Warsong Gulch

Warsong Gulch is a ten-versus-ten capture-the-flag battleground set in a forested valley between Ashenvale and The Barrens. It opened with patch 1.5 in June 2005, alongside Alterac Valley, and quickly became the most played battleground of the Classic era because its matches were short, its rules were simple, and it was open to players from level 10 upward by the end of the game's first year.

Background

During the Third War, Grom Hellscream and his Warsong clan cut huge swaths of Ashenvale's forest to supply the Horde. Long after Grom's death, a band of orcs calling themselves the Warsong Outriders kept logging the valley, against the wishes of Thrall and the shamans. The night elves answered by sending the Silverwing Sentinels to drive the orcs out of the gulch for good. The battleground is the fight that followed: each side's base is the other's target, and each side steals the other's banner to prove its control of the valley.

How it plays

Each team starts in its own base: the Alliance in Silverwing Hold, a night elf fortress, and the Horde in the Warsong Lumber Mill, at the opposite end of the valley. A team's flag sits deep inside its base. To score, a player must take the enemy flag, carry it across the field, and touch their own flag while it is still at home. The first team to score three captures wins.

Some basic rules shaped the way players fought:

• A flag carrier who dies drops the flag. If an ally touches a dropped flag, it returns to its base; if an enemy touches it, they pick it up.
• Mounting, entering stealth and using immunity effects such as Divine Shield or Ice Block make the carrier drop the flag.
• Power-ups scattered around the middle of the map grant short bursts of speed, healing, or extra damage.
• Each team has its own graveyards, and dead players return in waves every thirty seconds.

In Classic, Warsong Gulch had no time limit. A match only ended when one team scored three times, and evenly matched games, or games where both teams turtled around their flag rooms, could last for hours. The famous tunnels and ramps leading into each flag room became the focus of most fights.

Rewards

Playing Warsong Gulch earns honor for the Honor System and reputation with the Silverwing Sentinels or the Warsong Outriders. Winners and losers both receive Warsong Gulch Marks of Honor, which are turned in for reputation through repeatable quests: Marks of Honor with Sentinel Farsong at Silverwing Grove for the Alliance, and Marks of Honor with Captain Shatterskull at Mor'shan for the Horde.

Reputation unlocks rewards from the faction quartermasters, Illiyana Moonblaze for the Alliance and Kelm Hargunth for the Horde. They sell level-banded blue weapons and gear such as the [Sentinel's Blade] and the [Outrider's Bow], as well as the [Silverwing Battle Tabard] and [Warsong Battle Tabard] for players who reach Exalted.

Getting there

The Alliance entrance is in Silverwing Grove in southern Ashenvale; the Horde entrance is on a hillside near the Mor'shan Base Camp in the northern Barrens. Players can enter by walking through the portal or by queuing with a Warsong Gulch battlemaster, such as Elfarran for the Alliance or Brakgul Deathbringer for the Horde, in the capital cities.

History

Warsong Gulch arrived in patch 1.5.0 in June 2005, shortly after patch 1.4 introduced the Honor System.

• Patch 1.6 added the faction quartermasters' reward items, made friendly flag carriers visible on the map, and gave reputation for the repeatable quests.
• Patch 1.7 split the battleground into level bands (20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60), replaced the heralds with system messages, and gave losing teams a Ribbon of Sacrifice to turn in for reputation.
• Patch 1.8 opened a new 10-19 bracket, which became a popular niche for "twink" characters who stayed at level 19 with the best gear they could find.
• Patch 1.12 joined realms into battlegroups, so players from several realms could be matched together. Queue times dropped sharply, especially for factions that were outnumbered on their home realm.

A time limit was only added in a later expansion.

Sources

• Warsong Gulch, Warcraft Wiki
• Patch 1.5.0, Warcraft Wiki
• Patch 1.12.0, Warcraft Wiki