History Characters / WarcraftPlayerCharcters

** Strom'kar, the Warbreaker, a two-handed [[HeroesPreferSwords sword]] for Arms warriors once wielded by the first king of Arathor to end the Troll Wars.

* UnstoppableRage: Unstoppable is right--Warriors can effectively heal their wounds and ignore crowd control effects by focusing their anger.

** Fu Zan, the Wanderer's Companion, a [[SimpleStaff staff]] for Brewmaster monks, the staff wielded by the Titanic watcher Freya as she created the Wild Gods.

* DodgeTheBullet: Havoc Demon Hunters' primary defense comes from avoiding attacks entirely, be it from [[DashAttack dashing]] out of area attacks or boosting their Dodge chance.They can even create fields of shadow that allow their ''allies'' to avoid attacks entirely.

** The Twinblades of the Deceiver for Havoc demon hunters, infused with the power of Kil'jaeden and taken from a traitor to the Illidari.
** The Aldrachi Warblades for Vengeance demon hunters, originally wielded by the champion of one of the first races to resist -- and be wiped out by -- the Legion.

** G'Hanir the Mother Tree, a MagicStaff for Restoration druids, formed from the branch of a world tree.

** The Dreadblades, a [[DualWielding set of]] [[HeroesPreferSwords cutlasses]] for Outlaw rogues.

* LastStand: The appropriately-named "Last Stand" ability grants the player a brief health boost for use in emergencies.

* StealthExpert: Being shady characters of operating outside boundaries of law, this skill is immensely helpful. Rogue tactics are based enormously on the ability Stealth.

* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: if they are not carrying a staff, Restoration and Elemental shamans can be seen using one. Whoever, being casters it, alongside the main hand weapon, ends up being [[StatSticks Stat Sticks]]

** Fangs of Ashamane, [[DualWielding two daggers]] for Feral druids.
** Claws of Ursoc, [[DualWielding two]] [[PowerFist fist weapons]] for Guardian druids.
** Scythe of Elune, a [[SinisterScythe scythe]]-shaped MagicStaff for Balance druids.
** G'Hanir the Mother Tree, a MagicStaff for Restoration druids.

** Talonclaw, a [[BladeOnAStick spear]] for Survival hunters.
** Thas'dorah, Legacy of the Windrunners, a bow for Marksmanship hunters.
** Titanstrike, a [[{{BFG}} gun]] for Beast Mastery hunters.

** Felo'melorn, a [[ElementalWeapon caster sword]] for Fire mages, combined with its attached offhand.
** Ebonchill, a [[MagicStaff staff]] for Frost mages.
** Alu'neth, Greatstaff of the Magna, a [[MagicStaff staff]] for Arcane mages.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: First generation of death knights that appear in ''Warcraft II'' are undead human knights whose corpses are possessed by spirits of deceased orc warlocks. Only third-generation death knights have shown any grasp of Frost magic; in fact, several death knights shown the Warcraft series prior to ''Wrath of the Lich King'', such as Teron Gorefiend (an example of the above) and Thane Korth'azz, have been heavily associated with ''Fire'' magic.

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Shadow priests literally use Insanity as a resource as of ''Legion'', so it's more like "With Great Insanity Comes Great Power". Void Form can be extended by maintaining high levels of Insanity, and Surrender to Madness is less likely to kill you as long as Void Form stays up.

* CastFromHitPoints: Shadow priests have some skills based around sacrifice. For instance, "Shadow Mend" will initially heal the target, but comes at the cost of some of that restored health over a period. "Surrender to Madness" grants the Shadow priest a massive boost in power... and then [[CastFromLifeSpan kills them at the end of its effect.]] [[AndThatsTerrible Horribly.]]

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Shadow priests literally use insanity as a resource as of ''Legion'', so it's more like "With Great Insanity Comes Great Power". This culminates with their Surrender to Madness ability, the advantage of which can be extended by maintaining high levels of insanity.

* LivingWeapon: In ''Legion'', the shadow priest artifact weapon "Xal'atath, Blade of the Black Empire" has a mind and will of its own.
* LovecraftianSuperpower: Shadow priests use the powers of the '''''[[EldritchAbomination Old Gods]]'''''.

** The developers have stated that they intended for Protection Warriors to embody everything between CityGuards to the KnightInShiningArmor elements not covered by Paladins, while Arms Warriors are intended to be the kind of mercenaries to [[ICallItVera have special names for each of their weapons]]. While almost all character personality elements are left to the player, Fury Warriors' entire playstyle is distinctly built around being the "screaming, bloodthirsty, rage-powered brutes" that this trope implies.

* OneHandedZweihander: Fury warriors have the passive ability called Berzerker which allows them to wield two-handed weapons with one hand.

** In ''Legion'', the Alliance and Horde get wrecked by the Burning Legion. Whatever forces remain decide to fight each other instead of the Legion to the point of lethal stupidity. Because of this, most of the netural class factions cut ties with the major factions and because of your legacy and credentials, they all unanimously agree that you should be the one in charge, making you the de-facto leader of your ''entire class''.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: First generation of death knights that appear in ''Warcraft II'' are undead human knights whose corpses are possessed by spirits of deceased orc warlocks. Some shown in ''World of Warcraft'' prior to ''Wrath of the Lich King'', such as Teron Gorefiend and Thane Korth'azz, were more heavily associated with Fire magic than Frost.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Bone Shield and Bonestorm abilities of the Blood Death Knight, and Remorseless Winter for Frost Death Knights.

* HeelFaceTurn: At the end of their quest line they return to their former heroic ways.
* HellishHorse: Death Knights' will gain the Acherus Deathcharger after the quest Into The Realm of Shadows, which essentially involves hijacking the horse from a other-dimensional horseman. The charger has a pair of curved horns, glowing blue eyes, hooves wreathed in blue flames and is clad in dark armor decorated with skulls. Additionally, skeletal warhorses are also popular with death knights (see Baron Rivendale and the Four Horsemen).
* AnIcePerson: Compared to those mages who study the properties of ice to manipulate them as methods of offense, death knights are the incarnation of winter itself. Their [[TheDreaded mere presence brings a chill upon a normal man's heart]] and when they strike, their frost-encrusted blades howl with the might of winter. Frost Death Knights are particularly adept in this field, calling in arctic winds and winter storms.

* SpellBlade: The Death Knight's calling card is his magically empowered Runeblade. Frost and Unholy Death Knights in particular can infuse the blade with elemental energy on some swings.

* CombatParkour: Havoc Demon Hunters employ their [[DashAttack Fel Rush]], [[SpringJump Vengeful Retreat]], and [[InASingleBound Metamorphosis]] effects as part of their regular attack rotation. They also boast having the highest mobility in the game, with their DoubleJump and [[NotQuiteFlight Glide]] abilities; Havoc Demon Hunters even increase their base movement speed as they gear up. This can be {{Combo}}ed to rapidly cross ''massive'' distances in the open world, and perform SequenceBreaking in some older dungeons.

* {{Determinator}}: One of the marks of the Illidari. Those remaining on the Fel Hammer have suffered at the hands of both the Legion and the Wardens, and are still fighting for Azeroth.

* DualWielding: The Demon Hunters' only weapon proficiencies are with one-handed weapons, and they cannot use shields. Their primary focus is on wielding a pair of Warglaives.

* ImplacableMan: Though [[MightyGlacier not very fast]] to start with, some of their abilities make them hard to slow down: Death's Advance[=/=]Wraith Walk, Icebound Fortitude, On A Pale Horse, etc.

* LastChanceHitPoint: The Purgatory talent allows them to absorb fatal damage (and [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill any damage after]]) as well as incoming healing for 3 seconds. If the absorbed healing outweighs the absorbed damage by the end of 3 seconds, they live; if not, they die. Of course, there's nothing to stop them from being killed immediately ''after'' Purgatory saves them in the case of a narrow margin.

* LightningBruiser: Havoc Demon Hunters are Agility-based attackers with, at the time of their inclusion, the highest burst mobility in the game. However, they have very limited access to self-healing, and no resistance to crowd control; if a Havoc Demon Hunter slows down, [[FragileSpeedster they'll go down easily]].

* XRayVision: Their true sight functions as this when focused on it, allowing the Demon Hunter to see any living creature through walls and making stealth completely useless. However, to keep this ability balanced in PvP, using it slows the demon hunter to a crawl.

* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Retribution Paladins, on the other hand, have Hammer of Wrath, where they throw a Hammer of Light at an enemy as a FinishingMove.

* BladeOnAStick: In ''Legion'', the Survival specialization of Hunters opts out of ranged combat, opting for the brutality of melee combat and wielding a vicious hunting spear. Troll and Tauren Hunters in particular have long and illustrious histories with their spears; Tauren are known to carve their family lineage in their runespears, and Troll Headhunters have been able to keep up with Elven Archers and Dwarven Riflemen with only a good arm and a satchel of throwing spears.

* NamedWeapons: Players could equip named weapons ever since the beginning of [=WoW=], but ''Legion'' has now brought artifact weapons, which are the only weapons players can get in the entire expansion. Each spec of each class has one, with much legendary background behind it. Upgrading them actually represents a huge chunk of the player's activity in ''Legion''.

* DropTheHammer: The favored lore weapon of Alliance Paladins. Several Paladin effects utilize hammers as a result. The Judgement spell takes this literally by consisting of a Hammer of light ''dropping'' on the other guy's head.

Druids are the scholars of nature, tirelessly monitoring and preserving the balance of nature, seeking wisdom and teachings of {{MotherNature}} herself. With enough experience, a druid is able to harness the vast and unforgiving side of nature, unleashing it's raw life energies upon enemies, [[ThePowerOfTheSun burning them with concentrated solar flame]],[[{{Lunacy}} scorching them using the light of the moon]], [[StarPower raining celestial fury over them from great distances]], [[GreenThumb binding them with enchanted vines]], [[WeatherManipulation ensnaring them in unrelenting cyclones]] or [[{{Animorphism}} maiming them by transforming into huge, fearsome beasts]].

* {{Animorphism}}: Druids' shapeshifting capabilities, although extending to plants, are mostly limited to beasts, most likely out of practicality.
* BearsAreBadNews: Guardian druids specialize in shapeshifting into a massive bear when it comes to combat.
* GreenThumb: Many druid spells (such as Entangling Roots, Barkskin, Living Seed etc.) all involve the manipulation of plants.
* HealingHands: Restoration druids is adept in channeling the powers of nature into soothing healing powers (ex. Rejuvenation, Regrowth) to heal allies.

* {{Lunacy}}: Because of their affinity with all forces of nature, they could evoke the powers of the moon (ex. Moonfire, Total Eclipse) to decimate the enemies.

* NatureHero: Druids are the students, servants and preservers of nature. They spend years studying and communing with nature, able to understand the workings of the great outdoors and in turn, manipulate and shape nature to their will.
* PantheraAwesome: Feral druids specialize in shapeshifting into a large feline predator when it comes to combat.

* PlayingWithFire: The powers involving the sun often manifest into a concentrated beam of sunlight burning druids' foes into ashes.
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Balance druids could also evoke the powers of the sun to burn their enemies into ashes. (ex. Sunfire, Solar Beam)

* StarPower: With their connection to Elune and the night, druids are also adept in evoking the power of the stars to [[LightEmUp burn out their enemies]] or strengthen their own connection with the moon or stars. Balance druids are especially adept in this field.

* WeatherManipulation: With the ability to control forces of nature, a skilled druid could unleash [[BlowYouAway relentless hurricanes and cyclones]] or [[MakingASplash wash down upon an area with rain]].
* WhenTreesAttack: Druids have a talent that allows them to summon a handful of treants to attack enemies.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: You can be a paragon of goodness who helps out orphaned children and helps out old men with mundane tasks, while being responsible for taking the names of some of the most powerful beings in Azeroth.
* BewareTheQuietOnes: The adventurers don't often say much, other than a few dialogues. They're also part of the reason Azeroth still stands.

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Occasionally played straight as expansions go on, but mostly averted. At the beginning of the Northrend campaign your skills in battle are acknowledged by several [=NPCs=]. By the time you reach ''Mists of Pandaria'' you're personally sent to Pandaria as part of an elite team by your faction, and in ''Warlords of Draenor'' you're hand picked by Varian/Vol'jin to lead forces in Draenor, and are openly regarded as the best chance the Alliance/Horde have of defeating the Iron Horde.

* AnimateDead: Unholy Death Knights can [[ArmyOfTheDead summon various undead minions]] to do their bidding, including up to ''two'' permanent pets at the same time.

* TheDreaded: It is stated in the book Death Knights of Acherus that they left no survivors in their onslaught and completely devastated their enemies.

* NonIndicativeName: Despite the name, most of the death knights created by Arthas aren't actually dead. Functionally, they slide from living into undeath, but they never experience the actual dying part. The first generation death knights however are in fact reanimated corpses powered by orc souls so they count.

* TheBerserker: Fury warriors in essence.

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Two abilities - Whirlwind, which makes the Warrior spin in a blur of steel and deal damage to everyone around him, and Bladestorm, which is like Whirlwind UpToEleven, and causes the Warrior to become a spinning tornado of blades.

* InASingleBound: Heroic Leap.

* LastStand: The appropriately-named "Last Stand" ability adds 30% of your maximum health to your health pool for 20 seconds.

* ArmyOfTheDead: Formerly a trademark skill available to all Death Knights, now exclusive to the Unholy specialization. In ''Legion'', the Unholy Death Knight's artifact allows them to summon up to a whopping ''[[UpToEleven twenty]]'' different minions at one time -- although only a couple will last, with the majority [[ActionBomb exploding]] after a few moments.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: A heroic variant (Or anti-heroic, or villainous, depending on your RP preferences). All races and classes start as a small time apprentice, and as you quest you gain recognition and reputation. In low level zones, you're a mercenary or just a normal explorer, people don't know your name and sometimes even treat you like a nobody. At high levels, you're considered a champion of your faction, having seen a lifetime of warfare and felled many evils, and are heralded as a savior of Azeroth.

*** Played straight with the Demon Hunter's implied backstory. As you progress through the starting quests, one leads to a cutscene (the Illidan animated short released shortly before Legion launch). In this cutscene, the player's stand-in, a female night elf asking the questions that allow for Illidan to be MrExposition, flashes back to her days before joining the Illidari. She was a survivor of a demonic attack that [[spoiler: claimed the lives of her parents, and pretty much everyone else around her.]] She came to Illidan to [[ItsPersonal get revenge, nothing left in her but rage.]] Flash forward to the end of her training, and she's taking on a Pit Lord and later, helping lay siege to a demon-controlled world. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Demon Hunters are probably Warcraft lore's preeminent example of this trope when the motivating factor is making the demons pay for every loved one you lost.]]
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: The game treats Death Knights and Forsaken as Humanoids, since classing them as Undead would lead to an inherent disadvantage in PVP.

* ArmyOfTheDead: Formerly a skill available to all Death Knights, now exclusive to the Unholy specialization. In ''Legion'', the Unholy Death Knight's artifact allows them to summon up to a whopping ''[[UpToEleven twenty]]'' different minions at one time -- although only a couple will last, with the majority [[ActionBomb exploding]] after a few moments.

* LivingWeapon: In ''Legion', the shadow priest artifact weapon "Xal'atath, Blade of the Black Empire" has a mind and will of its own.