World of Warcraft Wednesday: Ironforge
The captial city of the dwarves and “temporary” home of the gnomes (seriously, guys, move out) was at one point, the proud pillar of the Alliance side of the game. If you didn’t have anything better to do on a particular day during the game, you could find pretty much the entire Alliance half of the server’s population hanging out in front of the Ironforge bank during vanilla.
And I guess that hasn’t changed much. Sure, most players have moved on to Dalaran, but if you have to visit old Azeroth for any reason, like say the Auction House, instinct will always lead you home to Ironforge, and you’ll always remember why you loved the place so much years ago.
So what makes Ironforge the shining beacon of the Alliance? And why do I still not particularily care for some parts of it? Let’s take a look.
Convenience: A+
To put it mildly, Ironforge is what every city in WoW aspires to be. Everything is laid out on two circular tracks. On the outside, you will find all your questgivers and class trainers (except for Shamans), and they’re all contained in their own seperate sections. You’ll also find the gnomes and the Deep Run Tram to Stormwind in the north and the Auction House and Bank directly across from each other to the south, right where you come in.
In the interior circle, there’s all the class trainers and vendors you’ll need, along with the Great Forge and Great Anvil, in case you were wondering where the forge and anvil were.
In terms of convenience, this layout is pretty fantastic. Especially with the auction house and the bank being positioned how they are. It’s the easiest arraingment for quickly getting things out and sold.
Ambiance: B
Your first impression of Ironforge will always be the best. It looks exactly like a dwarf city should. Huge buildings cut directly out of the rock, a massive flow of volcanic rock being used as a forge, if you grew up on Tolkien Dwarves, Ironforge feels just right. Even the Gnome’s little alcove of Tinker Town feels like what Gnomeregan should be. But after a while you’ll notice it’s fairly lifeless. The buildings all look a lot bigger than they actually are, and texture-wise, every other Alliance city has Ironforge beat.
A few of the vendors running around add a little extra ambiance. There’s a bread barker and, for no real reason except for one week a year, a man urging people to visit the Stormwind Orphanage. Ironforge is also mission central for Christmas every year, and it always looks great during the Holidays.
Special Features: A+
When you get to Ironforge you’ll always know exactly where to go. Everything’s pretty clearly laid out (unless you’re a Shaman, then you have to find your trainer who’s in hiding). Additionally, there’s a tram transport to Stormwind, and automatic teleports to Kel’Danas (which doesn’t mean nearly as much any more) and the Blasted Lands. There’s also a special fishing cove which is the only place you can complete one of the fishing achievements whether you’re Alliance or Horde.
Key Stats
Average Population: High
Class Trainers: Warrior, Warlock, Hunter, Shaman, Priest, Paladin, Rogue, Mage, Druid
Best Feature: Best functional layout in the game, auction house and bank right next to eachother.
Worst Feature Unmounted it’s a long run from place to place, it’s kind of boring
Recommended Hearth for Levels: 1-58
Dalaran aside, Ironforge is the best city in the game. Hell, Dalaran doesn’t have any class trainers or an auction house, so Ironforge really is the best city in the game. Everything you’ll ever need is in a designated area and along one of two paths. The only reason to visit any other cities during Vanilla was for transport or because you were RPing.