World of Warcraft
“I wander alone.” If you played Warcraft III, you can hear this voice line in your head right now. Deep, sorrowful and bass boosted. This right here is my favorite voice line. I can still rehearse it as the day I first heard it.
In World of Warcraft, there are kings, warchiefs, and gods. But there is only one true Champion of the Horde. He doesn’t sit on a throne nor wears a crown. He walks the wilds with his best friend, a bear named Misha.
Rexxar, the Last Son of the Mok’Nathal, and one the coolest characters Blizzard has ever created (and criminally underused). Makes me sad when a good character is left out of the spotlight.
The Outsider, Mok’Nathal
He is a Mok’nathal. A half-orc, half-ogre hybrid. This heritage is his curse and his strength. He is too “orcish” for the Ogres and too “ogre-ish” for the Orcs. He belongs nowhere. As I discussed in our Blade’s Edge Mountains article, he left his isolationist father Leoroxx to join the Horde, believing in their potential. But after seeing the corruption of the Orcs in the First War and Second War, he grew disillusioned. He realized that civilization only brought pain. So, he turned his back on everyone and chose the company of beasts.
A Man and His Bear
You cannot mention Rexxar without Misha. In a world where Hunters treat pets like disposable DPS tools, Rexxar and Misha are family. They could be counted as one.
Their bond is the gold standard for the Beast Mastery spec fantasy. Misha (she) is his shield, his pillow, and his only true confidant. Misha is like the combination of all three Hunter pet family specializations. Cunning, ferocity, and tenacity. Watching them fight together in sync is poetry in motion. Rexxar with his massive axes, Misha with her claws… A two-person army.
While Misha is the main sidekick, a true Beastmaster never travels alone. Lore enthusiasts probably know these names. There is Huffer (the boar), Leokk (the wyvern), and Spirit (the hawk). Rexxar is a walking ecosystem. He commands the sky and the earth like a Shaman but in a bestial way.
The Founding of Durotar, Warcraft III Campaign
This is where Rexxar became a legend. In the Founding of Durotar bonus campaign, Rexxar was the protagonist. This campaign plays like an RPG game more than a RTS game, so we can say that this campaign is one of the foundations of WoW.
He saved Mogrin (an orc grunt) and delivered a message to Thrall. He gathered the Trolls (Rokhan-Shadow Hunter) and Pandaren (Chen Stormstout-Brewmaster Monk). He uncovered the conspiracy of Admiral Daelin Proudmoore and defeated him with the help of Jaina Proudmoore(daughter of the admiral). Jaina had to make a heartbreaking choice, stand by her father’s hatred or let Rexxar stop him to save the peace. She stepped aside and allowed the Horde to breach Theramore, effectively sacrificing her father for the future of Azeroth. This shared tragedy forged a deep respect between Rexxar and Jaina. Thus the newborn nation of Durotar was saved from annihilation.
Thrall, recognizing Rexxar’s bravery, bestowed upon him the title Champion of the Horde. He offered Rexxar a permanent place in Orgrimmar, a life of luxury and honor. But Rexxar, true to his nature, refused.
The Vanilla WoW Legend
For those who played in 2004, Rexxar was a cryptid. Instead of having a fixed location, he patrolled a massive path between Desolace and Feralas.
Finding him was an event. You would be questing, and suddenly a savage level 60 Elite with his bear would stomp past you. Alliance players trembled, Horde players saluted. He made the world feel alive. He was always on the move, you were the one that had to find him. Good times when the World in Warcraft mattered.
The Father of Hunters and the Dual-Wield Dream
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Rexxar is the ultimate formation of a Survival Hunter spec. He fights in melee range, side by side with Misha. But there is one problem, he uses two axes. My first main was a Hunter, and I love the survival spec (before and after Legion). Yes, survival was a ranged spec before Legion and I liked it, but I like the melee even more. Which makes my soul hurt even more. In the game, Survival Hunters are forced to use a two-handed spear/staff. We cannot dual-wield like Rexxar. Why, Blizzard? Just why, I ask? Why can the “Father of Hunters” dual-wield, but I can’t? Give us a Tank Hunter spec and let us dual-wield axes like the Champion. We want to be like Rexxar. I want to be Rexxar. ☹
The Warchief We Never Had
Rexxar should have been a serious contender for being the Warchief of the Horde. Think about it. He has the strength of an Ogre, the honor of an Orc, and he saved the Horde from extinction. He is respected by Trolls, Tauren, and even Pandaren.
Unlike Garrosh (too angry, did nothing wrong tho) or Sylvanas (no words here…), Rexxar represents the soul of the Horde. Strength, Honor, and Loyalty. But Blizzard keeps him in the background for no reason.
Personal Thoughts on Rexxar & Misha
Rexxar appears here and there sometimes throughout expansions. In BFA, Rexxar stepped out to actively fight for the Horde during the War Campaign. This was controversial, as he had to fight against Jaina’s forces. When asked why he fought, his answer was the Alliance was threatening the Horde’s survival (weird and questionable). This means, while he loves peace, he will always choose the Horde’s survival over his old friendships. Refraining from this fight would have been the better choice in my opinion. It is really confusing to bring him back on this point instead of other proper points in the game like the Legion? He would fit nicely as a main character and be useful/helpful too, just in time for the introduction of the melee Hunter spec. Instead, he stays in a camp inside Highmountain, waiting to be recruited as a follower. That’s literally it. It is a waste of the orc-ogre-batman character in the game. I have vented enough, I’m only hoping that Blizz will hear mine and other players plea.
