To WoW players: Horde or Alliance?

[Steve]

I'm still somewhat new to the game; only started playing it in June and my primary is a Level 43 Dwarf Paladin. But now that I'm playing the game and have learned some of the topics and such for players, I figured I'd ask one myself.


Of the two, which do you prefer? From a player viewpoint, an aesthetic viewpoint, and a sympathy viewpoint (by which I mean, if it was real, which side would you favor supporting?).

[RazorOutlaw]

I prefer the Alliance out of sympathy. Yes, the Orcs were manipulated and all that but the Alliance suffered the most because their homelands were trashed twice. The Kingdom of Azeroth/Stormwind got lucky, but all the same it kind of sucks for the Eastern Kingdoms. They're all technically good too, what with none of them being as bad as the Forsaken or the Darkspear trolls. On the other hand the Orcs aren't all that bad anymore, they're just trying to find their place.

I dunno, the fact that Orcs ravaged the human kingdoms at all immediately put me in favor of the Alliance as it was.

Edit:
And I forgot to answer the rest of the questions. From a player standpoint, I really enjoy my Alliance Paladin. The quests can be fun, things aren't always hard to get to (I hate the continent hoping though), and in general the population I play with has been fairly mature. I've only ran into a few angry young teens, however as it ends up the people I quest with are teens anyway. We get along fine despite the age difference.

Hmm and after reading a few things here, I'm not looking forward to the kinds of crazy bullshit that my Orc warrior is going to have to go through.

Aesthetically I prefer the Alliance too, because a lot of what they have looks familiar. Orcs have their weird bone-type structures, the Forsaken live in decrepit areas, the Tauren live in teepees, and none of that is familiar. Humans, Dwarves, Gnomes all have similar furnishings and set-ups that I would expect. Not to mention that the Alliance seems to have the best music so far.

rom a player viewpoint, an aesthetic viewpoint, and a sympathy viewpoint (by which I mean, if it was real, which side would you favor supporting?).

[Crossroads Inc.]

I think the whole "Real" vs "Game" view on it is an interesting angle to take.

In the game, I'm Horde. To a server it seems you just find more mature and helpful people in the Horde. Theres jerks and assholes on both sides to be sure. But by and large I have always found much more support and better players on the Horde side.

Now if this was "Real" If WoW was a real place, with real people, and I had to choose a side... I might actually go alliance.

I won't kid you, the motives of "the foresaken" give me the hebejebies. And if I am going to goto an Inn at the end of the day, Allaince actually have BEDS for you to sleep in. Better towns, better inferstructure, that and theres less "not nice" things.

The Orcs arn't evil any more, In game fluff and all there ok guys if you just leave them alone. Who knows, If I found myself living in Azeroth I'd probably wont a few as friends.... But I'd still Live in an Alliance City

[Ghost Rider]

I like the Alliance a little bit more for where things are placed. Horde have some of the most fucked up way points and shittiest class quests. Too many "Oh...we want you to kill this guy, and oh yeah he's in a zone that basically needs you to be 3-4 levels higher then you are now. You're not? Enjoying getting ass busted by the all the monsters in that zone.". That and the Alliance doesn't have the Barrens. I so fucking hate that zone...so fucking hate it. The Blood Elves zones are what should've been in the beginning.

As for maturity, been on at least five servers, two very established, three new(well when they came out) and between the factions, no real change. I've met great Alliance and asshole ninjas, and same with the Horde. Fuckers pick whatever side the coin flip tells them.

As for PvP...that too is debateable. Some battlegroups have excellent Horde or Alliance. I've seen Horde dominated AVs, and Alliance dominated WSGs.

For which side would I pick...Alliance. They are fuckers, but the Forsaken are nearly "Make everyone like us!!!". Most of the Horde aren't too bad, but damn the Forsaken are worse then the Humans are.

[ArmorPierce]

The foresaken are pretty evil, going to the extent of tricking their allies and using them for experiments (one of the quests you use potion on an tauren that I think you kill). However, there justification seems to be that they wanted originally be left alone, but every human paladin has it in for them. From what I recall of the beginning quests when I played wow, the foresaken are a very tragic and emo race with a lot of them recalling happier times with their family before the war.

[Elaro]

Though I don't play WoW, aesthetically, I'd have to go with Horde. Purely for the warcry:
"FOR THE HOOORDE!" (At about 4:50 in)

[The Yosemite Bear]

both and I don't have a character abouve level 30

[Dark Hellion]

For style, I say you gotta go horde. Giant Cowfolk, zombies, and bloodraging orks.

As for player bases, on both old servers I played on the Horde had far less people, so while the asshole % may have been similar, you encountered 3 asshole alliance for every asshole horde. This made the Horde so much easier to work with.

On the new servers it seems to be more evenly spread. And really it isn't horde or alliance but young vs. old and serious vs. jerkoff that are the real factors.

[PainRack]

The Forsaken are seriously scary when one comes to think of it...... I recall walking around in their city, trying to get to the throne room(did I forget to mention that they must have the most fucked up capital city design in the entire game), and I got scared shitless when I suddenly heard wailing.

Turns out I stumbled into a room beside the apothecaries, where two female prisoners were being held...... And of course, there's the ever-lasting deathmatch between human captives, reanimated to become zombies, then bigger zombies...........


And of course, the quest where you have to poison a dog is wickedly sick...............

[2000AD]

For The Horde!!!

More specifically Taurens FTW. The Taurens are the only race that really appealed to me.

[Ford Prefect]

Like 2000AD, I'm positively inclined towards the Tauren, though I am fond of the Orcs and Trolls. Not so much the Forsaken, but I have to applaud the Horde for their willingness to accept them into the fold and support them.

[LapsedPacifist]

I've played Hordeside almost exclusively, but started to get into the Draeni guests and storyline. Trolls are a favorite of mine.

But Spacegoats... Sexy sexy spacegoats....

LP \

[Rye]

Of the two, which do you prefer? From a player viewpoint, an aesthetic viewpoint, and a sympathy viewpoint (by which I mean, if it was real, which side would you favor supporting?).

From a player viewpoint, I prefer the Horde, though their FPs suck, at least they have 2 in STV. The Horde main cities annoy the shit out of me, though. They couldn't design a decent straightforward town like Ironforge if their lives depended on it. I hate Stormwind too, but at least that looks alright. Right now my home is the Undercity, though, and while the green goo looks cool, it's not half a ball ache to get anywhere, plus there's no damn jewelcrafter trainers or forges. Would it have been really that hard to put them in somewhere? Horde level a lot faster due to grind quests, it seems, though, so that's made the game a better experience, I have to say.

Aesthetics, I prefer alliance, though the blood elves are hot, the Trolls, Orks, Tauren and undead are all fugly. Humans and night elves are all nice to look at. Alliance towns also look ten times better.

Sympathy-wise, I would side with the humans and elves, they're a bit more trustworthy, more pleasant amenities, etc.

[Lord Revan]

well other then that most of my current friends are on the Alliance side I have no real prefence at all and while Horde does have those "fuck you sideways with barded dildo" class quests I don't mind playing there either.

[The Yosemite Bear]

mind you the alliance has that "swampthing" quests

oh and my two forsaken are presently

Schrodinger
male warlock

Kathy
female rogue




yes, schrodinger and kat

[Lord Pounder]

When I played I had chars on either side. My first char was a Tauren Warrior called Pounder and since then I've had a soft spot for them. Their capital is pretty good once you get used to it and there is just such a spiritual feel to them. My favourite char was my Forsaken Rogue, Wykd Rose. The forsaken area's have a great crepy feel about them and the female forsaken emotes and moves with her specials just ruled. If I ever went back I'l play a gnome rogue and call him BiteYerAnkle, gnomes are hard enough to see at the best of times, so one that can cloak would pwn.

[Molyneux]

When I played I had chars on either side. My first char was a Tauren Warrior called Pounder and since then I've had a soft spot for them. Their capital is pretty good once you get used to it and there is just such a spiritual feel to them. My favourite char was my Forsaken Rogue, Wykd Rose. The forsaken area's have a great crepy feel about them and the female forsaken emotes and moves with her specials just ruled. If I ever went back I'l play a gnome rogue and call him BiteYerAnkle, gnomes are hard enough to see at the best of times, so one that can cloak would pwn.

I have to say I was a bit nonplussed by the "Native American"-style elevators...but by and large, the Tauren seem pretty cool.

The Forsaken...I haven't played too far as them, but do you HAVE to be unpleasant if you play that race?

[Archaic`]

With the right gear on (to hide exposed bones on the legs and arms, and the claw-like hands), and the right mix on facial styles, etc, you can get a Forsaken that looks pretty much like a regular human with very pale skin.

[Vaporous]

The Horde, certainly. (60 undead lock)

As for the Forsaken being evil, its in degrees. Everyone remembers poisoning the dog and such, but in the beginning of the game you get a few quests where you're honoring the dead and making blankets for the elderly. I think the lore explanation is that the Forsaken slowly lose access to human desires outside of vengeance until they revert to mindlessness and re-die. That tends to the "avenge me on these people who are already dead" type quests come from. Basically, Death Stalkers and creepy Royal Apothecary Society types are on the way evil end of the curve.

As for city design, I think Silvermoon gives Stormwind a run for its money.

[Lord Pounder]

I have to say I was a bit nonplussed by the "Native American"-style elevators...but by and large, the Tauren seem pretty cool.

The Forsaken...I haven't played too far as them, but do you HAVE to be unpleasant if you play that race?

Nah, I used to be quite a good wee rogue, helping out newbs getting ganked and defending the Crossroads several times a day, usually taking a day out from grinding to help a guildie power through a difficult quest. Several of the quests are kinda evil in nature, getting ingredients to release a new plague on the humans etc but they have little or no impact on the gaming world. Ofcourse in one server I played on the A forsaken only guild wanted to keep "the living filth" out of their city and where generally a shower of griefers. There was a Tauren onlu guild called Bulls on Parade that declared war on them. RP servers get a little weird like that.

[Lord Revan]

The Forsaken...I haven't played too far as them, but do you HAVE to be unpleasant if you play that race?

not really the Forsaken aren't the Scourge, while they do have a rather strong evil style to them, they know what manners are and act accordingly, the way I approach them RPwise is that abit they're like Paltine/Darth Sidious before he was exposed, as in they can be polite and even helpfull, but they've seen too many times their friends and loved ones turn on them when the Plague overtook them (assuming those people were alive still) to truly trust the living.

So the Forsaken are not evil per se (as in kick puppies and newborns for fun evil), but they're convinced that only way people will leave them alone is if they see their point of view (which ofc means they must become undead too). So they help the living but only if doesn't compromize their own agenda.

the Sin'dorei are a bit like that too (but not as much).

[Molyneux]

Hm...maybe I won't play an undead character past ten or so after all, then. I did like those starting missions that involved you helping folk - like killing that Scourge zombie to fulfill his wife's dying wish (bury him with her), or killing things to help make bandages for other Forsaken. I like the idea of them as basically bound together through a shared undeath - protect other Forsaken above all else, and destroy anything that tries to harm them, but not actively seeking out trouble.

So as the game story puts it, the orcs, trolls and Tauren are actually sticking together out of mutual trust and bound by oaths, while the Forsaken are just using the Horde to protect them from the humans?

...and what is the Blood Elves' deal, anyhow?

[Archaic`]

Blood Elves had been kicked out of the Alliance, and needed the help of others to hold back the Scourge on their doorstep, which the Forsaken provided. They also sought to gain a foothold in Outland, something which they could not have accomplished on their own, without support from one of the two big power blocks. With the Alliance wanting no more to do with them, who else would they go with?

[ArmorPierce]

I left before the expansion pack story line additions. Are the blood elves still under illidain?

[Comosicus]

I left before the expansion pack story line additions. Are the blood elves still under illidain?

Only the blood elves that left to Outlands with Kael'thas are serving Illidan (and not even all of them - the Scryers are blood elf defectors that chose to fight their former leaders because of their connections with the Burning Legion). The Blood Elves from Azeroth (the playable ones) have joined the Horde in order to become reunited with their departed expedition, but they seem to be against Kael'thas, Illidan and the Legion as well.

You can read more on this on the WOW Wiki page on Blood Elves