Quick Overview
Goblins supplied the Horde with inventive and dangerous machines during the Second War, including sappers, observation craft, and submersible turtles. Fortifications had to be broken, enemy movements observed, and fleets challenged beyond the reach of ordinary ground troops. It also helps explain why technology, rather than magic alone, became a defining part of the contest between the Horde and the Alliance.
Full History
Goblins supplied the Horde with inventive and dangerous machines during the Second War, including sappers, observation craft, and submersible turtles. Their assistance gave orc commanders tools suited to demolition, reconnaissance, and maritime fighting. The partnership added commerce and engineering to an army otherwise famous for its warriors and sorcerers.
The Horde's invasion demanded more than victories in open battle. Fortifications had to be broken, enemy movements observed, and fleets challenged beyond the reach of ordinary ground troops. Goblin specialists could answer those needs with devices whose risks were often inseparable from their effectiveness. Their contributions allowed the Horde to adapt to the northern kingdoms' cities and coastlines, extending the war into unfamiliar forms of combat.
The goblins' appearance alongside the Horde is an original Warcraft II feature, not a claim that all goblins belonged permanently to one faction. Their role reflects the opportunistic and specialized alliances that developed around the Second War. It also helps explain why technology, rather than magic alone, became a defining part of the contest between the Horde and the Alliance.
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