Twenty years in Azeroth

When World of Warcraft launched on November 23, 2004, few people imagined it would still be running two decades later. Yet here it is: more than ten expansions, a Classic revival, and millions of players who measure their lives in raid tiers. For a lot of them, Azeroth is not just a game they played but a place they lived, with a guild that became friends, a main character they have leveled for years and a faction they will defend in any argument, usually at length and with lore citations.

A World of Warcraft rug brings that place into the room where you play it. Ours are printed into short velvet, so the heraldry of the Alliance and the Horde, the detail of a world map or the glow of a raid boss comes out crisp, edge to edge. And because they go in the washing machine, the energy drink knocked over during a progression wipe doesn't have to leave a mark.

For the Alliance

The Alliance's blue and gold, with the rampant lion of Stormwind at its heart, is one of the most recognizable crests in gaming. It reads as noble and a little old-fashioned in the best way, which makes it easy to place: it suits a classic study, a bedroom with wood furniture or a gaming setup lit in cool blue. Alliance players may also want the banners of their race and city, the stone halls of Ironforge, the moonlit forests of Darnassus, the crystals of the Draenei, or the cursed elegance of Gilneas.

For the Horde

The Horde's red and black, under its jagged, tribal banner, is louder and fiercer, and Horde players wear it with pride. Its palette suits darker rooms, black desks and warm red light. The Horde has its own homelands too: Orgrimmar's spiked walls, the plains of Mulgore, the shadows of the Undercity, the golden spires of Silvermoon. Whether you play orc, tauren, troll, Forsaken or blood elf, the banner is what unites you, and on the floor it says exactly which side you are on.

Maps of Azeroth

Few game worlds have been explored as thoroughly by as many people as Azeroth. Its continents, Eastern Kingdoms, Kalimdor, Northrend, Pandaria, the Broken Isles and the rest, are maps players know by heart, from flight paths and quest hubs. A map rug is one of the most rewarding WoW designs: it looks like a piece of antique cartography to visitors, and to players it is a floor full of memories, from the first quest in an elf grove or a human abbey to the last raid of the night. Maps suit living rooms and hallways as well as game rooms, and they reward a second look.

Expansions and eras

Many players identify with a particular era. The Burning Crusade took us through the Dark Portal to Outland in 2007; Wrath of the Lich King, in 2008, brought Arthas and Frostmourne and is still many players' favorite; Cataclysm reshaped the world; Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor and Legion each brought their own icons, from monks to demon hunters and the return of Illidan. Battle for Azeroth, Shadowlands, Dragonflight and The War Within carried the story into new realms. A rug from your era, a Lich King, a Legion fel-green, a dragon of the Dragon Isles, says when you joined the fight.

Classic, nostalgia and the old world

When Blizzard released WoW Classic in 2019, millions of players went back to the world as it was in the beginning: the long run to Blackrock Mountain, the forty-player raids, the feeling of hitting level 60 for the first time. Hardcore and seasonal servers have kept that nostalgia alive. If your heart belongs to the old world, a design from vanilla-era Azeroth, the original zones, the first raids, the classic class icons, is the one that will mean the most.

Moments every player knows

World of Warcraft has a shared folklore that goes beyond any single expansion: the 2005 video of a paladin named Leeroy Jenkins charging into a carefully planned pull; Onyxia's "many whelps" disaster; Illidan's "You are not prepared"; the first time you saw the Lich King on his throne. Designs that nod to those moments are the ultimate in-jokes for a game room, the kind of rug that starts a conversation every time a fellow player walks in.

Raid night setups

A WoW setup works hard: long raid nights, Discord in one ear, add-ons on every screen, a chair that gets rolled back every time someone pulls early. Under that chair, choose Standard: 5 mm crushed velvet on a non-slip faux leather back that lets the wheels roll freely and keeps the rug from creeping during a four-hour progression night. Size it to the chair's full roll, usually 4×6 ft for a two-screen desk. If you want more on chair rugs, see desk chair rugs.

Classes, specs and mains

Every player has a main, and every main has a class. Paladins, Death Knights, Druids, Mages, Warlocks, Hunters, Priests, Rogues, Shamans, Warriors, Monks, Demon Hunters and Evokers each have their own colors, symbols and attitude. A rug that nods to your class, a holy light, a frost rune, a druid's leaves, is a quiet in-joke your guildmates will recognize on your stream.

Warcraft beyond WoW

The Warcraft universe started long before World of Warcraft, with real-time strategy games through the 1990s and Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos in 2002, whose characters, Arthas, Thrall, Jaina, Illidan, still drive the story. Hearthstone, launched in 2014, brought the same characters to a card game and a whole new audience. If your Warcraft love runs deeper than the MMO, those eras belong on your floor too.

Lighting a Warcraft setup

Velvet catches light from the side, so the lighting of a setup changes how a rug looks. Cool blue light flatters Alliance designs and frosty Northrend themes; warm red or orange light suits the Horde, fel-fire and Ragnaros. A low LED strip under the desk throws color across the rug and makes a crest glow softly during a night raid.

Designs and where they work

• Faction crests: best as round or die-cut rugs, under a chair or in front of a display shelf.
• Maps: best as large rectangles in a living room, a hallway or the middle of a game room.
• Raid bosses and characters: best as centerpieces on open floor, where nothing covers the art.
• Patterns and symbols: runes, sigils and class icons, the subtle choice for a shared room.

Sizes and levels

Where	Size that usually fits	Level
Under a gaming chair, two screens	4×6 ft	Standard
Under a compact desk	3.3×5 ft	Standard
Beside the bed	2.6×3.9 ft	Premium
Map in a living room or hallway	5×7 ft	Premium, or Standard on a slippery floor
Faction crest by the door or a shelf	A round rug, 3.3 to 3.9 ft (100 to 120 cm)	Standard

Collectors and BlizzCon veterans

Long-time players often have a shelf of collector's editions, statues, art books and convention swag. A WoW rug in front of that shelf completes the display and gives visitors somewhere to stand while they take it in. Pick a design whose palette echoes the collection, Alliance blue next to a Stormwind statue, Horde red beneath an Orgrimmar banner, so the shelf and the floor read as one.

A guild gift

Guilds are friendships that often outlast the games themselves. A rug with your guild's own crest, printed through our custom rugs and cut to the shape of the emblem, makes a memorable gift for a guild master or a reward for a long-awaited Cutting Edge kill. For a friend who plays, a faction crest or a map of their favorite continent is a safe choice. Each rug is printed to order in 1–3 business days and ships from Turkey; US delivery usually takes 2–5 business days after that.

Sharing a room with a non-player

If your gaming setup lives in a shared bedroom or living room, a map or a crest is the diplomatic choice: it looks like a heraldic textile or an antique chart to anyone who has never heard of Azeroth, and it is unmistakable to anyone who has. Full-color boss art is better kept for a room that is yours alone.

Care

Vacuum the rug on a low setting each week to lift desk crumbs and dust, blot spills with cold water straight away, and wash it on a gentle, cold cycle when it needs a full clean. Let it air dry flat before the chair goes back on. The design is printed into the fibers, so the gold of the Alliance and the red of the Horde stay bright. More rugs for fantasy players are in gaming rugs, including Diablo, Elden Ring and Dark Souls.

A note on Warcraft

The hearthstone

Every adventurer in Azeroth carries a hearthstone, a small blue stone that returns them to the inn they call home after a long day of questing. A rug of a glowing hearthstone resting on a wooden inn table, with a mug and a candle beside it, is a cozy design for a player's room, a reminder of the warmth waiting at the end of every raid.

Padrift is an independent studio. World of Warcraft and Warcraft are names used to describe the world our designs are inspired by; we are not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Blizzard Entertainment.