hattrath was once the draenei capital of Draenor. Its name means "dwelling of light." When the Burning Legion turned the orcs against the draenei, the fiercest battle was fought there. The draenei fought tooth and nail, but in the end, the city fell. The city was left in ruins and darkness until the Sha'tar arrived. The Sha'tar, whose name means "born from light", are the naaru who came to Outland to fight the demons of the Burning Legion. The naaru were drawn to the ruins of Shattrath City, where a small remnant of the draenei priesthood conducted its rites inside a ruined temple. The priesthood, known as the Aldor, quickly regained its strength as word of the Sha'tar's arrival spread. Reconstruction of Shattrath was soon underway. It wouldn't be long, however, before the city came under attack once again.

This time, the attack came from the armies of Illidan Stormrage. A large regiment of blood elves had been sent by Illidan's ally, Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider, to lay waste to the city. As the regiment of blood elves crossed the bridge, the Aldor's exarchs and vindicators lined up to defend the Terrace of Light. Then the unexpected happened: the blood elves laid down their weapons in front of the city's defenders. Their leader, a blood elf elder known as Voren'thal, stormed into the Terrace of Light and demanded to speak to the naaru A'dal. As the naaru approached him, Voren'thal knelt and uttered the following words: "I've seen you in a vision, naaru. My race's only hope for survival lies with you. My followers and I are here to serve you."

The defection of Voren'thal and his followers was the largest loss ever incurred by Kael'thas' forces. Nor were these just any blood elves. Many of the best and brightest amongst Kael'thas' scholars and magisters had been swayed by Voren'thal's influence. The naaru accepted the defectors, who became known as the Scryers. They dwell on the Scryer's Tier in the southern section of Shattrath City. Only those initiated with the Scryers are allowed there. The Aldor are followers of the Light, and so forgiveness and redemption are values they understand. However, they cannot forget the deeds that the Scryers committed while they were still under Kael'thas' command. Indeed, many of the Aldor had been slain by the same magisters who now serve the naaru. The Aldor are therefore deeply unhappy at sharing the city with their former enemies. The Aldor's holiest temple and its surrounding dwellings lie on the Aldor Rise overlooking Shattrath City from the west. As a holy site, the temple only allows the initiated inside.

After the formation of the Scryers, attacks against Shattrath continued, but the city did not fall. On the contrary, the naaru known as Xi'ri led a successful incursion into Shadowmoon Valley: Illidan's doorstep. There Xi'ri continues to wage war on Illidan with the assistance of the Aldor and the Scryers. The two rival factions have not given up on their old feuds, though. Such is their animosity that they vie for the honor of being sent to assist Xi'ri. Each day, that decision is made by A'dal, and the chosen fighters gather at the Terrace of Light to receive A'dal's blessing before heading to Shadowmoon Valley. To serve the Sha'tar, every adventurer will most likely have to ally with the Aldor or the Scryers. It should come as no surprise that seeking the favor of one group will incur the other's dislike.

Whether to align with the Aldor or the Scryers is an important choice available to players once they arrive in Shattrath City. The two factions are diametrically opposed, so raising reputation with one will simultaneously lower reputation with the other. It won't be long before the opposing faction attacks your character on sight! Each side has its own reputation-based rewards, such as equipment, recipes, and shoulder enchants. Both sides also have their own quests, with different ways to raise reputation.

It's a good idea to look into what each side has to offer you before you make your choice – once made, you cannot reverse it without a serious time investment. You should consider your class, talents, and trade skills, when weighing each side's rewards – don't forget the separate vendor who offers the exclusive shoulder enchants. Also pay attention to each side's epic exalted-level rewards.

Switching Sides
While it is possible to switch your allegiance, it's a time-consuming process and should not be undertaken lightly.

Aldor -> Scryers
If you wish to switch allegiance from Aldor to Scryers, find Arcanist Adyria in Lower City. She will offer you a repeatable quest to turn in Dampscale Basilisk Eyes, which are found from basilisks in Terokkar Forest. This will be the only way to increase your Scryer reputation until reaching neutral.

Scryers -> Aldor
If you wish to switch allegiance from Scryers to Aldor, find Sha'nir in Lower City. She will offer you a repeatable quest to turn in Dreadfang Venom Sacs, which are found from spiders in Terokkar Forest. This will be the only way to increase your Aldor reputation until reaching neutral.

Quests
There are many quests available from Aldor and Scryer NPCs around Outland. The first quests you will encounter are given by questgivers in Shattrath City, at the respective factions' headquarters in Aldor Rise and the Scryers' Tier. As you explore more of Outland, you will find additional quest hubs in Netherstorm and Shadowmoon Valley. In the latter zone you will find a town for each faction, each with its own questgivers, vendors, and even a flightpoint. Just be sure not to wander into the opposing faction's town by mistake – you will likely not receive a warm welcome.

Repeatable quests – Aldor
An essential part of raising your reputation to high levels is by completing the repeatable reputation quest. For the Aldor, you can turn in Marks of Kil'jaeden and Marks of Sargeras, which drop from members of the Burning Legion in Outland. Marks of Kil'jaeden, which are found in Terokkar Forest and Nagrand, can be turned in until Honored reputation. Marks of Sargeras, which are found from higher-level members of the Burning Legion, can be turned in until exalted. They can be found in high-level regions such as Netherstorm, Shadowmoon Valley, and Blade's Edge Mountains as well as in the instances of Shadow Labyrinth, Arcatraz, and the Mechanar. In these locations you can also collect Fel Armaments, which can be turned in for reputation as well as for Holy Dust, used to buy the Aldor shoulder enchants. The Marks and Fel Armaments can also be purchased on the Auction House, or traded to other players. Marks can be turned in to NPCs in both Shattrath City and Shadowmoon Valley, while only Ishanah, the leader of the Aldor in Shattrath City, accepts Fel Armaments.

Repeatable quests – Scryer
The repeatable quests for the Scryers require you to turn in Firewing Signets and Sunfury Signets, which drop from followers of Kael'thas in Outland. Firewing Signets, which are found in Terokkar Forest, can be used to raise your reputation to Honored. Sunfury Signets, which are found from higher-level followers of Kael'thas, can be turned in until Exalted. They can be found in the high-level regions of Shadowmoon Valley and Netherstorm, as well as in the three five-man wings of Tempest Keep. In these locations you can also collect Arcane Tomes, which can be turned in for reputation as well for Arcane Runes, used to buy the Scryer shoulder enchants. The Signets and Arcane Tomes can also be purchased on the Auction House, or traded to other players. Signets can be turned in to NPCs in both Shattrath City and Shadowmoon Valley, while only Voren'thal, leader of the Scryers in Shattrath City, accepts Arcane Tomes.

You can gain reputation with the denizens of Shattrath's Lower City by doing one-time and repeatable quests, and by killing monsters in three wings of Auchindoun.

• The repeatable quest "Outcast's Plight" requires you to turn in 30 Arakkoa Feathers to an NPC located in Lower City. This quest is repeatable through Friendly.
• You can also run Auchenai Crypts and Sethekk Halls, two wings of Auchindoun, to get through Friendly reputation.
• There are many quests in Terokkar Forest and Auchindoun that grant reputation with Lower City. For the most efficient use of these quests, it is best to save them until you reach Honored.
• Shadow Labyrinth, the final wing of Auchindoun, will grant reputation through Exalted on both normal and Heroic mode, as will Heroic Auchenai Crypts and Heroic Sethekk Halls. Doing these instances will be the only way to finish the climb to Exalted.

The primary way of gaining reputation with the Sha'tar is by running the instances of Tempest Keep, as there are less quests that grant Sha'tar reputation than most other factions.

While gaining Aldor or Scryer reputation from the repeatable quests for those factions, you will also gain a small amount of Sha'tar reputation. However, you will stop gaining Sha'tar reputation for the Aldor/Scryer turn-ins at the end of Friendly Sha'tar.

Most of your Sha'tar reputation will be earned in the Tempest Keep dungeons of Mechanar, Botanica, and Arcatraz. You can also run these dungeons in Heroic mode for additional reputation gains.