There are few places more important or well-known in World of Warcraft than its many capital cities. Hubs for questing, economy, and socialization, these locations contain important gameplay functions – and sometimes, even powerful raid bosses in the form of faction leaders. A player’s first visit to their capital city is an important moment, and from the imposing gates of Orgrimmar to the infamous lifts of Thunder Bluff and the Undercity, the champions of the Horde have some memorable landmarks to visit. However, not all of these capital cities in World of Warcraft were created equally.
To make this list, a location must fit the definition of a conventional capital city in World of Warcraft: they must contain at least one inn, bank, flight path, and mailbox, plus either a faction leader, auction house, and/or trainers for classes or classes – meaning Horde cities like Suramar, Thunder Totem, or the Echo Islands don't qualify. Neutral hubs, like Dalaran, Valdrakken, and Dornogal, also do not count, even if they have faction-specific districts.
Ambience, layout, background music, relevance to the faction, and uniqueness are all factors that were considered in these rankings.
World of Warcraft Alliance City Tier List
From ports and castles to mystical forests, the cities of the Alliance in World of Warcraft are some of the most breathtaking places in Azeroth.
S-Tier: Fantastic Zones That Highlight Rich Cultures
- Thunder Bluff
- Dazar’alor
Of the original three Horde hubs from Classic WoW, Thunder Bluff stands out. Located on a series of mesas with a stunning view of the plains of Mulgore, Thunder Bluff can easily take one’s breath away, and the short-but-sweet ambient music only enhances this feeling of awe. One must watch their steps carefully when navigating the bridges and lifts of the Tauren capital, and while some might detract points because of this danger, the compact, otherwise-intuitive design easily secures its place at the top.
Dazar’alor, added in World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, is the newest and most spectacular city on this list. The Zandalari city of gold features remarkable architecture that spreads both vertically and horizontally, filling out nearly half of the zone of Zuldazar. Though sometimes frustrating to navigate without flying, any negatives about Dazar’alor are outweighed by its incredible soundtrack alone.
A-Tier: Awesome Cities With a Fatal Flaw
- Undercity
- Silvermoon City
The Undercity is unique in that it is hidden away beneath the ruins of Lordaeron, the original homeland of Arthas, the Lich King whom the Forsaken swore enmity against. Many lives have been claimed by the hydraulic lifts that lead to the subterranean city, making it the most deadly city in the game as well. With an easy-to-navigate, circular layout, horror-filled vibes, and storied history, the only reason The Undercity is not S-tier is because World of Warcraft filled it with poison gas in Battle for Azeroth, making the deadly city even deadlier – and terribly inconvenient to visit besides.
The Blood Elves’ capital of Silvermoon from The Burning Crusade is also a stunning zone. Its swelling soundtrack, bright colors, and massive statues of Kael’thas make the ostentatious nature of the Sin’dorei evident at first blush – but the fel crystals and captured Naaru one finds if they take a closer look show a darker side of the culture as well. Unfortunately, Silvermoon loses a few points because flying is disabled in the zone – something that will hopefully be remedied in the new version of the city ostensibly coming in the World of Warcraft: Midnight revamp of Eversong.
B-Tier: Decent Locations That Could Be Better
- Orgrimmar
- Shrine of Two Moons
- Warspear
As the primary hub of the Horde, Orgrimmar is the most important World of Warcraft capital city on this list. Unfortunately, it went through a significant, unpopular redesign in Cataclysm that added an abundance of metal and spikes all over the place. While new sections of the city inspired by other Horde races do make the hub more diverse, it also transformed the erstwhile-unique city into a mish-mash that lost much of what made the city great in Vanilla WoW.
Neither the Shrine of Two Moons nor Warspear are technically cities, but they serve similar functions in their respective expansions. Both areas have their positives: the Shrine of Two Moons offers a breathtaking view of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, and Warspear is a compact settlement featuring fantastic uprezzed Horde assets. However, the former suffers from being too similar to its Alliance counterpart – the Shrine of Seven Stars – and the latter is a forgettable location that largely serves as a reminder of what Bladespire Citadel could have been as a Horde capital had it not been cut from WoW: Warlords of Draenor.
World of Warcraft
- Released
- November 23, 2004
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence (online interactions not rated)
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard
- Publisher(s)
- Blizzard
- Engine
- Unreal Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- pc, ps
- Cross Save
- yes
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
