Mountain giant

This article is about the race. For the Warcraft III unit, seeMountain Giant (Warcraft III). For the mob in Feralas, seeMountain Giant (Feralas).

Mountain giants
Faction/Affiliation	Kaldorei,Titans,Elemental Lords,Independent
Homeworld	Azeroth
Language(s)	Kalimag,Darnassian,Common,Titan
Average height	30 ft[1]

Mountain giants are colossal creatures, crafted by thetitans when the world was young.

Background[]

Mountain giants are composed of living stone and stout flora. Crafted epochs ago by the titans from massive sections of stone, these creatures seek to protect the natural environment from any who would cause it harm. Benevolent and solitary by nature, the mountain giants have awakened to find that the tranquil world they once helped to shape has become a hectic battlefield of fire and sorrow. Now the mountain giants have pledged their courage and strength to thenight elves' cause — and stand ready to banish the last remnants of theBurning Legion from the world. These giants can take incredible amounts of punishment from attackers.^[2]

The mountain giants awoke from their "timeless slumber" when theBurning Legion attacked in theThird War, apparently having helped the night elves long ago.^[3] They seem to have started sleeping whenLoken initiated stasis of the giants.^[4] The mountain giants assisted thenight elves not due to a desire to help them in particular, but because the night elves were the largest local force who opposed the Burning Legion. Short of a planetary threat, it is rare to see mountain giants,faerie dragons, orchimaera fighting with a mortal army.^[5] However, mountain giants helped the night elves after the Battle of Mount Hyjal. When theWatchers were fighting againstIllidan's Naga on theBroken Isles,Malfurion Stormrage brought mountain giants fromAshenvale to the isles to aidMaiev Shadowsong.^[6]

Later,mountain giants were rallied inFeralas and aided the night elves once again,^[7] although Horde adventurers were in turn sent to kill some of them and capture their spirits.^[8]Rockbiter also served as an Alliance quest-giver in Feralas.

A healthy giant eats three square meals a decade, and they relieve themselves every fifteen to twenty-five years.^[9] The ancient cliff giants of the southern region ofAzshara consume the rock and buildings of the land for sustenance. The excrement from their consumption is a highly malleable and extremely strong crystal known asAzsharite. The formations litter the southern arc, but few are ever recovered due to the extremely violent nature of thegiants. The giants devour trespassers, and their organic bodies are also transformed into Azsharite. Many heroes recover enough of the Azsharite for the creation of powerful weapon's body.^[10]

The cliff giants of Feralas are extensions of the earth itself. When nature thrives, they are benevolent protectors and peaceful guardians. But when the forest is tainted, so too are they.^[11] When the mountain giants are distraught, they rage in frustration and weep, and their tears fall upon the stones as shining crystals known asStonetears.^[12] The mountain giants are the night elves' most powerful allies of the forest. They're carved from the land itself.^[7] The mountain giants left the mountains to aid the night elves when the burning legion appeared in the world.^[13]

Despite being creations of the titans, some mountain giants, likeBaron Kazum, serve theElemental Lieutenants of theOld Gods.Theradras enthralled the behemoth known asLandslide when she took up residence inMaraudon.^[14] It is unknown what the story is behind the others.

Appearance[]

The mountain giants of stone have northwesternFeralas as their main area, where they go under the names ofCliff Giant andLand Walker. Mountain giants appear to adapt to their surrounding environment and take on characteristics, such as taking on a differing coloration than their standard grey and green. Mountain giants found in desert regions and other places where the soil is naturally red-tinted take on a sandy-colored appearance, but their mossy covering usually remains greenish. Mountain giants found in particularly rocky areas without much greenery can carry mossy covering with a decidedly gray or silvery appearance.

Named[]

As a companion pet[]

•  [Shard of Fozruk] is a rare drop fromFozruk inArathi Highlands when a faction has control overStromgarde Keep.

In the RPG[]

This section contains information from theWarcraft RPG which is considerednon-canon.

The giant has a thick humanoid build and weathered and rocky skin. Its arms are very long for its build, while its legs are quite short. This great creature looks to be composed of roughly hewn stone, patched with moss. Its fists are the size of human torsos, each of its fingers the width of a human arm. It rumbles as it stares down at you. Birthed from the stone, the mountain giants were created to shape the world's mountains. Once they roamed everywhere, crafting the craggy peaks and carving the valleys of Azeroth. Now, few remain to carry out their work. Those left, though, are considered mighty creatures of mythic power and are seen as the mightiest warriors in the world. Mountain giants measure a towering 20 feet tall and weigh nearly 12,000 pounds. Their natural life spans measure into the thousands of years. They carry valuables in cracks and ledges of their skin, tucking jewels and items into niches where they will fit. They leave larger items in mountain caves. They normally eat three meals per decade and go to toilet every 15 to 20 years.

Mountain giants are hermitic, content to hide away in the remote mountains of the world. They are slow to anger, ignoring most annoyances as temporary problems that will eventually disappear. When stirred to anger, however, they are frightening and dangerous. A few years ago, they awakened to discover that the tranquil world they loved is besieged by fire and ash. They left their mountain peaks to join their old allies, the night elves, against the Burning Legion and other forces of destruction. Mountain giants do not reproduce. All mountain giants that exist today are the same creatures that the titans created at the dawn of the world, and the immortal creatures tend to be perpetual and unchanging. Thus, every mountain giant that falls in battle is one that cannot be replaced.^[15][16]

Mountain giants can see twice as far as humans in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. Mountain giants are immortal and never suffer the effects of aging, nor can they die of old age. They can die through other means, as can mortal creatures.^[17] Mountain giants eagerly enter melee combat, believing (usually correctly) that they can destroy anything with their clubs and can absorb whatever their enemies throw at them. They enter the most violent areas of melee, offering themselves as targets to protect their allies.^[16] Mountain giants use longspears formed from mountain stone. The stony hide of the mountain giant is hard and thick, providing it with some protection from magical and normal attacks. A mountain giant can throw rocks as well as any giant. A mountain giant can catch rocks as well. A mountain giant can shape an existing piece of stone into any rough shape, up to thirty cubic feet at a time. The mountain giant can also use this ability to heal itself.^[15] Mountain giants speak Darnassian and Titan. Mountain giants do not concern themselves with learning other languages, but a few of the more adventurous ones find it beneficial to speak Common. But their speech tends to be crude and dim-witted.^[17][16][18] Every once in a while, a mountain giant leaves its home in Kalimdor and travels into the larger world. An adventuring giant usually joins a particular night elf friend, but not always. Mountain giants rarely explain their actions; they simply walk out of the forests, then travel the roads, or the trackless wilderness, or board a ship without a word; perhaps they simply assume that everyone else takes it on faith that they know what they’re doing.^[17]

Notes and trivia[]

• The giantsFozruk andThenan had allied with theDrywhisker kobolds to trapMyzrael.^[19]
• Seems mountain giants only need to release their bowels every 15-25 years.^[9]
• Mountain giants eat rocks, stones, and earth. Though they sometimes find the crunch of bones makes a delightful seasoning.^[20]
• Other assorted skins found in the files for mountain giants are listed ashill giant, "fel giant", "forest giant", "mountaingiantpartialwhitecrystal ", and "mountaingiantwhitecrystal ".[1]. These represent color variations for mountain giants, but have not been confirmed to be official types of mountain giant. For example, the skin used to represent "frost giant" is called "tundra giant" in the files. The model used for stone giants is referred to as "mountaingianthowling" but are called stone giants in game.
• Located onisland expedition isles,Earthliving Giant andGoldenvein are unique-lookingAzerite mountain giants that are recolored versions of amolten giant.

Gallery[]

• 
  Mountain giant inWarcraft III: The Frozen Throne.
• 
  Warcraft III: Reforged concept art.
• 
  InWarcraft III: Reforged.
• 
  Mountain Giant unit icon inWarcraft III: Reforged.
• 
  [Mastery: Giantkiller] icon art.
• 
  RPG art of a mountain giant, druid of the claw and bear.

See also[]

• Ice giant
• Molten giant
• Wood giant
• Colossus

References[]