WoW Classic Warsong Gulch Guide - Everything about this battleground!

Hello there Adventurer! Welcome to out WoW Classic Warsong Gulch Guide. Right here in this guide you will find everything about this special battleground. Especially for the version of the current patch, and many patches in the future. We will talk about the battleground itself, buffs, tips & tricks, tactics, and of course - the rewards that you will get for winning a game. And before we start giving away the information about this gamemode you should know what you are getting into.

We will talk about everything you should know about Warsong Gulch, when you are in a scenario in which both parties are well-organized, and each player knows what they are doing. After reading this guide you will know how to approach skilled players, how to find yourself on the battlefield, how to utilize your class and designated role to its fullest potential, and how the match can play out, even with so many variables in a form of different teamcomps, lineups, players, strategies and tactics And who knows, if you live through a few matches and days this might appear as your type of gameplay, making you complete players at the same time. 

Warsong Gulch

Warsong Gulch (from Silverwing Sentinels faction) location is a special PvP Battleground Instance placed somewhere in the southern region of Ashenvale forest, that allows 20 players to form into two 10-men teams to compete in a capture-the-flag contest. Each player that reaches level 10 is able to take part in this competition, allowing twinks to have some fun as well.

Each round is a completely new gaming experience, as there's a lot of potential for different outcomes because of various teamcomps, players, their skills, teamplay, and tactics. As for the meta information - Warsong Gulch is a conflict between the Silverwing Sentintels, seeking revenge for the damage that Orcs known as Warsong Outriders had done in the Ashenvale forest, somewhere around when the Third War happened.

Each team (faction) has to capture enemy flags and return them to their base. Math ends when one team manages to return three flags, or if the timer (25 minutes) runs out. Then, the outcome of the match will depend on the current situation of flag caps. And if it's a tie - the team which capped the flag last will win the game.

Alliance starts their game in Silverwing Grove, and Horde begins somewhere near the Mor'Shan Base Camp. And both teams will get to the battleground via the Battlemasters. Also through each game, you will be able to get some bonus honor points if you manage to claim flags.

Queuing Up

Warong Gulch is not a place that you can just jump in, and enjoy the gameplay right away. You will have to queue up for a match. And to do that, you will have to find a Battlemaster NPC, that you will be able to find in every Capital City, or approach the entrance of the instance on your own.

Stormwind

Ironforge

Darnassus

Orgrimmar

Thunder Bluff

Undercity

As you already know, this mode is available for any players that manage to reach level 10. Every player leveled 10-60 will access this mode, but that doesn't mean that a level 10 will play with level 60, as this would've been a bit outrageous.

But the brackets in which you can queue in are fair, you will only bo able to play with and against certain Twinks in the worst scenario. Brackets are as follows:

10-19

20-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60-60

There brackets will not protect you from Twinks, but it's always better to play against a Twink, rather than someone who is twice your level. You can be sure that a Warsong Gulch match will be fair, as far as levels go.

Warsong Gulch - Know your Way Around Battlefield

During a capture-the-flag match knowing the possibility of any scenario will be invaluable. But outside of some random things that will happen due to players that get into the game, coming up with different teamcomps, playstyles, and gimmicks that will change the game in an unexpected ways. But there are static rules and mechanics that will happen every time on the battlefield, that are written purely into the rules of the game. And to swing freely between mechanical plays and tactics - you should know the stale parts of these battlegrounds. This way you will know how to play around certain things, and how to flexibly change your way of plying each time something unexpected happens on the battlefield.

Buffs

There are three buffs that will be available for all players. These can change the way each players plays their game. It's somewhat of a flexible variable that will change the playstyle of every single person in the battle. Every buff available will provide some great utility, allowing for an aggressive, passive, or a runner playstyle. Each buff is not an item, and it activates by itself.

Berserking  - Increases damage dealt by 30%, and damage taken by 10%.  It will last for one minute so every user of this buff will have to work fast. It's a great buff for anyone who wants to be the main DPS of the group, putting down enemy players before they can reach your flag.

It's an amazing buff with a great value, even when it comes to pure numbers. Any Ranged DPS, or a Skilled Warrior will do some mess with this buff. For the damage taken increase - it's not the best idea to get this buff for a healer or flag carrier (runner). Unless you want to go ham on everyone for some reason, just to have some fun, without actually being the most useful person on the battlefield. It's not recommended if you have other jobs to do.  Don't waste in on runners though. If enemy team has a decent DPS with Berserking buff, if you take Berserking too as a flag carrier - you can consider yourself basically dead.

Speed - Movement Speed increased by 100%. Perfect for Flag Capture scenarios. You can hold this buff activated for 10 seconds, and it's a go-to buff for any decent flag carrier that would love to outrun their opponent. This buff is simply amazing for gaining some distance if you are just heading towards a flag, or if you already have one in your possession. Movement Speed is everything for any flag carrier. And it's not an exaggeration. Even though it lasts for 10 seconds - these will feel like eternity if someone else uses it, and like a few seconds if you use it.

Restoration - Restores 100% Health Points and Mana Points over 10 seconds. Taking any new piece of damage during that effect will end the buff, leaving you without the effect, so it's important to use this buff in the down-time, and to keep yourself safe during the regeneration part to regain as much health and mana as it's possible. Any Damage over Time effect that was on you will not stop Regeneration, so you can safely use it to its full potential if you have some kind of an affliction on you.

Buffs are there for everyone to use. Each buff has 2 available locations, meaning there are six buffs on the  battlefield at the same time. After the buff is taken it will disappear for 2-3 minutes, and reappear after that short cooldown.

Warsong Gulch Map and Call-outs

To really grasp what you have to work with you should know how the map layout looks, how to reach certain places, why you should reach them at all, and how to communicate with your teammates reliably through callouts. 

As you can see - map is basically mirrored, meaning that each team is equal when it comes to possibilities they have when it comes to map movement, positioning, and rotating. This makes everything fair and balanced. Neither team will start with an advantage, and even having Paladin or Shaman on one team and not the other will balance itself out nicely. There are also two zones known as west and east, that are just on the sides of the MID field, we just didn't edit them in. 

But knowing the map itself, how it looks and plays out will not be enough. Warsong Gulch is a place where teamplay is above all. Without a good offense, defense will have to deal with multiple strong opponents, and without a good defense, offense will not be able to do their job properly,

ultimately leaving them in a lost match. And to communicate properly in this game, you should know the basic call-outs. As you can see on the map, there are multiple symbols on it. These are the most basic symbols for the call-outs that will make everything much faster. And some information These call-outs are:

FR - A place in which you spawn in at the very start of a Warsong Gulch match.

GY - Graveyard, a place in which you will spawn in if you die. You will be resurrected after some downtime right there.

O - Offense.

D - Defense.

Inc - Enemy is incoming. Brace for impact.

FC - Flag Carrier.

Tun - Tunnel below the Instance.

Ramp - Thingy close to the graveyard.

Roof - Highest level of your base. Basically the top.

Mid - The middle of the battlefield, where fights of the frontline will happen in the beginning.

Zerk Hut - The small house that has a Berserking Buff inside it.

Leaf Hut - Another small house which has Restoration Buff inside.

Base Calls - There also some call-outs that will name some parts of each base. Roof, mentioned above, balcony, flag room, connector/lobby, and banana.

Adding letter "E" in the beginning of almost each call-out will imply the enemy's side of things. For example typing "efc" in the chat means that you are talking about the enemy flag carrier. 

Some call-outs aren't tied to the map and locations, but to other players. It's a common thing to call out specific members of the enemy team, especially during organized fights that will happen on the map around the mid-field. Make sure to get to know these call-outs and recognize them. It's very important. For it's better to give a short piece of information "EO ETUN" that everyone gets, than to wiggle your tongue for twenty seconds trying to say, that enemy offense is heading through their tunnel.

General Warsong Gulch Guide

The most important thing you most likely want to know - how to play on this battleground to win, and not be a liability for your team. We will assume a scenario in which both teams are skilled, organized, they know their call-outs, designated roles, and they know how to properly be present on the battlefield.

Default Role Setup and Early Map Presence

Playing good requires knowledge of mechanics and knowing which strategy is best for the situation. There are also some rules that you should know, so you can play Warsong Gulch to your fullest potential. Team setup and positioning can be one of the most important factors, that will decide the course of a game.

Let's start with Defense, which is arguably the most important thing on this battleground instance. There are two types of defense in this game. There's a pure flag room static defense, and base-midfield defense that will rotate based on the situation. It's the most basic formation that will most likely take place in the beginning of the match, then both teams will most likely switch to different playstyles to match the situation. The Defense presents itself like this:

Inside Flag Room

Rogue will be the best possible choice to guard the inside of the flag room hands down. There will be one powerful Rogue in the match, and its their job to set themselves in the main flag room with stealth, and just wait for enemies to come, giving out intel, sapping important targets and setting them up for honorable kills, and of course to lock down Enemy Flag Carriers. It's a strong base of defense that should be always looked after by the second line of defense that will be somewhere in the low to mid field. Each Rogue should rush to the objective room and pick a spot in which they will go invisible, at least in the beginning.

The game will change at some point, and Rogue will have to be very flexible to fulfill their role properly. That is because Rogue will have to follow Enemy Flag Carrier if the flag gets stolen. At this time, Rogue should hop on their mount, and sneak onto the Enemy Roof to set EFC for a kill, most of the time sapping the most effective healer, and stunlocking. Sometimes it will be better to lurk for the EFC ahead of the main fight. In that case - setting a Rogue on a path where EFC will go when kiting could be the best idea. You just have to be careful with a potential repick. Allied Warriors, Warlocks, and Healers will try to lead EFC straight into a Rogue.

And this role can also change, especially when the game goes into the Stalemate phase, in which both Flags are picked up.

Mid-Field Defense Lines 

Midfield is when the harass and keep-out tools come into play. Warlocks and Hunters will be at home here. Well, kind of. Their job is to keep out enemies from their base by constantly harassing newcomers from the distance, making it less attractive to sneak in. Death is costly, and these two classes will make some mess outside the base, making the team's Rogue a little less paranoid, with less responsibilities.

Base to Mid Defense is the most fluid zone of gameplay. Both Hunters and Warlocks will  very often rotate from Close to Base Defense to help their teammates in fights that are happening in the middle, turning for a very short time into some kind of Offensive Squad that will harass high-priority targets, like enemy Paladins/Shamans, Priest guys, Mages, and Druids.

Mid-Field Offense Lines 

Mid-Field Offense should most of the time consist of a Warrior, and Healers. Meaning that Alliance should have a Warrior, Paladin, and two Priests, and Horde should roll with Warrior, two Priests, and one Shaman. There are lots of things that this section will do. Most of the time - they work as a death squad that will try to assert dominance in the mid-field, and to gain the priority. If your team controls the mid it will be far easier to handle the situation in which either flag gets picked up. Offense should always update their team in any case in which the situation might change.

Flag Squad 

This (usually 3-men) squad should work on getting to the enemy base and stealing the flag. There are lots of entrances into the base, some quite extraordinary and quite tricky, as a few ways require skillful texture jumping, which increases the skill ceiling of Warsong Gulch.

These Squads will consist of two Mages and one Driud. Frost Mages will work wonders due to their multiple Crowd Control abilities, that allow them to not only lock other people down with Frost Nova and Cone of Cold, but also using Dispels to keep their teammates stronger than the enemy team.

As for Druid - it's the best class when it comes to sheer movement and outplay potential. There are lots of possibilities for Druids as they are very versatile, and they are very quick due to their transformations. They can also heal themselves, meaning that they can keep themselves alive in some situations. But it's rarely the case, especially when they are carrying the flag already. They will have to depend on their deception skills and their teammates to find their way to the friendly Flag Room.

Druid doesn't really have to be the one carrying the flag. Against some enemy compositions it will be better to give flag to a Mage, due to their stuns, roots, ice blocks, polymorphs, and their teleport in a form of a Blink. It's all situational, so it's important to have some kind of understanding who and when should pick up the flag. It's very common for a Mage to pick up a flag, cast Cone of Cold and Frost Nova, bring out the flag outside, and drop it for the Druid. It's a great way of stealing flags when the Rogue is competent an with their defenses being hard to breach. Be careful though, sometimes you will drop the too close to the Rogue who outsmarted you, and the flag will go back to the enemy base. There's a lot of trickery involved at all levels of play.

Getting the flag out will be a huge problem if enemy team consisting of Warlock, Hunter and Rogue on the defense is competent enough to know what to do, and how to counter certain run-up formation. This squad has to be tricky and creative.

Safety of a FC is the single most important thing, when the flags are gone. Enemy team will not only try to protect their Flag Carrier, they will try to lead EFC into their Rogue, who will lurk somewhere out of the main fight, and he will be the one to stunlock EFC to set up some kills.

Ideal Teamcomp

One Rogue in the Flag Room, Hunter with their pet on the outside defense, with a rotating Warlock. Warrior in the middle with healers and Paladin/Shaman, and a Flag Guerilla Squad - Druid + 1/2 Mages, depending if one Mage wants to help to gain the priority of the Mid space early on. Gnome race will do great due to Escape Artist racial ability.

While sometimes it will be impossible to gather a team like that - it will be helpful to get as close to this teamcomp as possible, to ensure the highest chance of dominating the Warsong Gulch instance.

Flags are Gone - Midgame

Let's take a look at things from a purely tactical point of view. This is a scenario that will happen in 99% of the matches. Both teams are trying their hardest with deception, tactics, and mechanical plays, and suddenly two flags from both teams are gone. And these flags are going to go through the mid field. What should happen now in both teams? This is not a time to panic, but a lot of things have to happen.

Top Priority - Protect your Flag Carrier

Most beginner teams and players tunnel vision themselves into hunting down the EFC. Because if we have a flag, and they lose ours - we will be able to get a point, right? Wrong. While the concept is absolutely fine, that's how you can get points, by capping the flag when yours is still in your base, there is one thing that is more important than this. Your allied Flag Carrier. You lose the flag - you lose the pressure, and while re-picks can happen, it's best to reduce the risk as much as it is humanly possible.

Protect your god damn Flag Carrier. It should be your top priority to get your FC to safety, especially when EFC manages to break past the initial defense of Rogue + Hunter + Warlock. At this point - just keep your own Flag Carrier as safe as possible.

Of course it's not exactly black and white, as sometimes you can go for an easy cap by killing EFC, but it happens rarely that you are in such a good position, to murder overextended EFC. Don't take the risk and just play safe if you can't afford giving enemy team any advantage whatsoever. 98% of a time just allow everyone to focus on peeling and causing discord in the enemy team. Everyone but Rogue. But on that - later.

Let the Team know your Intentions

Communication is just as important as protecting the FC. Each member of the team has to know what's happening, and everyone has to call out what they are going to do. While this can create a somewhat of a messy voice chat - if everyone keeps their call-outs simple it will not be that bad. And knowing the actions of your team and the enemy team - will allow everyone to change their playstyle accordingly to the situation that is happening, and it's happening fast in this instance.

Everyone should know how the power and positions shift on the battlefield. For example - lots of things will change if your flag is safe, but Enemy Flag Carrier got past the mid Offense as well, and is safe behind the front lines of his team. As soon as Offense calls out EFC passing safely through the Mid, Rogue has to act, and has to act fast. At this moment - Rogue should hop on his Mount, and get behind enemy lines as soon as possible, which will be hard, especially when enemy team spams Blizzard and Flares. But a good Rogue will manage to get through that, setting up his camping spot on the roof, and he will communicate to his team where he is and what he sees, so they can as well rotate accordingly, to best suit the situation.

It will be very important as Defense, to keep Offense updated about possible re-picks. Keep your teammates informed and ready so they are never in a situation, in which they don't know what they are supposed to do.

The way of the Rogue

Rogue has a huge impact on the game, as each Rogue will be able to gather intel, and play as a passive + aggressive + defensive role. There's a lot of pressure on a Rogue, as there are certain responsibilities that a Rogue has to deal with. In the beginning of the game - it's quite simple - burn the Speed Boost and run to your Flag Room to secure the homefront. Set yourself up in a place where you won't be discovered by enemy Flag Squad, and protect the flag. While you have 2 other teams that are supposed to cover for you (Off and Deff) you should always assume that they will fail. In other words - be ready for everything. Most of the time you should Sap Mages and Healers and Stunlock EFC, as sometimes your team will join you to get the EFC before they manage to escape to the Mid space of the battleground. Hunters and Warlocks can put out absolutely insane amounts of damage.

However, if something goes wrong, and EFC manages to pass through the second line of defense - there is mid. And if mid Offense fails (because they are incompetent, or they have your allied FC to protect) - you will have to completely change your position to the other side of the map, and switch your playstyle from a defensive intel and offensive sapper, to a lurker.

Lurking is a complicated thing. There's a lot of quick thinking, deception, trickery, tactics, and communication. You have to be quick on your feet to recognize the situation and set yourself somewhere behind enemy lines, going way past Mid to await the arrival of EFC. If you communicate with your team properly, your Offense can actually lead Enemy Flag Carrier straight to you. Sap the Healer, or just go straight for the EFC with everything, and help your team shut them down. You will rarely find time to get to the enemy backlines before EFC after they go past mid. In that case - just head to the enemy Roof, and wait for an opener. At that moment Offense should play around Rogue to get valuable picks when Healers are occupied, or when EFC is far away from them.

More on Lurking in the Stalemate Section.

Stalemate - Both Flags are Out!

This is a situation in which both Flag Carriers have the enemy flag, and they are absolutely safe in their Flag Rooms. Now this is where the things get a little bit tricky. Main formation will change. Defense will be scattered around the Allied Base, leaving FC, one Healer, two Mages, and a Hunter in an ideal situation. The rest will head towards the enemy base for a siege, and the other team will most likely do the same.

In this situation the purpose is clear. Wear off the ED, so your Defense outlasts the enemy side. Mages and their spells are crucial here for control and dispelling Free Action Potions. Healers have to avoid getting CC'd, and Offense has to be patient enough, setting themselves up for multiple attempts of killing the EFC.

And it will be hard as hell. FCs will most of the time stand on a Roof, and with a good defense - it will be really hard to get them off of there, and lead them into the hands of a lurking Rogue.

That's right. Rogue will not participate in the main fight. Instead - they will lurk somewhere else waiting for the perfect opportunity to smash EFC with the help of a Warrior, and Warlock's Death Coil as a finisher. And Offense should opt to manipulate EFC's movements in such a way that they have to kite themselves into the Rogue.

Communication at this stage is priceless. Offense has to inform the Defense if they are safe to jump down, and Cap the point, and they will do that when EFC is close to dying.

Why should you play WSG?

Of course you will not play through matches if it wasn't for something. There are a few reasons why you should consider playing this mode and focusing on it, taking names and kicking some butts.

Rewards

After a match - there are some rewards, in a form of gear, consumables, EXP, and Honor points. will also get an unique tabard, Warsong or Silverwing faction depending on your side - Alliance, Horde doesn't matter. As long as you earn it. 

There is a very long list of gear that you can find on many websites at this moment, so we will not list them here. But we can point out certain items that are the best in the end. But most of the time, the rewards that are the most important for all players spamming Warsong Gulch will be bracers (wrist slot) that every character will be able to get if they manage to get to a certain Honor threshold. There bracers are for every class, since they come in 4 forms, Cloth, Leather, Mail, and Plate. These are for level 60, and they have some nice bonuses. Two of those have increased stats, and others - have some special effect like additional attack power and empowered healing effects 

These items can be acquired from NPCs. For Horde - you will want to visit Kelm Hargunth located somewhere on the Ashenvale, and the Barrens border. As for Alliance - find Illiyana Moonblaze in Ashenvale.

Rank

There's a ranking system. If you manage to gather up a team, and together you manage to create the best teamcomp for the current meta, then you can reach greatness. Getting a high rank is a sign of a high skill, good teamplay, communication skills. It shows that you are reliable, and you have no issues with fulfilling your designated role. And it just feels good to have good statistics and winrates, with people messaging you to join their teams. And everyone wants to feel respected and recognized in the community. You can do that through PvP rank, raids, being a good tank or healer, or increasing your winrate in Warsong Gulch.

XP, Reputation, and Honor

More Reputation and Honor is always good. After reaching certain thresholds in Warsong Gulch, you will be able to purchase some rewards from PvP Vendors. After a game you will get turn-in items - Warsong Gulch Mark of Honor. Victory is worth three losses, as lost game grants one Mark, and a win grants three. Turning them in will grant you Rep and Honor, with an addition of Experience Points. It's a good idea to reach Exalted status, to have that feeling of prestige.

Amount of Honor and XP gained will depend on your level bracket:

10-19 - Grants 50 Honor and 725 XP

20-29 - Grants 82 Honor and 1200 XP

30-39 - Grants 138 Honor and 1500 XP

40-49 - Grants 228 Honor and 2250 XP

50-59 - Grants 378 Honor and 3200 XP

60 - Grants 398 Honor

So cancel your plans for tonight and spam those games to get some honor on your characters. It will take some strength of your will to keep doing that over and over again, but expect some progress when it comes to PvP. As each time you log in, you will be able to PvP better and better. And as you imrpove your skills you can be recognized by ther player, which makes a great foundation for setting up a stream. But don't let us remove you from the experience. You should of course experience the game to its fullest. Max level races, doing a raid here there, dungeons, watch and stalk players from the enemy faction 

Summary

Warsong Gulch is a fun instance to dive into, if you want something more from this game. It's a good way if you want to work on your teamplay and communication skill, as these will be crucial in more complicated raids. Let us know in the comments, report back to us, give us some review or a piece feedback if this guide helped you, or if it needs some additional information to be better. Share our guide with your friends so they learn in one night how to not disappoint you on the battlefield instead of doing braindead quests. If you want to learn more you should absolutely read our other Vanilla WoW Classic content. While media like youtube videos would be a little bit more convenient for users to learn, reading everything slowly will grant you way more knowledge.

Here are the links to Alterac Valley Arathi Basin and DPS Tier List, so you know how to play other modes, and which character to pick when you are supposed to roll with a DPS class. Keep watch for more guides in similar style. Thanks to the layout this guide will also look decent on any mobile device, so you can continue reading during the gamemode. Stand on the epic battlefield, fighting for one of the factions for hours, and may we clash together in a glorious battle one night! Now go score some quality flag caps for your team. Don't hide any longer. Leave some marks on the history in that time thorugh your in-game activity - raise your sword, and rush into the fight (and take a video of it for youtube fame), you are ready. entire 

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