Warsong Gulch

Warsong Gulch
Location	Between the Barrens and Ashenvale
Race(s)	Night elf  Orc
Battleground info
Advised level	10 to Level cap
Minimum level	10
Player limit	10v10

Warsong Gulch is a battleground nestled in the southern region of Ashenvale forest. It is located near the area where Grom Hellscream and his Orcs chopped away huge swaths of forest during the events of the Third War. Despite disagreements from Thrall and the shamans, some orcs have remained in the vicinity, continuing their deforestation to fuel the Horde's expansion. They call themselves the Warsong Outriders.

The Night Elves, who have begun a massive push to retake the forests of Ashenvale, are now focusing their attention on ridding their land of the Outriders once and for all. And so, the Silverwing Sentinels have answered the call and sworn that they will not rest until every last Orc is defeated and cast out of Warsong Gulch.

Warsong Gulch is similar to "capture the flag" games in other games. Each side tries to take the opponent flag and "cap" (score) it at their own base. You can only "cap" the flag if the enemy isn't carrying yours.

Getting there

The Warsong Gulch in-game map

As it appears on the minimap.

Alliance

The Alliance entrance is located in Silverwing Grove, southwest of Silverwing Outpost and Fallen Sky Lake in Ashenvale Forest. The Silverwing Outpost is near the junction of the main road through Ashenvale and the road south to The Barrens. Be very careful if you are below level 20; in the area around the Silverwing Grove are many spiders with strong venom.

Instead of traveling to the actual entrance, you can be transported to the battleground by talking to the Battlemasters in the cities of Stormwind (Stormwind Keep), Darnassus (Warrior's Terrace), the Exodar (Vault of Lights) or Ironforge (Military Ward).

Horde

The Horde entrance is on the mountainside to the west of Mor'shan Base Camp at the northern end of The Barrens. Or talk to the Battlemasters in Orgrimmar (Valley of Honor), Thunder Bluff (Hunter's Rise), Silvermoon (Farstriders' Square) and Undercity (Sylvanas' chambers).

Both factions will also find Battlemasters in Shattrath City and Dalaran.

As of patch 3.1.0, a player may queue up for Warsong Gulch anywhere in the world by going to the battlegrounds tab of the Player vs. Player window. They will return to the location they chose to enter the battleground, not the queue, when the game ends.

Overview

Players waiting outside the Alliance entrance to Warsong Gulch

Warsong Gulch in the comic series

Warsong Gulch is a multiple instance zone hosting a Capture the Flag style match for 10 on 10 level bracketed PvP action. Each side needs at least 5 players or the game will end after 5 minutes.

Brackets

The brackets are currently (as of Legion):

• 10-19
• 20-29
• 30-39
• 40-49
• 50-59
• 60-69
• 70-79
• 80-89
• 90-99
• 100-109
• 110

There can be multiple instances for a particular bracket if there are enough level appropriate participants for a given level bracket.

Resurrection

Resurrection in Warsong Gulch functions as normal, but if your insignia is taken you can only be resurrected at your local graveyard by an NPC who casts a resurrection every 30 seconds. As of Patch 1.9.2 you do not have to click anything. You are put in the "resurrection wave". Hunters and Warlocks will have their current or most recent pet resurrected as well, even if that pet was not alive at the time of the player's death or if the pet has not been summoned since entering the battleground. Death Knights with the Master of Ghouls talent will have their ghoul resurrected if it was summoned at the time of death and was still alive when the Death Knight died.

Maps

Mechanics

The object of the game is to capture the enemy team's flag, while defending your own against capture.

The game ends when one team has scored 3 captures, or after 25 minutes. After that time, the team with the most flag captures wins. If this would result in a tie, the team that captured the last flag wins. If neither side has captured a flag, then the game ends in a tie. Prior to 4.0.0, each player on the winning team would receive three Warsong Gulch Marks of Honor, and each player on the losing team would receive one mark. In the case of a tie, all participants received two marks. Currently, all battleground tokens have been removed and replaced with Honor Points

Each team has one flag in their flag room. Players see the enemy's flag as a clickable object. Clicking on it causes the player to pick it up instantly. To score a capture, the capturing team must have their own flag at its base, and bring the enemy's flag to that same spot. If both flags are being carried, neither team can complete a capture. After a capture, both flags will reset to their original locations after 20 seconds.

When both flags are held, the flag carriers will receive 50% increased damage done to them after approximately 10 minutes and 100% increased damage after approximately 15 minutes. Both levels of increased damage also bring a slowed movement speed to the flag carrier.

Certain actions will cause the flag carrier to drop the flag. These include that player being killed, summoning a mount, entering stealth (including via Vanish), receiving a paladin's Divine Shield or Blessing of Protection ("bubble"), and Ice Block. The carrier can also drop the flag by clicking on their own flag buff (received while holding the flag). Actions which do not cause the flag to drop include shapeshifting (cat, travel, ghost wolf), Divine Protection, and using battleground power-ups. Also, picking up the flag breaks stealth.

When the flag is dropped, it becomes a clickable object where it was dropped. A capturing team member can pick it up again and keep running, but the player who dropped it will not be able to personally pick it up again for 3 seconds. Or, a defending team member can click on it and it will instantly teleport back to their base (this is called "returning" the flag). If no player picks up or returns the flag for about five seconds, it will return itself.

Tactics

Main article: Warsong Gulch strategy

There are at least four different strategies commonly used in Warsong Gulch; Split into O and D, Mid Control, All Escort the FC, and Zerging. The final is most common in PUGS and least likely to produce a victory while any of the first three can be made to work depending on the composition of the given team.

• Split into Offense and Defense. As simple as it sounds: part of the team protects your flag while another part goes to get the enemy flag. Remember, the point of defense is not to keep the enemy team from getting your flag, its making sure they don't make it back to their Flagroom with it. In the case that the enemy gets your flag D will try to chase the enemy flag carrier down and retrieve it while O may or may not assist depending on the tactics. It is very important that O sticks together to make this strategy work. Generally, all stealthers (rogues, druids) go to the enemy base, while the rest of the team stays back to stop any intruders. However, a skilled rogue or druid can make a very effective defensive force, especially if they have good burst damage to take out a flag carrier before he gets help.

• Middle Control. The team attempts to establish control of the middle of the field by sending most, if not all, of the team there and attacking the enemy as they can. The goal is to prevent any enemy from reaching your fort, or to prevent any enemy flag carriers from returning to their fort. While the middle is held, class appropriate flag carriers are sent into the enemy fort to get their flag. The difficulty with this strategy is that many flag carriers circumvent the middle by heading to the edges of the map, where trees, buildings, and other objects partially obstruct them, making them hard to find.

• All Escort the Flag Carrier. Everyone stays in a group, charges across the field, and takes the enemy's flag. Everyone escorts the FC back to a safe spot and then some protect your FC while others go look for the enemy FC as they will almost certainly have taken your flag by now as well. This is the most common opening tactic currently.

• Zerging. This strategy involves most of the team charging the enemy flag in a random way and largely as individuals or groups of two. Against any of the organized strats zerging is unlikely to produce a victory, however, it is the strat most commonly used by PUGS as it requires no communication or planning at all.

The key to victory is communication with the other players in your faction. Take the time before the game starts to agree on what strat you will be using but be prepared to change if you need to as events develop. By communicating, your teammates will have the edge and be able to anticipate your enemies' position and movements. It is useful to know, for example, if the opposing faction has characters camped at your graveyard. When allocating parties within a raid group, attention should be focused on not only the classes and abilities of the players involved, but also their levels. For example, it is foolish to send in some level 25 characters when you know that the enemy flag is guarded by multiple level 29s. It is important to keep in mind abilities that can root or snare a player, as well as speed enhancements, and the ability to successfully get away from a group. As in any PvP situation, the key ability to develop with your character is the ability to adapt.

You are more powerful in Battlegrounds when you are at the higher levels of your bracket. If you're playing in a 25–29 Battleground you will be more effective in direct combat as a level 29 than a level 25-28 because you will be much stronger, have more powerful spells, and stronger, higher leveled weapons with more DPS. You will also notice the other faction attacks you depending on your level because a level 29 will know a player two or more levels below them is an easy fast kill and takes only a few hits. This is especially true at the expansion border levels (58, 68, 78), as players geared with gear from the next expansion can have many times the health and stats of a player geared with the previous expansion's gear.

Shamans, remember, Totems are a lifesaver! When you are on your way to capturing the flag, lay a couple of totems, this will make a powerful escape route for you and your allies.

Team Buffs are essential for flag capturing! Blood Pact is great for EVERY ally. Defending, Healing or Attacking. Figure out what abilities you have that might be useful, and use them.

Hunters, lay a Freezing Trap just on the flag. If an enemy captures it, they'll be "sticking around" for a while. Also, lay another damaging trap above to add insult to injury. You may want to lay a Frost Trap to slow multiple members of the enemy team.

NEVER LEAVE THE FLAG CARRIER ALONE. Have at least one person with him/her at all times. The Flag Carrier is a big target, and will be primaried until the enemy realizes that the healers behind him are the only thing keeping him alive.

Communicate effectively and efficiently. Don't spam the battleground chat with things not necessary to PvP. Short, concise communication, especially reporting enemy positions and incomings is vital to success.

Power-Ups

There are three types of power-ups found in Warsong Gulch. To use them, simply walk up to one. They will respawn after a short period of time.

• Berserking - Increases all damage caused by 30%, all damage taken by 10% and increases your size by 10%. Lasts 1 min.
• Restoration - Restores 10% of your health and mana every second for 10 seconds. Attacking or being attacked will cancel the effect.
• Speed - Increases movement speed by 100% for 10 seconds.

Honor Rewards

The game awards bonus honor to everyone on your side of the match for reaching certain goals. Those goals are:

• capturing the opponent's flag rewards 41 honor at level 70 (40 honor at level 60).
• winning the match rewards 20 honor at level 70 (20 honor at level 60).

Honor for lower level matches scales down from the amounts given. Other scored events do not grant bonus honor. These include: killing blows, picking up the opponent's flag, and returning your flag to your base. Honor is awarded for honorable kills as normal.

Winning a complete match (3 captures and the win bonus) gives you 140 honor (at level 60). It also awards you 3 marks of honor. These marks are used to purchase certain items under the new honor system, although as of patch 3.3.3, you no can no longer obtain marks of honor.

Losing a complete match (0 captures and a loss) gives you no bonus honor. The only honor you will accumulate will come from honorable kills. You will receive 1 mark of honor at the end of a loss, so you can still collect some for honor purchases. However, a careless attitude about losing a match is generally frowned on, and considering that a winning match grants three marks and the substantial honor bonus, winning matches allows for accumulating honor points and marks much more rapidly.

During the Warsong Gulch Battlegrounds Holiday, you will earn an increased reputation bonus for each flag captured on your team. The winning team will earn an additional 121 bonus honor (at level 60) for completing the match, in addition to the usual 20 bonus. The losing team will earn 60 bonus honor at the end of the match. Thus a 3–0 match will award a total of 266 bonus honor to the winners, and 60 honor to the losers during the holiday.

Reputation

• Flag Capture - 35 reputation for entire team (10 extra reputation on a Battlegrounds Holiday for a total of 45).

Warsong Gulch items

Warsong Gulch items are now available by spending honor accumulated (as Warsong Gulch Mark of Honor have been removed from the battleground reward) with Illiyana Moonblaze (Alliance) or Kelm Hargunth (Horde). Though some of the Sentinel and Outrider factions items have different names and artwork, their bonuses and equip effects are identical. More powerful versions of some items can be purchased as you gain levels, allowing higher level players to receive faction rewards with better equipment bonuses. However, the epic​ quality bracer rewards are only available from level 40, and the epic​ quality leggings are only available at level 60.

Item (Alliance/Horde)	Type	Level and HP Cost	Classes	Description
[Silverwing Battle Tabard] [Warsong Battle Tabard]	Tabard	12000	Unrestricted	Tabard
[Rune of Duty]	Trinket	Level 20: 300 Level 40: 300	Warrior, Paladin Hunter, Rogue	Stamina bonus Restores health while equipped
[Rune of Perfection]	Trinket	Level 20: 300 Level 40: 300	Druid, Priest Shaman, Mage Warlock	Stamina bonus Decreases the magical resistances of your spell targets
[Caretaker's Cape] [Battle Healer's Cloak]	Back	Level 18: 100 Level 28: 100 Level 38: 300 Level 48: 300 Level 58: 1600	Unrestricted	Stamina and spirit bonuses Increases spellpower
[Sentinel's Medallion] [Scout's Medallion]	Neck	Level 18: 100 Level 28: 100 Level 38: 300 Level 48: 300 Level 58: 1600	Unrestricted	Stamina and agility bonuses
[Lorekeeper's Ring] [Advisor's Ring]	Finger	Level 18: 100 Level 28: 100 Level 38: 300 Level 48: 300 Level 58: 1600	Unrestricted	Stamina bonus Increases spellpower Restores mana while equipped
[Protector's Band] [Legionnaire's Band]	Finger	Level 18: 100 Level 28: 100 Level 38: 300 Level 48: 300 Level 58: 1600	Unrestricted	Strength, agility, and stamina bonuses
[Lorekeeper's Staff] [Advisor's Gnarled Staff]	Staff	Level 18: 500 Level 28: 700 Level 38: 1000 Level 48: 5000 Level 58: 15000	Unrestricted	Stamina and intellect bonuses Restores mana while equipped
[Protector's Sword] [Legionnaire's Sword]	Sword	Level 18: 300 Level 28: 400 Level 38: 500 Level 48: 700 Level 58: 6000	Unrestricted	Strength and stamina bonuses
[Outrunner's Bow] [Outrider's Bow]	Bow	Level 18: 300 Level 28: 400 Level 38: 500 Level 48: 700 Level 58: 6000	Unrestricted	Agility and stamina bonuses (Level 30+)
[Sentinel's Blade] [Scout's Blade]	Dagger	Level 18: 300 Level 28: 400 Level 38: 500 Level 48: 700 Level 58: 6000	Unrestricted	Agility and stamina bonuses
[Berserker Bracers]	Wrist (Plate)	Level 40: 500 Level 50: 700 Level 60: 5000	Unrestricted	Strength, agility, and stamina bonuses
[Dryad's Wrist Bindings]	Wrist (Cloth)	Level 40: 500 Level 50: 700 Level 60: 5000	Unrestricted	Stamina, intellect, and spirit bonuses Increases spellpower
[Forest Stalker's Bracers]	Wrist (Leather)	Level 40: 500 Level 50: 700 Level 60: 5000	Unrestricted	Strength, agility, and stamina bonuses
[Windtalker's Wristguards]	Wrist (Mail)	Level 40: 500 Level 50: 700 Level 60: 5000	Unrestricted	Stamina, intellect, and spirit bonuses Attack power increased while equipped
[Sentinel's Silk Leggings] [Outrider's Silk Leggings]	Legs (Cloth)	Level 60: 9000	Unrestricted	Stamina, intellect, and spirit bonuses Increases spellpower
[Sentinel's Lizardhide Pants] [Outrider's Lizardhide Pants]	Legs (Leather)	Level 60: 9000	Unrestricted	Strength, agility, stamina, intellect, and spirit bonuses Increases spellpower
[Sentinel's Leather Pants] [Outrider's Leather Pants]	Legs (Leather)	Level 60: 9000	Unrestricted	Agility and stamina bonuses Increases chance to get a critical strike
[Sentinel's Chain Leggings] [Outrider's Chain Leggings]	Legs (Mail)	Level 60: 9000	Unrestricted	Agility and stamina bonuses Increases chance to get a critical strike Increases chance to hit
[Sentinel's Mail Leggings] [Outrider's Mail Leggings]	Legs (Mail)	Level 60: 9000	Unrestricted	Strength, intellect and stamina bonuses Increases chance to get a critical strike Increases chance to get a crit Restores mana while equipped
[Sentinel's Lamellar Legguards] [Outrider's Lamellar Legguards]	Legs (Plate)	Level 60: 9000	Unrestricted	Strength and stamina bonuses Increases chance to get a critical strike Increases chance to hit Increases spellpower
[Sentinel's Plate Legguards] [Outrider's Plate Legguards]	Legs (Plate)	Level 60: 9000	Unrestricted	Strength and stamina bonuses Increases chance to get a critical strike

Achievements

Note: Meta achievements are located in a separate table at the bottom of this section.

Title	Description	Reward
[Capture the Flag]	Personally carry and capture the flag in Warsong Gulch.	10
[Frenzied Defender]	Return 5 flags in a single Warsong Gulch battle.	10
[Ironman]	In a single Warsong Gulch battle, carry and capture the flag 3 times without dying.	10
[Not in My House]	In a single Warsong Gulch battle, kill 2 flag carriers before they leave the Silverwing / Warsong Flag Room.	10
[Not So Fast]	In Warsong Gulch, kill a player who is under the effects of the speed power up.	10
[Persistent Defender]	Return 50 flags as a defender in Warsong Gulch.	10
[Quick Cap]	Grab the flag and capture it in under 75 seconds.	10
[Save The Day]	Kill the enemy who is carrying your flag in the opposing team's flag room while the opposing team's flag is at their base, within their control.	10
[Silverwing Sentinel]	Gain exalted status with the Silverwing Sentinels.	10
[Supreme Defender]	Kill 100 flag carriers in Warsong Gulch.	10
[Warsong Expedience]	Win Warsong Gulch in under 7 minutes.	10
[Warsong Gulch Perfection]	Win Warsong Gulch with a score of 3 to 0.	10
[Warsong Gulch Veteran]	Complete 100 victories in Warsong Gulch.	10
[Warsong Gulch Victory]	Win Warsong Gulch.	10
[Warsong Outrider]	Gain exalted status with the Warsong Outriders.	10

Meta achievement

Title	Description	Reward
[Master of Warsong Gulch]  [Master of Warsong Gulch]	Complete the Warsong Gulch achievements listed below:  Warsong Gulch Veteran  Capture the Flag  Persistent Defender  Frenzied Defender  Warsong Gulch Perfection  Warsong Expedience  Ironman  Quick Cap  Supreme Defender  Save The Day  Not in My House  Silverwing Sentinel /  Warsong Outrider	25

Useful Terminology

During the course of playing, you may hear the following frequently used acronyms and terms used by players to give out directions:

• fr: Flag Room
• fc: Flag Carrier
• efc: Enemy Flag Carrier
• inc: Incoming
• gy: Graveyard (the area or in the proximity of the area in which players re-spawn after death)
• roof: Refers to the area above the respective flag rooms, accessed via the side exit in each tunnel
• tun: Refers to the tunnel leading in and out of the base
• ramp: Refers to the sloping terrain the other side to the graveyard
• tot: Top of (the) Tunnel (being on the top of the opening of outside tunnel)

Media

Videos

Pwniversity Twink Warrior WSG Wow Strategies and Guides

A Warsong Gulch live commentary w/ Selfs3rve Rogue PvP and more

Patch changes

• Patch 3.3.0 (08-Dec-2009): The timer has 25 minutes now.
  
• Patch 3.2.0 (04-Aug-2009): There is a now a 20 minute timer on this battleground. After that time, the team with the most flag captures wins. If this would result in a tie, the team that captured the first flag wins. If neither side has captured a flag, then the game ends in a tie awarding a single mark to all participants.
  
• Patch 1.8.0 (10-Oct-2005): Players of levels 10 - 19 will now be able to participate in the battle for Warsong Gulch.
  
• Patch 1.7.0 (13-Sep-2005):
  • Warsong Gulch will now be level-banded as follows: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60
  • System Messages have been added to Warsong Gulch to replace the heralds.
  • Losers of Warsong Gulch are now given a "Ribbon of Sacrifice" which they may turn in to Captain Shatterspear or Sentinel Farsong for a faction reward.
  • Offensive use of damage immunities no longer causes the flag to drop in Warsong Gulch.
  • A bug that allowed ghost players to pass through the Warsong Gulch starting gate has been fixed.
    
• Patch 1.6.0 (12-Jul-2005):
  • Warsong Gulch has new item rewards at the appropriate faction vendor near the entrances to the zone. These are available starting at Honored faction.
  • Friendly flag carriers are now displayed on the overhead map in Warsong Gulch.
  • Both the Warsong Outrider Supply Officer and the Silverwing Sentinel Supply Officer of Warsong Gulch now offer distinct tabards for purchase. Those heroes who are of Exalted status with one of these factions may purchase the tabard for 5 gold (discounts not included).
  • Players now receive a faction bonus for completing the repeatable Warsong Gulch quests.
    
• Patch 1.5.0 (2005-06-07): Added.
  

See also

• Alliance battleground strategies
• Capture the flag
• Distribution of roles in Warsong Gulch
• Eye of the Storm
• Twin Peaks

External links

WoW Official Game Site (US) Warsong Gulch

WoW Official Game Site (EU) Warsong Gulch

• Wowhead
• Thottbot
• WoWDB

Guides

WoW Official Game Site (US) World of Warcraft War College – Warsong Gulch by Daxxarri, Feb 15, 2012 8:54 PM PST

Pwniversity.com Warsong Gulch Strategy Guide

Blog.MySpace.com Galinth's Warsong Gulch Commander's Guide