"And henceforth shall you be wounded, bent, and broken as you serve. But know that one day, you shall be an unbreakable, inspiring, shining bulwark of hope to your brothers and sisters." ~ Sir Albrecht the Repentant, Paladin of Stormwind and a mentor of mine


Table of Contents:

1. Introduction

2. Overview of the battlefields

3. Your role in battle and in a team

4. General tactical advice




1. Introduction:

I am by no means a master of combat, but I am accustomed to the battles that are waged between Alliance and Horde. May my limited experience and the Light's blessing aid your own ingenuity and skill in bearing you safely from the heart of battle. Only through practice will you prevail. There are plenty of naturals, but one who relies only on inborn capacity for violence will soon find themselves outnumbered when their comrades are left to die, and outmatched when their strength fails them. No man or woman is an island, but the individual can turn the tide of a battle.

2. Overview of the Battlefields:

Warsong Gulch:

The first field that fresh recruits will enter is the heavily contested Warsong Gulch. This area is on the border of Orcish Durotar and Night Elven Ashenvale, and both races see this area as theirs. The Orcs of the brutal Warsong Clan seek to take the resources of the land, while the Night Elves continue to mercilessly defend their territory from other races that enter it.

This is a simple game of capture the flag. Both sides have an established stronghold, in which there is a flag. They are built similarly, and each have a frontal tunnel, a graveyard overlooking a cliff, and a ramp(always to the right of the tunnel as you approach it) that leads up to the graveyard, main base, and roof of the base. Ten soldiers from each side participate in the battle, making it difficult to rely on fragmenting tactics. In this situation, it is best that offense and defense both stay in tight-knit groups. Leaving too many defenders can make it impossible for offense to take and escape with the enemy's flag, while too many on offense leaves your own flag vulnerable.

There is an expansive, lush middle-ground between Silverwing Post and the Warsong Lumbermill. Although it is discouraged, much of the fighting in Warsong Gulch takes place here, as opposing offensive teams clash. Fighting in the middle can lead to bitter stalemates, and it's suggested that teams avoid the enemy and let their brothers on defense handle enemy offensives.

The key to victory once the flag has been taken is to 1. Ensure that your flag remains untaken, as only when you control both flags can you score, and 2. Protect your flag carrier. Slow foes that attempt to retake their flag with abilities such as Entangling Roots, Hammer of Justice, Concussive Shot, Hamstring, etc. Heal the flag carrier, as he will drop the flag if he dies. Most of all, the carrier's escape is top priority. If everyone trying to save him must die at the hands of his pursuers, so be it. You will be healed by the Alliance's best, so do not fear the sacrifice. It is most impermanent. Likewise, when your flag is taken by the enemy, slow the carrier down, kill his healers, but ultimately see to it that he dies and the flag is recaptured. If your flag is dropped, return it immediately. If your carrier drops the enemy's flag, take it up and run before the enemy can claim it. Flag carriers should focus on fleeing, not fighting.


Arathi Basin:

In Arathi Basin, the League of Arathor's humans from our oldest line of ancestry fight to reclaim their homelands from the ruined fortress of Stromgarde. The evil and merciless Elite Defilers, some of Sylvanas Windrunner's best warriors, are leading Horde troopers in an attempt to wrest it from our control. This is a battle for resources, not one to end lives. Essentially, the strategy is to take and hold. A flag rests at each resource station, of which there are five: The Gold Mine and Lumber mill, on the outer edges, the Blacksmith, dead in the center, the Stables, right in front of the Alliance forward base, and the Farm, which is dangerously close to the Defilers' Den.

It cannot be stressed how important unity and team work are in this battleground. You will serve as part of a 15-man task force, and 5 positions exist to be held. As you might guess, the Horde will have no trouble overcoming 3-man groups, so prioritizing and planning are key. Your team must, MUST plan out which nodes they aim to take, and then keep a cohesive defense once they are claimed, for the Horde will be unrelenting in their attacks. Communication is essential, and defenders will have to constantly move to help the small guard teams you leave at each post.

For example, say your side has claimed the Stables, Mine, and Lumber Mill. You will be vulnerable to attack at each post, but only from two places: the Smith and the Farm. You not only have the opportunity to evenly spread your forces (5-5-5), you can also focus your least vulnerable point's defenders(IE, the stables) to the mine or mill if they are being attacked and need reinforcements.

A tip for holding a position is to fight right next to the flags, thus forcing the enemy to come into your area and be cut off from direct reinforcements, but it also keeps your defenders tightly formed, and able to kill the enemy off faster. Also, keep the flag for as long as you can. Do NOT let a Horde attack try to put up their banner on it, for it will rob you of your ability to be resurrected at this point. Each resource node has a graveyard, and you can return to the battle exactly where you fell, provided the banner is defended. Drag the fight out as long as you can until reinforcements arrive, and always, ALWAYS call out where you are being attacked, and how many people are attacking you. Follow these tactics and Arathi Basin will be a battle left to skill alone. It won't guarantee victory, but it makes it a lot more likely.


Alterac Valley:

Not much can be said for this place. Here is where the importance of the individual is lost, and we all become part of an army. Fourty men and women from each side will do battle in this sprawling valley. Take instruction from the Stormpike Recruiter, for they will tell you all that I possibly could and more. This is where the dwarven Stormpike Expeditionary Force battles against the Frostwolf Clan orcs and their allies, each side hoping to force the other from Alterac. I often sympathize with the displaced Orcs, but that is not my place.

Alterac Valley is all out war. You must bleed the enemy white by slaying as many of their number as you can, all the while destroying their towers and slowing their advance on our own bunkers. Each fortification has archers, so never try to take one alone. Graveyards are a touchy matter: They are essential in advancing the offensive and allowing reinforcements to continue pressing the attack, but they can also throw a wrench into the defenders, since they can accidentally be resurrected at a yard too far from your home base. It also cripples the enemy's offensive effort, but will force them to defend, making your own offense's job much more difficult. Find a good balance.

On that note, we each have a home base. The Horde's is maze-like, but this provides an advantage to us, as it slows their defenders, while ours is more centralized and accessible. An army without its leader is like a crab without its legs, and so it is the common and most effective strategy to assault the enemy's commander. As we seek to slay Chief Drek'Thar, so does the enemy seek to kill our own commander, the great Vanndar Stormpike. Alterac Valley often becomes a race to slay the enemy's commander.


Eye of the Storm:

Imagine Warsong Gulch combined with Arathi Basin. The battlefield is in the middle of the Twisting Nether, but a charred hunk of rock contested by the Blood Elves and Draenei for access to Illidan the Betrayer's temple. In the center is a single flag, which both sides must fight for. On each corner of the field is a strategic point to capture, much like Arathi's resource nodes. The flag must be brought by a flag carrier to one of the strategic points in order to score, but it merely adds to your "victory points", which are generated also by holding strategic positions. These are the Fel Reaver ruins, the Blood Elf tower, the Draenei Ruins, and the Mage tower. Three parallel bridges connect these points, and there are two common tactics for this field.

1. Take and hold. Better known as "Three(or four) capping", this is where your side focuses only on claiming strategic points while the enemy goes for the flag. They will run out of places to take it, and you will ultimately gather resources faster.

2. Flag runs. Each side holds the two most readily available strategic points and then most of the fighting goes on in the middle, where the flag rests. It then becomes more like Warsong Gulch, and flag tactics apply here. Note, the losing side will often resort to changing to tactic number one if this fails for them, so keep a sturdy defense.




3. Your role in a team

We come from many different walks and trades, and so our role in battle is varied. I am one to wade into the thick of battle, weapon swinging as my armor and the Light shield me against the enemy's unrelenting blows. But not all are blessed with strength of body or prefer direct combat. I've narrowed fighting styles down, and have a few tips for all.

Warriors:(warrior, retribution paladin, and feral druid) Without a doubt, you are our heaviest hitters, save perhaps for the Paladin of Retribution. Engage the enemy directly and use your vast array of combat skills to cripple those who flee, and weaken those who remain. In the end, their chances of outlasting you hit for hit are slim. Be quick on your feet, though. A rogue who runs circles about you will have you torn to shreds, and you will land few hits on him if you do not turn quickly((USE YOUR BLEEDIN' MOUSE, people!)). Ranged warriors have a slight advantage over you, as do spell-casters. Catch them by surprise, close the distance, and slow and bleed them before they can flee.

Rogues:
Blessed are the fleet of foot and quick of mind who are able to become rogues. You are the pinnacle of skill alone, for you lack the strength and vitality of a paladin or warrior. Fast-striking, precise, and able to foil almost any fighting style, it is through knowledge and cunning that you shall prevail. Outrun the warrior and circle him, same for the Paladin. Do not let hunters flee from you, and interrupt spellcasters as often as you can. Run rings about all foes to confuse them, and never fight fair if you can. You can stun better than most warriors, and your poisons are another powerful tool. Crippling Poison is a must have against other warriors. Use others as you prefer. Stealth is your friend, and it is always best to start a fight with a shocking blow from behind. Garrote for lasting periodic damage(and later, to silence spellcasters for a moment), ambush combatants, and cheap shot is a fine ability against all but mages, who can blink free. Never stop moving, and know that you will only live by making your foe die first.

Ranged: (warlock/mage/hunter/elemental shaman/discipline priest/balance druid) you are gifted with great mental cunning and knowledge of magic. Keep at a distance, and always make use of your abilities to slow the enemy down. A rogue, warrior, or paladin will gladly try to bring you down, and you will find yourself weaker than they in close quarters. Slow them and flee. If you have a companion, use them to guard you, as well as to open the attack. Use Area of Effect spells/totems or flares to reveal rogues that lay in waiting, as well as just to cause damage to multiple enemies. None can match you in ranged combat, and a skilled member of your class will have the enemy slain before they even reach you. With close-quarters warriors on your side, you will be invaluable and nigh invulnerable.

Healers: (holy priests and paladins, restoration shamans/druids) Your job is to heal your comrades and help them to outlast the enemy. In situations such as in Warsong Gulch, you can also prove invaluable in the way of ensuring a score. If you are aiding in a battle, you will be able to guarantee victory if you go unmolested. However, a wise warrior will immediately go for you first!

**Combat classes, healers must be protected at all costs! Keep them alive, and they will keep you alive!**


4. General advice:

A few basic things to know about battleground combat:

There are advantages and disadvantages in all class and specialization matchups. But know that no matter the inherent disadvantages, one who knows how to fight effectively can overcome any foe, theoretically.

We, as members of the Alliance, are outnumbered by the Horde, under-equipped, and of lower skill and morale than the Horde, in MOST situations. As such, losses will happen. They may happen very frequently, in fact. Out of almost 18 battles in Arathi Basin, I saw only a couple of victories. Every victory is a blessing to be treasured, and losses should be accepted with quiet, grace, and dignity. The Horde may break us down, but in the end they will see us as their brothers in the fight to defend Azeroth and reclaim Draenor.

If you can slow or incapacitate your enemies, do so. If it is a cooldown ability, save it for the opportune moment, but incapacitation, while dishonorable, is a frighteningly effective tactic.

Don't go into battle unprepared. If you are wounded, spells, bandages, and food can help you to fight on. If your mana is low, stop to drink. You won't get that chance if you enter battle and a rogue or warrior catches you with your mana depleted.

Work together. Our greatest weakness is in our inability to work as a team, while the Horde seems to excel at it. See those fighting with you not as rivals, not as fools, not as people to command, but as your brothers and sisters, upon whom you depend to survive. Heal the wounded, aid those in battle, and always, always communicate to alert others to danger.

Do not fall to defeatism. Our warriors have grown used to defeat, and will often assume the worst before the battle is anywhere near decided. Stay positive, and keep pressing on, even in the face of defeat. You will earn honor for every kill, and know that the Horde, while a powerful foe, are not invincible. They can be beaten, they have been beaten, and they too can easily fall to defeatism, they are so UNused to us winning. Show them you mean business, and they might just begin to falter.

Gear yourself up well. Assault dungeons for good equipment and experience, but also know that your service in battlegrounds allows you to accumulate a special currency for the purchase of military-grade equipment. They are fine-tuned for combat in the battlegrounds, but are also valuable elsewhere. They are, in fact, a great reason for participating, even if you do not seek a path of bloodshed against the Horde.


And that, my friends, is the rather rough draft of my manual to combat. I hope it serves you well, and please tell me how I might improve it.

Bless you all!


For the weak of heart, I will be strong
To the defenders of faith, I will belong
To the last of us, fight till we die
Till the keys, of the kingdom, are mine

All stand together
For the world to see
Now the time is right
To live out all our dreams
Say the words forever
Your strength will never leave
If you want to win the fight
Say, "I Believe" ~ I Believe, by Manowar