas following Illidan Stormrage's failed assault on the Frozen Throne.

Biology

Undead cannibalizing a corpse in Hearthstone.

There are many different kinds of undead, but they have some common traits, such as deteriorating skin or generally unkempt hair.

Incorporeal undead are composed of a substance called ectoplasm, which can have different consistencies depending on climate. Powerful undead are sometimes so infused with evil that it coalesces into a greenish goo known as the ichor of undeath. Some undead bleed this green liquid when wounded, though some have no blood or liquid running through their bodies at all. The majority of undead are in a mindless state, without knowing or controlling their bodies but if the body is kept intact, they could potentially avoid this altogether and live forever. The undead normally do not sleep, as it is not necessary for them. There are cases of undead sleeping, especially death knights and Forsaken, but it is seemingly only to rest their bodies. Some undead feel the need to breathe, though they can last at least a dozen days without taking a fresh breath of air, depending on the type of undeath but as they are undead, they don't need air to live. Undead are capable of eating, but they don't need to. They can become drunk, but they do not experience the same pleasure from alcohol as the living do, and the Scourge warned its members that "Alcohol is simply not the same". Some undead can smell.

Being an undead has advantages such as dismemberment not being enough to be killed. Some can also reattach their limbs and joints, or replace their body parts by harvesting and sewing on the body parts of others, eat other humanoids and undead as a way to renew their strength and drain the life force of others. In order to truly kill an undead, it is necessary to burn the remains of a destroyed body. The Light is known to cause intense pain to the undead, but if used with the intention of healing, though very painful, it is effective. Holy water blessed by the Light has a damaging effect on the undead.

Nature of undeath

Great Dark Beyond

Undead creatures in World of Warcraft.

In the physical universe, the souls of the undead (Forsaken, death knights, or ghouls) are imperfectly attached to their bodies; the dark magic that sustains them is a buffer that prevents their souls from properly joining with their bodies. This is why undead feel only faint sensations of pain or discomfort from most physical stimuli, and why the Light is so painful to their existence. The primary exception to this rule are liches, as liches bind their souls to a phylactery and then use the phylactery to generate a physical form; this process is why lich bodies look nothing like their mortal bodies, and also why you have to destroy a lich's phylactery to truly kill them. Undeath also strips certain parts away from every soul.

Despite all this, there exists at least one account of someone becoming undead through the power of the Light: Calia Menethil.

Aside from their affliction, some undead also suffer from an addiction to terrible vices. Death knights, for example, possess an addiction to inflicting pain. If death knights do not regularly inflict agony upon another creature, they begin to suffer wracking pains that could drive them into a mindless, blood-seeking hysteria. Zombies and Forsaken have a hungering for living flesh and San'layn have been known to consume blood.

Generally, most enslaved undead are tormented and restless by their subjugation. Some welcome it if it grants them the benefits of eternal life. Many undead who are sentient enough to understand their circumstances appear emotionally dispassionate if not melancholy. The most known emotions that the undead seem to emote are remorse, pity, or rage. Some undead, especially those who die in combat or under extreme stress and are raised soon after, enter into a violent, frenzied state. Undead in this state are easily manipulated and their rage is often directed at the foes of those who raised them.

Becoming Forsaken is an unpredictable process. The body and mind are certain to change, but it is impossible to know to what extent and how well someone will cope with the process. According to Lilian Voss, everyone goes a little mad when they become Forsaken, and some more than others.

Undead experience dulled senses such as touch, smell, and taste. Some find that while their rotted tongues can taste very little, they've become accustomed to the textures and sensations of food instead. There are reports that when influenced by the Holy Light, some Forsaken have slowly experienced a sharpening of their dulled senses, as well as an increase in the flashes of positive emotions that have otherwise become rare since their fall into undeath. The drawback, however, is that they also become disgusted with themselves and are likely to increase attempts at their own self-destruction; for regaining these senses would force the undead to smell their own rotting flesh, taste the decay in their mouths and throats, and even feel the maggots burrowing within their bodies.

Some of those who freed themselves from the Lich King's grasp are tormented by memories of the unspeakable horrors that they committed as mindless Scourge agents and are driven into madness or consumed by regret, whereas others embrace their new condition and may go on to indulge in their vile vices. Others don't even remember their time as a mindless slave of the Scourge and so bear no emotional trauma from it at all. Though the person might be traumatized by their experience as an undead, once released their soul will be judged by the entirety of their existence, and, as such, they might still reach a positive afterlife.

Shadowlands

The Maldraxxi of the House of Plagues.

In Maldraxxus, the birthplace of necromantic magic, the souls of the ambitious and contentious are forged into an immortal army charged with the defense of the Shadowlands. It is a place all about flesh shaping and resources given to Maldraxxi to become the best army they can. Someone arriving in Maldraxxus is given a very basic kind of form that they can inhabit and then based on their victories or their losses they get upgrades or downgrades to that body, while masters of the powers of death turn legions of ambitious souls into relentless immortal armies, and necrotic soldiers are forged by an eternity of war or are made from the bodies taken as spoils of war.

Characteristics in World of Warcraft

This section concerns content related to the original World of Warcraft.

• Cannot be skinned, except for certain undead animals that would otherwise be classified as beasts (i.e.: bears, boars, wolves, etc).
• Generally are unaffected by mind-affecting spells, like [Fear], sleep or mind control, however, priests can use [Shackle Undead] to temporarily imprison monsters and paladins can use [Turn Evil] which works just like a fearing spell. This does not apply to player characters of the undead race, which are technically classified as humanoid, for purposes of game-balance.
• Can be tracked by Hunters.
• Death knights under the effect of [Lichborne] are considered undead.
• Death Coil (death knight ability) can heal them, assuming they are of friendly allegiance to the death knight.

Types of undead

Corporeal

Corporeal undead are average corpses or body parts reanimated by the plague or necromancers, or are various body parts stitched together into abominations.

• Abomination
  • Flesh beast
  • Flesh giant
  • Flesh titan
  • Plague-dog
  • Wight
• Crawling hand
• Crypt fiend
  • Crypt lord
  • Nerubian flyer
  • Nerubian spider
  • Nerubian vizier
• The Dead
• Death knight
• Deathcharger
• Gargoyle
• Geist
• Ghoul
• Homunculus
• Mad scientist
• Maldraxxi gladiator
• Maldraxxi necromancer
• Mur'ghoul
• Plague eruptor
• Soul-rotted flesh
• Undead bear
• Undead boar
• Undead centaur
• Undead draenei
• Undead dragon
  • Plagued dragonflight
• Undead dwarf
• Darkfallen
  • San'layn
• Undead human
  • Undead Forsaken
• Undead frost vrykul
• Undead gnoll
• Undead gnome
• Undead goblin
• Undead night elf
• Undead orc
• Undead quilboar
• Undead tauren
• Undead troll
  • Troll lich
  • Mummy
  • Scourge troll
  • Undead dire troll
• Undead wolf
• Undead worgen
• Vargul
• Zombie

Skeletal

Skeletal undead are skeletons animated by magic.

• Bone golem
• Bone wraith
• Lich
  • Baby Lich
• Boneguard
• Skeleton
  • Skeletal draenei
  • Skeletal drust
  • Skeletal dwarf
  • Skeletal giant
  • Skeletal gnome
  • Skeletal goblin
  • Skeletal human
    • Skeletal archer
    • Skeletal mage
    • Skeletal warrior
  • Skeletal orc
  • Skeletal tauren
  • Skeletal troll
  • Skeletal vrykul
  • Slime giant
• Skeletal animals
  • Hyena, gnoll, bear, wolf, boar, harpy
  • Skeletal bird of prey
  • Skeletal devilsaur
  • Skeletal gryphon
  • Skeletal horse
  • Skeletal hound
  • Skeletal monkey
  • Skeletal raptor
  • Skeletal wind serpent
  • Slime cat
• Skeletal dragons:
  • Frost wyrm
  • Others
• Miscellaneous:
  • Floating skull
  • Skeletal pit lord

Incorporeal

Incorporeal undead are ghosts and spirits of the dead.

• Banshee
• Ghost
  • Spectral gryphon
• Spectre
  • Troll spectre
• Undead revenant
• Val'kyr
• Wisp
• Wraith
  • Shade

Undead factions

Faction	Leader	Former leader(s)	Description	Capital	Status
The Not-Living	Galakrond †	None	A group of undead proto-dragons created after being cannibalized by Galakrond. They served as his main army against the other proto-dragons, and they were the first undead threat that Azeroth ever faced. The not-living were ultimately destroyed during the future Aspects' final battle against Galakrond.	Northrend	Destroyed
The Scourge	None	The Lich King †	Originally created by the Kil'jaeden to help usher the Burning Legion into Azeroth, it went rogue after the Battle of Mount Hyjal and waged a war to destroy all life on Azeroth. Following the fall of the Lich King, the Scourge has become passive before the destruction of the Helm of Domination. It now marauds masterless all across Azeroth.	Icecrown Citadel	Active
The Forsaken	The Desolate Council	Sylvanas Windrunner	A breakaway group from the Scourge formed after they retook the Capital City of Lordaeron, they swore revenge against the Lich King and joined the Horde in an alliance of convenience.	Ruins of Lordaeron	Active
Cult of the Damned	Unknown	Kel'Thuzad Mal'Ganis	A cult that seeks to obtain immortality through undeath. They served the Scourge under the Lich King Arthas Menethil, and since his demise have struggled to hold their claims in the Plaguelands from encroaching Alliance, Horde, and Argent Crusade forces. They re-emerged through Azeroth following the fall of the Lich King Bolvar against Sylvanas Windrunner, answering the call of Zovaal the Jailer.	Mord'rethar	Active
Rotbrain Undead	Marcus Redpath †	None	A breakaway group from the Forsaken, raised by the Val'kyr and united by their refusal to join Forsaken society. The group was ultimately destroyed in its infancy by Forsaken adventurers.	Rotbrain Encampment	Disbanded
The Risen	Balnazzar †	None	Created by Balnazzar by killing Scarlet Crusaders and raising them into undeath with the intention of using them to conquer the Plaguelands for the Burning Legion. Ultimately they were stopped when adventurers killed their demonic leader.	Scarlet Bastion	Disbanded
Knights of the Ebon Blade	Bolvar Fordragon	Darion Mograine	An organization of renegade death knights founded Darion Mograine after they were freed from the grasp of the Lich King during the Battle for Light's Hope Chapel. They cooperated with the Argent Crusade to defeat Arthas Menethil during the Scourgewar, and since his fall, they fight as hard for the safety of Azeroth as anyone living.	Acherus: The Ebon Hold	Active
Necrolord Covenant	The Primus	None	A ruling faction of the Shadowlands and the inventors of necromancy. They use the souls of the strong, durable, and ambitious to create an undead militia to protect the Shadowlands. At the time of the opening of the rift between the Shadowlands and Azeroth, they had lost their leader and were approaching dangerously close to civil war, until the latter returned with the help of the Maw Walkers.	Seat of the Primus	Active

In the RPG

This section contains information from the Warcraft RPG which is considered non-canon.

Independent undead

Independent undead are undead who maintain their own free will. Not all undead from Azeroth fall under the auspices of the Scourge. Some undead resisted the command of the Lich King or his minions, while others arose through individual circumstances. Although they have no direct ties to the Scourge, such monsters are no less dangerous. Despite being free of the Lich King's influence, some independent undead still choose to serve the Lich King.

Notes and trivia

• The Forsaken male player character claims to be colorblind due to undeath.
• For game balance, Forsaken players are classified as humanoids for gameplay reasons because, in a PvP setting, they would be massacred with [Exorcism], [Holy Wrath], [Turn Evil], and [Shackle Undead], but they would also be immune to other CC such as [Polymorph] and [Fear]. Forsaken were classified as undead in the World of Warcraft beta, but it proved to be too problematic with PvP balance. Many Forsaken NPCs are also considered humanoid.

Gallery

Warcraft III concept arts

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