The war mode in World of Warcraft is a great thing. Especially Cortyn is happy about it, because it brings significant advantages – without any danger.
Since Battle for Azeroth, there has been the war mode in World of Warcraft, which is supposed to entice players to PvP. On all realms, players must actively choose to participate in this mode in order to be attackable by the other faction. This is rewarded with different bonuses, such as additional quests and rewards, which then result in more gold or extra reputation points. Actually, the war mode should also pose some danger, but that is not the case – at least not on the realm “Die Aldor”, as it is a special case that simply bypasses the system.
The bonus in war mode: In the war mode, there is a varying bonus on received gold, currencies like mana pearls, or experience points during the leveling phase. This bonus ranges from 10% to 30% and depends on how balanced the factions were in the past week within a region (Europe, America, etc.). So if there were many more Horde players than Alliance members in the war mode last week, then there will be a larger bonus for the Alliance in the next week. This is intended to give the previously disadvantaged faction an incentive to still venture into the war mode.
The Aldor is a very special realm
And this is exactly where the “problem” of my realm comes in. The Aldor is not only a role-playing realm but also a quite peculiar one in Blizzard’s realm structure. Unlike almost all other realms, the Aldor is not automatically connected by “cross-realm” with other realms. This means in clear terms: if you play on “Die Aldor”, you only encounter people from that server. The only exception occurs when players from “Die Aldor” open a group and players from other realms join the group.
This is of course a wonderful thing because the Aldor is one of the last RP realms where a lot of RP is still done. Not being disturbed by “server outsiders” who jump in with spells during RP conversations is really relaxing in the RP metropolises and a clear plus point.
But now we come to the absurdity that a connection of these two systems brings with it. On the Aldor, there is a very unequal distribution of the two factions. About 70% of players play an Alliance character, while there are about 30% for the Horde. The “real” numbers are probably even more unfair and are distorted by the fact that many Alliance players also have one or two characters on the Horde.
Because the Alliance is completely superior, most Alliance characters also play directly in war mode in PvE. Since only players from “Die Aldor” are there, you don’t have to fear attacks from the Horde.
Technically speaking, the realm belongs to the “Europe” area and thus benefits from the war mode bonus that applies to the entire region. Across all of Europe, the Alliance is almost always outnumbered.
Maximum bonus for almost no risk
Ultimately, this means for my realm that the Alliance permanently enjoys a bonus of 25% or 30% and is still the superior faction that has nothing to fear in the war mode.
Even more bonuses without risk: But the 25% – 30% are not the only bonus you get. Additionally, there are extra quests in Nazjatar or Mechagon, as well as of course the pure advantage of actively using the PvP talents in the open world. This makes farming particularly enjoyable.
Do you remember the “Air Drops”, those loot boxes that land in Nazjatar approximately every 45 minutes? 100% of them go to the Alliance.
I therefore have access to additional rewards and abilities and an almost non-existent risk.
The situation on the Aldor is so absurd that Alliance players in the general channel are sometimes completely outraged when one or two Horde players stray into the war mode and kill someone. Often, there is an uproar in the general channel about it, and some sarcastically ask:
“Horde players in the war mode from Aldor? Isn’t that against the terms of service?”
In summary, playing in war mode as an Alliance player on the Aldor feels like cheating. It doesn’t feel fair and also somewhat ruins the sense that the war mode is supposed to convey. Therefore, I would even wish that – at least in war mode – the realm would be connected with other realms.
Because where there is a sunny side, there is also a dark side, and a group of players that I feel sorry for: The Horde side of the Aldor. They have all the disadvantages of the war mode but not a single advantage. Except maybe the certainty of always having enough targets in sight.
