by Jeff Woleslagle on Mar 15, 2006
Snug within the wintry peaks of Dun Morogh, Ironforge is the proud home city of the gnomes and dwarves of the Grand Alliance. Defiantly braced against the northern reaches of Khaz Modan, the dwarf-carved walls of Ironforge represent the principal bastion of the civilized races against the ravages of the undead Forsaken and their Horde allies throughout Lordaeron.
Ironforge enjoys the wise leadership of King Magni Bronzebeard, a old and noble dwarf, if one grown sullen with how fate has treated his family. Stories of the three Bronzebeard brothers have long been told in all of Azeroth, but when Muradin Bronzebeard was slain by the traitor Arthas shortly before the fall of Lordaeron and the explorer Brann Bronzebeard disappeared in Northrend while investigating Muradin's death some time later, many fear that Magni's death will mean the end of the Bronzebeard dynasty.
Gnomes, cousins of the dwarves, fled their ancestral home of Gnomeregan when stopgap measures to thwart a recent trogg invasion with toxic gas led to the tragic deaths of 4 out of 5 gnomes. They now rebuild their proud, technologically-saavy race within the protections of Dun Morogh and Ironforge.
Ironforge serves as a major travel hub for all Alliance flight masters spread throughout Lordaeron, and offers a speedy connection to the human city of Stormwind via the Deeprun Tram. A boat to Northern Kalimdor and the Night Elf home of Darnassus is only a quick flight to Menelethil Harbor away. Additionally, many high-end groups form in Ironforge due to its close proximity to many level 50-60 instances. Being the first Alliance city to offer an Auction House, many Alliance's player-market transactions occur in Stormwind out of habit..
As a Dwarf or Gnome - Ironforge is a just a quick trip to the north central part of Dun Morogh. Check your map and follow the paths, and you should find Ironforge without difficulty.
As a Human - The quickest, safest way to reach Ironforge is to catch the Deeprun Tram in Stormwind (the human city of Stormwind is found in northeast Elwynn Forest, and the gearlike archway of the Tram station is found in the northernmost part of Stormwind). All aboard, and you'll soon arrive in Ironforge's "Tinker Town" area.
As a Night Elf - The trip to Ironforge from Darnassus is a long, arduous journey, and should only be attempted by explorers in their mid-teen levels or higher. First, go through the Darnassus portal to the coastline and catch a hippogriff or boat to Auberdine. When you arrive, check with the harbormaster at the docks to determine from which dock the boat to Menelethil Harbor departs from. There might be a small wait, but climb aboard when the correct boat arrives. When the boat docks in Menelethil Harbor, check in with the Flight Master and follow the path east northeast out of town. Stick to the paths through the wetlands and keep a sharp eye; there's plenty of monsters around to devour an unsuspecting low-leveler. Go straight when you come to the "T" and follow the path as it winds around to the south. You'll climb through a series of tunnels and mountain passes as you enter Dun Morogh. Continue on the path south and make a right (go west) when you come to a fork in the road. It's north at the next "T" and then you should see the gates of Ironforge proudly rising off to your right.
Since it's easy to miss quests found in cities as you level up, here's a list of Ironforge quests. The following are quests that begin in Ironforge and require no specific class type or prequisite quest completions to start. This is a simplified listing; where there's a chain of quests, only the starter quest is given .
Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with comments, suggestions, or whatnot. Also, if you enjoyed this guide and have a Horde character, please check out the Orgrimmar city guide.