While I have not finished the Dominance Offensive reputation grind, and have only seen those events from the Alliance side, I do think I've got an accurate impression that it's becoming clear to the various faction leaders in the Horde that Garrosh is reckless, self-centered, and frankly, going nuts. Not only that, but he's made it clear that under his rule, not all races are created equal. He's happy to throw Blood Elves to the fire, for example, in the single-minded interest of getting what he wants.
When Thrall stepped down as Warchief to help deal with the Cataclysm, he decided that his people would need a strong leader to look up to as an example. Thrall was only an infant during the Second War, and the only Horde he's really seen has been one of underdogs. His impression of the Old Horde was largely understood through the filter of legends told by the veterans of those wars. Thrall was, perhaps, under the naive impression that in the absence of demon blood, the Orcs would be a strong and noble warrior race, and not fall into the lust for conquest.
Garrosh had made a name for himself in Northrend (though we players knew things went well there in spite of him, rather than because of him) and so it seemed that putting a strong, confident warrior in charge would inspire the Orcs, as well as the rest of the Horde, to come together and rebuild after the Cataclysm.
Yet Garrosh took his appointment as a license to redesign Thrall's Horde. No longer a variety of disparate groups who swore allegiance to the Warchief out of friendship and respect (or, to be fair, in Sylvanas' case convenience,) Garrosh has basically taken the attitude that the other races should join the Horde or be "crushed beneath it." There's no give and take with Garrosh - what he says goes, and if you don't like it, he'll straight-up murder you.
The thing is, any non-Orcs in the Horde (save the Huojin Pandaren) joined with an understanding that Thrall would be in charge. The Darkspear and the Tauren bonded with Thrall over their shared shamanistic traditions. The Forsaken saw an ally who would let them be. The Blood Elves found a worthy ally against the Scourge who would not attempt to keep them on lockdown for their magic addiction. Even the Goblins joined thanks to Thrall, who admittedly made an equally baffling decision in keeping Gallywix in charge of the cartel.
Garrosh is not what these people signed up for, and the fact that Garrosh is taking his appointment to the position as license to do whatever he wants with seven different races demonstrates a myopic view of the world.
And now, with Garrosh attempting to use the power of the Sha just as his father used demon blood, we know that the guy is in for a downfall. Yet with no Mannoroth to slay, it would seem that Hellscream the lesser is not going to have any way to redeem himself. I had thought, for a time, that it would be interesting for us to not kill Garrosh, but simply take him down. Yet considering the way things are going, I think the dude needs to take a dirt nap.
So what's in store for the Horde in a post-Garrosh world? Who will lead, and how will the dynamic of the Horde be changed?
Orcs:
With the Cataclysm over, one might have thought that Thrall could tell Garrosh thanks for keeping his seat warm, but get the hell out of it. Yet as I see it, Thrall is basically retired. He's got a kid now, and frankly if I were Thrall I might want to take that excuse to live a quiet, peaceful life if I could get it. At the same time, Thrall clearly bears some responsibility for putting Garrosh in charge in the first place. I do think the Orcs would be better off with the shamans in charge again, but Thrall has certainly lowered his stock. On the other hand, there's another option for Orcish leadership - a veteran who remembers the bad times well enough to learn from the mistakes. Saurfang might be too old to lead, but at the very least he would be a strong leader who would nevertheless know when things were going too far. Another question, then, is whether the next Warchief should be an Orc. All the previous ones were, but if the Orcs really want to commit to a future where every race is equal, they might consider letting go of a little power.
Trolls:
Vol'jin is the most staunchly anti-Garrosh leader in the Horde, and from what I've seen in the Dominance Offensive, he's the one who's pushing for Hellscream's removal most. Vol'jin has been a member of the Horde for a long time - his people were the first to join Thrall in the voyage to Kalimdor. Considering his efforts to take down Garrosh, I actually think Vol'jin's a strong candidate for Warchief. It would certainly be a hell of a turnaround for the Trolls.
Tauren:
Baine obviously has no love for Garrosh either. The guy killed his father. The Tauren are not a very aggressive people, and probably would never aspire to lead the Horde. It is interesting that Garrosh has always favored the Tauren more than the other non-Orc races - either out of guilt or a respect for their physical strength. Still, I doubt Baine will stand in anyone's way if the Horde rises up against Garrosh. It'd actually be kind of cool to see Garrosh realize that the Tauren are not all that impressed with his so-called respect.
Forsaken:
The Forsaken are the closest thing to a third faction the game has. While Sylvanas' forces are reinforced by the Horde, she operates with a degree of autonomy. I think it's not too hard to imagine that Sylvanas is preparing to do something, and just waiting for the right moment. At the moment, her city is filled with Kor'kron guards, rather than the old Abominations. With Garrosh gone, and probably a big purge of the Kor'kron (under Garrosh they've become less like the Warchief's secret service and more like the Gestapo,) I could see Sylvanas taking the opportunity to get Orcish eyes and ears the hell out of her city. Sylvanas is a hell of a wild card, and I think we're all waiting to see what happens with her.
Blood Elves:
Well, the Blood Elves are clearly not at all happy with where they are in the Horde. At best, they're treated as a ridiculed minority, and at worst, they're cannon fodder. Despite all their expertise in the arcane, the Horde takes what they need and gives nothing back in return. For this reason, Lor'themar Theron actually entertained the idea of coming back into the Alliance. Sure, the Alliance has its issues, but they're nowhere near as bad as the Horde is under Garrosh. Yet all of these talks go to hell when Jaina kicks the Sunreavers out of Dalaran. The Blood Elves are in a tough place. With re-joining the Alliance hit with a massive setback, they are stuck with the Horde. Sure, with Garrosh gone they might fare better, but I imagine the Blood Elves are going to be a lot more wary of their allies after the way Garrosh has treated them.
Goblins:
Who the hell knows where Gallywix is? He's not at the pleasure palace, as far as I can tell. The Goblins are actually willing to put up with a whole lot of crap as long as they're getting paid. I expect that with or without Garrosh, they're going to be fine providing services to the Horde. Once the big oaf is gone, they might be willing to make jokes about him without fear of retribution.
Huojin Pandaren:
There's actually nearly no story at all about the playable Pandaren after the wandering isle quests. The Huojin seemed shocked to discover how Garrosh's Horde worked, so they might feel a sense of relief when he's ousted and something more like Thrall's Horde is re-established.
Garrosh represents the great internal threat to the Horde. As he descends into madness, the Alliance watches Varian become a more enlightened and thoughtful leader. In the future, I'll talk about what the Alliance is going to look like after Garrosh, and what may be in store for these two groups of people.
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