A lot of people have huge preferences when it comes to what faction they play on. They will only play on one particular faction, they have many reasons for it, and those who play on the other faction are “nooblets”.

…so it’s okay to like them both, right?

Cause that would be me. I really have no preference. I like various aspects of each faction and I would very happily play either. What faction I choose to play on a particular server mostly has to do with what faction my friends/guild are.

Going a little more in depth though, here are some things that I’ve noticed: (note: these are all my personal observances and they are probably different for you!)

Races: I’d like to start by saying that I actually like all the races in the game. Some people out there have races they love to hate (gnomes and the elves come to mind), but I like them all. However, in general, I find the horde races to be more interesting. If I had to pick my three favorite races in the game it would probably be… Tauren, Troll, Night Elf, in that order. Two horde races up top. I really love everything about the Tauren– their lore, their starting area, their philosophy, their physical “look”, and their special move Warstomp. Trolls are a close second, I can’t tell you exactly why I find them so intriguing, but I do… they’re just fun! Night Elves I like mostly because I am enamored with their lore and backstory. I like playing them too, but… when it comes down to it I’d rather play a Tauren or Troll.

So, when it comes down to what races I like best… horde wins.

Locations: There are a lot of really unique locations in the game and I like many of them. However, I am going to admit right here and now that I am madly in love with Stormwind. Best place in the game. I love the layout and the way it looks, I love all the big statues out in front, I love the sweeping choral music that plays. I also love Goldshire, if you can get past all the… kids that hang out there. Hehe. You know what else I love? Darnassus. I didn’t used to be a big Darnassus fan, because I found it to be confusing to navigate, but it’s really grown on me recently. It’s way out of the way but I go there sometimes just for the heck of it.

Horde has some great locations too. Thunder Bluff and Mulgore come to mind– I really find Thunder Bluff to be unique and memorable and I’d call it my “home city” hordeside. And I love the lore of the Undercity, even though the city itself isn’t really my style.

But in the end Alliance is the clear winner for me in this category. They get Stormwind, Darnassus, Ironforge, the ridiculously cute Goldshire and a lot of memorable places in general in the Eastern Kingdoms. As much as I love Thunder Bluff, in the end Durotar/Orgrimmar is just too blindingly orange for me, the Undercity/Tirisfal is a little too spooky, and Silvermoon, while gorgeous, ends up being rather dull. Alliance wins!

(That said, I have to admit, I harbor a severe phobia of Exodar. I once wandered around there for about a half hour trying to find the exit. I shudder just thinking about it and I pretty much refuse to go there.)

Maturity Level/People: Hehe, this is probably the one some of you have been waiting for. A big argument I hear a lot is that “I play [insert faction here] because the players are so much more mature than the other side”. Well… I think it probably depends on what server you’re on and what type of server you’re on because that’s really the only difference that I’ve noticed. I’ve seen a bit more of the testosterone aspect on PvP servers (both factions) and a bit more introspection and “artsyness” on RP servers (both factions) but the difference isn’t particularly huge. (I’m afraid I haven’t spent enough time on a normal PvE server or an RP-PvP server to share my thoughts on those yet.) People have been rude to me on both factions and people have been nice to me on both factions and in the end I really think it comes down to the individual people on each individual server, rather than faction. Horde/Alliance tie.

Final Score: Horde – 1 1/2, Alliance – 1 1/2. I like them both equally well, they both have their strong points and weak points and I am more than willing to play either. I might revisit this at a later date with some more categories and such, but until then… Pike’s out!