Dwarves

Miners, smiths and explorers from the mountains of Khaz Modan. Old records hint that the dwarves were made by a godlike race, and they have gone looking for proof across the world. In Forever they also dig deeper at home, beneath Ironforge itself.

A dwarf paladin rendered from the WoW Forever client
A dwarf paladin, rendered from the Forever client's own model.

What the client says

Dwarf (Alliance)

Lore name: Dwarf. Languages: Common, Dwarven. Starts in Dun Morogh. Classes: Hunter, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman (new in Forever), Warrior. Racials: Big Game Hunter, Find Treasure, Mace Specialization, Stoneform.

The client's character-creation text: In ages past the dwarves cared only for riches taken from the earth's depths. Then records surfaced of a god-like race said to have given the dwarves life... and an enchanted birthright. Driven to learn more, the dwarves devoted themselves to the pursuit of lost artifacts and ancient knowledge. Today dwarven archaeologists are scattered throughout the globe.

Who they are

Dwarves were once content to dig for riches. Then they found records suggesting that a godlike race shaped them and gave them a birthright. Since then the dwarves have become archaeologists as much as miners, sending expeditions across Azeroth in search of ruins and artifacts that might tell them who they really are.

Driven to learn more, the dwarves devoted themselves to the pursuit of lost artifacts and ancient knowledge. Today dwarven archaeologists are scattered throughout the globe.

From the game client: Dwarf, the race description in the WoW Forever client

Warcraft background: The dwarves of Khaz Modan were once one people. A civil war, the War of the Three Hammers, split them into the Bronzebeards of Ironforge, the Wildhammers who went to the Hinterlands, and the Dark Iron clan, whose sorcerer-king summoned Ragnaros and created the Burning Steppes and the Searing Gorge. The Explorers' League is Ironforge's society of archaeologists, digging at sites such as Uldaman.

Homeland and capital

The Bronzebeards live in Ironforge, a city cut into the heart of a mountain in snowy Dun Morogh, built around the Great Forge. Their lands run through Loch Modan to the Wetlands and Menethil Harbor. The dwarves of Aerie Peak in the Hinterlands are the Wildhammer, friendly to the Alliance but not part of it.

This Alliance capital is the pride of the Dun Morogh dwarves. Home to King Magni.

From the game client: Ironforge, the faction description in the WoW Forever client

Allies and enemies

  • Allies: the gnomes, who share Ironforge since losing Gnomeregan; the humans of Stormwind; the Wildhammer (at arm's length).
  • Enemies: the Dark Iron dwarves of Blackrock Mountain; troggs in the mines and dig sites; the Horde; the Frostwolf orcs in Alterac Valley, where the Stormpike Guard fights.
  • Rivals: anyone else digging for the same relic.

Language and names

Dwarves speak Common and Dwarven (the client calls the language Dwarvish in its word list). Dwarven names are hearty and often end in a hard consonant. With two-part names, a dwarf's second name suits a family or clan name, or a trade name like a smith's or a miner's.

Notable figures

The client names King Magni of Ironforge. Blizzard's Legacy post says the Spectral Bear Cub was inspired by the dwarven hunter and his companion in Forever's cinematic; Blizzard hasn't named him.

Racial abilities as flavour

Stoneform turns a dwarf's skin to stone, as if their titan-made nature shows through. Find Treasure is the prospector's nose for treasure. Forever adds Mace Specialization and Big Game Hunter, a hunter's pride. See Races.

In WoW Forever

In WoW Forever: Dwarves can now be Shaman, one of six new race and class combinations: a dwarf who listens to the earth itself rather than only mining it. Forever's new Hall of Thanes lies beneath Ironforge, and a new dungeon at an excavation site above Whelgar's Excavation in the Wetlands suits a people of archaeologists. Blizzard also says the Wetlands get new quests building on existing characters.

RP hooks and character ideas

  • One of Forever's first dwarf shaman, who felt the mountain speak on a dig and hasn't been able to stop listening.
  • An Explorers' League archaeologist with a notebook full of theories about the titans and no proof yet.
  • A miner from Dun Morogh whose family lost everything when the troggs broke into the deep tunnels.
  • A Wildhammer gryphon rider who came down from Aerie Peak and finds Ironforge stuffy.
  • A dwarf hunter and a loyal bear, inspired by Forever's own cinematic.
  • A dwarf who wants to know what lies in the Hall of Thanes, and whether Ironforge's rulers want it found.

Sources

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More WoW Forever lore for roleplayers.