Breakfast Topic: Major city vibes
by Amanda Miller 
Apr 2nd 2008 at 8:00AM
For example, he points out that Ironforge has an impressive entrance and heroic theme-music, while Undercity is a broken, sad place. What do you guys think? Does the lore behind each major city justify the design, or should some of the cities have been given a little more development love?
Personally, Undercity is my favorite city in the entire game, and I find parts of the Alliance capitols to be a bit overly patriotic and proud. How do you feel about the major cities, and what would you change if you could? Where do you feel most at home, and why (the racial capitol of your main or first character, etc)?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Breakfast Topics, Lore
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
sniped43 Apr 2nd 2008 8:06AM
I originate from Orgrimmar but have recently moved in with my aunt in Shattrath. But gosh I miss the family back in Org ;( Such history in that city.
Adi Apr 2nd 2008 10:10AM
Like, five years of history at best? Orgrimmar is fairly new you know.
bfgirl Apr 2nd 2008 8:07AM
The city I know best has to be Stormwind, my main is human so I have had to run around the place many times. I like the feel of all the horde cities but the layout doesn't always seem to be as well thought out, it takes ages to get anywhere and the map can be confusing. Took me a while to figure out how to get to all the areas in Orgrimmar for example.
Ambril Apr 2nd 2008 8:11AM
Can't say I agree at all. The Horde cities have always struck me as more impressive overall than the Alliance counterparts. Orgrimmar just feels immense and imposing, Thunderbluff is breath-taking, Undercity is just plain cool.
Let's not even get into comparing Silvermoon to the Exodar. Silvermoon is stunning.
SaintStryfe Apr 2nd 2008 2:54PM
Gee, crashed spaceship versus 1000 year old civilization. Real fair comparison....
Danarca Apr 2nd 2008 8:14AM
Aye, Silvermoon used to be part of the Alliance, and then add some magic-abusing... Just plain wow...
My jaw hang down the first time I entered, damn!
AndyF Apr 2nd 2008 8:21AM
Undercity has that sweet 'hub' feel about it, that you can get to any NPC pretty quickly from any other part of UC.
You can also do the AH - mailbox - bank route without being dismounted :)
Erika Apr 2nd 2008 8:56AM
I like the hub feel also but Undercity needs more mailboxes.
Clasifyd Apr 2nd 2008 10:43AM
I completely agree about the mailbox... That's a huge city for only one mailbox. I hate how the arena/BG masters are ALL the way down into the imperial quarters, too. Other than that, everything is very well layed out, I'd say.
ScytheNoire Apr 2nd 2008 8:25AM
I think each of the cities fits their respective races fairly well. Iron Forge is probably the easiest to navigate, simply because of it's circular design that is all on one level. Undercity gets annoying simply because there are multiple levels in the middle and some outside areas. Ogrimmar is probably the most impressive when you first enter it. Stormwind, while well done, needs to be finished. Silvermoon is very impressive at the entrances. Darnassus... can't we just burn the place down already?
Charlie Apr 2nd 2008 1:47PM
Mmm, artistically i think Darnassus is one of the best, right behind Silvermoon. But dear god is it a pain in the ass to navigate, everything is so spread and and, its just bleh. Worst city to be in if you actually need to DO something. On the same token, I've personally always loved IF just because its so easy to navigate.
Anyways, in terms of those that needed a bit more developmental love, id rank darnassus and exodar at the top of my list. I understand what they were trying to do with the Exodar but its just to.... purple.
And in response to the Olsen and the OP, the lore definatley "justifies the design". I mean, would you really want the UC to be like stormwind or IF? It woulnd't fit the race at all.
Anyways, heres to hoping that Dalaran tops them all!
Bloodthorn Apr 2nd 2008 12:33PM
exodar looks really great, but to me it was so confusing and damn annoying to navigate that I took the fastest train out of there, it is deffo the capitol I like the least.
ogr looks really great, but can be a bit confusing, especially to newcomers, but after having played for 2 years I still have trouble finding all the different vendors there (I suck, I know) compared to undercity that's so darn easy and fast to navigate, but suffers from long travel time in/out, but so does most capitols I guess..
Lanth Apr 2nd 2008 8:29AM
I find something awesome about Orgrimmar's entrance. Once you go through the little mini-passage into the city, just the way it drops down and then rises up with all the buildings, lets you see the whole front, instead of just seeing the first buildings.
Also, Shattrath's entrance is well designed. You come down from Zangarmarsh, come over a small ridge and see the entire Shat, not just a small section of it. Shows how it's the major central hub of Outland.
Dreadbeard Apr 2nd 2008 8:54AM
Hate Darn...hate SW...hate Exodar...all three are the worst laid out freakin' cities in the game. I love Iron Forge for no other reason than how simple it seems, the central hub layout being its biggest asset. On the Horde side, I have to say that UC, for all the gloom and weirdness, is tops. Yeah, it's not the best design, but you almost feel like you may bump into Vincent Price at any moment. All that's missing is a bunch of dead guys dancing to Thriller in the courtyard...
Mats Apr 2nd 2008 8:32AM
Before, when you could not ride in Undercity, the whole place was broken. Took forever to get anywhere.
But after they fixed that, Undercity turned into a smooth running place. I place all my bank-alts there, and its the place I always port back to when I need AH/Respecing done. Orgrimmar is just to long, takes forever to get from one side to the other.
Thunderbluff, well, it's ok, but is spread out to much.
Silvermoon, looks nice, but again, not efficient.
souvlaki Apr 2nd 2008 8:33AM
Horde "got the short end of the stick"??
I don't know why you can teleport from Silvermoon to Undercity but you cannot do the same from Exodar to Darnassus... Travelling to and from Exodar is a PITA. That's why my jewerly nelf has had it hearth at Shat at very low level.
I think the city i like the best is Silvermoon, i mean, 2 banks, you can buy cloth from a vendor, you can teleport. Although it's not as well layed-out as IF (the best alliance main city IMO), there are loads of shortcuts which make travelling though it less painful.
Mats Apr 2nd 2008 12:20PM
Could it have something to do with the only way out of Bloodelf land is Eastern Plaguelands?
souvlaki Apr 2nd 2008 12:33PM
I'm all for the teleport in silvermoon, but i think it's a very useful and envying (sp?) feature only to be in hands of Horde. A feature which i missed every time i had to travel to Exodar.
I mean, if they wanted things to be equal both sides, they could have put a the teleport feature in Exodar or you could have an underway train as in SWIF or a zeppelin which would go over EP.
slapyou Apr 2nd 2008 8:35AM
well the horde cities are dull to show the darkness of them and havent you ever noticed in everything you can see in order to compare it to that the evil side never has more patriotic stuff mainly because of the belief that the a mercinaries and alliance are the patriots we fight for "people and gods" ... and if you want to talk about short changing things check alliance before burning crusade what side had a shaman what side didnt. what side has the cooler weapon? horde. only thing we can be proud of is our cities
Chris Anthony Apr 2nd 2008 10:28AM
Good God, man, periods and commas are cheap. Invest in a couple.