Hello everyone!
Last week we started our exploration into the history and story behind the different
battlegrounds trying to find the answer as too why do we fight?
We ended it with Wintergrasp, but more battles broke out during our campaign in northrend...
Warsong Gulch: The gleaming purple-and-emerald forests of
Ashenvale are more than just pleasant woodland.
To the Warsong orcs who name themselves Outriders, they’re a prize cache of building planks;
to the night-elven Silverwing Sentinels, they’re home.
Where the turned soil and tree stumps surrounding Horde lumber mills start to encroach on Ashenvale’s
timberlands, these two factions clash.
Each group recruits heroes from far and wide – the Horde to batter back the defenders
and clear the forests, and the Alliance to shatter the aggressors and stop the disappearance
of their precious land.
Capturing flags might seem like an unorthodox method of settling this dispute, but it’s
symbolic (and hardly without bloodshed).
Whoever holds their defeated foes’ banner will show all who look upon the forest that
their claim is the strongest – and dictate the future of one of the most important, ancestral
lands of the Kaldorei.
One of the first battlegrounds to be added, that is Warsong gulch.
Here we see that the Horde is in need of resources.
Thrall had chosen their lands to settle in because it enabled his people to atone for
the harm they had done.
It’s a dry, harsh land which breeds tough and strong people but all the same...they
still needed resources to continue on living.
So it was that they encroached further into elven lands something that the kaldorei can’t
really appreciate.
They had enough trouble with a demon blood infused Grommash chopping down their trees.
The Horde was not welcome and that’s the symbolic battle that plays out in Warsong
Gulch.
That’s not to say that the Alliance and Horde haven’t tried to come to an agreement
about resources.
There was the meeting at Theramore in which Thrall and Varian actually got a long with
one another, but it got interrupted by Garona Halforcen which quickly had them at eachothers
throats again.
At the end of the Siege of Orgrimmar where the alliance and horde got together to kick
garrosh out of the mantle of warchief, we see that peace might be an option.
Tyrande and Varian have spoken at length about the price of peace before his decisions here
today.
She is willing to allow the Horde the use of Azhara’s lumber, if they abandon Ashenvale
for good.
Knowing the way that goblins chew through resoruces, we’ll see how long that will
sustain them.
She supports this peace, but she does not share the High King’s confidence.
If the Horde breaks treaty to engage them again...her people will be ready.
“BURN IT”
“Your petty quarrels only make me stronger”
Strand of the ancients:
The world that houses our adventures was shaped and formed by the titans and their keepers.
They’ve left their mark all over, including frozen Northrend, though often their presence
is embedded in the ground, as in mysterious Ulduar.
Yet, on a narrow island chain, a sliver of titan handiwork is out in the 'open'.
As Horde and Alliance vanguards began to course over the continent of Northrend during Wrath
of the Lich King, their mystics awoke to dizzying visions of an isle, and a gleaming power behind
heights of stone.
To the south of Dragonblight lies the resting place of a legendary Titan artifact known
by the Alliance and Horde to possess critical information regarding the Titans and their
methods.
Strand of the Ancients, a now removed battleground, was a 15 vs 15 match, where each side takes
a turn attacking and defending the Titan artifact at the southern tip of the island.
Not much to be said about this battleground, we’re storming the beach or trying to defend
this mighty artifact connected to the titans.
What is kinda cool is that you can see a piece of the path of the titans on the island.
This is a massive road that runs from Ulduar all the way south through stormpeaks, dragonblight
until it ends into the sea.
Considering that the sundering split the land apart, it’s not hard to imagine that the
strand of the ancients was once part of this road, perhaps its final destination, perhaps
this road connected with more of the keepers vaults and creations...who knows!
Isle of Conquest: Another battle was around the time when Tirion
Fordring held a little tournament to see who was ready and worthy to join the assault on
Icecrown Citadel.
Just offshore of the immense Icecrown Glacier, crawling with frozen dead and coated in ice
cracking under the wheels of invading siege engines, lies an oil-rich island.
Known as the Isle of Conquest, this rocky battleground's proximity to Icecrown makes
it a highly prized base in the war against the Lich King.
As a large-scale battleground, each side attempts to wrest control of the Siege Factory, Docks,
or Hangar in order to secure access to the enemy stronghold and defeat its general.
That’s how victory is earned either by depleting the enemies resources or by defeating their
general.
The elite among Horde and Alliance armies – the Kor’kron Guard and the 7th Legion
– have arrived on the isle in force, and put down roots.
Smiths and machinists have begun their work, turning this nameless landmass’s natural
resources into smoke and steel.
Highly secure keeps, exited only through mage portals, allow the generals of each faction
to issue commands to their armies without leaving the safety of their fortresses.
Halford Wyrmbane is the alliance general, one that should look very familair for those
of you that are playing battle for azeroth,the leader of the 7th legion.
Some of the best of the best veterans the alliance has to offer, present in nearly major
offeensive nad military engagement the aliance has ever done, the counterpart to the horde’s
kor’kron.
It’s Overlord Agmar that leads the Horde troops and mainly played a part in the story
during wrath of the lich king itself.
At Agmar’s hammer in dragonblight he leads the kor’kron, their elite fighting force
and personal bodyguard of the warchief.
He has heroes of the horde recruit the taunka, show up for the battle of the wrathgate and
of course push forward with their campaign against the Lich King.
Here on the isle, both factions have deployed devastating weapons to drive each other from
this strategic location.
Day and night the ground trembles under lumbering siege vehicles while monstrous airships pummel
enemy positions with fiery cannons.
The bloody conflict spreads to every corner of the island as new heroes arrive to aid
their factions.
A chance to prove your might, to crush your enemies, to make a difference, a chance for
endless glory and conquest.
Will you seize it?
Well there was one very interested in conquest and glory, the new warchief of the horde:
Garrosh Hellscream.
Battle for gilneas: The cataclysm brought some major changes the
world, Thrall left the Horde and appointed Garrosh to lead their people.
Magni Bronzebeard was turned into a crystal.
Sylvanas tried to kill herself and made a bargain with the valkyr AND the gilneas wall
was destroyed.
Isolationism has long shaped the nation of Gilneas, once part of the alliance of lordaeron.
The enormous Greymane Wall once protected them from a plague of undeath; now that the
wall has fallen, the citizens who huddled behind it are forced to confront that particular
fear.
Garrosh hellscream and the horde have set their eyes on the kingdom of gilneas.
The rotting Forsaken seethe to spread their contagion throughout the whole region of Lordaeron,
claiming it as their own - and they see opportunity in Gilneas' rubble.
Fortunately for the people of Gilneas, their own particular curse transformed them into
bestial wolf-human hybrids.
They’ve learned the control their worgen curse and have been accepted back into the
alliance.
Now, the Horde will support their undead allies' attempt to seize resources from a damaged
nation, while the Alliance comes to the aid of a tainted people seeking new lives.
Regardless of the victor, monsters will rule over the ruins.
Wauw blizzard, that’s a bit harsh.
A battle over gilneas, a contiuation over the war started by Garrosh and then taken
over by Sylvanas.
She had no moral dillema, no honor to uphold while fighting the gilneans and was more then
happy to use her plague.
They were forced to evacuate, but have now returned with allies.
The outcome of this battle does not seem to be in favor of the gilneans.
We’ve seen black dragons hang out in part of the city during the rogue legendary questline.
After the siege of orgrimmar, plans were made by varian to investigate cleansing the plague
from Gilnean lands so they can rebuild and contain Sylvanas.
Not much was done with that, instead we saw the banshee queen team up with Varian on the
broken shore.
Then in the novel before the storm taking place just before battle for azeroth, gilneas
is described as there being nothing left of the once great realm but ruins, shades, and
sorrow.
Home to the forsaken.
Twin peaks: The destruction of the greymane wall was but
a small example of the destruction found all across the world as deathwing broke out and
made ready to bring about the hour of twilight.
The moment in which the old gods would break out of their prisons and rule the world once
more.
He was not alone in this, part of team old god was the twilights hammer cult.
This cult or clan as it once was is lead by the ogre Cho’gall.
Within the twilight highlands they’ve taken over Grim batol and set up base within the
bastion of twilight.
Both the horde and the alliance are trying to fight against these forces with
The Twin Peaks being a strategic chokepoint crucial to their assaults on the Twilight’s
Hammer cult and the forces of Deathwing.
These craggy mountains are so vital to the war effort that the Dragonmaw clan of orcs
and the Wildhammer dwarves remain locked in seemingly endless battle to this day, each
hoping to claim definitive ownership of the peaks.
It might seem odd to fight eachother while going after the same goal but that’s nothing
new really.
The dragonmaw and the wildhammer faced eachother as far back as the first horde invasion where
the orcs had enslaved the red dragon queen Alexstraza and first her flight to fight for
the Horde.
Dominance over the sky was hard earned as the wildhammer dwarves with their gryphons
and stormhammers put up quite the fight.
As a 10 vs 10 capture-the-flag battleground, the first faction to capture three flags is
victorious.
Lend your strength as both factions struggle to take control of this critical high ground!
“I have the highground”
Temple of kotmogu: After the Cataclysm a land previously covered
by mists was revealed...Pandaria...Full of people, resources and new locations to conquer.
The alliance and horde brought their conflict and problems to the peacefull pandaren.
These creatures had learned to control their emotions as the land was infected by the old
gods with something called the sha.
It feeds on negative emotions, plenty to go around as we clash our weapons with another
while Warchief Garrosh Hellscream has his troops search far and wide for more power
to be added to the horde arsenal.
During the lost days of ancient Pandaria, the ruling mogu built temples not unlike themselves
– immense in size, vast in scope, and steeped in forces as old as the ground beneath their
feet.
Stony statues of the mogu still glare down from their long-vacant temples, and echoes
of their supremacy persist to the present day.
Inside the autumnal Temple of Kotmogu, a vicious melee has erupted over artifacts the mogu
left behind: treasures older than the bloodlines of human kings and the clans of orcs, orbs
of power that have bathed in the energies of Pandaria for ages.
The mogu are creatures created by the keepers, but their keeper Ra fell sillent causing the
mogu to carve out their own path, their own idea of serving their creators.
Pandaria was enslaved to their will which gave rise to a mighty empire but also caused
massive amounts of suffering.
Now we fight over the powers left behind by these mogu, will their migth be added to the
horde or the alliance?
Deepwind gorge: The mogu’s reign eventually ended when their
slaves found the strength to rise up and overthrow them.
The verdant Valley of the Four Winds has long enriched the continent of Pandaria with bountiful
fruit, fields of grain, grandiose vegetables, and…gold.
The land is a great place to grow and harvest mainly so because the magical waters from
the vale of eternal blossoms flow down here.
This water had the power to transform murlocs into jinyu, no wonder it adds power to their
harvest.
Deepwind Gorge dips below even the Valley’s normal depth, and it’s here that the pandaren
have turned the earth, exposing rich veins of gold.
Ever since they freed themselves from the tyrannical mogu, the inhabitants of the Valley
have made careful, cautious use of these riches, taking only what they need and paying attention
to the limits of their land.
But the Alliance and Horde have their own plans for the gleaming metals of the Gorge.
Amidst the quarry, filled with dislodged rock and connected by makeshift wooden bridges,
the factions continue their war for Pandaria's precious resources, walking away with as many
riches as they can.
Silvershard mines: But what’s more important then orbs of power
or gold?
Diamonds of course!
“Diamonds are forever.”
Stranglethorn Vale’s Silvershard mines are full of the gleaming gems, and, while they’re
pretty to look at, they’re far more important for what they can buy: new blades, ballistae
and battle-gear for the soldiers of the Alliance and Horde.
Neither faction wants its opposition digging up diamonds – not when the other option
is to spill their enemies’ blood on the rocks and make off with the loot in Venture
co.
mine carts!
The venture company is a goblin cartel all about making that sweet moola while the alliance
and horde try to steal away the riches, bring it back safely to their faction.
Each faction escorts mine carts filled with Silvershard diamonds – and the carts (self-propelled
through goblin engineering) just keep on coming.
Seething Shore: At the end of Legion we earned a great victory over the dark titen sargeras.
He was imprisoned but not before stabbing Azeroth causing massive damage to the world.
The titan spirit inside is hurting and Azerite pops up all over the surface.
This resource can be used for many things.
Amazing armor, cure any poison but of course, also be turned into a powerful weapon.
“This will change everything”
As hostilities between the Horde and Alliance reignite, both factions recognize Azerite's
potential to turn the coming battle in their favor.
Located on an island near Silithus, the Seething Shore challenges teams to compete for control
of Azerite nodes.
From either the Tempest’s Roar or the Sword of Dawn, Nathanos Blightcaller and Mathias
Shaw send in heroes of their faction.
Both ships have been used as a training ground for boosted characters and both ships drop
in troops during the battle for Stromgarde.
Some of the npc’s aboard the ships were also around in our last battleground to talk
about...Ashran.
Ashran: This world pvp zone plays out on alternate
draenor, directly after the cataclysm.
You might remember kicking garrosh out of the mantle of warchief, but neither side taking
the kill and Varian left us with this speech:
“But if your horde fails to uphold honor like Garrosh, we will end you.”
Somewhat of a treaty between the alliance and the horde as they ventured through the
dark portal and took on the iron horde.
Yet as so often happens in warcraft, the factions find a reason to fight one another.
Ashran is an island east of Tanaan Jungle and the resting place of an ancient Ogre civilization
known as the Ashmaul.
The ogres had quite a pressence on Draenor in the days of old, building themselves a
massive empire, but war and conflict with mainly the orcs saw their glory days reduced
to rubble.
Now the reason for conflict on Ashran would be an artifact, potentially having its origin
with the titans.
That’s not impossible considering how Aggramar once upon a time helped the world find balance,
indirectly created ogres and orcs to begin with.
Either way the Alliance seeks this artifact under the guidance of Harrison Jones and the
explorers league while the horde has the reliquary with Belloc Brightblade.
For some reason the factions aren’t exactly talking with one another despite being shown
to work together on other parts of draenor.
The Horde fears what the Alliance might do with such a powerful weapon.
Fear that if they do find the artifact, they'll end up using it against them.
If they keep attacking the alliance soldiers the way they have been, they may just drive
them to it, a stormshield guard says.
A Warspear Grunt doesn’t care about some old, dusty relics.
All they care about is that they get to bring the battle to the humans again.
They’ve been itchin' for a proper fight and have come here to bash some Alliance heads
in!
And doesn’t that summarise the fields of battle perfectly?
No matter the reason, be it resources, lands, old hatreds, no matter what...at the end of
the day we’re still bashing eachothers heads in for fame, loot and glory!
That wraps up covering the backgrounds of why do we fight.
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed researching the reasons behind all of it.
As always thank you very much for watching everyone!
Subscribe if you like my videos, leave a like if you enjoyed this one aaaand until next
time guys...see ya!