The World of Warcraft

Full view plz ^^

Alright! I've been promising a tour of WoW, and so here we begin! The map you see before you is (currently) the entire World of Warcraft. As you can see, there are two continents - Kalimdor and Azeroth - which dominate most of the image along with the swirling maelstrom in the middle. There is, in fact, another continent in the Warcraft world (known as Northrend), but unfortunately it is overrun by the Scourge. For those who don't know, the Scourge is an undead army lead by the once-human-now-undead Prince Arthas. At this point in time, players are not able to access this Northern continent.

Much like the continents you see before you, all the races in the Warcraft world are divided; they are either members of the Horde or the Alliance. Players are able to choose from a total of eight races - four on each side - and nine classes, which will be mentioned later.

As you can see, I've quickly labelled all the key cities upon the continents (shabbily, aye, but this is just the beginning; I'll get better ). Their descriptions are as follows:

Alliance Cities (suxxorz)

Darnassus: The Night Elf capital. Darnassus is located in a dense forest, constantly under the watch of the mysterious and deadly Night Elves. Having lost their immortality with the destruction of their beloved World Tree, the Elves joined the Alliance to battle against the savage races of the Horde for their own survival.

Stormwind: The Human capital. Humans were once the most dominant race in the Warcraft World, but with the undeath of their beloved Prince Arthas, their great kingdom of Lordaeron was completely destroyed by the Scourge. They now preside in the southernmost portion of Azeroth, keeping Stormwind safe from the Undead threat. They have always been proud supporters of the Alliance with their closest allies, the Dwarves.

Ironforge: Alliance Stronghold. Ironforge, in addition to being the centre of the Alliance's power, is also home to both the Dwarves and the recently exiled Gnomes. The Dwarves have always been steadfast supporters of the Alliance (just like the Humans), and are a proud, sturdy, and reliable race. They gladly welcomed their smaller brethren, the Gnomes, when the Gnomish capital of Gnomeragan was overtaken by monsters spawned from deep within the bowels of the Earth. The Alliance Auction House resides here.

Horde Cities (Roxxorz)

The Undercity: Though most of the Undead are completely bound to Arthas’s will, some few hundred managed to regain their own sanities and break off from the Legions of the Scourge. They are lead by the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner (formerly a High Elf) in their never-ending war against the mindless Scourge and those who would seek to eradicate them. Their joined the Horde not for glory or valour, but rather for their own convenience; they place no true loyalty in anyone else. They eradicated the Capital City of Lordaeron and built a city below it, an Undercity, as a stronghold.

Thunder Bluff: Home to the mighty Tauren, a traditionally nomadic, peaceful race of beast-men. They orgionally roamed the plains of the Barrens, hunting Kodo, but were endangered by the ever-persistent centaur. Thrall, Warchief of the Orc Horde, assisted Cairne Bloodhoof, leader of the Tauren, in endeavours which ultimately saved the nomadic race from extinction. Harbouring a loyalty that knows no bounds, the Tauren have entered the war against the Alliance not only for survival, but also in part for the debt they owe the Orcs.

Orgrimmar: Horde Stronghold. Orgrimmar is home to both the Orcs and the Trolls of the Horde. They are two races who have been allied for as long as one can remember, and have always fought side-by-side. The Orcs are not traditionally from this world, but rather, were transported by a great mage in order to save themselves from their dying planet. Unwelcome and hunted at every turn, the Orcs entered an alliance with the Trolls which has lasted to this day. They settled upon the eastern banks of Kalimdor just as the Scourge began the destruction of Lordaeron, and created their own country – Durotar. They erected Orgrimmar upon settling in, and it has remained the Horde stronghold ever since. The Horde Auction House can be found in Orgrimmar.

There you have it - the races and places of WoW. This is just the beginning... enjoy!