Origin

Blizzard presented two versions of his origin story, from original and alternate timeline. In the first one he was a member of Shadowmoon clan and apprentice of Ner'Zul. Despite being a shaman he eventually betrayed his fellow orcs and orchestrated the destruction of Draenor and invasion on Azeroth, destroying countless innocent lifes in the process.

His origin in alternate timeline is more tragic. Born as a cripple in a harsh society that valued strenght and honor. Gul'Dan was always an outcast but his stubbornness and ambition only made it more unbearable. After his exile he decided to seek out the throne of elements only to find out they they would not accept him. In the darkness the other voice began to whisper and so Gul'Dan became a warlock in service of Burning Legion.

Power and Abilities

As a warlock Gul'Dan has access to various destructive powers but it's his allegiance to the Legion that made him truly powerful. His magic allowed him to:

• Produce a fel flame.
• Create fel in liquid form.
• Solidify fel into a giant spikes.
• Destroy a living beings with a touch.

Fel is incredibly dangerous be it flame or liquid form. It is corrupting and far more deadly than simple flame. With it Gul'Dan could match one of the most powerful spellcasters in Azeroth - Archmage Khadgar and destroy entire villages or fortresses.

Additionaly Gul'Dan has access to other powers such as:

• Invisibility
• Life drain
• Demon summoning

Thanks to raw power he could effortlessly drain life from dozen of beings at once or summon gigantic demons.

Last but not least intelligence. Gul'Dan was capable of manipulating entire societies and influence world events in order to achieve his goals.