Uruks were a stronger breed of Orc that was considered higher in rank than regular Orcs. There were many different types of Uruks bred in different places. They were sometimes known as Uruk-hai or Great Orcs. Sauron's Uruks were mostly called Uruks and sometimes known as Black Uruks, while Uruk-hai was more used for Saruman's breed of the deadly orcs.
History[]
Uruks were first bred by Sauron in Mordor at an unknown time. They quickly became the dominant species of orc in Mordor and spread out across the lands. Following Sauron's banishment from Dol Guldur during the Third Age, he started breeding Uruks throughout Mordor once again.
Shortly before the War of the Ring, Saruman the White joined forces with the dark lord Sauron and bred his own Uruks in the fortress of Orthanc at Isengard. Lurtz was the first of the Uruk-hai that served Saruman and then many more followed. Saruman sent out his first wave of Uruk-hai to chase down the Fellowship of the Ring. Lurtz and his pack of Uruks reached the fellowship at Amon Hen where they successfully killed Boromir and broke up the fellowship. Lurtz would then be stabbed and beheaded by Aragorn, Uglúk taking his place as chieftain. The Uruk-hai scouts, believing either Merry of Pippin to have the One Ring, captured them and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli were forced to track their pack for many days. The last of the scouts were finally killed by Éomer and the riders of Rohan during the night, Merry and Pippin escaping into Fangorn Forest.
While this was all happening, Saruman continued to breed Uruk-hai at Isengard. Most of these Uruk-hai were fully armored soldiers and were trained for use in an army. By the time the Rohhirim reached Helm's Deep, Saruman had successfully bred 10,000. The Uruk-hai army attacked Helm's Deep and managed to breach the defenses of the Rohhirim. After a long night of battle, Gandalf eventually arrived with Éomer and his men and they swept in and took out the remaining Uruks.
While Uruks were no longer as common in Mordor, they still existed within the ranks as shock troops, many of the captains of Mordor and Minas Morgul being great orcs. Shagrat was a notable Uruk in Cirith Ungol that captured Frodo Baggins on his way to Mount Doom.
Shadow of War Timeline[]
Shadow of War content
The Monolith games, Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, are confirmed to be non-canonical in the Middle-earth cinematic universe and therefore take place in their own timeline adjacent to the movies. See Canon for more information. |
After Sauron's return to Mordor following the Battle of Five Armies, Uruks invaded the nearby kingdom of Gondor and took slaves back to Mordor to work for them. Uruks were the majority of Sauron's army during his conflict with the "gravewalker" Talion the Ranger.
Variants[]
Trivia[]
- Although they look large and strong enough to be Uruks, Azog and Bolg are actually Gundabad Orcs which are elite enough on their own. Same can be said for the Guldur Orcs in The Battle of the Five Armies; these are an elite Moria Orc crossbreed.
- Gothmog in The Return of the King is often mistaken for a Black Uruk but is another breed of elite orc; the Morannon Orc.
Appearances[]
Canon[]
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King