239: For the Horde!

[Jonathan Glover]

For the Horde!

World of Warcraft lets you choose between siding with the noble, heroic Alliance and the dubious, downtrodden Horde. But what kind of player would want to play as the anti-heroes of Azeroth? Jon Glover speaks with a number of Horde players about their faction of choice.

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[backster]

I play both Horde and Alliance and I find that my hatred goes to the players whether Horde or Alliance that sole aim is to constantly screw with the other side for no other reason than to get the QQs. I am not talking about the raiders that pour into stormwind to smash the King (I so hate him anyway!) or face down Thrall in Orgrimmar. I am talking about the guys or gals that kill all the quest givers and flight master over and over again in low level areas just to make leveling for the other side a pain.
I do have friends and co-workers who play Horde or Alliance only and even show a bit of disdain for others being the enemy. They try to convince or shame others into changing but that doesn't work on me. I laugh and explain that I have toons on both sides so I see the whole picture and I am way better for it in the long run besides it isn't the side you choose it is the fun you have discovering what is waiting around the next quest path!

 

[Hirvox]

I chose Horde to try out a few character concepts that I had in mind.

First, there was a Forsaken priest, who was basically an innocent victim of the plague who woke up in a world where everything either hated or feared him. I wanted to find out how long I could plausibly maintain his good nature, which didn't turn out to be long. He ended up as a bitter hermit.

The second was a troll mage, who used soft words and the desire to do the right thing to disguise her inherently violent and sometimes downright sadistic nature. She fared much better, able to talk her way out of most situations and guilt-tripping her opponents when she didn't.

 

[MimsySnark]

Very interesting. When I started playing WoW back in 2007, I too joined Alliance because that's what my real-life friends were. It didn't take long before I wished we would all switch to Horde, because Alliance was always getting OWNED by them in BGs.

Since then, I've started a few Horde alts for several reasons: I wanted to explore new areas, I heard more Horde players were more often older/more mature and I too have a weakness for the underdogs. Ultimately, I've never stuck with them, mostly because I find Alliance lands/people more aesthetically pleasing, plus I didn't really find Horde players to be more mature on the whole as some people had led me to expect. I'll still revisit Horde characters whenever I want to try new quests, though. I'm just glad I have so many options.

 

[The Lizard of Odd]

Cool article! It's great to read such an interesting viewpoint . . . I have always played horde, and have a special place for them in my heart, but do not hold any particular hatred for the Alliance. I'm a big lore-nut, and I know that despite their appearances and blood-strewn past, most members of the horde are, as you say, victims who have banded together. The level of inter-racial camaraderie and trust within the horde (for now...stupid war-mongering Grommash) has traditionally been much stronger and more strait forward in the Horde. The alliance has held together because they had to...Elves and Dwarves would have nothing to do with each other if they could help it, and humans are arrogant and standoffish to non-humans by nature.
Granted, the forsaken have not always had the horde's best interest in mind, but Sylvannas at least has proven to be loyal to Thrall. That Thrall would be so willing to welcome such a wide variety of people in harsh situations, and then have them continue to prove loyal to him, shows him to be the excellent leader that he is (His story and character are my favorite of WoW lore).
Sadly, peace is boring to most people, so that's all going to be shattered alongside the world in Cataclysm.

In the end, Horde are more interesting to me because they are NOT human. I am human every day, why should I want to play one in a game like WoW? I DO generally find them to be more mature, and though I may not find orcs/tauren/trolls/undead particularly kissable, their character and strength appeal to my heart and have created in me a loyal member of the Horde. Lok'tar Ogar! I am a nerd!
-Nhihira, tauren druid, of The Unbroken on Steamweedle Cartel.

 

[Lucifron]

Ah! The 12-year old Alliance middle-class whiner reveals himself!

Oh wait...

I really liked that article. Alot of the facts you unearthed echo my own past experiences with World of Warcraft as both an Alliance and a Horde player. My first-ever character was an Orc hunter, created when I was but a snot-nosed punk, and I was drawn to the Horde because I immediately fell in love with them as an even younger snot-nosed punk when I watched my Father playing Warcraft II. It was never a choice. The pre-WoW fluff of Warcraft coupled with the cinematics of Warcraft II and III have forever ensured that orcs will have an endeared position in my heart.

And concerning the PvP: in my experience it is indeed correct that the horde has superior pvp'ers. On every server I've played on with equal Horde/Alliance populations, the horde has always been the dominating force. Sometimes even when outgunned. This is, I believe, because the Horde attracts older players than the Alliance on an average.

 

[Jory]

I've always played Horde. Was probably a "play with friends" thing at first. I keep getting so close to re subscribing.

 

[boholikeu]

Regarding the Horde's supposed PVP dominance, I think it has become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. People interested in PVP (who are thus also more likely to be good at PVP) roll Horde because the Horde always wins. Likewise, I find that when I play on my Alliance alts there's more of a "let's just get this over with" or "just lose if it'll mean faster marks" mentality in the battlegrounds.

 

[The Philistine]

Hasn't this sort of article been recycled enough since the inception of WoW?

"The Horde is tribal and less familiar than the castles and knights that draw 12 year olds." Yes, the Horde is the archetypal bad guys living in a less explored side of fantasy. Does that mean they draw in older players? Not necessarily. You wind up with folks who like to roleplay something more on the fringes. And the types that are attracted to pretty elves and ghouls. I think the factions do tend to attract different types of people, but it really depends on where you're looking. There are communities on both factions that develop and attract different players, which varies from server to server.

"Horde are on average better pvpers."
Well of course you're going to see that sort of thing on the SK100. Which races do you typically see up there? Blood elves, forsaken, tauren, sometimes orcs, humans, and night elves. All races that have advantageous racial bonuses for pvp. That sort of thing attracts the players who really want to min/max.

 

[ma55ter_fett]

I liked this article, I know that us horde players are rough around the edges but most are good sorts when you get to know us. This helps explain why you had a hard time getting a raider to talk to you.

A Horde player won't give you the time of day unless you have fought/healed/tanked at his/her side through many battles, its the bonds forged in battle (or those of long aquantience) that make the horde such a tight knit bunch.

 

[John Funk]

I firmly believe that there is no essential difference between those who play Alliance and those who play Horde. We all THINK that "Oh, X tends to be Y while A tends to be B, and Alliance players are whiny kids while Horde are all mature brothers in arms," but really, it's bullshit.

The only real standout is the PvP thing, and that's because A.) Horde racials are better for this sort of thing, and B.) it's kind of self-fulfilling. Serious PvPers roll Horde because DUH, everyone knows that Horde is for PvP.

 

[drisky]

I don't play WoW but everyone i know who plays it plays Horde. Alot of them say they prefer the community and its not about the PvP, or they prefer the ascetics of monsters and grittiness.

 

[BlueInkAlchemist]

I played Horde-side. I found the community to be more mature and supportive pretty much all around. And that's where I met my wife.

 

[driveBYargument]

I mostly play the alliance, though I do have one horde priest. Other players I know IRL (Minus my brother) plays horde, and nothing is mature about the way they taunt me about how I'm a tard for being with the alliance.
That sad little anecdote aside, I really see no difference in the sides, besides what my avatar looks like and maybe racial abilities. Maturity and community only comes from the crowd you decide to immerse yourself in.

Besides everyone knows that there is no such thing as maturity on the interweb.

 

[GrinningManiac]

Interesting notion, the idea that either side attracts different people (and the idea that Alliance/Human/Justice-serving Good Guy sides are usually arrogant, eletist and nasty whilst the simple Orc/Monster/Tribe/Bad Guy side is usually quite polite and communal (which actually makes sense if you look at it narritavely))

Still don't like WoW, though

 

[VanBasten]

My first and main character is an Orc, mainly because they're basically green Klingons.

 

[CrysisMcGee]

The only reason I went with alliance was because Gnomes have 5% increased intellect. Other than that I don't have any preference for a faction.

The words "For the Horde!" will always remind me of Warcraft 2.

 

[Grahav]

Passion for the underdogs.

 

[oathblade]

A very nice article. Id like to add a viewpoint from a gray-fur.

I started hordeside in classic/vanilla with my taureness hunter (Alli was my NE priest). I tried a few other realms pre BC and what I found (On RP realms) was the same. Horde was for alunts who were more serious about the game than the pretty mama's boys of the alliance.

BC and the Elf invasion of the horde changed that somewhat but its remained a more 'we dont put up with your Sh" side. Thats the main reason I prefer Horde. I play Alli now on two servers but I can only find RP hordeside, and find amazing rp in my guild Tears of Draenor (www.tearsofdraenor.net).

Druidboyz summed it up very well here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb_QKhIViTI

 

[The Great JT]

I played Warcraft III and liked the Horde's campaigns more than the Alliance's (the blood elves' was my favorite).

I try and keep an Alliance/Horde balance, but it's easy to pick sides.