World of Warcraft
When Trolls are mentioned in Warcraft, some names echo through history. There is Rokhan, Rastakhan and one of my favorites Zul’jin, the embodiment of Amani and vengeance. On the other side of the spectrum lies a completely different kind of leader.
Vol’jin was never fueled by hatred, he was driven by survival instincts for his people. Being a shadow hunter and wise makes him the glue that held the modern Horde together. Trolls being my favorite race in Warcraft, Vol’jin takes the cup with his cool beard, hair and drip. (Totally the reason he became warchief in MoP.)
Vol’jins’ Promise to Thrall
Unlike the mighty Amani Empire, the Darkspear tribe was pushed to the brink of extinction. Exiled from Stranglethorn Vale by Gurubashi Trolls, they were struggling to survive on a small island called Echo Isles. They were constantly in fight against murlocs, nagas, and sea witches.
It was Thrall and his newly formed Horde who saved them. Vol’jin’s father, Sen’jin, sacrificed his life during these events, leaving a young Vol’jin to lead a broken tribe. Vol’jin swore a blood oath to Thrall. The Darkspear would forever be part of the Horde. Unlike many others, Vol’jin never broke his promise. He was Thrall’s most trusted advisor, the voice of reason when the Orcs leaned too much into their bloodlust. When the Zandalari tried to unite all trolls in a global uprising (which we saw in Zul’Aman), Vol’jin stood against his own race. He chose his family, the Horde, over Troll supremacy.
Reclaiming the Echo Isles, Zalazane’s Fall
Before the grand rebellions, Vol’jin had to prove his leadership to his own people. His childhood friend, a powerful witch doctor named Zalazane, went mad with dark voodoo. Zalazane enslaved his own brethren and took over the Darkspear’s new home, the Echo Isles. Vol’jin led a massive assault to take their home back, even earning the favor of Bwonsamdi, the Loa of Death, to finally put an end to Zalazane.
This epic victory gave the Darkspear a permanent home and proved that Vol’jin was a leader who fought on the frontlines for his tribe. Players could take on the quest to kill Zalazane until Cataclysm revamped the zone. I died to Zalazane with my hardcore character a few years back and I still remember it, killing him and taking his head back for the quest reward was so good.
The Darkspear Rebellion of Vol’jin, Mists of Pandaria
Vol’jin’s true test, and definitely his most badass era, came when Garrosh Hellscream became Warchief. Garrosh was an orc supremacist who treated the Darkspear like dirt. Vol’jin never accepted it, he didn’t nod and obey. He delivered one of the coldest threats in WoW history right to Garrosh’s face: ‘‘Ya be no Warchief of mine. I’ll watch and wait as ya people slowly become aware of ya ineptitude. When tha time comes da ya failure is complete, I will be dere to end ya rule swiftly and silently. Ya will know exactly who fired tha arrow dat pierced ya black heart.’’ This is the shortened version of the threat he made to the burly, angry Garrosh who could’ve snapped Vol’jin in two like a twig.
Garrosh tried to silence him after this. During the “Dagger in the Dark” scenario, Garrosh’s assassins slit Vol’jin’s throat in a damp Pandaren cave. But you cannot kill a Shadow Hunter that easily. We, the players, helped him fake his death. We smuggled him out, and he was healed by the legendary brewmaster, Chen Stormstout. What followed was some really good World of Warcraft storytelling.
While Garrosh thought Vol’jin was dead, we were in the Barrens, doing daily quests, gathering lumber, meat, and oil to build the Darkspear Rebellion. We built an uprising from the dirt up. After mustering enough power, the adventurers and Vol’jin finally marched on Orgrimmar (Siege of Orgrimmar, SoO raid). Even at some point, Tyrande Whisperwind arrives to help us (right after the Iron Juggernaut boss). When we finally deposed Garrosh, Thrall himself passed the mantle. Thus, Vol’jin became the first non-orc Warchief of the Horde. A historic moment truly.
The Broken Shore Disappointment
And then… Blizzard’s writing team happened. After being crowned Warchief, Vol’jin did almost nothing in the Warlords of Draenor expansion. He just sat in Orgrimmar. Then came the Legion expansion. During the disastrous assault on the Broken Shore, the Warchief of the Horde, a legendary Shadow Hunter who survived Garrosh’s elite assassins, was killed by a random, unnamed Felguard. A nameless trash mob stabbed him in the stomach. On his deathbed, as we were told, he was manipulated by dark forces. He named Sylvanas Windrunner as Warchief, and passed away. They tried to build up Sylvanas as a major antagonist but failed miserably there also.
Personal Thoughts on Vol’jin, They Did Him Dirty
I will never forgive Blizzard for how they treated Vol’jin. The Mists of Pandaria era was incredible. Faking his death, gathering resources in the Barrens, and leading a revolution felt so personal and epic, like I was really part of something. Grouping with players to take on elite trash mobs and doing dailies felt really social. It was an amazing in-game experience.
Vol’jin earned that Warchief title with blood and patience. Only to be completely sidelined and then killed off for shock value in the next expansion’s intro cinematic. It is a crime against Warcraft lore. Trolls are easily the coolest race in the game, yet they always lose their leaders to terrible plot devices. To add insult to injury, Vol’jin had that magnificent, majestic beard. Yet, all these years later, our Darkspear player characters still cannot grow a beard! We lost our Warchief, at least give us his facial hair! Justice for the Darkspear! Long live Vol’jin! You live on in my heart.
