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The latest patch 5.4 newsBreakfast Topic: Do you have qualms about playing the other faction?
by Nik Mitchell 
Sep 21st 2011 at 8:00AM
Talk to any self-proclaimed altoholic: They'll tell you stories of rolling characters on both sides of the two factions that split the World of Warcraft. For many, their attachment to one side or the other is merely dependent on "What do I want to play today?" However, for me, playing the other faction has some serious consequences: pangs of agony, nervous twitches, tummy trouble, you name it.
I started WoW on one side but quickly found myself tempted to try the other (I heard they had cookies) and never looked back for years. I filled out all 10 slots with the faction I loved. Seven 85s later, I get the whisper from my officers that they are swapping sides as a pet project. The worst of all isn't really that I'd consider playing the dark side again; it's that my closest of guildies are happily getting entrenched. Lured by the real-life friend of another, lo and behold, they found a level 25 guild that would gladly receive some potential recruits... and now my guildies want me to join them, too.
Now don't get me wrong -- I don't deny the opposite faction their right to exist (well, except every time I get killed in Tol Barad), but it feels so completely wrong to be rolling this character (not to mention having to delete my mid-30s mage). What about you? Have you ever had a question of conscience to even begin to create a character of the opposite faction?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 8)
Gendou Sep 21st 2011 8:13AM
I roleplay Alliance on a different server from my main server.
It's a different experience, but honestly, I'm Horde at heart.
It feels odd not being able to kill Gnomes on sight. I don't like that feeling.
Luke Sep 21st 2011 8:32AM
Agreed.
I started Warcraft as a Night Elf in Vanilla per the request of my friend that got me into WoW, dropped the character after a couple of months when they stopped playing and have been Horde since. Back then there was a much larger difference between the types of people you'd run into, and of course it's completely subjective but I just found more likeable people on the Horde side than on the Alliance.
Not to mention, for the most part... Horde is just so much cooler. I like the lore better, I like the cities and quests, it's just more fun.
The caveat to this is I recently rolled a Dwarf for RP and Brewfest. I love the character, and dwarfs, Ironforge is cool, everything else is just unsettling. Can't tell you how many times I've nearly been killed galloping toward a familiar town only to realize I'm red to them...
Which brings me to the question, if you're Horde For Life or Something Something Alliance what Race of the opposing faction are you cool with? I imagine there are lots of Alliance that are okay with Tauren but not the Forsaken for example.
For me I like Dwarfs and to an extent Worgen and that's it really.
Gnomes freak me out.
Humans are lame.
Space Goats would be coast to coast but really just don't feel right.
Night Elves... are not much different than Blood Elves except I like the Blood Elf lore better. Hard to go wrong role playing a Magic junkie.
Worgen are cool but I really hate the Humans of Azeroth so there is that...
Gendou Sep 21st 2011 8:55AM
On my RP server, I'll play anything except Gnomes.
My favorites are probably Dwarves and Draenei.
My least favorite are Night Elves and Gnomes.
I don't mind Humans that much.
I see the Worgen as a missed opportunity. I feel like Blizzard got to them and said, "They're werewolves. Magic werewolves. 'nuff said." Except it's not enough, and I largely feel let down by a race that had a great deal of potential when they were first announced.
....
As for the Horde, the Forsaken are my absolute favorite, bar-none.
That having been said, I only have one Forsaken (my main, a Shadow Priest) because as much as I love the Forsaken lore, my vanity can't stand the way they look in anything except robes.
Blood Elves and Orcs come in a distant second to the Forsaken as far as lore, but Orcs are among my favorites look-wise (I have three of them, more than any other race I play).
Tauren and Goblins are a lot of fun to play (I actually have two of each), but I can't relate to their lore enough to make me love them. My wife loves Goblins completely and utterly and race-changed her main from a Blood Elf to a Goblin as soon as she could do so.
I have a love/hate relationship with Trolls. I love the way they talk and dance. I hate the way they look in armor of any kind. The feet, mon... the feet. For that reason, I actually don't have any Troll characters any more. Which is sad. That would probably be remedied except for the 10-character-per-server limit.
Tabasa Sep 21st 2011 9:01AM
@Luke - For me, my character choice on Horde side overwhelmingly leans towards Blood Elves. They're my favorite race in the game by far (even moreso than any of the Alliance races, and I am an Alliance fangirl), and have been since WC3. The aesthetics of their character models and their cities appeals to me far more than any of the other Horde races, and I enjoy the lore behind them.
Aside from that, I do really like Orcs and Tauren, though I play very few of them. I'm slightly less enthusiastic about Trolls, and I don't really care for Forsaken.
I love Goblins as characters, though I haven't been able to get into playing one. I might need to give it another shot.
Luke Sep 21st 2011 9:17AM
Indeed. Forsaken really are my favorite but I only have a couple, a Priest and a Warrior.
@Tabasa
Goblins are just plain awesome. I love the Tauren and Troll from a lore stand point. Female trolls are cool, I can't dig the male model much. Tauren I'd love more if they were slightly less clumsy feeling. The size of their models make them feel like they're moving super slow even when they aren't.
I did try to play a Gnome once, but when I came across a critter in game that was bigger than my character I was done... I don't know, maybe some day I'll revisit them but they just give me the creeps.
babywhiz Sep 21st 2011 9:29AM
@Luke
My Druids, (2 nelf, 1 worgen), are cool with both Tauren and Troll druids. In fact, my worgen used to be a Tauren, then a Troll, before she moved home. I do have a special place in my heart for any of the Trolls tho....
Luci Sep 21st 2011 9:31AM
@ Luke
Interesting question!
I am ally all the way. I did play Horde a bit in TBC, but found maintaining 2 sides to be too difficult. One of the major reasons I prefer alliance over horde is the HOLIDAYS! Holidays are so much better on alliance. Every single holiday just fits - Brewfest most of all! Also, I love all of the alliance cities - the grandeur of Stormwind, the pensiveness of Darnassus, the sci-fi vibe of the Exodar, and the depth of Ironforge!
The Horde races I love are the belfs and tauren. I like their cities as well. The music in Silvermoon is great and I don't think anyone would say that the city isn't absolutely gorgeous. It has such a grand old magical feel to it. I also enjoyed playing a blood elf - they have such a great lore edge, and it was especially prevalent when I played in TBC. As for the tauren they are just so calm and peaceful. Playing them and hanging out in Thunder Bluff are great ways to just unwind and enjoy Azeroth at the end of the day.
However, I absolutely hate the Forsaken. I got my belf up to like 63 when the cap was 70 and started grinding their rep to get the purple skelly pony and everything was BLAH KILL ALL HUMANS and BLAH POISON THIS SWEET PUPPY (poor 'lil stanley....)
As for the others, I don't necessarily have a problem with them, I'm just not interested in playing them.
I have played Alliance for so many years though now and when I think about playing Horde seriously it does bother me. I wouldn't feel bad about popping over and playing on a lowbie, but pushing to 85 and gearing up just wouldn't feel right to me - especially since I love to BG so much.
I'll stick to wandering enchanted forests and contemplating mortality with my nelfs :)
restodr00d Sep 21st 2011 9:40AM
@Luke
To me when I decide to make a new alt on Horde side I always go for Blood Elves, Tauren and Goblin.
I don't like trolls, can't stand those feet and the way they walk also I do like the concept of the Forsaken, I just LOVE their lore but I can't stand that no matter what type or armor you have bones will always pierce your armor and finally I don't really have anything agains orcs I just don't like their casting animations.
On the Alliance side I don't mind any class but humans oh man the hairlip is just awful, the casting animation, the melee animation the sound they make everytime they get hit "huh", hate them and their lore is just plain boring.
Kylenne Sep 21st 2011 9:59AM
My very first character was a Draenei mage, and I'll always have a soft spot for them. I love their design (yes, even the males), I love their casting animations, and I love their history and culture, as well as Velen the big ole space hippie. Lorewise, I also love them because of the role they played in helping restore the Sunwell. They're the one race I actively miss, being Horde. And I hate how they've consistently been ignored and given short shrift since the end of BC.
I love Night Elves too, with the caveat that I really prefer how they were in WC3. I hate how the women have been dumbed down and overly sexualized (oh god how I hate that bounce). But I love their architecture and their rich history and lore. As much as I love the Horde, if there were a neutral faction that consisted just of Draenei and the elves, I'd jump ship in a heartbeat.
ravyncat Sep 21st 2011 9:59AM
@Luke
Interesting question. You should submit that as your own breakfast topic.
For Alliance I like to play everything except Dwarves and Humans. I do not like Humans because I am one and I play a game for fantasy. Humans seem boring.
I do not like playing Dwarves because again they look too much like me and I prefer to play more fantasy looking characters. I have played them before though and I am not opposed to them or anything.
Draenei are my favorite followed by Nelfs. I like Gnomes too because being a cute bringer of dooooom is fun as hell.
I like the idea of Worgen, but I do not like playing them because I hate the way they move. They utterly creep me out. O.o;;
Hordeside my favorite race is the Goblins. I love them to pieces. After that I prefer Belfs. They look awesome and I really like their starting area and city. I love the trolls but I hate their feet. They run really awkwardly too. Mine is always in kitty form...same as my Worgen. (Yes, I have four druids.)
I like the Tauren probably best when it comes to racial philosophy but I do not like playing one. They are too big and awkward. Mine is--you guessed it--always a kitty.
I do not like Orcs. They just seem mean to me. I think their architecture is ugly too...and I do not like the countryside where it is. It is orange and barren and yucky.
I despise the Forsaken because they are evil abominations. Despite this I play quite a few of them--probably because they are evil abominations. XD
DeathPaladin Sep 21st 2011 10:37AM
My Death Knight has okay feelings about most of the Horde. His RP story has him as a veteran of Hyjal, so a lot of his anti-Horde prejudices from earlier in life were dampened by that. He's fine with Tauren, Trolls, Elves of all varieties, and even some Orcs (as long as they are in the Thrall/Saurfang camp and consider the Old Horde to be something to be remembered but not emulated). Goblins are Goblins, so they are easy to deal with once you know what to expect.
But, like a lot of other people, he has a major problem with the Forsaken. Forsaken Death Knights are usually *slightly* better, but he views the rank and file Forsaken the same way he views some of the more intelligent Scourge like liches, cultists, and non-Ebon Blade Death Knights. Which is to say, he hates them more than the bulk of the Scourge, because at least the ghouls only do what they do because they are mindless.
StClair Sep 21st 2011 1:05PM
*sigh*
I am so tired of the gnome hate. The jokes about kicking them, stepping on them, rolling over them with a giant flaming sphere, all of it.
I don't care if it's alleged humor, or internet machismo (GRR I AM A MAN AND I HATE ALL SMALL CUTE THINGS BECAUSE THAT IS MANLY), or trolling, or chest-thumping tribalism and crowd-following, or an outlet for the part of you that just has to hate something...
I'm just sick and tired of it.
eirinefrostblade Sep 21st 2011 8:14AM
I have to be careful which zones I quest through... At least, on my blood elf. For her, I skipped half of Ashenvale, and avoided Stonetalon altogether. I just couldn't help with the Bomb. Now on my goblin? She had no issues with either. Usually my biggest problem is forgetting which towns like me and which ones don't...
Tabasa Sep 21st 2011 8:48AM
It's a little similar for me. There haven't been any zones that I've actively avoided in Kalimdor on my Horde characters, but there is a little twinge I get as an Alliance fan playing through most of the zones, when so much of it boils down to "how many Alliance can we kill today", especially contrasted to the odd lack of antagonism towards the Horde on Alliance side (I recently rolled a Night Elf warrior because I had yet to see Kalimdor Alliance-side and was ready to have her be extremely anti-Orc, only to feel like I spent more time overall fighting Naga than the Horde. Granted, I went into Desolace instead of Southern Barrens, which explains a bit of that).
That said, I've still loved the stories involved. I think Stonetalon was one of the best stories told in the game on both sides, and while the Horde comes out of it looking very much like the "bad guys", there's something oddly compelling about the argument Krom'gar puts forth for his actions, and the feeling of rising through the ranks of his army only to have your own actions render that advancement useless is a really interesting experience.
I have to admit, though, that I can't stomach questing in the Forsaken areas. I did it once for the story (on a Forsaken, which oddly made it feel more doable), and recently tried to have an alt go back through there to level and just couldn't bring myself to do those quests a second time.
Kylenne Sep 21st 2011 10:08AM
@Tabasa: If it makes you feel any better, I'm a diehard Horde loyalist, and even I couldn't stomach the new Ashenvale. I found myself cheering for the Night Elves the one time I quested there, and when I got the quest to corrupt the heart of the forest or whatever, I promptly dropped everything and took my belfy ass to Stranglethorn Vale. I finally did go through Stonetalon on my goblin, and I actually cried, no joke. I'm never doing that zone again as Horde. Garrosh showing up at the end to kill the general had the opposite effect on me the writers likely intended, because it just smacked of blatant hypocrisy to me and only made me hate him even more.
There's a reason I've quested almost exclusively in the Eastern Kingdoms in Cataclysm, except for the more "neutral" questing zones where the Horde/Alliance war isn't the focus of the story (like Felwood and Desolace). As far as I'm concerned, Thrall is my Warchief and I refuse to be a cog in Garrosh Derpscream's murder machine, kthx.
Eirik Sep 21st 2011 1:29PM
I'm almost exclusively an alliance player, and the first quests I've run across that made me say "enough of this shit" is the Thousand Needles "they've got oil, they wouldn't let us cheat them out of it, so we're taking it by force" quest chain.
Ashenvale and stonetalon weren't bad from the alliance side, but we were the underdog. Did not have to contend with the "if they can't defend it, they don't deserve it" attitude that seems prevalent among the orcs.
I played a couple forsaken to low levels pre-cataclysm, but ... I just can't empathize enough with them to make it worth trying again.
MusedMoose Sep 21st 2011 8:14AM
No trouble with it at all. I'd like to get to see the entire game, not just one side of it, and you really can't do that by just playing one side; no matter how hard I try, the Horde quest-givers won't stop attacking me long enough to tell me what they need. :P
The only issue for me is that, because I've been playing Alliance for years, it's hard for me to get characters going in the Horde because they don't have the resources. Or the guild. ^_^
puffcake Sep 21st 2011 8:21AM
Yes, this. Getting up the momentum to farm up a gold base to fund a new main and stable of alts, get heirlooms, and find a guild is definitely harder to achieve.
Smashbolt Sep 21st 2011 8:39AM
Very much agreed. I play Alliance, and most of that has been because that's where my RL friends were playing. I'd love to seriously play a Horde character, but I've got so much time and effort invested Alliance-side on two servers, that starting over on a completely different server in anything more than a passive way is really unappealing.
LynMars Sep 21st 2011 9:21AM
This. I like the lore of many Horde races, and I do have friends on both sides, but my high level characters are all Alliance, most of my friends are mostly Alliance, etc.
I like seeing both sides of the game, and do love certain races (Tauren!), but it's just...bleh on Hordeside for me. I also dislike Forsaken, mostly due to my own distaste of undead and the blatant way the "evil!" gets pushed at times (though they are also just trying to survive by whatever means). It's taken me -months- to level an alt to 20 and I'm still not done with Silverpine--I mostly rolled it to see the remainder of the Worgen storyline, a fact which grates on me, honestly. There should be a way for both factions to see their own side of the story (like in some quests in Felwood I watched my roommate play through Hordeside while I did them Alliance).
I also get lost in Orgrimmar, and the updates haven't helped that.
I like the story and "feel" of my Alliance characters better--and I'm just bad at alting. I like being at least decent with my chosen characters' abilities, I like getting achievements but hate having to grind them all out individually again if I want something in particular, and frankly, I don't have the time--I need to start working on my Master's project soon! So I have 4 85s; my progression main healer, my 2 alts (a tank and a DPS) for backup/non-progress raiding and 5 mans--I am bad at multi-speccing too, and it gives me reason to play those alts--and my bank/gather alt who is only progressed as much as necessary to get herbs and ore with little fuss, and maybe go on silly old school runs now and then when the main 3 don't need anything.
The rest are RP alts or seeing how a class works or I just don't have time/interest for--and Horde alts normally fit there, getting deleted or recustomed or rerolled to make room for new Alliance characters or to keep my login screen looking "neat."