Aldor or Scryers? The story of Shattrath

Aldor or Scryers? In the lore, the Aldor are the draenei priests who serve the naaru, and the Scryers are blood elves who betrayed Kael'thas to follow the naaru A'dal; in the game, the choice changes your rewards and reputation, not your story. Below you will see where the rivalry comes from, how the choice works in Shattrath and which side makes more sense in TBC and WotLK.

What is Shattrath, the City of Light

Shattrath sits in Terokkar Forest, in the middle of Outland. It was founded by the draenei of the prophet Velen, long before the Horde existed. It was their capital on Draenor.

When the orcs were corrupted, the Horde besieged and took the city. It spared no one. Shattrath lay in ruins and darkness for many years. The fall is told in First War #4: the fall of Shattrath.

Later, a small group of surviving draenei priests returned to the ruins. They were the Aldor. After that, the naaru A'dal chose the city as his base. With him came the Sha'tar, the naaru who now rule Shattrath from the Terrace of Light, in the center of the city.

The Lower City, the lowest level, gathers the refugees who fled the wars of Outland. Velen, Khadgar and even Maiev Shadowsong came there. Khadgar, Medivh's old apprentice, tries to keep the peace between the city's groups.

To understand who the naaru are, read The naaru: entities of Light.

Who are the Aldor?

The Aldor are an ancient order of draenei priests. Their first leader was Velen himself. They looked after the holy sites of their people.

Two hundred years after the draenei arrived on Draenor, the orcs began their war of extermination. The last and fiercest battle was in Shattrath. The Aldor could not protect the city. Even so, the order came back and kept its rites in a temple in the Lower City.

When the naaru arrived in Outland, the Aldor regained their strength. The ruined temple became an infirmary for the refugees. The Aldor also fought the blood elves loyal to Kael'thas, when Illidan became the lord of Outland.

Today their leader is High Priestess Ishanah. Their base is Aldor Rise, the highest point of Shattrath, on the west side of the city. Their holiest site is the Shrine of Unending Light. Ishanah's line sums up the order: "We are keepers of the Light."

When the first soldiers from Azeroth crossed the Dark Portal, a group of Aldor warriors was there to help.

Who are the Scryers?

The Scryers are blood elves. They were Sunfury troops, the elite that Kael'thas took to Outland when he joined Illidan.

Their leader is Voren'thal the Seer, an old magister and advisor to Kael'thas. Kael sent Voren'thal to help destroy Shattrath. On the way, he had a vision. In it, a naaru poured the Light over Quel'Thalas and freed the elves from their addiction to magic.

Voren'thal shared the vision with his followers. Many believed their people's salvation lay with the naaru, not with Kael'thas or Illidan.

When the regiment reached Shattrath, the elves laid down their weapons before the Aldor defenders on the Terrace of Light. Voren'thal knelt before A'dal and said: "I've seen you in a vision, naaru. My race's only hope for survival lies with you."

The naaru accepted the defectors. They became known as the Scryers. Many of Kael's best scholars and magisters went with them. It was the largest loss Kael'thas's forces ever suffered. Kael called it treason and attacked his former allies.

The Scryers live on Scryer's Tier, in the south of Shattrath. Voren'thal leads everything from the Seer's Library, in the middle of that district.

Why do the Aldor and the Scryers hate each other?

The Aldor suffered a lot at the hands of the same elves who later became Scryers. Many Aldor cannot forgive what those elves did under Kael'thas.

Now the two groups share the same city. And they compete for the same thing: influence in Shattrath and the favor of A'dal.

Even so, they do not go to open war. Both answer to the Sha'tar and set their fight aside for the sake of the naaru. The rivalry stays in words and in reputation.

| Who's who | Faction | Role | |---|---|---| | A'dal | Sha'tar | Naaru who leads Shattrath | | Khadgar | Sha'tar | Mage who tries to calm both factions | | High Priestess Ishanah | Aldor | Leader of the Aldor | | Adyen the Lightwarden | Aldor | Protector of the priesthood, takes the Marks of Kil'jaeden | | Voren'thal the Seer | Scryers | Leader of the Scryers, former advisor to Kael'thas |

How the Aldor or Scryers choice works

When you arrive in Shattrath, a Haggard War Veteran gives the quest A'dal, which sends you to speak with the naaru in the center of the Terrace of Light. Next comes City of Light, given by Khadgar.

In it, Khadgar's Servant takes you on a tour of about 8 and a half minutes through the city and tells the story of the Aldor and the Scryers. Wait for the tour to end before you go back to Khadgar, or you will have to start again.

Then you choose between Allegiance to the Aldor and Allegiance to the Scryers. The quest makes you Friendly with the side you picked and Hostile with the other. It gives 3,500 reputation with the chosen faction.

The rules that matter:

• Gaining reputation with one side makes you lose about 10% more with the other.
• Draenei start Friendly with the Aldor. Blood elves start Friendly with the Scryers and Unfriendly with the Aldor.
• Any race, Horde or Alliance, can pick either one.

What to turn in for each faction

| Stage | Aldor | Scryers | |---|---|---| | Up to Honored | Mark of Kil'jaeden (low-level demons) | Firewing Signet (Firewing Point, in Terokkar) | | Honored to Exalted | Mark of Sargeras (enemies level 66+) | Sunfury Signet (Sunfury level 66+) | | 350-reputation item | Fel Armaments, to Ishanah | Arcane Tome, to Voren'thal | | Inscription currency | Holy Dust | Arcane Rune |

Ten marks or signets give 250 reputation. Fel Armaments and Arcane Tomes also give the inscription currency.

Aldor or Scryers: which one to choose?

In the lore, neither choice is "the right one". Both factions serve the naaru and end up fighting together. In the game, what changes is the reward. The most famous ones are the shoulder inscriptions, bought at each faction's bank.

| Inscription | Aldor | Scryers | |---|---|---| | For casters | Inscription of Discipline | Inscription of the Orb | | For healers | Inscription of Faith | Inscription of the Oracle | | For physical damage | Inscription of Vengeance | Inscription of the Blade | | For tanks | Inscription of Warding | Inscription of the Knight |

The regular versions unlock at Honored. The Greater versions unlock at Exalted.

The practical advice:

• In TBC (up to 70): choose by the inscription that fits your spec and by the items you will farm. On both sides, Honored to Exalted asks for enemies of level 66 or higher, so the farm is similar.
• In WotLK (up to 80): these inscriptions fall behind. At 80, the shoulder enchant comes from the Sons of Hodir. See the Sons of Hodir reputation guide. So pick the side whose story you like more.

Can you switch sides?

You can, but it costs a lot. In the Lower City, Sha'nir has quests that give Aldor reputation, such as Strained Supplies (8 Dreadfang Venom Sacs). Arcanist Adyria has Voren'thal's Visions (8 Dampscale Basilisk Eyes) for the Scryers. When you switch, you lose the reputation you had with the old side. If you are Hated, you need to repeat the quest many times just to reach Neutral.

The end of the rivalry: the Shattered Sun Offensive

The rivalry does not last forever. The Scryers hoped Kael'thas would also come to Shattrath. He did not. The Scryers then exposed Kael's alliance with the Burning Legion.

After the fall of Kael'thas in Tempest Keep, the Aldor and the Scryers joined forces. In patch 2.4, the two formed the Shattered Sun Offensive to retake the Isle of Quel'Danas and stop Kael's return and Kil'jaeden's arrival through the Sunwell. The offensive's base is Sun's Reach, in the northwest of the island.

Before that, the Aldor and the Scryers also entered the Black Temple alongside Maiev and Akama. That story is in Black Temple: Akama and the fall of Illidan. The ending in Quel'Thalas is in Quel'Thalas, the blood elves and the Sunwell.

Where to see it in WotLK

On the server (WotLK 3.3.5a), all of Outland is in the game. You go through it between level 58 and 70, before Northrend. If you get stuck at the start, see what to do when you hit the Outland wall at 58–62.

• Shattrath City, in Terokkar Forest: A'dal on the Terrace of Light, Ishanah in the Shrine of Unending Light (Aldor Rise) and Voren'thal in the Seer's Library (Scryer's Tier).
• Portals: in the WotLK era, Shattrath has eight portals, one to each Horde and Alliance capital. There is also a portal to Sun's Reach, on the Isle of Quel'Danas.
• Netherstorm: the Aldor line starts with Exarch Orelis. The Scryer line goes through Spymaster Thalodien, in Area 52.
• Shadowmoon Valley: the first quests of Akama's chain, such as Tablets of Baa'ri and The Warden's Cage, have an Aldor version and a Scryer version.
• Icecrown, at 80: the A Tale of Valor chain, about Crusader Bridenbrad, takes you back to the naaru in quests such as The Will of the Naaru and The Boon of A'dal. See the Icecrown quests.

In WotLK, Dalaran replaced Shattrath as the main city for players. But Shattrath is still a handy portal shortcut and the place to finish your TBC reputations.

For a summary of the whole expansion, read The Burning Crusade in order.

Frequently asked questions

Aldor or Scryers: which is better?

Neither is better overall. Choose by the shoulder inscription for your spec in TBC. In WotLK, since the level 80 shoulder enchant comes from the Sons of Hodir, the choice matters little.

Who are the Aldor in WoW?

They are draenei priests, led today by High Priestess Ishanah. They have served the naaru in Shattrath since A'dal arrived in the city.

Who are the Scryers?

They are blood elves who left Kael'thas. They followed Voren'thal the Seer after a vision and swore to serve A'dal.

Can the Horde be Aldor?

Yes. Both factions accept any race. Only draenei and blood elves start with different reputation.