Gnome ( playable ) The gnomes of Gnomeregan is the faction of playable gnome s . They start in Gnomeregan , their home city located near Ironforge . A race of diminutive beings , gnomes have made their mark on Azeroth through the application of a collective intelligence and ambition overshadowing that of their larger peers . Gnomes are renowned mechanics , engineer s , and technicians , widely respected for their knowledge of the scientific facets of the world and their ability to transform said knowledge into surprising tools , vehicles , armor , and weapons . The eccentric , often brilliant gnomes are held as one of the most peculiar races of the world . With their obsession for developing radical new technologies and constructing marvels of mind - bending engineering , it ’ s a wonder that any gnomes have survived to proliferate . Over the years , the gnomes have contributed ingenious weapons to aid the Grand Alliance in its fierce battles against the Horde . Background . Little is known concerning gnomish history previous to the Second War , even among the gnomes . Much of gnomish philosophy is focused on forward - thinking , inventive concepts ; little thought has ever been given to history or non - scientific records . However , recent developments have uncovered evidence of prehistoric mechagnome s created by the titan s to help shape the lands of Azeroth . Like many of the titans ’ creations , these helpers were afflicted with the Curse of Flesh , and they became what is known today as the gnome race . It wasn ’ t until their discovery by the dwarves centuries later that gnomes were recognized as a viable and important race . The dwarves were impressed with the ingenuity and quickness of their smaller “ kin ” ( for they had also been titan - forged and similarly cursed ) , and they assisted the gnomes in constructing a capital city , Gnomeregan , in the foothills of Dun Morogh near the dwarves ’ own capital of Ironforge . From their wondrous techno - city , gnomes provided invaluable support in weaponry , vehicles , and energetic troops to the Alliance of dwarves , human s , and high elves . Third War . Thriving in the wondrous techno - city of Gnomeregan , gnomes shared resources of the forested peaks of Dun Morogh with their dwarven cousins for generations . When the Burning Legion invaded , the gnomes strangely refused to send aid to their allies . It wasn ’ t until the war had ended that the Alliance learned the reason for the gnomes ’ withdrawal : around the time of the Third War , an ancient menace had risen from the bowels of Azeroth to strike at Gnomeregan . The trogg s — believed to have been unearthed from the Uldaman excavation – erupted beneath Gnomeregan and began to slaughter every gnome within the city . Knowing that their allies ’ priority was defeating the Burning Legion , the gnomes decided to make their stand alone . Though they fought valiantly to save their beloved city , Gnomeregan was lost . At the command of the High Tinker Mekkatorque , the gnomes opened the pressure valves of their giant , grinding machines and released toxic radiation throughout the city . Though the radiation killed the troggs , the gnomes soon discovered that it killed their own people just as quickly . Most of the gnome race was wiped out during the fall of Gnomeregan ; some say that as much as 80 percent of the gnomes died during those horrible days . The few survivors fled to the safety of nearby Ironforge . There they quietly went about rebuilding their forces , healing their wounds , and preparing to retake their ravaged city . Cataclysm . Just prior to the Cataclysm , the gnomes ’ leader , High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque , led an attack on Gnomeregan ’ s invaders . It was a successful first maneuver , but there will be much more bloodshed before the entirety of the gnomeland is liberated . Starting info . New starting area . In " " , Gnomeregan Exiles were given their own unique starting area near Gnomeregan , rather than sharing Anvilmar with the dwarves . Players worked to defeat Sicco Thermaplugg after their first attempt to retake the city : . With the success of Operation : Gnomeregan , gnomes begin their journey within the upper reaches of Gnomeregan as one of the survivors of the radiation poisoning . Making their way to the surface , they continue their adventures at New Tinkertown , working to clear away the surface of enemies before heading out to Ironforge . Racial traits . Reasons for racial traits . Despite their short limbs and large heads , gnomes are remarkably nimble . They can keep pace with taller races , jump twice their height , and can make quite the Escape Artist by slipping out of both conventional and magical traps . The Expansive Mind of the gnome race is readily apparent to the casual observer . Many of the Alliance ' s best arcanists , scientists , and tinkers have been gnomes . Engineering Specialization is a defining characteristic of gnome culture , and gnome creations such as the Deeprun Tram regularly make life easier and ( more or less ) safer for the Alliance ' s citizens . Gnomes take the same approach to the arcane sciences as they do to other technologies . Their carefulness and precision with magic has given them a slight Arcane Resistance . Classes . Gnomes have fair starting stats for the rogue class . This is because high agility benefits rogue ' s critical hit chance and dodge chance . The melee damage of rogues ( and hunters ) is based on agility as well as strength . A notable feature that sometimes may give a gnome rogue advantage is their very short height . An unprepared and less alert enemy player might not notice the dangerous gnome rogue creeping near him , especially if his camera is pointed upward or he is distracted . Of course this advantage rarely appears and an experienced player knows to be alert . For mage and warlock classes , gnomes have an advantage ( at low levels ) because their high initial intellect means they have a larger mana pool ( can cast more spells before running out of mana ) . The 5 % intellect bonus given by the Expansive Mind trait is calculated after adding bonuses from gear , so it continues to offer an advantage even at high levels . Why gnomes in the World of Warcraft ? From Insider Interview — with Chris Metzen : Gnomes and Trolls as Playable Races from the Blizzard Insider : I think we deal with it a little bit in upcoming D & D supplements . During Warcraft II , the gnomes were , in effect , building weapons and lending designs to the Alliance — but they were staying out of any direct fighting . In Warcraft III and Frozen Throne , and even in World of Warcraft , it becomes clear that the gnomes have had internal problems of their own for several years . As of World of Warcraft , they still offer support to the Alliance in terms of building tanks , designing weapons , sending flying machines , and so on . But they had a problem at home that has recently been discovered — an ancient menace from the depths of the underground , called Troggs . The Troggs invaded the gnomes ' city of Gnomeregan and wiped it out . The gnomes decided not to let the rest of the Alliance know about this because they figured that they could deal with it on their own . But Gnomeregan fell , probably thanks as much to the gnomes ' own actions as to those of their enemies — they likely blew themselves up with whatever failsafe devices they used to defeat the threat . After the destruction of their homeland , the gnomes fled to the safety offered by their nearby allies the dwarves .