World of Warcraft
Now this, sitting in the number one spot of my favorite cities in the game, is a piece of work. No wonder people gather here in droves, looking for new guildies, party members, trading, or just for company and a great time. It is a magnificent place, where you truly feel the identity of a race without anyone ever telling you. Just a glance is enough to feel yourself inside the game, smell the hot air and touch the massive stonework, hear the bustle of an average work day. The one place that truly feels like an actual city, where even if you aren’t there, you’d guess that life still goes on.
Have you ever wanted to live underground?
You’ve come to the right place. This is Ironforge!
Ironforge Is Basically A Big Stone Carving Project
The first and foremost object of interest you’ll happen upon, whether you walk into the city, take the taxi service or fly inside yourself, is the gates of Ironforge. This portcullis type heavy door is raised and after a short walk, it welcomes you inside the main event.
The city has a huge circular plan made up of many “wards” which house many different needs. The first one you enter into is The Commons which also includes the gates that you just used to come inside, and is mainly the place that many of the players that come to Ironforge hang around in. The main reason for that is, it houses the Auction House and Vault of Ironforge as the bank buildings which are used heavily by everyone, as well as an inn, and a couple shops for low level items. This area takes up the most space compared to other sections.
In the northwestern part of the map is The Mystic Ward, where the magical activities of the city take place. This district also has some npc shops around as any other, but it caters more towards the magic users and sells their magical items and needs. The Hall of Mysteries, which is the main reason for this place, houses the class trainers for priests, paladins, and mages. A funny detail is that the pool inside this area has gold filling the bottom of it, probably by the wishes made by those who’ve come in service of the priests and in the process used every divine method they could think of for a better future.
Going east from The Mystic Ward, you enter The Forlorn Cavern. This place is like a long corridor, and it goes along the city’s underground lake, which should’ve given it a nice feel one might think. But the dark atmosphere of this place actually houses the shadier side of the city. It has the class trainers for rogues and warlocks, and a general advice for the residents from other districts is to not go here for any encounters with thieves and dark magicians.
For a much better change of scenery, towards the northeastern part, we have the Hall of Explorers. Being basically a huge library, this district houses the Explorer’s League, and each archaeological expedition made by the Alliance is controlled from this place. It also has the most put together museum of artifacts in the whole of Azeroth and is always ready to take in visitors. A secret about this place is that while it serves its purpose of being a place of knowledge, it also works with the SI:7 agents of Stormwind to hide secret information around.
To the southeast, we see The Military Ward. This district is straight in its features, housing the military of Ironforge and the command center for it, as well as class trainers for hunters and warriors in its center, the Hall of Arms, and a couple shops for the respective classes. It also has hangars for the dwarven gyrocopters (generally called a type of flying machine) and heavily armored mobile siege weapon steam tanks.
Tinker Town, Ironforge – Gnome Neighborhood
In the most eastern side of the city, we come upon the Tinker Town, housing the race of gnomes after their home of Gnomeregan was besieged by Troggs and they had to evacuate. Luckily, they had a good history with their dwarven neighbors and were welcomed with open arms. This district was originally just made up of houses and was transformed into the Tinker Town we know of today by the gnome refugees that were taken inside the city. The gnome leader High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque as well as the gnomish court resides here. The unchanging part of this district however, is the famous Deeprun Tram, that connects Ironforge with Stormwind via an underground tram system consisting of two sides of rails. This was built after the Second War, with the dwarf king Magni Bronzebeard wanting to send aid to their human allies but finding the routes above ground too slow to be effective and turning to High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque for help. And so, this magnificent piece of engineering was born, and still continues to operate to this day, providing fast transportation free of charge.
An Ironforge Special, The Great Forge
Now for the main event. The main attraction and eye-catch of Ironforge, located in the middle of the city and boasts a grand scale, The Great Forge. This part was the first to be built by the earlier dwarves who first founded the city under the Ironforge Mountains. After its construction, the city slowly grew around it and was named Ironforge, taking it from the very mountains it was built in. The Great Forge has never seen a day off work, and is constantly making sound, mimicking a giant heart for the city. It’s surrounded by the greatest dwarven blacksmiths, as well as the trainers for other professions such as mining, leatherworking, tailoring, cooking and first-aid, and the taxi service gryphon master. It also connects to the High Seat, where the king of Ironforge, King Magni Bronzebeard can be found. A fact about The Great Forge is that, in the middle of it is the Great Anvil, where the legendary Ashbringer was created for Alexandros Mograine, by King Magni Bronzebeard himself. The city also has several other rings of sections in lower depths, but those are sadly not accessible in-game. The one we have thoroughly explored is the 5th level.
Personal Thoughts on Ironforge
Even though I’ve been a Horde player for a very long time, I had occasional escapes to the Alliance side, just to create a dwarf hunter that I wouldn’t continue playing. This love for dwarves of course came in the form of me normally liking the race in all media, but stepping inside Ironforge has solidified it. The mighty form of the city was not like any other for me and instantly captivated me with its grand scale.
I didn’t start World of Warcraft in 2004, but even still, the city was bustling in whichever pack’s time I’ve gone there, still housing players that were cozying themselves up in the warm atmosphere of the place. And I was having my breaks from the game, not away from the keyboard, but inside Ironforge, imagining myself a part of this marvel.
