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Heroes of the Horde
The orcish heroes include some punishing fighters and a few spellcasters. Heroes are definitely the focus of Warcraft III, and you'll need to use them wisely to achieve victory. All heroes are special units that can be acquired either in traditional ways such as by purchasing them in town, or through more unorthodox means such as rescuing them in a quest. Heroes are special because they can gain experience and level up, gaining new powers. All heroes have core attributes that inform their stats, such as hit points, attack, and mana, as well as spells or skills they can learn upon advancing levels and a special ability. The hero's special ability is a bonus it confers to regular units in its area of influence, which is basically a screen's length. All units within the area of the hero's ability range gain bonuses, such as faster mana regeneration or stronger attacks. Here are the orc units we know of so far.
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Farseer: This orc hero is a flying unit. The Farseer is actually an old shaman who rides a wraith-like wyvern that looks like it's made out of black, wispy shadows. The wings of this black creature look almost transparent. The Farseer himself should be even more impressive than his mount, what with powerful spellcasting abilities. According to Pardo, the Farseers are the closest advisors to Thrall, and forecast the future with their magic. They command elemental magic in battle.
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Tauren Chieftain: This minotaur hero is a bruising warrior that is easily larger than any of the other orc and human units. He wields a great glowing ax and could be one of the strongest melee units in the game. A tattooed warrior, the Tauren Chieftain wears the totems of his lost tribe on his back. He has a special attack called the war stomp. When he stomps the ground, a shockwave emanates from his feet that stun all nearby enemies.
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Spirit Walker: The spirit walker is a spellcasting hero. He wears a wolf skin over his body as his emblem and his armor. Although he looks impressive, we didn't get to see his in-game capabilities. According to Pardo, the Spirit Walkers are highly specialized shamen who aide the Horde by calling on the dead souls of orcish warriors to bolster the strength and morale of the living orcs. They focus their spells on animal spirits and dreams.
Blademaster: The blademaster is the hero first shown in the ECTS demo where Warcraft III was first announced. A a short, unarmored orc, the blademaster is nevertheless a powerful warrior who attacks with quickness and finesse, in lieu of the Tauren Chieftain's brute strength. 
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The blademaster wears a battle standard on his back and wields a long, curved sword reminiscent of a katana.
Warlord: The warlord was also shown in the ECTS demo. He rides a large, black charger and wields a shield and large, spiked mace. What distinguishes him are his horse, horned helm, and his large gut.
In general, it appears that the orcs are currently the most complete of all the known Warcraft III races. They were revealed first, and so it's logical that the most work has been done on them. Aside from what we've written before, we know that the peon is returning to Warcraft III and that gold will be a primary resource for the Horde. In addition, according to Pardo, it looks like the orcs will have the most traditional tech tree, with the most buildings. Like in Warcraft II, you will need to build a barracks for melee units and then the troll lodge for the ranged hunter unit, which opens the witch doctor building, and so forth.
Now that we've previewed a little of the orcish Horde, let's turn our eyes to the human Alliance.
Next: Alliance units
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