Anyone else wonder what Blizzard was thinking when they designed Orgrimmar? It’s like they used up all of their energy designing Stormwind, putting in all sorts of small details… like housing… things which make it feel like people actually live there.
Walking through Stormwind, I feel like Orgrimmar is a bad joke, or Blizz was just being super lazy. I have no doubt most of this community could have designed a better more fleshed out city, that actually looked like people lived there with things… like housing… But maybe I’m just crazy.
The color palette is a mess, the building designs are a nightmare (almost literally), the layout feels like it was drawn out by a 4 year old using crayons on a coloring book for the first time. Blizzard, what gives, why is Stormwind so much better than Org? This made sense during Vanilla and BC, but it doesn’t make sense anymore now that multiple factions live in the city.
When I’m in Orgrimmar, it’s almost as if Blizzard is trying to remind me that every orc is a deadbeat dad who can’t pay their bills let alone build things… like housing… I feel like Alliance players invading Orgrimmar must feel like they’re playing an imperialism simulator, where you are on your way to a 3rd world country, ready to put down the local savages.
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This stems mostly from how the two cities were handled in Cataclysm.
Before Cata, I would say that Orgrimmar and Stormwind were somewhat on par in terms of feel and design. Stormwind had the edge in feeling like a city, but Orgrimmar felt cozy and inviting and was believably a place for a group of primal underdogs to have gathered to make something for themselves.
When Cata rolled in, Stormwind, aside from the park (which has since been fixed) was expanded and remastered with higher resolution textures. Its spirit didn’t change a bit; it was just a more grand version of itself. Contrast this to Orgrimmar, which kind of expanded, but only vertically (making navigation a bloody mess) and took on a smoggy, spiky metal “iron horde” aesthetic that entirely wiped out original Org’s inviting and lived in feel. It went from a home for the honorable war-torn to a military industrial complex.
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A city can always use a fresh face-lift. Its been way overdue same goes for both factions.
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I had such high hopes for Orgrimmar when they reskinned it for Garrosh. I was really disappointed. Stormwind keeps getting more and more impressive while the orc architecture just stays very one-dimensional and uninteresting. The amount of money/value that must have gone into an upgrade like the orcish fortresses in Durotar and Northrend would have been impressive, to say the least. You’d THINK it’d be organized and interesting, too.
The garrisons really drive that home. The Alliance garrison is gorgeous. The Horde garrison is just huts in the snow.
I like Origimmar. It has an organic feel to it. It has a very unique style. It’s definitely an Orc city. In fact it screams Orc.
I admit I got lost in that city a lot because I was introduced to Silvermoon and later Undercity, both of which follow a similar urban pattern. Longtime players helped me understand how to get around better.
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Completely agree.
I’d love to know what Blizzard has planned, if anything.
I like Orgrimmar. It has a primal utilitarian feel.
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A lot of major Horde cities seem needlessly convoluted and unorganized to me. I just race changed to a Blood Elf on my Shadow Priest and their new main city for BfA gives me a headache.
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I prefer the openness of Orgrimmar’s plazas compared to the cramped up stormwind streets. Easier to mingle with other players.
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In all seriousness, the Horde needs a few design upgrades. Nothing wrong with an occasional tent and a spike or two for nostalgic purposes, but come on… Horde cities and settlements are just cringe.
You can keep your edge without being continuously restrained to an image of patchwork, pieced together, bed bug ridden, dusty and moldy, stanky and crusty Hordery soaked in blood, sweat, and piss.
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