Gorehowl

Warning: there is more than one data page for cards with this name.

Please identify which of these data pages are for the card this page is supposed to cover. Data:Cards/Gorehowl(389312), Data:Cards/Gorehowl(464971), Data:Cards/Gorehowl(475131), Data:Cards/Gorehowl(96) Once it is identified, please edit this page and use the |datapage parameter on {{Card infobox}} to ensure data is pulled from the correct page.

As an example, if the correct data page is Data:Cards/Barrel(376), then this page would need {{Card infobox|datapage=Barrel(376)}} to ensure it finds the correct page.

Gorehowl

Regular

Gold

Set:	Madness at the Darkmoon Faire
Type:	Weapon
Class:	Warrior
Cost:	7
Attack:	7
Health:	1
Durability:	1
Wiki tags:	Durability-related

Poisonous
Attacking a minion costs 1 Attack instead of 1 Durability.

External links

Data page • Hearthpwn

Gorehowl is an epic warrior weapon card, from the Classic set.

How to get

Gorehowl can be obtained through Classic card packs, through crafting, or as an Arena reward. Regular Gorehowl can also be obtained through the Highest Rank Bonus chest at the end of a Ranked season, or as a first-time reward for first time reaching Platinum 10 or Diamond 10 in Ranked mode.

Card	Crafting cost	Disenchanting
Gorehowl	400	100
Golden Gorehowl	1600	400

Notes

• Attacking a minion with this weapon will reduce its Attack by 1, but will not reduce its Durability. This allows the weapon to be used multiple times against minions.
• Through repeated use, Gorehowl's Attack can be reduced to 0 or even lower (see below). Once it reaches 0 it will not be possible to attack using the Gorehowl, but the weapon will not destroy itself.

Advanced

• It is possible to get a -1 or lower Attack Gorehowl if you use effects like Heroic Strike or Spiteful Smith to continue to attack with the Gorehowl after it hits 0 Attack.
  • Negative Attack is displayed as a 0. If you don't have another source of Attack, you cannot swing the weapon at all.
  • If Spiteful Smith is buffing your Negative Attack Gorehowl, it buffs the negative value, not 0. For example, a -1 Attack Gorehowl gains 2 Attack from Spiteful Smith and becomes 1 Attack.
  • If you have a Negative Attack Gorehowl and buff your Hero with Heroic Strike, the negative attack of the Gorehowl does not subtract from the Hero buff. Even though it does not contribute to the attack, attacking the enemy Hero this way will still cause Gorehowl to lose Durability.

Known bugs

• If you attack with a Gorehowl into Misdirection (which makes you target a minion) then Explosive Trap (which reduces the minion to 0 or less Health), Gorehowl will trigger and gain temporary Immunity (since the final target is a minion) but the attack will be cancelled and you can attack again. Since your Gorehowl gained but did not lose temporary Immunity, if you then attack the enemy hero, Gorehowl will not lose a point of Durability or a point of Attack. (This effect lasts one attack.)

Strategy

This card is best used to destroy minions. It is possible through the use of Upgrade! and similar effects to increase its Durability thus making it a useful weapon against enemy heroes as well. You can also make use of the very high Attack of this weapon with cards such as Bloodsail Raider.

A common mistake is to overlook the text, which only works while "Attacking a minion". Attacking a hero with this weapon will cost 1 Durability as normal.

Gorehowl's special ability presents various strategies for making the most of the weapon. The greatest total damage can be achieved through attacking only minions for at least the first 6 attacks, followed by a 7th attack to any target, resulting in 28 damage in total. This allows for superb board control, even removing large minions, but will likely incur a heavy cost in damage received in turn by the warrior. Alternatively, it can be used a few times on minions, before dealing an attack of 3-5 damage to the enemy hero, sacrificing board clearing utility for face damage. This can be useful when there are no low Health minions to remove, or simply in order to allow another weapon to be equipped without wasting the remaining stats entirely.

Captain Greenskin will grant Gorehowl +1/+1, shifting the balance for this card's strategy. This effectively gives the hero one free swing at the enemy hero, in addition to the usual 1 Durability, plus increases all damage by 1, in effect providing a further additional use before the weapon's Attack is exhausted. These 2 extra uses allow the player to deal up to 16 extra damage in total - an extra 8 damage to the enemy hero, and an extra 1 damage for each of 8 attacks against minions, for a total of 44 damage from the enhanced weapon.

Lore

Gorehowl is magically imbued and strengthened, and regarded as one of the most feared weapons in all of Azeroth.

During the second coming of the Burning Legion, Grommash Hellscream took his axe to the pit lord Mannoroth after Thrall was beaten into unconsciousness. With a single blow, Hellscream cleaved his adversary's weapon in two and slew Mannoroth. Hellscream perished shortly afterwards, but he had managed to break the curse over his people, freeing their souls and spirits from the demonic curse forever. It should also be noted that Gorehowl is the weapon which slew the night elf demigod Cenarius.

Gorehowl somehow wound up in the hands of Prince Malchezaar after Grom's death. In Orgrimmar, Thrall presented Gorehowl to Grom's son Garrosh as a gift.

The name Gorehowl comes from holes that dot the blade near the handle. When Gorehowl is swung, air whistles through these holes, magically strengthened and imbued with otherworldly power. The sound strikes fear into the hearts of Gorehowl's enemies.

Trivia

• This card's flavor text references Gorehowl's appearance as an item in World of Warcraft, where it is obtainable as a drop from Prince Malchezaar, a boss in the Burning Crusade instance Karazhan. There is no known lore explanation for how Gorehowl came into his possession, although it has been suggested that the Prince may have removed it from Mannoroth's corpse.

• Gorehowl's World of Warcraft counterpart features the flavor text "The axe of Grom Hellscream has sown terror across hundreds of battlefields."

• Prior to Patch 1.0.0.4944, Gorehowl featured the triggered effect lightning bolt icon. It is not known why it was removed.

• In 2015 Blizzard hired professional blacksmith Tony Swatton to forge a replica of Gorehowl.

Artist

Template:Setartist

Gallery

File:Gorehowl (Zoltán Boros and Gábor Szikszai).jpg Gorehowl, full art

Thrall handing Gorehowl to Garrosh

Patch changes

• Patch 1.0.0.4944 (Open beta, 2014-03-11): The triggered effect 'lightning bolt' icon has been removed from Gorehowl.
• Patch 1.0.0.3664 (Alpha, 2013-08-14): Flavor text updated to reference Grommash Hellscream instead of Grom Hellscream.
• Unknown alpha patch (April or May 2013): New text: Attacking a minion costs 1 Attack instead of 1 Durability.
• Previously: Attacking a Minion doesn't cost Durability. [7 Mana, 7 Attack, 1 Durability, epic]