Far seer

Not to be confused with Seer.

Though the far seers (a.k.a. farseers) were thought to be an orcish tradition, it appears that all highly accomplished shaman can become a far seer; Nobundo is referred to as a "farseer" in spite of the orcish tradition. This could mean that far seer is in fact a shamanistic title or that the draenei took the title from the orcs.

Orc far seers

WC3 Far Seer art

The far seers are an elite group of ancient orcs who represent the pinnacle of shamanistic power. These powerful shamans, who preside over matters mystical for the Horde, are counted amongst Thrall's closest advisors and are constantly in tune with the workings and maneuverings of the Horde. Far seers are not only tied to the elements of the earth and sky, but are also adept at foretelling the future. Their wisdom is outshined only by their courage and ferocity in combat. When the enemies of the horde advance, the far seers mount their loyal dire wolves and wade into battle wielding all the elemental powers of their shamanistic birthright.

Far seers are adept at seeing places and events that are distant in both space and time, allowing them to foretell the future to a degree. Many say that they are the pinnacle of shamanistic development. The far seer is an orc tradition, but they sometimes train members of their allied races in its ways, especially tauren. These shaman are wise and often old. Most shaman of this type do not actually earn the title "far seer" until late in their lives, but they must begin training at an early age. ^{(HPG 16)}

Far seers are some of the most respected shaman in the Horde. Most of them ride great white wolves to battle — some say this practice is in homage of the Frostwolf clan, of which Thrall was the chieftain before he united the Horde. The orc far seer is the most respected of shaman. He is not a dedicated battlefield mage; however, the guidance provided by his visionary powers can prove to be more valuable than a dozen skilled warriors. In combat, a far seer prefers to sit back and summon spirits to do his bidding, but if he's pressed into melee, he can be a formidable adversary. ^{(HPG 194-195)}

In addition to being the warchief, Thrall is also an accomplished and practicing far seer. He was trained by the ancient far seer Drek'Thar.

Far seers in Warcraft III

This section concerns content exclusive to Warcraft III.

Far seers can be granted visions of distant places and summon both the elements and spirit wolves to protect them. Far seers also have a Chain Lightning spell. Perhaps their most powerful spell is the ability to summon the element of earth to induce a massive Earthquake.

Notable far seers

• Far Seer Mok'thardin
• Far Seer Regulkut
• Zor Lonetree
• Thrall
• Drek'Thar
• Farseer Nobundo
• Farseer Umbrua
• Farseer Javad
• Kalthar
• Bale Bleakstare
• Morg Wolfsong
• Nazgrel (listed as a far seer in Warcraft III, supported by the TCG which lists him as a shaman. It is likely based on his appearance and class in the cancelled Warcraft Adventures.)
• Farseer Corhuk
• Farseer Kurkush
• Farseer Margadesh
• Farseer Grimwalker

Others

This section concerns content exclusive to Warcraft III.

• Gar'dal Grimsight, Negal Fireye, Kazil Darkeye, Magis Coldeye, Gorr Grimwolf, Kag'ar Winterfang, Morg Wolfsong, Kazragore, Fenris'ar Gul.

Trivia

• Interesting to know is that the title of the orcish far seers has been translated into German as "Scharfseher", which is analog to the translation in Warcraft III. (Far seer directly translated into German is "Fernseher", which is the German word for TV.) The title of draenei far seers in contrast was translated as "Weissager", which would mean "prophet" translated back to English.
• Another interesting translation is the Russian one, where Farseer is translated to "Govoriaśij s Duhami" (alternate transliteration Govoriahsii s Dukhami; approximately, "[He Who] Speaks to Spirits"), which may be inspired by quotes by Thrall to that effect, such as "The spirits will guide me".
• The term Farseer is also used in the Warhammer 40,000 fictional universe, where it is a title for high-ranking "psykers" (essentially, wizard equivalents, within that universe's science-fiction setting) of the Eldar ("elf") race.
  • While Warhammer 40,000 is a far-future science-fiction universe, it is itself a derivative of the older (but now perhaps lesser-known) Warhammer Fantasy (or simply Warhammer) universe, and therefore features science-fiction-ized equivalents of Elves, Orcs, Medieval-style humans, magic, and so on.
  • In fact, Blizzard at one point considered setting the original Warcraft: Orcs and Humans in the Warhammer Fantasy universe. The company ultimately decided against this for a number of reasons, but there is generally considered to be a fairly high degree of inspiration in the setting. This may account for the similarity of the Farseer title, although it may also be coincidental.