Faction Change service

The Faction Change service is a new paid service offered by Blizzard, starting September 2, 2009 in the US and September 17, 2009 in the EU, which allows you to change the faction (Alliance or Horde) of a character. This service is being offered in response to player requests. This service has been designed carefully to avoid disruption of the current gameplay on the realm, so certain restrictions will apply. The current cost is 30 USD, 25 Euros or 20 per character to switch. The change is permanent, however, after a cooldown period, you can purchase an additional change to go back to the player's original faction.

The initial release was only available to US players but would be available for EU servers at a later date.

Reputations
When a character changes factions, their home city reputation level translates into the same level of the home city of their new opposite faction race. For example, a Gnome turning into a Blood Elf would see his Gnomeregan reputation become his new Silvermoon City reputation.

Then, reputation with the default counterpart of the new race converts into the counterpart of the original race. Using the previous example, since the default counterpart of Blood Elf is Draenei and the default counterpart of Gnomes is Tauren, the gnome's Exodar reputation would become the new blood elf's Thunder Bluff rep.

Reputations with the remaining home cities will then convert to their opposite-faction counterparts according to the default pairs.

†

Mounts
When a character changes factions, the mounts associated their original race automatically convert into those of their new opposite faction race. For example, a Troll turning into a Night Elf would see his Raptors turn into Nightsabers.

Then, the mounts associated with the default counterpart of the new race convert into those of the counterpart of the original race. Using the previous example, since the default counterpart of Night Elves are Undead and the default counterpart of Trolls are Dwarves, the troll's Skeletal Horses would become the new night elf's Rams.

The mounts associated with the remaining home cities will then convert to those of their opposite-faction counterparts according to the default pairs.


 * * If you own one of the discontinued epic mounts (Ivory Raptor, Ancient Frostsaber, etc) and you transfer to a race without discontinued mounts, you will be given a random discontinued mount from another race on your new faction.
 * ** Some races have three varieties of the normal-speed mounts (require 75 riding skill), while others have four. During a faction change, you may receive a random normal-speed mount of a race in your new faction to accommodate this disparity. Your total number of mounts will be unaffected by a faction change.

Other Mounts
The following mounts will always convert to a default opposite-faction counterpart.

Achievements
Faction-specific achievements include several in the Player-vs-Player category (such as those to defeat the racial leaders and enemy players in their capital cities), and are included in certain world events like Midsummer Fire Festival and Hallow's End. The majority of these achievements follow a 1-to-1 conversion to an opposite-faction equivalent.

The achievements relating to the Argent Tournament, including becoming a champion for each home city, will not translate in a faction change.

Items
Some items will automatically convert into the corresponding items of the opposite faction. These items include Insignias of the Alliance/Horde, and PvP weapons and armor such as the Grand Marshal's Claymore (which will turn into the High Warlord's Greatsword, and vice versa).

If an item has an opposite-faction counterpart, that information will be displayed on those items' information page as displayed by the Armory.

Items that do not have an opposite-faction equivalent, such as faction-specific quest starting items, will be turned in to Solid Gold Coins.

Quests
All currently active quests will be removed from the character's quest log. Faction-specific quests will be removed from the character's completed quest list, as well as any faction-neutral quest that is part of a quest chain. Standalone faction-neutral quests will remain in the character's completed quest list. The opposite-faction version of a faction-specific questline is available in its entirety after a faction change.

Flight Paths
The number of flight points that a character has unlocked is set to certain thresholds based on the character's level, in 10-level increments. For example, a level 70 character may have all Azeroth and Outland flight points unlocked, but none in Northrend.

Hearthstone
After a faction change, a character's hearthstone is automatically set to the inn inside the capital city of their new race, which is also where they re-enter the game world as a member of the opposite faction.

Frequently asked questions

 * What is the Faction Change service?
 * blizz


 * How do I begin the Faction Change process?
 * blizz Account Management pageblizz


 * Will we be able to switch between the races on our own faction?
 * blizz


 * Will I be able to choose the race on the opposite faction that I want to change to?
 * blizz


 * How much does this service cost?
 * blizz


 * Is this service taxed? If so, how can I tell if my purchase will be taxed?
 * blizz


 * Can I change multiple characters' factions at once?
 * blizz


 * At what level can I change a character's faction?
 * blizz


 * Will PvP realm restrictions prevent me from changing a character's faction?
 * blizz


 * Will this service allow me to customize a character and select a different name once its faction has been changed?
 * blizz


 * When I change factions, can I select any race for the character?
 * blizz


 * Does that mean I can use this service to change the character back to its original faction?
 * blizz


 * When I change a character back to its original faction, can I select any new race?
 * blizz


 * Will I be able to select Cataclysm races and class combinations for a character once they're available in game?
 * blizz


 * How often can I change a character's faction?
 * blizz


 * Blizzard have now reduced the faction change cooldown to 3 days.


 * What happens after I initiate a Faction Change?
 * blizz


 * What will happen to the character's old name?
 * blizz


 * What will happen to the character's equipment when I change its faction?
 * blizz


 * red


 * Will the rest of the inventory (materials, alternate currency, etc) be affected in any way?
 * blizz


 * What will happen to the character's mounts when I change its faction?
 * blizz


 * What will happen to the character's non-combat pets when I change its faction?
 * blizz


 * What will happen to the character's achievements when I change its faction?
 * blizz


 * What will happen to the character's titles when I change its faction?
 * blizz


 * What will happen to the character's reputation levels when I change its faction?
 * blizz


 * blizz


 * What will happen to the character's quests when I change its faction?
 * red


 * blizz


 * What will happen to the character's flight paths when I change its faction?
 * blizz


 * What will happen to the character's "Friends" and "Ignore" lists when I change its faction?
 * blizz


 * What will happen to the character's Guild and Arena team(s)?
 * blizz red


 * What will happen to the character's honor and Arena points?
 * blizz red


 * What will happen to the character's mail and auctions?
 * blizz


 * Is there a gold limit for Faction Changes?
 * blizz
 * Level 10 to 30 :
 * Level 31 to 50 :
 * Level 51 to 70 :
 * Level 71 to 80 :
 * Level 81 to 85 :


 * Where will the character be located after the Faction Change is complete?
 * blizz


 * What will happen to the character's Armory profile?
 * blizz


 * Will this service share a cooldown with the Character Transfer, Character Name Change, or Character Re-Customization services?
 * blizz


 * Can I use this service to change race on my existing faction?
 * blizz


 * Will this service share a cooldown with the Race Change service?
 * blizz


 * Can I purchase a Faction Change for a character that has a pending Name Change or Re-Customization or is in the process of being transferred?
 * blizz


 * When will I be charged for the character's Faction Change?
 * blizz


 * Is there any way to cancel a Faction Change while the process is pending?
 * blizz


 * Is there any way to reverse a Faction Change once it's completed?
 * blizz