World of Warcraft is an easy game to dive into, but players do have to make some early decisions that will follow their Warcraft character forever. Once a player’s decided what type of WoW server to play on, deciding on a faction is often the next decision.
The Alliance and the Horde
There are two playable World of Warcraft factions: the Alliance and the Horde. Both fight against the demonic invasion of the Scourge, a devastating force that threatens to destroy Azeroth—the world both factions call home.
Just because they have a common enemy, however, doesn’t mean the Alliance and the Horde get along. Far from it—the two World of Warcraft factions are implacable foes, and only cooperate under the most desperate of circumstances.
Stormwind and The Alliance
The Alliance is composed of humans, night elves, dwarves, gnomes, and the draenei (an alien race introduced in the Burning Crusade expansion). Players who enjoy the heroes of traditional fantasies such as The Lord of the Rings are often drawn to the Alliance.
The main stronghold of the Alliance is the human city of Stormwind, which acts as a hub for travel within the Alliance lands. Stormwind is a clean, open city (if you avoid the smoke of the Dwarvish Quarter) with a thriving port.
Orgrimmar and the Horde
At first glance the Horde races look like the traditional villains of fantasy: orcs, trolls, the undead Forsaken, the minotaur-like tauren and the arrogant blood elves. And it’s true that the Horde is often darker in theme than the Alliance (especially the Forsaken, whose ultimate goal may be the extinguishing of all life on Azeroth).
The Horde has its own rules and sense of honor, however. The orcs, who were once thralls of the Scourge, are a warrior culture that prizes bravery. If the humans of World of Warcraft resemble Tolkien’s kingdom of Gondor, the orcs and their home city of Orgrimmar have much in common with the Klingon’s of Star Trek.
Orgrimmar, the orcish stronghold, is the main Horde city. While Stormwind is nestled in a green, lush forest, Orgrimmar is built into the walls of a harsh desert canyon. The Horde is tough, resolute, and willing to do whatever it takes to get a job done.
Shades of Gray in World of Warcraft
It’s too simplistic to think of the Alliance as the good guys and the Horde as the villains. Deceit and treachery can be found in the streets of Stormwind, just as honor and friendship can be found in Orgrimmar. Both sides share the blame for the ongoing conflict between the WoW factions, but each side is, in its own way, fighting for what is right.
Ultimately which World of Warcraft faction players choose—or which race they pick within that faction—is not as important as the career class they choose. The faction players choose, however, says a lot about how their views on heroism, and provides a guideline for how they choose to play WoW.
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