World of Warcraft players are flocking to taverns with their alts

World of Warcraft is a game synonymous with large faction conflicts and over-the-top, near-world-ending events. But even as the world of Azeroth moves from one conflict to the next, players take it upon themselves to embrace more mundane slice-of-life experiences like dedicated beach days, player-run markets, and tavern visits where they meet characters that range from your run-of-the-mill baker to an overly ambitious apprentice from the floating mage city of Dalaran. These spaces have been carved out by players seeking a cozier experience, perhaps after a long day of work, or just to live out their own individual stories in a world constantly on the verge of war — with some areas more apt at providing this than others. 

Braumas, the leader of the Order the Hippogryph — which was one of largest role-playing guilds on World of Warcraft’s now-defunct Season of Discovery role-playing server — said in an interview that he and the co-founder of the guild, Almi (who is married to Braumas outside of the game), moved the guild’s operations and events to the tavern in Theramore purely because of the vibes. But he says that despite enjoying the more “small castle vibe” that Theramore previously provided to the guild, main cities are largely where players can find the most activity when it comes to random social experiences. “Main city hubs don’t captivate me all that much, but when I’m seeking interaction, those are generally the best places to be. […] Cities naturally serve as gathering points much like in real life, and I can browse through other players’ TRPs [custom made role-play profiles accessed through the Total Role-Play 3 add-on] to see who might be a good match for role-play.”

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That much is certainly true. Spots like The Blue Recluse and The Slaughtered Lamb in Stormwind, on the major Alliance role-playing server Moon Guard, always have a cluster of role-players lingering inside and outside. Diving into the scene myself, I was exposed to a variety of different experiences, but most of what transpired in the Alliance’s major player hub consisted of slice-of-life role-play. I listened in as a woman lamented the destruction of her bakery and the pain of having to file an insurance claim with an auditor (who was played by another player), and heard a veteran of the Third War contemplate how the scars of World of Warcraft’s continual conflicts had etched themselves on his soul as he shared drinks with his comrades.

I found Orgrimmar, the Horde player hub, to be relatively similar. Goblins, blood elves, trolls, orcs, and the occasional Tauren gathered in The Wyvern’s Tail, Orgrimmar’s most popular tavern, to chat. Some shared similar stories as the veteran in Stormwind; others talked about the more mundane aspects of their lives like relationships as they drank enough Mulgore Firewater to slur their words, which is built into the in-game chat. Some players have decided to talk role-play elsewhere, to other taverns in other cities. Once such location being Silvermoon City, the starting area for the highly popular blood elves.

“The atmosphere is what attracted me to Silvermoon City, and the fact that role-playing can be spread out over a larger area,” said Dinthoqaf Bloodcrest, leader of the Sanctum of the Forbidden. “It gives credence to an actual ‘living city’ seeing people interact and doing things in various places.” Previously, Bloodcrest had frequented The Wyvern’s Tail, like most Horde players on the premier Horde role-playing server Wyrmrest Accord. But recently he’s come to favor Silvermoon City, along with more than a handful of blood elf role-players, who congregate and plan for role-playing events in various Discord servers. “It’s a nice change of pace,” said another blood elf role-player I conversed with in Wayfarer’s Rest, one of two taverns in the sprawling city. “Orgrimmar is fine and all, but sometimes you want to see something different, and the vibes in Silvermoon City are top-notch.”

My evening in Wayfarer’s Rest was spent listening to a sailor recount their time spent on the vast oceans of Azeroth as another player stepped in for an absent bartending NPC, filling orders and keeping thirsty patrons pleased. In some ways, it did feel like being in a bar, overhearing conversations about trips overseas or marital troubles that I had no business hearing. All of these things exist in World of Warcraft, in part because the world facilitates these kinds of interactions through these player hubs. “What I love about role-playing hubs, especially taverns, is that you can meet all kinds of different characters,” said a Void elf I interviewed outside of The Blue Recluse. “Taverns are so different from one another depending on the city, so you’ll always find different kinds of people.”

Speaking to WoW associate design director Maria Hamilton, I learned that a lot of these spaces are designed with role-play in mind. “We’re a multiplayer game, so it’s important to us that our social spaces bring people together,” she said. “We also want to provide these nooks and crannies for people that want to role-play. That way, they have some space to build out their own stories in the world.”

She elaborated on the design process for cities like Dornogal, the new cross-faction player hub introduced through WoW’s The War Within expansion, saying the Earthen were the primary driving force behind Dornogal’s design: “We wanted to emphasize the crafting and serious profession work the Earthen do. […] When you’re looking at a new race, it’s also talking about what’s important to that race and what matters to that race. So early on we agreed that the Earthen don’t really eat, so food preparation and food areas wouldn’t be part of their culture. But since they’re made of stone, sitting in hot water baths and being in warm areas would be important to them.” Wandering around, I did notice these design decisions, and the Earthen players that would sometimes populate these areas would interact with their surroundings, sitting in hot springs and talking about their newfound experiences when interacting with the other races of Azeroth.

Through the introduction of Undermine, the new goblin player hub, a slew of new and returning goblin players have flocked to the Incontinental Hotel, a lavish two-story building made of scrap metal and broken glass. “Undermine was our chance to make an actual urban environment, and goblins have such a unique, chaotic feeling to them,” said Hamilton. “We always hope that we can get enough of a culture and feeling of the place into something that people want to get into. And you know, hang out and role-play being a goblin on the mean streets of Undermine.”

Small additions have also been added to older player hubs, and though they are nothing especially substantial, that evolution does add to the “living city” elements often brought up by role-players. Over time, NPCs have been added to cities, their dialogue was changed to reflect the current going-ons in the world, and the game even added tourists that peruse and get lost in these meticulously designed environments. But it doesn’t come without challenges. “Updating them in the tools is complicated,” Hamilton said. “There are layers and layers stacked on top of each other, so it’s a puzzle to identify what we can get rid of or add. So we’re always excruciatingly careful when it comes to making changes to those areas. […] We’re representing things in the world that have happened in these big cities. And we know role-players love that.”

When asked about players flocking to these social hubs and effectively making them “third places” where they can congregate and live out second, third, or fourth lives through their alts, Hamilton said, “It’s great. World of Warcraft exists for everyone. If you’re a person who wants to role-play primarily, and you’ve built up a community and a life you’re playing out, we want to support that. We want you to have those places and space you can do and enjoy that. […] We listen to what people are asking for.”

And I believe that players will continue to flock to these spaces. Even 20 years later, players like Braumas continue to frequent the most popular role-playing spots, and with a renewed interest in the MMORPG, these locales seem more populated than ever. Because sometimes you just want to slip into another version of yourself and spend an evening listening to a bard tell a tall tale, sipping ale and people-watching into the late hours of the night.