Alterac Valley is a battleground players fight in frosty Alterac between the Frostwolf Clan (Horde) and Stormpike Guard (Alliance). Alterac Valley is notable both for how many people can queue per side (40) as well as how much honor each game rewards.

Alterac Valley is won when the enemy's General is killed, or the opposing team's resources are reduced from 600 to 0. 1 reinforcement is lost when each player dies, 75 lost per each destroyed tower (4 towers total), and 100 for the enemy Captain. Two mines can be captured that replenish reinforcements every 45 seconds--but this is trivial and should only be used in a very long turtle.

Killing players is secondary to destroying towers. For each tower destroyed, the enemy's General becomes easier to kill. Most players will rush for the enemy's graveyard closest to the General first, capping other graveyards in the middle after. A "turtle" is when both teams rez in inconvenient areas and spend most of the battle fighting at a chokepoint, instead of capturing objectives. It is important to defend your own towers and cap graveyards in a strategic order.

Alterac Valley was initially seen as a zone that was both a battleground and questing area. Before cross-realm battlegrounds, games used to last for days. There still are a fair number of quests players can do (and it's a great way to level at 45 for easy experience), but longer games meant more elaborate quests that have been removed--including a summoning ritual that created a friendly elite that would stomp on the enemy.

Reputations associated with Alterac Valley are: Stormpike Guard and Frostwolf Clan.