by Joel Meeks

Created on: August 02, 2009

World of Warcraft is a game that thrives on, well, warcraft. Introducing a neutral faction into the game would ultimately degrade the playing experience, and although it would initially create an appeal to a broader range of people, it would eventually push the more dedicated gamers out the door.

Blizzard goes to great lengths to make sure that each faction hates the other. They implemented language barriers in World of Warcraft so that peace could not be made between the two factions. For example, while running through the swampy boglands of Dustwallow Marsh, you might happen to see an orc following you. In any other game, you might say something to the other player, effectively humanizing yourself, bringing you from from the status of just another pixilated creation to an actual person. In World of Warcraft, however, as a human, you speak in Common, while an orc can only understand Orcish. That means when you attempt to greet the other player, they are met only with various amounts of gibberish, which can often be misconstrued. You remain nothing more than another character, one that can be attacked, an action that is rewarded with honor.

Blizzard did go so far as to break the language barrier at one point, allowing the Forsaken (undead) race to speak Common, allowing them to communicate with the Alliance races. Unfortunately, this feature was so abused with trash-talking and verbal abuse that it was eventually replaced, Gutterspeak becoming the Forsaken's new second language.

In World of Warcraft, there has never been a need, or even a use, for a neutral party. As stated in a different article, "[A neutral faction] would mean that these characters would be able to gain items and quests exclusive to the opposing factions, causing a large disadvantage to other players." This is exactly right. In the world of Azeroth, there are many different factions, and oftentimes, gaining reputation with one of the factions means losing it with another. Attacking one centaur tribe, for example, will cause you to lose reputation with that particular tribe, but gain it with another, rival tribe. Implementing a neutral faction into the game would completely eliminate the entire aspect of reputation from the game, eradicating one of the major parts of World of Warcraft. Special items can no longer be earned, because a neutral player cannot quest for any certain faction.

The largest reason not to include a neutral faction in World of Warcraft is, as mentioned

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