Chapter 1105: The Terrain of Alterac Valley (Second Update)
On the vast Field of Strife, Alliance players gathered in force. Nearly thirty players stood together, a bustling crowd that looked quite imposing.
But the Horde players were not to be outdone. On the narrow path beside the Iceblood Tower, the Horde players were equally poised for battle, with various traps and flares sealing off the cramped intersection tightly, their formation just as orderly.
Chen Mo was not with the main Alliance force. He was currently standing with Li Jingsi on a hilltop near Snowfall Graveyard, gazing at the distant Horde defensive line.
The Field of Strife was a large depression where visibility was severely limited, making it nearly impossible to see the Horde's deployment around Iceblood Tower and Iceblood Fortress. But here at Snowfall Graveyard, the entire central battlefield, including the Field of Strife, was laid out in full view.
Li Jingsi looked at the main Horde force in the distance, her brow slightly furrowed. "It looks like the Horde plans to hold their ground? I thought they would charge out again."
Chen Mo's face showed little expression, but the current situation was not what he wanted to see.
Although they had fought a near-perfect team battle at the bridge earlier, not only routing the Horde's main force but also trapping them at the Frostwolf Graveyard, that victory had relied on many factors. The Horde's carelessness was one aspect, and the unique terrain was another.
Last time, the Horde had been completely unprepared, not even setting up many traps. But now, having suffered such a major loss, would the Horde be as careless again?
The Alliance's main force was still assembling on the Field of Strife, watching the mages and hunters on the distant peaks.
Although some players were idly circling on their mounts or jumping, eager to charge up and fight the Horde to the death, everyone remained quietly waiting, with no one acting rashly.
Because in the previous battles, everyone had been won over by this new battlefield leader, trusting his commands from the bottom of their hearts.
Chen Mo observed for two minutes, then saw a rogue typing in the battlefield channel: "A large number of Horde are coming to the East and West Towers; they might not hold!"
The forward stealth squad had clear divisions of labor, with a dedicated rogue monitoring the outside situation. Seeing a large group of Horde returning, this rogue immediately reported in the battlefield channel.
Chen Mo said at once, "Stay alive, give them back the East and West Towers. You guys head back immediately and prepare to ambush the Tower Point. Everyone else, get ready to charge with me! Let's go."
The last sentence was clearly directed at Li Jingsi.
The two of them leaped from the towering peak on their mounts, then floated down like feathers, landing softly among the main Alliance force.
The moment they touched down, the Alliance players charged straight toward Iceblood Fortress!
...
Whether the terrain of Alterac Valley favors the Alliance or the Horde has been a point of contention since the battlefield's inception.
Although both sides have the same key elements (towers, graveyards, NPCs), the specific terrain and layout differ. This controversy has often led to arguments between the Alliance and Horde, with each side believing they are at a disadvantage.
In summary, both sides have their own terrain advantages. The Alliance's defense is loose on the outside but tight on the inside, while the Horde's is tight on the outside but loose on the inside.
Apart from the central Field of Strife and Snowfall Graveyard, both sides' defensive lines can be roughly divided into three: the first and second towers plus the Captain's room, the graveyard plus the mine, and the inner towers plus the relief hut.
The second defensive line, aside from the mine, has no special structures and little defensive value. So the key lies in the first and third defensive lines.
The Alliance's first defensive line, consisting of Stonehearth Bunker, Stonehearth Outpost, Stonehearth Graveyard, and Icewing Bunker, is arranged vertically and spaced far apart. Stonehearth Bunker is isolated and difficult to reinforce. The roads here are complex, with at least three routes for the Horde to charge straight at the graveyard, second tower, or assault the Captain. Thus, the Alliance's first defensive line is essentially useless and extremely hard to defend.
The Alliance's third defensive line, the bridge, is a near-perfect defense. Even if Alliance players do nothing else, they can just hold the bridge, making it very hard for the Horde to break through.
The Horde's defensive line is the exact opposite.
The Horde's third defensive line is riddled with weaknesses. Although it also has some rugged terrain, charging up a slope is much easier than crossing a bridge. There's even a small path beside the West Tower that can be sneaked through, making it easy for rogues to infiltrate if not careful.
However, the Horde's first defensive line completely outclasses the Alliance's Stonehearth Bunker line.
Iceblood Graveyard and Iceblood Tower are very close to each other, forming a pincer formation with Iceblood Fortress along the same horizontal line, allowing for very quick reinforcement. Most crucially, there is only one path to reach Iceblood Graveyard, flanked by high mountains with a barricade in the middle. As long as the Horde holds this intersection, they can almost secure an unbeatable position.
If the Alliance tries to attack the Captain or burn Iceblood Tower, the Horde's main force will immediately charge out for a frontal fight. Even if they lose players, it doesn't matter because the Horde's graveyard is much closer. With roughly equal numbers, the Alliance can hardly take Iceblood Tower, let alone kill the Horde Captain.
As for trying to break through the Horde's line to capture the graveyard, that's a pipe dream. In such a narrow intersection, no matter how many charge in, they'll only end up feeding honor.
It was precisely because of this terrain difference that, in the history of Alterac Valley, something called the "Horde Turtle Squad" emerged, once making even the Alliance's national teams miserable.
It must be said that players' wisdom is boundless.
During a certain period in Chen Mo's past life, with the introduction of blood elves, the Horde's population surged, and battlefield queue times doubled. Many Alliance players began organizing voice-chat teams and national teams, using their faster queue times to enter the battlefield and farm honor.
Of course, the Horde also had voice-chat teams and national teams, but since Alliance players queued instantly while the Horde had to wait over half an hour, aside from national team versus national team matchups, it was often Horde pug teams facing Alliance national teams.
The consequences of such clashes were brutal. National teams consisted of PvP players specialized in farming battlefields, with good mechanics, good gear, and professional commanders using voice chat to coordinate each squad, often resulting in overwhelming victories.
During the preparation phase, Alliance national teams would spam the battlefield channel with information and divide into squads: Squads 1-4 would charge straight to Iceblood Fortress to kill the Horde Captain, Squads 5-6 would defend Stonehearth Tower and Graveyard, and Squads 7-8 would stealth directly to the Horde base to capture the East and West Towers. After Squads 1-4 killed the Horde Captain, they would then capture Iceblood Tower and Tower Point.
Even if the Horde players resisted, they would usually be scattered by the Alliance teams, and might even be repeatedly farmed at Frostwolf Graveyard. After all, pug players fought individually and couldn't match national teams in frontal team fights.
So during that time, many Horde players had a very unpleasant experience in Alterac Valley, especially those who solo-queued and didn't want to join Horde national teams, having no game experience at all.
But with the emergence of the "Turtle Squad," everything changed.
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