Race War servers allow players of the Horde and Alliance to fight each other in addition to the other enemy monsters in the world. Some players prefer the challenge of facing other real players rather than playing against computer/server controlled monsters/characters. Common reasons for this include: more strategy, excitement, and the thrill of defeating a real player and imagining their reaction when defeated. Race War servers aren't for everyone, so be aware of what you're getting into before joining. You must be prepared to put up with high level players trying to attack you when you least expect it. You must also be prepared to fail a quest because of enemy interference. There will be quests that are especially difficult because they take place in enemy territory. You'll have to dodge and/or defeat enemy players to complete your quest.

Offense

Large Raids
Raids on enemy territories require coordination and effort to be successful.

Level
Character Level is very important. Try to bring as many high level players as you can.

Bring a Large Number of Players
Numbers are very important when attacking enemy territories. Try to bring as many people as you can. The enemy can easily call in reinforcements via chat channels because they are closer to their homelands. Additionally, people attacking enemy territory often become scared and run, which brings down your numbers. Make alliances with other guilds so that you can bring more players. If an attack fails, be sure to bring more players next time!

Create a Chat Channel
Set up a Chat channel to communicate. For best results, only allow the leaders to communicate and ask the rest of the players to be silent. Otherwise, the chat channel can turn into anarchy as non-leaders may give poor commands and feedback which can damage the success of the raid.

Stay Together
Keep together. You're stronger in large numbers. Don't leave people behind. If your party begins to get separated, be sure to wait and re-group so your attack will be more successful.

Pick a Good Path to Follow
Use strategy to pick the best path to the enemy base. Sometimes it's best to stay off the roads and normal paths. That way you're less likely to be spotted before you spring your attack.

Groups
It is up to you to decide just how involved your attack will be. Experienced raids involve grouping people up by specific classes. Each group has a specific purpose and responsibility in the attack. Perhaps you want a Priest in every group. Perhaps you would like to organize groups entirely of specific classes such as Rogues or Mages.

Surprise
Surprise is very important. It is best to attack when the enemy is not expecting it. Try to do as much damage as you can (killing NPCs and enemy players) before the enemy can react. For these reasons, it's important to be secret about your plans. This can be very difficult when you bring a lot of players.

Fall Back/Retreat!
If you are having trouble in an enemy town, fall back. When you fight in enemy towns you not only have to deal with other players, but also the town guards. If you retreat you'll only have to fight the enemy players.

Small Raids
Small raids can be very effective with a high level, organized, and experienced party. These raids can cause confusion with the enemy who might believe you're attacking in much larger numbers. The key to such attacks is surprise and lots of running away. Hit-and-run attacks with a small party can create a great amount of chaos.

Death
Currently, if you die in enemy territory, you respawn at the nearest graveyard whether it is alliance or horde controlled. Also, be aware that ghosts of each side can see each other.

Enemy Regions vs. Friendly/Contested
The enemy has the advantage in an enemy region (red). They can have spies following you around that you're unable to attack. They are able to strike first and you will be unable to fight them until they have first attacked you.

Bait
A good trick for killing lower level enemies in their own territory, who would normally not engage you in combat, is to bring a low level friend as bait. Make sure the enemy sees your friend and not you, and they will most likely engage in combat with him, enabling you to attack them.

Other Tips

• Have your Hearthstone ready. You'll likely need your Hearthstone to get away after a battle is over. If your attack fails you will need to sneak away, and the Hearthstone is very useful for that task.

   

• Bring Healing Potions. Have friendly players cast as many buffs on you and your party as they can in order to make your character more powerful.

Defense

Defend!
Defend the alliance! Perhaps there are others that can take up this challenge or perhaps you will be called to defend the land. Here are some tips:

Find out more information
Find out where the enemy is and how their attack is doing. If it is failing, your services are not needed. If the enemy is winning, join in the battle and help drive them back. Pay attention to general chat and set up contacts that can inform you of the current status of a battle. Also, spread the word to alliance defenders where the battle is so they can join in. Guilds are very effective at spreading information and defending against attacks.

Numbers
Bring as many players as you can to help out.

Use the Guards/Friendly NPCs
Whenever possible, lure the enemy into more powerful guards that can help you defend.

Other Information

Attacked while Questing
If you are in a contested or enemy region (zone), there exists a danger of being attacked while you're trying to complete your quest(s). You should be aware of this risk. If you're trying to level up, you might wish to pick areas where the enemy is unlikely to attack, thus reducing the risk of confrontation. Alternatively, you can level up in instanced areas where the enemy cannot attack you.

Body Camping
If the enemy begins camping your body (waiting in the area of your corpse for a long time), you have several options:

• The area for reviving is very large so you can pick a spot far away from the enemy. Revive and run further away from the enemy.
• Wait. You can wait until they leave. You can simply alt-tab and let them waste their time while you're away from the computer.
• Have someone else lead them away from your body.
• Revive, run away, and then use a Hearthstone to get home.