Major Factions

The main factions in World of Warcraft are The Horde and The Alliance. Each side is made up of an allegiance of five racial factions. Each race has their own capital city, save one on each side, Trolls call Orgrimmar home, and the Gnomeregan Exiles have been accepted in Ironforge. While each city has quests that add to that faction's reputation, they also will have some that add to the main faction, Horde or Alliance, based on their allegiance.

While the Horde and the Alliance enjoy a tenuous treaty of truces, they are in fact constantly fighting over territory. They vie for control of six strategic battlegrounds and constantly try to wrest control of these contested areas from each other. The areas as a result are constantly under contention and the citizens are under constant threat of war from the opposing faction.

In places where Horde and Alliance control are minimal, such as the Outlands or the continent of Northrend, each must fight for the favor of the powerful factions that exist in these locations. Each may have a base in these locations, but they do not control the area as such, but merely have a presence there. For this reason, there is a major city that is completely neutral sanctuary, where both factions may come together to fight a common foe. In the Outlands this foe is Illidan Stormrage and his forces at the Black Temple or Kael'thas Sunstrider and his forces at Tempest Keep and Sunwell Plateau. In Northrend its the influence of Arthas the Lich King at Icecrown and the Lich Kel'Thuzad at Naxxramus. The city in Outlands is called Shattrath, ruled by the Naaru and in Northrend it is Dalaran, ruled by the Kirin'Tor.

See below for info on these factions:

The Horde: Chieftains of Kalimdor

The Alliance: Rulers of the Eastern Kingdoms