Alterac Valley NPCs Generals . The original objective of Alterac Valley was to slay the opposing General . Killing the General ended the game . In patch 2 . 3 , it is also possible to win without killing the General by reducing the enemy reinforcement count to zero . The Alliance General is Vanndar Stormpike . He is located in Dun Baldar . The Horde General is Drek ' thar . He is located in Frostwolf Keep . Generals must be killed inside their keep . If they are kite d outside they will leash back inside . Note that Drek ' thar is guarded by two elite wolves , Duros & Drakan , which are dangerous opponents in their own right . Duros & Drakan re - spawn when Drek ' thar does so they often have to be killed many times . Both Generals are guarded by several powerful NPCs : Up to four Warmasters guard Drek ' thar and up to four Marshals guard Vanndar . Both types have very powerful melee attacks , including a cleave effect . These mobs can be kited outside the keep in which they reside , and indeed must be ( preferably one at a time ) in order to kill them without the interference of the enemy General . Poorly managed pulling of Marshals / Warmasters can often cost one side the game . Both the Generals , wolves , and Warmasters / Marshals can be buffed and / or healed by players of the same team . When defending against the opposing team it can often be advantageous to assist these NPCs , because if the entire attacking group is defeated they will reset to full health . Captains . There are 2 Captains in Alterac Valley , one for each side . The Captains periodically buff all PC allies in Alterac Valley with a size increase and a 20 % HP buff . If your captain dies , this periodic buff is disabled , and troops that normally spawn around the Captain cease to spawn . Also , the opposing side will receive more buffs providing their Captain is still alive . After patch 2 . 3 , the Captains became much more important . When one side ' s captain dies , that same side now loses a large number of reinforcements . A Captain ' s death is also worth more bonus honor than before . The Alliance Captain is Balinda Stonehearth who resides in Stonehearth Outpost . The Horde Captain is Galvangar who resides in Iceblood Garrison . Commanders & Lieutenants . Commanders were removed in patch 2 . 3 . Commanders were often located in towers or bunkers . They were more powerful than lieutenants , and also had an aura called the " Grip of Command " which gave 15 health and 10 mana per second . Killing a Commander disabled some troops from re - spawning . Some of the commanders can now be found in Wintergrasp . Lieutenants . Lieutenants were removed in patch 2 . 3 . Pre - 2 . 3 , lieutenants were scattered about the respective sides of each faction . There were six on each side . They usually guarded key structures . They also provided an 8 health and 10 mana per second buff to allies within proximity . For details on each lieutenant , use the links below . Some of the lieutenants can now be found in Wintergrasp . Aerial . Each side has three Wing Commanders who start the game captured by the opposing faction , and must be rescued . If they survive the run across the map to their home base , they will accept turn - ins of medals / flesh , eventually enabling an air strike on the opposing team . ( Easter Egg : The Wing Commanders all have similar names to pilots from the movie " Top Gun " . ) Ultimate . Both the Alliance and the Horde have the capability of summoning very powerful NPCs with the aid of Arch Druid Renferal and the Druids of the Grove ( for the Alliance ) , or Primalist Thurloga and the Frostwolf Shaman s ( for the Horde ) . The Alliance can summon Ivus the Forest Lord , and the Horde can summon Lokholar the Ice Lord . These are monstrous elites that require virtually the entire raid to destroy . Moreover they can be healed and buffed by aligned PCs . The Elemental Lords were typically killed by kiting them to one ' s General and letting him kill the Lord ; however , as of patch 1 . 11 no NPCs will attack either lord . Guards . Guards are a plentiful and powerful force in Alterac Valley . At the start of the match they are level 55 ; however , they hit much harder than a standard level 55 mob , but their health is about the same . Guards become more powerful as their side turns in more and more Armor Scraps . Beasts . There are 3 beasts inside Alterac Valley : Frostwolves , Alterac Rams , and Stormpike Owls . Frostwolves can be tamed by the Horde or killed and looted by the Alliance . Rams can be tamed by the Alliance or killed and looted by the Horde . Doing either of these helps your side summon powerful mounted troops . Some Frostwolves are used as attack dogs by Horde NPCs , and do not drop Frostwolf hides . They cannot be used as mounts for the Horde either . Stormpike Owls are simply NPC s that guard structures . They have no significant drops and cannot be tamed by either side . Notes . Korrak the Bloodrager and the Winteraxe Trolls were a group of NPCs hostile to both Horde and Alliance , but were removed from Alterac Valley .