Every once in a while we're hear some grumbling that Blizzard favours the Horde but I don't know what they're talking about.
Oh, that.
Well, one area where they do not favour us is traveling to the Alliance capitals. We have to go there from time to time for achievements, such as the Midsummer festival, and it is very annoying. For Horde to get to the Night Elf and Draenei islands we have to fly to Ashenvale and then up through Darkshore to catch the boats. Hoping one is immediately available we sail to the cities and proceed to moving targets for everyone around. The Night Elf capital fire is quite easy to get, however, in order to complete the Midsummer festival achievement we've got to get through the city to Teldrassil. It's somewhat easy to make your way through, just very, very annoying.
After corpse dragging my way through the insane mazes of Stormwind and Exodar (Ironforge was just a blur but that tram is very cool) and fighting off guards and players stopping me from getting to the flames I had to see if it was this difficult to get to our cities.
This morning I conducted a test. That Draenei Death Knight I mentioned? She became my little spy into the life and ways of the Alliance. Once she serves my purposes she will eventually be deleted.
Delete. Delete.
Just a note before I begin, this isn't going to be a haha-nana-booboo to any readers who play Alliance. I respect that you have chosen that faction and that you have just a strong of connection to it as I do Horde. Also if you have the willpower to play both sides equally, well that is awesome and muchos kudos! Being level 58 and trying to get into the opposite faction's cities by yourself is clearly not a smart thing to do. Also, I did this between 5:30AM and 7:30AM server time so that most certainly helped my journey.
So let's begin!
Silvermoon City
Starting in the Eastern Plaguelands you have to run up north through the little portal and then go through the big Blood Elf gate into Ghostlands.
Getting the Silvemoon Flame did take three tries - but eventually:
Undercity
Using my Death Gate I flew EPL to Western Plaguelands and into Tirisfal Glade. There were no guards outside of Undercity. I mean no guards at all. Surely we could spare one bag of bones to look after things for us or at least sound the alarm. I collected the flame no problem.
Orgrimmar
Okay, Orgrimmar did give me some problems but that's because Orcs rule and the blood lust that courses through them makes them thirst for my death. I heard many war cries but after 4 (maybe 5) tries I made it to the fire.
Yeowch already!
Thunderbluff
Thunderbluff was my concern. I didn't want my beloved brethren hate me so. Luckily it was almost as easy as Undercity and to prevent the Taurens from taking a life, I sacrificed myself off the bluff instead.
I just need to stick this landing...
A quick trip back "home" and there you go - it is dead easy to get into our cities. You don't have to go too far out of your way, you can take a boat if you like but you don't need a train. Perhaps EPL to SMC is going to be your longest run and if you are level 80 you'll have an even easier time getting through the capitals. So now I do not feel any pity toward the Alliance if they make it to our cities. Frankly we don't put up much of a challenge and it takes little to no effort to travel to them.
Did you know that the the Alliance can just traipse through the Hillsbrad farms without any concern? The farmers, the blacksmiths, the miners and the councilman don't mind you walking around at all. I've fought in the war against Hillsbrad so many times it was so novel to walk amongst them.
I can haz skull?
In Mulgore I was delighted to see
Ahab Wheathoof is friendly towards Alliance and he also speaks common. I would have been sad if he was hostile toward me.
While they cannot do the quest to help him find his dog. He does speak [Common] so the Alliance can at least have some interaction with him. I thought that was very sweet.
This level 80 blood elf took the time to remind me that I was on a PvP server. Thank Jssavior!
Conclusions:
Playing Alliance is like living in Bizzaro world. All my favourite people hate me and I cannot visit any of my home cities. The architecture, for the most part, seems almost foreign. I like the Horde huts which have obviously constructed from organic (or what used to be organic) materials compared to the gray white glare of Stormwind. While flight masters, bar tenders, trainers, points of interest are the same it felt very alien for them to speak to me instead of chasing me or pummeling me with their fists.
