Horde or Alliance, but wait there is something to consider!

[Doctor Amadeus]

For a moment imagine you never played World of Warcraft ever, that you knew nothing else about it besides you wanted to play the game, now imagine your only choices are Horde and Alliance obviously.

BUT here is the chaser, based on the NAMES alone which would you pick?

Alliance

Part of the reason I ask is because obviously there is a debate based on who is evil who is not and how Blizzard entertains that. However this isn't really about that per say. This is about the names of the factions in general.

Because right off the bat the Humans get the name of their faction as Alliancewhich based on your first impression makes you think kind, good, faithful, etc.

But when you hear the word Hordewhat comes to mind.


In my opinion the entire debate I think can be down to it's very core. Horde to me sounds like a menace, like a savage group of evil and likely bad guys. IF that isn't the case why the name The Horde.


Follow up question:

If you could give the Horde a New name for it's faction what would it be?

The Draenor ?


Lastly if you could change the faction allies or even of course a third faction what would it be?

I would make the allied races different for example Dark Iron Dwarves would go to Horde, Zandalari go to the Alliance, Kul Tirans maybe the Horde Also.


OH and I have some Homework for you to do

Here are the rules. ASK ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY YOU KNOW that knows nothing about World of Warcraft., what they will pick ALLIANCE OR HORDE, However DON'T GIVE THEM ANY DETAILS about the difference between.


It can be ANYBODY, but the main objective here is they know nothing about World of Warcraft. My bet is they almost all pick Alliance.

[Nathasil]

There are plenty of great names:
Mud Club
Genocide Squad
Pride Pack

The funniest thing is that since the Horde includes "Allied Races" now it is undoubtedly "an alliance". You cannot have allies without being an alliance. Talanji even uses the word multiple times. Outrageous!!!

[enigma77]

The new name should be Zuggedy Zugs

[matrix123mko]

Alliance because it makes me think of Triple Alliance.

[Ryonas]

The Horde IS savage and evil. The rampaging, invading Orcish Horde from beyond the Dark Portal. Are you brand new to Warcraft, or something?

[Saltysquidoon]

I mean the vast majority of people in the anglosphere are going to pick the Alliance. It conjures up the Allies in WWI and WWII which are historically lionised and symbolise the unconditional 'just' in a faction (with the further implication that they are somehow more egalitarian because they're an alliance of 'equals').

As for new optics for the horde.

Sadfang and the Zugclub?

Noblesavage (but written in a metal cover font)

[CalamityHeart]

If I had to give a new name to the Horde, it might be something along the lines of "The Unbound".

It reflects upon a theme shared by the orcs with many other races of the Horde: freedom from some force holding them down, stealing their will, or threatening them with destruction, and it's a name that points a bit to the more wild and savage nature of the orcs and some of their allies without really ostracizing their less-savage allies like the blood elves and Nightborne.

It stands opposed to the Alliance, which connotates a coming together, with a name that connotates sort of the opposite, a breaking loose.

Even as it stands, I would still probably choose the Horde first, if just because I'd probably be less sure of the type of story I'd get compared to something more obviously knightly and human-centric like a faction called the Alliance.

[The Butt Witch]

Horde from vanilla to wotlk (including): The Exiled
Horde from cata to bfa (including): The Bad Guys

[Powerogue]

I picked Alliance the first time because I thought a night elf would make a cool rogue.

the Zugclub?

But I would join this faction immediately.

[Julian Rayne]

If you could give the Horde a New name for it's faction what would it be?

I can think of several, depending on what aspect you want to invoke:
The Forsworn
The Forsaken
The Outsiders
The Abandoned
The Pack (if you wanted to invoke a more bestial feeling)
The Ignored
The Desolate
The Abjured
The Renegades
The Untamed

[Henako]

The Abjured

Can you imagine calling yourselves The Abjured and expecting to be taken seriously?

[Ardenaso]

the Alliance isn't evil? they literally did the Tiannanmen in the Second War

[Julian Rayne]

Can you imagine calling yourselves The Abjured and expecting to be taken seriously?

I don't take "The Horde" seriously to begin with.

[Kyphael]

At first glance, I'd go with Alliance because it reminds me of the good guys from Lord of the Rings, which is what got me into WoW to begin with, and plus my favorite color is blue, but Horde isn't a bad name and it conveys savagery with the word alone.

What would I come up with some alternate names for The Horde?
The Scrum
The Swarm
The Axis

[Relapses]

The Axis

Uh, might have a hard time getting that one to fly in 2020.

[nonameelf]

Alliance because alliances are a lot more interesting than hordes since there's a lot more political infighting between different nations and their different goals and priorities.

Sadly the Alliance in WoW is an alliance in name only and acts much more like a single unified nation under a single king.

[Allan Coe]

That's what you get for playing Pandaren.

[Kyphael]

Uh, might have a hard time getting that one to fly in 2020.

Yeah... but I love my history and in fiction it can be spun as an easily identifiable power faction to be reckoned with. Maybe add something to it like Blood Axis.

[cparle87]

There are plenty of great names:
Mud Club
Genocide Squad
Pride Pack

The funniest thing is that since the Horde includes "Allied Races" now it is undoubtedly "an alliance". You cannot have allies without being an alliance. Talanji even uses the word multiple times. Outrageous!!!

Horde was always an alliance. In that very screenshot it called them an "alliance of convenience" and those very words are used in the original through Wrath forsaken intro cinematic.

[Swnem]

Well... the horde was designed as the bad guys.
It was with later games that they tried to portray them as maybe not all bad.