Portal (spell)

Portals are a line of useful Mage utility spells that allow the caster to transport himself and his party members to one of several fixed locations (including all friendly capital cities).
Each Portal spell is trained at a portal trainer, which is usually located near the mage trainers in a major city. For example, in Shattrath, the portal trainer is located in the center of the city, near the Silvermoon and Exodar city portals.
==Rank table==
 Alliance Portals
City	City 	Level	Cost
 	Ironforge 	24 	
 	Stormwind 	24 	
 	Darnassus 	24 	
 	Exodar 	24 	
 	Theramore 	24 	
 	Shrine of Seven Stars	24 	
 	Stormshield 	24 	
 	Boralus 	24 	
 Horde Portals
City	City 	Level	Cost
 	Orgrimmar 	24 	
 	Undercity 	24 	
 	Thunder Bluff 	24 	
 	Silvermoon 	24 	
 	Stonard 	any 	
 	Shrine of Two Moons	24 	
 	Warspear 	24 	
 	Dazar'alor 	24 	
 Neutral Portals
City	City 	Level	Cost
 	Shattrath 	24 	
 	Dalaran - Northrend 	24 	
 	Tol Barad 	24 	
 	Dalaran CraterAncient Tome of Portal: Dalaran can be purchased from Endora Moorehead only after learning Ancient Tome of Teleport: Dalaran.	35 	
 	Dalaran - Broken Isles 	24 	
 	Oribos 	58 	
 	Valdrakken 	68 	
==Non-mage portal spell==
There are several portal spells not exclusive to mages.
City	City 	Cost	Faction	Level	Restriction
 	Grim Guzzler 	None	 	20 	Requires Direbrew's Remote; 1 hour cooldown
 	Karazhan 	None	 	25 	Requires ; 1 minute cooldown
 	Dalaran 	None	 	30 	Requires Jaina's Locket; 1 hour cooldown
 	Major faction city	 	 	15 	Random consumable Portal Shard from "planting" Unstable Portal Shard at Sunsong Ranch. Can only be used from Sunsong Ranch.
There was also an item that opened a portal to the heart of Maraudon - Scepter of Celebras, but it could only be used on an altar just before entering the instance. The portal ability was phased out in patch 3.0.8, and replaced with weapon stats.
==Notes==
*After casting, a portal will appear roughly 5 yards in front of the mage. The shimmering portal looks different for each capital city, giving a glimpse of the city in the center of the portal. The portal lasts for 1 minute.
*To use the portal, the mage and his group members must right click the portal. Group members are not required to enter the portal. Any player, including the mage, may elect to stay behind by not clicking on the portal.
*You will appear in the capital city near the portal trainer of that city. In Stormwind, for example, you appear inside the mage tower at the center of the Mage Quarter.
*You cannot learn the portal spells of the opposing faction.
*Portal cannot be cast in combat. In addition, portals cannot be cast inside PvP battlegrounds.
*There is a second portal trainer in Shattrath in the Scryers Tier, although the portal location remains the same no matter where it is learned. In Theramore, the portal trainer is located in the tower where Jaina resides.
==Tips and tactics==
*It is not possible to create a portal in combat, but it is possible to enter one at any time.
*If creating a portal in hostile territory, the mage should wait until all members of the party have used the portal. If the mage clicks too soon, they run the risk of leaving someone behind.
*Prior to patch 6.0.2, it was possible for a mage to stack his portals, such that it was very difficult for the players taking the portals to know where they would end up. This was commonly known as "portal roulette". Portal function has been changed so that summoning portals on top of each other prioritizes the first one cast.
==Etiquette==
While most mages will offer portals for partymates at the end of quest, runs, etc., to ask for one outside of this should be approached tactfully.
Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind.
*When asking (especially on Trade) make sure you say where you are currently (or where you will be).
*If a mage is coming from a different city, it's much easier if they can meet you at the teleport points (that's where they will arrive). Learn where they are and be standing there when you ask.
*You will only be able to use the portal if you're in the same party as the mage. If you're in one, have the leader send the invite, or drop party to get portaled.
*Mages are dropping what they are doing to help you. The minimum you should offer is 1g, 2-3g if they have to travel to you. You'll spend a good percent of that amount just to take taxis if you were getting there on your own anyway. Announce the amount you're offering when you ask for the teleport.
*Make sure you know the level required to create the portal where you need to go before you ask directly. Faction capitals and Theramore are available at 42, Stonard at 52, Shattrath at 66, Dalaran at 74, Tol Barad at 85, Pandaria at 90, and Draenor at 92.
Following these fairly simple guidelines will help you get along with your fellow players, and it makes people remember you.
==Lore==
Ley lines are harnessed to make portals possible, but traffic from across the planet will break down the infrastructure and it must be periodically replaced.
The standard dimensions for a mage portal are 3 yards, 1 foot, and 3/4 inches tall, 2 yards, 8 feet, 9 and 15/16 inches wide.
The Kirin Tor creates and enforces the rules of portal usage for all legitimate mages on Azeroth. As sometimes demonstrated by archmages such as Jaina Proudmoore and Khadgar, portals can actually be created to go anywhere, and the spell's vast potential is what makes it so dangerous (for example, the official but outdated drop-off zone for Dalaran and the consequences for Crusader Jorny the Deified, and why unlicensed portal creation outside drop-off zones is punishable by death). There are hundreds of rules that the Kirin Tor has already created for safe and proper portal usage and mages are required to abide by every single one of them, including special licensing to make sure certain actions are only carried out by responsible individuals.
Nevertheless, in practice portals have a history of being a burden on any society in which it is offered to the general public, and of all the major spells developed and maintained by the Kirin Tor, portal technology is the closest to becoming banished from anything but emergency usage.Thinking with Portals - A Memorandum on Proper Portal Usage
A variation of the portal spell can be used to enchant mirrors for two-way communication across vast distances.Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War, pg. 62 (ebook)
Portals have been used to help evacuate entire settlements and cities in times of crisis and emergency, such as Darnassus during the War of the Thorns, although it apparently requires tremendous amounts of time and effort to maintain them in the long term, as well to fully evacuate populations using portals alone. It was mentioned that the Alliance could not move armies through portals as one did handful of individuals, and that most travelers could go through portals by twos or three at the most, a very useful way for an individual to quickly get from one place to another, but not ideal for massive evacuations.Elegy
Portals are suitable for moving a handful of individuals easily, but not usually stable enough for moving whole armies.Elegy, pg. 35 Typically, large, stable portals require a person channeling and maintaining it on the other side. People cannot enter portals at the same time when going in opposite directions,Elegy, pg. 38 but can enter portals in up to twos or threes going in the same direction.Elegy, pg. 39
According to Archmage Ansirem Runeweaver, portal and teleport spells are a great privilege and responsibility; however, portals and teleportations are negatively used as a means for garbage repository in the Twisting Nether.Portals are NOT Garbage Bins!
Apparently, elven mages typically like to put a little flair, a signature, in their portal magic.Barnaby Fletcher#Quotes
==Patch changes==
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==See also==
*Portal (March of the Legion), TCG card
*Thinking with Portals - A Memorandum on Proper Portal Usage
*Portals are NOT Garbage Bins!
==References==