How's the server demographic likely to turn out?

[Combover]

The survey suggests 57:43 in favor of alliance, so although only a few hundred people have voted, it's likely that it'll have more alliance without being so much more that it's just an alliance server.

What other predictions can be made?

The PvP server turned out to be exactly equal in population, but with a lot more PvPers on horde and a lot more PvEers on alliance. There's only one cutting-edge raid guild on horde, and horde has long BG queues (at least for premades). Alliance has more "top tier" raid guilds and have instant BG queues, even for premades, making both PvE and organized PvP much healthier for them.

This kind of makes it seem like alliance is just the best place to be unless you want to play a shaman or a PvP warlock. How, if at all, is this likely to change on the PvE server?

Will the projected smaller horde playerbase make their BG queues better? Will they have more emphasis on raid guilds than on the PvP server, or will it be even less as there might potentially be so few hardcore raiders favoring horde that all of them are concentrated into Dreamstate on the PvP server?

For PvP, is there any real chance that the queue situation evens out due to the larger alliance population? Plenty of players on the PvE server will still have an interest in BGs, but if the server turns out the same in that regard, it seems like it will be even harder to justify rolling horde if you have endgame plans as the server looks likely to become even more alliance-favored in the PvE department.

With the PvP server being the one preferred by horde players and still having only one notable raid guild on horde, is there any grounds for believing that the PvE server will have a healthier horde raid scene?

[Corazon]

The Alliance will wish they had Shamans when AQ is released.

[Kentamentiu]

The Alliance will wish they had Shamans when AQ is released.

They could just pack the raid with 20 paladins and have a decent chance.

[Shmooglavoue]

I think one thing that is safe to assume is that we'll likely see more diverse race selection, since player's won't feel as pressured to pick races that are especially pro-pvp (I'm looking at you UD) since they won't be forced into pvp. Same goes for classes to some extent; we'll likely see more alliance warlocks for example.

As far as the demographics between the two factions, it's hard to say. If the horde population is at least comparable to the alliance pop, then I'd be surprised if there were no player's making raiding guilds. Sure, there will be some pvp-focused guilds that make premades for battlegrounds and organize attacks on cities, but even they will probably do some raiding eventually since vanilla doesn't split pvp and pve gear as much as the later expansions.

And if most pvp on the server ends up being group pvp, the primacy of the Undead's WotF is reduced somewhat, since alliance pvp guilds can make up for it with dwarf priests being liberal with the fear ward. Solo pvp would mostly just exist in duels in a pvp server, so it becomes much more important to focus on group tactics and synergy.

In the end, I just say play the faction that you prefer. Alliance have a slight edge on horde in pve, but only slight, and I think people over-focus on that slight difference too much, likewise with the horde and pvp.

[Dying Snake]

I assume Horde will be the majority

[Noselacri]

I assume Horde will be the majority

Why? All evidence points to the contrary.

[Jarelkin]

I assume Horde will be the majority

Why? All evidence points to the contrary.

Horde has a huge advantage when to racials.

Tauren make the best tanks.
Orcs make the best DPS
Trolls make the best healers.

Shamans in the raid because shamans.

[pita]

Personally I would like to roll horde for a change, both to balance the teams and for my personal taste.
My history in private servers shows it might be wrong since its harder to find dungeons groups or to engage in constant pve content (farming bis). However I hope that because this is PvE realm it will turn out differently.

Still lost on this. might go to the alliance side after all.

[Orc_Hunter]

I expect more Alliance than Horde. Pretty much a guarantee on a PvE server.