Ironforge

Ironforge is the capital of the Bronzebeard dwarves, a city carved deep inside a mountain in Dun Morogh. In Classic World of Warcraft it was the busiest Alliance city on many realms: its auction house, bank and mailboxes sat close together in one ring-shaped hall, and players gathered there between raids. It is also home to the gnomes, who have lived as refugees in its Tinker Town since the fall of Gnomeregan.

Geography

Ironforge is entirely underground. A road climbs from the Dun Morogh valley to its gates, and inside, the city is laid out as a ring of districts around a central chamber.

• The Great Forge sits at the center: a huge furnace with an anvil platform and pools of molten metal. Blacksmiths, miners and engineers train here.
• The Commons is the ring nearest the entrance, with the bank, the auction house, the inn and the gryphon roost.
• The High Seat is the throne room, where King Magni Bronzebeard holds court.
• The Hall of Explorers is the headquarters of the Explorers' League, the dwarven society of archaeologists, with a museum of relics and a library.
• The Mystic Ward holds the mage, priest and paladin trainers.
• The Military Ward holds warriors, hunters and the city's soldiers.
• Tinker Town is the gnome district, home to High Tinker High Tinker Mekkatorque and the station of the Deeprun Tram.
• The Forlorn Cavern is a dark, rundown corner of the city where warlocks and rogues train.

History

Ironforge was founded by the Bronzebeard clan in the heart of Khaz Modan. Long before the game, a civil war between the dwarven clans, the War of the Three Hammers, drove the Wildhammer clan to the north and the Dark Iron clan to the south. The Dark Iron Dwarves have been the city's bitterest enemies ever since.

During the Second War, the Horde overran much of Khaz Modan, but Ironforge itself never fell. The dwarves joined the Alliance, and King Magni's soldiers still fight across the world at the start of the game.

Two stories shape the city in Classic. The first is the loss of Gnomeregan: the gnomes were driven out of their own capital and now live as guests of the dwarves. The second is the fate of Magni's daughter, Princess Princess Moira Bronzebeard, who is with Emperor Emperor Dagran Thaurissan of the Dark Irons in Blackrock Depths. Magni believes she is under a spell and asks players to rescue her in The Fate of the Kingdom.

Quests and notable NPCs

Ironforge has around 80 quests in our database. Many are class quests, cloth donations and turn-ins that start or end in the city. A few stand out:

• A King's Tribute. After a widow writes to Magni about her husband's death in the war (Sara Balloo's Plea), the king sends players to Grand Mason Marblesten for stone from the Alterac Mountains (A King's Tribute, A King's Tribute).
• The Explorers' League. High Explorer Magellas and Historian Karnik in the Hall of Explorers send players to Uldaman after the Platinum Discs (The Platinum Discs) and then to the gates of Uldum in Tanaris (Portents of Uldum).
• Royal history. Royal Historian Archesonus tells the history of the Dark Iron capital and asks players to recover relics from the ruins in the Burning Steppes (The Smoldering Ruins of Thaurissan).
• Prospector Stormpike. Prospector Stormpike in the Hall of Explorers appears in quest chains from Loch Modan to the Alterac Mountains, and sends players back to the excavation in Ironband Wants You!.
• Gnome jeweler. Talvash del Kissel remakes a ring from the Gnomeregan dungeon into [Talvash's Gold Ring] in Gnome Improvement.
• Arrows. Artilleryman Sheldonore rewards a stack of 200 [Thorium Headed Arrow] in Arrows Are For Sissies.
• Dungeon Set 2. Late in Classic, Deliana in Ironforge offers the "An Earnest Proposition" quests ([[forever:quest:8905]] and others), which upgrade the level 60 dungeon armor sets.
• The Plaguelands. A courier sends players north to Chillwind Camp in A Call to Arms: The Plaguelands!.

Dungeons

Ironforge has no dungeon inside it. Gnomeregan lies in western Dun Morogh, and the city's quests send players to Uldaman, Blackrock Depths and beyond.

Getting there

Ironforge sits at the north end of Dun Morogh. From Stormwind City, the Deeprun Tram runs underground to Tinker Town in a few minutes. The gryphon master Gryth Thurden flies to the rest of the Alliance network. Players arriving by sea land at Menethil Harbor in the Wetlands and travel south through Loch Modan.

Trivia

• Players used to stand on the bridge over the Great Forge to show off gear, and the crowded space in front of the bank and auction house became a gathering place on most Alliance realms.
• The Ironforge Airfield, a snowy plateau above the city, was closed to players in Classic and could only be reached by climbing exploits.

Sources

• Ironforge, Warcraft Wiki
• Tinker Town, Warcraft Wiki
• War of the Three Hammers, Warcraft Wiki