Transmogrifying an homage to Bolvar Fordragon
Bolvar Fordragon is one of the coolest figures in Warcraft lore (check out our Know Your Lore: Bolvar Fordragon for a detailed rundown). While he was once a noble lord of Stormwind, Bolvar's story throughout the course of Wrath was an epic tale of nobility and heroism in the face of damnation. Today, we're going to create a look based on Bolvar. No, not the extra-crispy, end-of-Wrath version -- and not the shining vanilla-era Bolvar, either. And definitely not the in-between Bolvar that is comprised mostly of Alliance PvP gear.
While I was looking at olden-days Bolvar, I realized his look could not be recreated; his armor is pretty unique, and it isn't something players can obtain in game. But as I was looking at Bolvar then and Bolvar now, I had a idea. What if we take a little of Bolvar's fate and apply that to the look of the shining hero of yesteryear? Take that distinct, filigreed, gold and silver plate look and tarnish it just a little, a reflection of what Bolvar's been through in the course of his lifetime?
Head For this look, we're skipping the helm altogether, à la Bolvar in his Stormwind days. You can go ahead and turn your helm graphic off for this one.
Shoulders I wanted to go with something that had a tarnished look but echoed all that lovely detailing in his original outfit. So I went with Spikemender Shoulderplates, which you can find by completing the quest A Standard Day for Azrajar in the Abyssal Depths. This
quest is available to both Alliance and Horde.
Back No cloak needed for this look; you can turn the graphic off.
Chest The chestpiece shown here is the Truesilver Breastplate created by blacksmithing.
Shirt Because there isn't much to the chestpiece, a shirt is required underneath it. Shown here is the Golden Filigreed Doublet. This shirt can be purchased from Karandonna in Dalaran for 52g50s (less than that if you have reputation with the Kirin Tor).
Wrists Bracers for this set don't matter so much, because they are hidden. You can use whatever you've got handy.
Hands While you're chatting with your blacksmith, have them whip you up a pair of Truesilver Gauntlets. A lot of this gear is created with blacksmithing, which is pretty convenient!
Waist Here is the biggest part of this outfit. The Imperial Plate Belt is an exact match to vanilla-era Bolvar's belt. This belt can also be created via blacksmithing, so you're in luck!
Legs The legs shown here have an almost tarnished look, but they carry some of the same delicate details as Bolvar's original outfit. Enchanted Throium Leggings are also created with blacksmithing.
Feet For boots, have a blacksmith throw together a pair of Runic Plate Boots.
Main-hand weapon Bolvar's got a fairly basic sword model, as you can see from the header image. For the purposes of this transmogrification set, I went with the Sword of Zeal. This blue BoE weapon drops off of several level 60 bosses and mobs, but since it's BoE, it can also be found occasionally on the Auction House.
Shield I took a long time deliberating over the shield for this set. It would be easy enough to find a lookalike with a Stormwind crest on it, yet Bolvar is no longer affiliated with Stormwind, for obvious reasons. Which is when I remember the Drillborer Disk, which you can get from Garr in Molten Core. This blackened disk spins and spits fire, which is so reminiscent of Bolvar's fate that it was a natural choice.
While this obviously isn't an exact match to vanilla-days Bolvar, it definitely captures what I am trying to do. And although very few of these pieces are actually from the same set, they work together in a way that looks like they should be from the same set. Obviously, this set can be worn by any race, Alliance or Horde -- but if you've got a male human that already has Bolvar's hair and facial features, the end look works far more effectively, here.
Transmogrification doesn't have to be a simple replication, nor does it need to be a perfectly matched set. With a little creativity, you can come up with something that is wholly original and unique, yet still echoes the flavor of the NPCs that you love. And don't forget -- crafters are your best friends with transmogrification. Blacksmithing, leatherworking and tailoring all have lots of different, unique looking pieces that can be created with a little time gathering materials!
Patch 4.3 lets you transmogrify your gear to look like any other gear your class can wear -- but you have to collect it first. Check out our coverage of transmogrification and start running those old dungeons!
