Massive migration from Alliance to Horde

[Teamrandom]

Recently I started looking for a new guild and I was quite suprised to see that on my server which is one of the highest populated EU Alliance realms probably 15 out of top 20 raiding guilds has moved or is moving to Horde on either Kazzak/Twisting Nether/Draenor etc. I was wondering what is the reason for this.

Surely it is not going to make things better with the faction imbalance at the moment but I think there is anoher reason which might be bigger number of customers for PvE boosting. Does anyone have any "internal" info on what is happening ? This is not a coincidence of just a couple of people deciding to play Horde because they like it - it is a massive migration of high end raiding guilds and there must be a specific reason for this.

[Minikin]

Recently I started looking for a new guild and I was quite suprised to see that on my server which is one of the highest populated EU Alliance realms probably 15 out of top 20 raiding guilds has moved or is moving to Horde on either Kazzak/Twisting Nether/Draenor etc. I was wondering what is the reason for this.

Surely it is not going to make things better with the faction imbalance at the moment but I think there is anoher reason which might be bigger number of customers for PvE boosting. Does anyone have any "internal" info on what is happening ? This is not a coincidence of just a couple of people deciding to play Horde because they like it - it is a massive migration of high end raiding guilds and there must be a specific reason for this.

I stopped main raiding after concluding MoP. My guild had been staunchly Alliance since vanilla, one of the oldest guilds.

Finally this expac around BoD they swapped horde due to lack of easily accessible talent on alliance. We always pushed heroic and mythic. Back in ICC with 10man killing 25 man raiding we still had a solid 25man main raid with multiple 10mans so this swap was not a simple "oh grass is greener". They worked hard to maintain it red side then finally gave up.

Before the decision to faction swap guild even changed servers twice times. Heck I didn't even main raid yet I still swapped.

Finally at the end of this expac I too switched my main over to horde. There just aren't ppl on alliance and good people are even more rare.

[Accendor]

Its the same for my server. Playing on the biggest German alliance server. After we got CE I checked out the guilds that finished earlier than us out of curiosity and at least 1/3 of them are switching to horde once SL comes.
If this trend continues, mythic raids will be horde only.

[vashe9]

Most people interested in mythic raids are playing Horde. I was an alliance raider until MoP/Wod (took a break from raiding in both), in Legion almost everyone had already moved to horde... and there is no reason to go back so I dont think it will change (unless blizzard buffs some alliance racials)

[rogoth]

the snowball effect started back in wrath when they tweaked the horde racials to be 'on par' with the alliance side after the alliance side having a slight racials advantage through classic/TBC, then it picked up pace in MOP after the horde racials were just so much more powerful in PVE content at the time than anything the alliance had, then as the horde raiding population grew over the course of legion many top guilds moved faction and server during the latter stages of antorus, then in BFA it just went crazy and so here we are with the worst state the raiding scene has ever been in and no sign that blizzard actually cares, it got so bad in BFA that a top 100 world kill for alliance was around world 450 level overall and that gap is only going to get wider as more and more guilds swap faction for the larger player pool.

[Huntingbear_grimbatol]

My guild changed from Alliance to Horde simply because more people plays horde which makes recruiting easier, I'm guessing it's racials being better for horde and then it just snowballs from there. Apart from Vanilla/Classic PvE, where factions were kinda on the same footing (because Paladins were alliance only), Horde has always had the upper hand when it comes to racials for both PvE and PvP.
Just checking Wowprogress for top 100 ranks:
- T26 (Ny'alotha) 87 horde - 13 alliance.
- T25 (Eternal Palace) 86 horde - 14 alliance.
- T24 (Crucible of Storms) 90 horde - 10 alliance. Only 2 boss raid so not much to take from it...
- T23 (Battle of Dazar'alor) 84 horde - 16 alliance.
- T22 (Uldir) 87 horde - 13 alliance.
Jump back a couple expansions
- T16, 25man, (Siege of Orgrimmar) 63 horde - 27 alliance.
- T10, 25man, (Icecrown Citadell) 57 horde - 43 alliance.

Not claiming that Wowprogress gives completely accurate representation of factions, but the trend over the expansions is pretty clear in my opinion. The reason/motivation for the change can be many though, as I said above.

[Redroniksre]

Like others have said it used to be because of racials, but that hasn't been much of an issue. But since most of the raiders started the migration there is a lot more people to pick from Horde side, so naturally guilds migrated. Don't know how you can really fix it outside of maybe allowing cross-faction raiding.

[T-34]

Recently I started looking for a new guild and I was quite suprised to see that on my server which is one of the highest populated EU Alliance realms probably 15 out of top 20 raiding guilds has moved or is moving to Horde on either Kazzak/Twisting Nether/Draenor etc. I was wondering what is the reason for this.

Surely it is not going to make things better with the faction imbalance at the moment but I think there is anoher reason which might be bigger number of customers for PvE boosting. Does anyone have any "internal" info on what is happening ? This is not a coincidence of just a couple of people deciding to play Horde because they like it - it is a massive migration of high end raiding guilds and there must be a specific reason for this.

It is a positive feedback-loop:
The more good players shift to Horde, the easier it is for good players to find other good players to play with and the easier it gets for guilds to recruit good players.

Looking at the big picture the problem isn't that big as the majority of WoW's playerbase is very bad at the game and those players will not do mythic bosses anyway.

[enigma77]

Factions are stupid and split up the playerbase, so people move to the better one where the majority of (good) players are.

Solution: Abolish factions.

[Mackwiss]

bloody Alliance immigrants, killing legit Horde raid bosses, stealing our loot. And at the same time lazy, not queuing for dungeons and raids, just living off the benefits of standing idly in Orgrimmar or Thunder Bluff making billions of hard earned horde players gold and playing it all on the AH or worse the BMAH! Lousy...

[Accendor]

My guild changed from Alliance to Horde simply because more people plays horde which makes recruiting easier, I'm guessing it's racials being better for horde and then it just snowballs from there. Apart from Vanilla/Classic PvE, where factions were kinda on the same footing (because Paladins were alliance only), Horde has always had the upper hand when it comes to racials for both PvE and PvP.
Just checking Wowprogress for top 100 ranks:
- T26 (Ny'alotha) 87 horde - 13 alliance.
- T25 (Eternal Palace) 86 horde - 14 alliance.
- T24 (Crucible of Storms) 90 horde - 10 alliance. Only 2 boss raid so not much to take from it...
- T23 (Battle of Dazar'alor) 84 horde - 16 alliance.
- T22 (Uldir) 87 horde - 13 alliance.
Jump back a couple expansions
- T16, 25man, (Siege of Orgrimmar) 63 horde - 27 alliance.
- T10, 25man, (Icecrown Citadell) 57 horde - 43 alliance.

Not claiming that Wowprogress gives completely accurate representation of factions, but the trend over the expansions is pretty clear in my opinion. The reason/motivation for the change can be many though, as I said above.

it actually gives conpletely accurate representation about high end raiding and that is what we are talking about here, so your source is completely valid.

- - - Updated - - -

Factions are stupid and split up the playerbase, so people move to the better one where the majority of (good) players are.

Solution: Abolish factions.

Not possible after BfA anymore unfortunately

[enigma77]

bloody Alliance immigrants, killing legit Horde raid bosses, stealing our loot. And at the same time lazy, not queuing for dungeons and raids, just living off the benefits of standing idly in Orgrimmar or Thunder Bluff making billions of hard earned horde players gold and playing it all on the AH or worse the BMAH! Lousy...

Build the wall!

[Accendor]

Like others have said it used to be because of racials, but that hasn't been much of an issue. But since most of the raiders started the migration there is a lot more people to pick from Horde side, so naturally guilds migrated. Don't know how you can really fix it outside of maybe allowing cross-faction raiding.

Implement "Against overwhelming odds" for raiding. Allow free transfers horde -> alliance. Wait two towers
Tiers, see where to go from there.

[Delever]

Recently I started looking for a new guild and I was quite suprised to see that on my server which is one of the highest populated EU Alliance realms probably 15 out of top 20 raiding guilds has moved or is moving to Horde on either Kazzak/Twisting Nether/Draenor etc. I was wondering what is the reason for this.

Surely it is not going to make things better with the faction imbalance at the moment but I think there is anoher reason which might be bigger number of customers for PvE boosting. Does anyone have any "internal" info on what is happening ? This is not a coincidence of just a couple of people deciding to play Horde because they like it - it is a massive migration of high end raiding guilds and there must be a specific reason for this.

Which server is that? I m assuming you re talking of EU.

[Djuntas]

Which server is that? I m assuming you re talking of EU.

There is proboaly only like 3 realms on EU alliance thats any good now with mine obviously being 1#: Ravencrest EU PvP. Also I guess Silvermoon PvE...And then what frostmourne, Auchendioun or Outland is OK?

Anyway Blizzard just needs to close like 90% of realms. No point when only 5 servers can be filled up anyway.

[Delever]

There is proboaly only like 3 realms on EU alliance thats any good now with mine obviously being 1#: Ravencrest EU PvP. Also I guess Silvermoon PvE...And then what frostmourne, Auchendioun or Outland is OK?

Anyway Blizzard just needs to close like 90% of realms. No point when only 5 servers can be filled up anyway.

I m on Silvermoon and so far it seems fine but I would be worried if what hes talking about is on Silvermoon.

[ThiagoTorres]

As i allways sad, since 2015 when blizzard nerfed alliance racials and at same time buffed horde one, every expansion more and more people migrate to horde

Factions for me is more like a gameplay restriction instead a part of the game and lore itself, all the time horde and alliance "fight" each other to the end both unity to save the day

What should have is the end of factions and blizzard focus in every race but looking how lore is going maybe ask for race history is asking too much from blizzard

Personally i play this game since 2008, never played horde in my life and im cosidering change faction before shadowlands out

[Djuntas]

I m on Silvermoon and so far it seems fine but I would be worried if what hes talking about is on Silvermoon.

Its happening on Ravencrest too so...Factions are dumb anyway. But especially having 40 realms in wow is dumb.

[Krimzin]

Not gonna matter in the next the expansion after SL, Factions will be cross so anyone can join any guild.

[Whiskeyjac]

Like others have said it used to be because of racials, but that hasn't been much of an issue. But since most of the raiders started the migration there is a lot more people to pick from Horde side, so naturally guilds migrated. Don't know how you can really fix it outside of maybe allowing cross-faction raiding.

Only two ways to at this point... cross faction raiding or buffing alliance racials to the point you see the reverse happening with everyone leaving horde to compete.

I honestly think cross faction would make everyone happier just make it clear warmode makes you killable still. The alliance has liberated the horde from...well the horde what three times now? At some point the story needs to acknowledge that.