The city is perhaps the most intricate of the Alliance cities, boasting many small passageways, shops built into the rock walls, great halls and cavernous rooms. The feel of the city is a bustling, rowdy, and somewhat industrial one, however, it is predominantly safe-feeling and cozy; fires roar in the hearths of the inns and shops, the sounds of smithing go on as fires roar in the blacksmithing forges, and much dwarven laughing and frivolity is to be heard. Also, unlike Stormwind and Darnassus, the city is actually a massive cavern carved into the earth by the dwarves; the ceiling and floor are both hard stone. This gives the place a sanctuary-like feel.
Mainly because of the Deeprun Tram, linking Ironforge and Stormwind City, and the district of Tinker Town, Ironforge is one of the most racially diverse cities in the Alliance world. Dwarves predominate, of course, but you will find plenty of gnomes even outside of Tinker Town, and probably as many humans. This is true for player characters as well as non-player characters, since Ironforge is in the heart of the Alliance world. You will find almost no night elves, however, as they have long since set themselves apart from the other races.
The collective frivolity of the place, the bustling and gruff manner of the dwarves, and the fantastic architecture, makes Ironforge a wonder just to visit — whether or not you have business to attend to there. Ironforge also holds the main Alliance Brewfest.
Ironforge is the ancient home of the dwarves. It was once ruled by the High King Modimus Anvilmar, who left no heir upon his death, eventually leading to the War of the Three Hammers. Before the war, when the Dark Iron clan was banished from the city, Ironforge was the commercial and social center of all the dwarven clans. It is now home only to the Bronzebeard Clan.
Many dwarven strongholds fell during the Second War between the Horde and the Alliance of Lordaeron, but the mighty city of Ironforge, nestled in the wintry peaks of Dun Morogh and protected by its great gates, was never breached by the invading Horde.
Relatively recently, Ironforge also became home to the Gnomeregan refugees. After the Third War, the gnomish city of Gnomeregan became overrun by troggs. Since then a number of gnomes have settled in Ironforge, even converting an area of that city to their liking now known as Tinker Town. The two races are so friendly that the refugees are sometimes called the Ironforge gnomes.[1][2]
Ironforge is one of most populated cities in the world, coming after the human city of Stormwind, and housing 20,000 people.[3]
A marvel to the dwarves' skill at shaping rock and stone, Ironforge was constructed in the very heart of the mountains, an expansive underground city home to explorers, miners, and warriors. Massive doors of rock protect the city in times of war, and lava from the mountain itself is redirected and distributed for heat, energy and smithing purposes.
While the Alliance has been weakened by recent events, the dwarves of Ironforge, led by King Magni Bronzebeard, are forging a new future for the world.
In Cataclysm
"Ruled by King Magni Bronzebeard, Ironforge is the dwarven seat of power."This section concerns content exclusive to Cataclysm.
In an earlier beta build, Kurdan Wildhammer was present instead of Falstad. [4] This was brought up by the notorious Red Shirt Guy at BlizzCon 2010 which lead to Falstad reclaiming his seat.
Ironforge is structurally a giant circle of sections, it also contains several "depth" levels (at least eight, though they are not accessible in game). The accessible portions of Ironforge appear to be located on the 5th level, the "fifth depth" of the city.
The Market - The market is located in the seventh level of Ironforge. (not accessible in game)[5]
Hotel District - It is the district apparently in the seventh level of Ironforge, containing lodging for visitors to Ironforge. (not accessible in game.)[5]
Sixth Depth - The sixth level of city of Ironforge, just above the hotel and market districts. Not accessible in-game.[5]
Eighth Depth - The eighth level of the city of Ironforge, just below the hotel and market districts. Not accessible in-game.[5]
It can be assumed that the fourth through first depths lie above the fifth depth, and lead to the surface of Ironforge mountain and likely lead to the exit leading to the Dun Morogh airfield.
The Auction House, located at the outer edge of the Commons between the front gates.
The Bank, located at the inner edge of the Commons just across from the Auction House.
The Gryphon master, located at the inner eastern part of the edge of the Great Forge.
The city hall is located in the eastern end of the Commons.
There are four mailboxes: two in the Commons - one outside the bank, the other outside the inn; another in Tinker Town at the entrance to the Deeprun Tram; and the last at the tavern on the edge of the Military Ward near Tinker Town.
The Deeprun Tram, created by the gnomes, runs from Ironforge to Stormwind. It is free and located near the Tinker Town.
Bubulo Acerbus has the Gnomeregan repeatable runecloth quest used by dwarven (and other races as of 3.0.8) players to obtain the right to ride mechanostriders.
The Deeprun Tram is a Gnomish service which runs from Ironforge to Stormwind. It can be accessed from Tinker Town (see City Sections, below).
A good way to get Ironforge reputation is to do the battle quests in Alterac Valley. Turning in one item gives 10 reputation points, with a possible 100 points per drop. This is in addition to the honor and Alterac Valley reputation points.
Although similar to the current version, Ironforge's layout was a lot bigger in the alpha-version of the game. It consisted of multiple levels connected by bridges and stairs, two elevators (one to reach Old Ironforge, the other to reach the Deeprun Tram), an additional destination for the Deeprun Tram other than Stormwind, and a forge looking more like a power-generator than a foundry. Rumors has it there even was an elevator to the Dun Morogh airfield.
Before the addition of auction houses in all capital cities, Ironforge was THE central hub of Alliance activity. As a result of so many players in one concentrated area, the city was sometimes called "Lagforge" because of the increase in latency and decrease in framerates. Since the addition of linked auction houses in ALL capital cities, and the fact that Stormwind is located closer to the Dark Portal (for Burning Crusade) and has quicker access to Northrend (for Wrath of the Lich King), Ironforge has become much more user friendly.