SW (Stormwind City) – Capital City & Starting Zone in World of Warcraft

What is Stormwind (SW)?

Stormwind City is the capital city of the humans in Elwynn Forest, located in the southern part of the Eastern Kingdoms. It’s often simply abbreviated as “SW” in chat channels when players need to direct others to banks, auction houses, or trainers.

Why is SW important?

• Central Hub for Alliance: Boasts key services like portals to other cities, high‐level crafting trainers, class trainers, an auction house, and the city’s impressive Cathedral Square.
• Questing & Leveling: Elwynn Forest is a classic starting zone for human characters, featuring low‐level quests, scenic farmland, and iconic wolf and kobold mobs.

Travel Tips

• Deeprun Tram to Ironforge: You can reach Ironforge quickly via the Deeprun Tram, which links SW to IF.
• Stockades Dungeon: The Stockades is a short, level‐appropriate instance located within the city walls, making SW a good place for leveling Alliance characters around level 20‐30.