Mage tower

This article is about mage towers in general. For the garrison building, see Mage Tower (garrison). For the Broken Shore building, see Mage Tower (Broken Shore).

Tower of Azora in Elwynn Forest.

Mage towers are the mysterious places where the reclusive arcanists can work in privacy and store their valuable laboratories and libraries.

First War

This section concerns content related to Warcraft: Orcs & Humans.

Human mage tower

Main article: Tower (WC1 Human)

This was the mystic place where magiks were taught. These strange and mysterious workers of magic were a reclusive lot, and placed themselves above the law in many ways. They also demanded absolute secrecy and privacy for their studies, and so required their own domicile. Conjurers gathered at the Tower to practice and train in their arcane arts. When new magiks were learned, that knowledge was immediately sent by thought to other conjurers wherever they were in the realm. The recruiting of Conjurers was a common practice, but a price had to be paid in gold for their services, as few held duty to anyone. The massive energies used in their spells required that the Tower was constructed with long shafts of metal placed within the stone walls to act as a mystic lightning rod, for without these, the building would explode into a thousand pieces. A blacksmith had to be made available to create these devices to the exact specifications provided by the Conjurers.

Khadgar noticed several great towers springing from the streets of Stormwind City while flying over it, though he couldn't know if they were universities or granaries. The last orcish mission of Warcraft I had these towers as mage towers.

Orc warlock tower

Main article: Tower (WC1 Orc)

This was where the knowledge of the dark magiks were revealed. Warlocks resided here to focus their energies towards harnessing the forces of the underworld. Their sect demanded payment in precious metals for any services they offered, as it was then converted into the mystic symbols used in their castings. Metal cages in which to place the subjects of their experiments had to be constructed, as well as the ornate metal runes that needed to be built into the stone floors for their spells of summoning. Only the blacksmith could provide the needed materials and skills required to meet these exacting specifications.

Second War

This section concerns content related to Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness or its expansion Beyond the Dark Portal.

Main article: Mage Tower (Warcraft II)

Serpentine spires of living rock formed the foundation of the mage towers where glowing spheres of mystic energy served to replenish and focus the awesome magiks wielded against the Orcish Horde. These towers held ominous secrets that none but the mages of Lordaeron dared to explore. As extensions of the Violet Citadel in Dalaran, these towers allowed the mages to research arcane spells, unfettered by the affairs of the temporal plane.

Third War

This section concerns content related to Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos or its expansion The Frozen Throne.

Their function was replaced by the arcane sanctums.

World of Warcraft

Elven mage tower in Allerian Stronghold.

This section concerns content related to the original World of Warcraft.

Human mage towers can be found all throughout Azeroth, Outland and Draenor. They have a different design than the ones used in the Second War, looking more like the guard towers of the Third War, except without the ballistae. Some towers are unique, reflecting the personalities of their builders.

Mage towers in Lordaeron

• Western Plaguelands:
  • Hearthglen

• Hillsbrad Foothills:
  • Durnholde Keep (destroyed but intact during Escape from Durnholde Keep)

• Arathi Highlands:
  • Stromgarde Keep - Tower of Arathor

Mage towers in Azeroth

• Burning Steppes:
  • Morgan's Vigil (destroyed)

• Redridge Mountains:
  • Tower of Ilgalar

• Elwynn Forest:
  • Tower of Azora
  • Stormwind City - Wizard's Sanctum

• Westfall:
  • Mortwake's Tower

• Deadwind Pass:
  • Karazhan

• Blasted Lands:
  • Nethergarde Keep (destroyed)

Mage towers in Kalimdor

• Darkshore:
  • Tower of Althalaxx (destroyed)

• Azshara:
  • Xylem's Tower

• Northern Barrens:
  • Unnamed warlock tower owned by Strahad Farsan at Ratchet

• Southern Barrens:
  • Northwatch Hold (destroyed)

• Dustwallow Marsh:
  • Theramore (destroyed)

• Feralas:
  • Tower of Estulan
  • Lake Dumont (destroyed)

• Tanaris:
  • Caverns of Time - Battle for Mount Hyjal

Mage towers in Outland

• Hellfire Peninsula:
  • Honor Hold

• Terokkar Forest:
  • Allerian Stronghold

• Netherstorm:
  • Kirin'Var Village - Violet Tower
  • Eye of the Storm

Mage towers in Northrend

• Borean Tundra:
  • Amber Ledge

• Grizzly Hills:
  • Shadowfang Tower

Mage towers in Draenor

• Ashran:
  • Stormshield

• Talador:
  • Khadgar's Tower

Mage towers in the Great Sea

• Broken Shore:
  • Mage Tower (Broken Shore)

Trivia

• In the canceled Warcraft Adventures, a bulletin board inside Durnholde Keep indicated that the Kirin Tor was recruiting, complete with a little drawing of a mage tower.
• In the Warcraft III beta arcane sanctums were mage towers instead, as seen with this unused icon. The model was used for the High Elven Barracks in the single-player campaign.

Gallery

• 

  In Warcraft Adventures.

• 

  The tower of the Ratchet warlock coven.

• 

  Khadgar's Tower.

• 

  Warcraft III Beta Mage Tower.