garrisons
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Patch 6.1: Shrink your bodyguard down to size
Thank the Light. If there's one thing that keeps me from using my bodyguards, it's how they get in the way of literally everything I want to click. The problem is even worse if you play a pet class because your bodyguard tends to stay right behind you instead of to your side. While exploring my garrison on the patch 6.1 PTR, I was happy to find a vendor in my Barracks that sold me a Bodyguard Miniaturization Device for the bargain price of 250 Garrison Resources (I would have paid 10,000). As you can see from the picture, it shrinks your bodyguard down to a more manageable size that should never get in your way (plus they look really cute mounted up at this size). The device lasts for 1 hour and has 1 hour cooldown. Best of all, it does work if you dismiss and summon a new bodyguard as the buff is placed on you. If you still haven't joined the bodyguard club, you really should.
Patch 6.1: Traveling the world in search of garrison music
The jukebox is one of the biggest new garrison features coming in patch 6.1. It allows you to change the default music in your garrison, which is a welcome feature considering how much time I spend in there. Upon completing the simple quest to build your jukebox, you are given a selection of 7 faction-specific music tracks (known as Music Rolls) to get you started. It's as simple as clicking your jukebox and picking a new track as your default garrison music. There are many more Music Rolls to collect. One of the first I collected on the PTR was Music Roll: Faerie Dragon, which I found all the way out in Tirisfal Glades. If you're a regular reader of Know Your Lore, you may remember the Tinfoil Hat Edition about the mysterious Whispering Forest event (pictured above). If you are present for this event -- which has been made less rare in patch 6.1 -- you can loot this music roll from a faerie dragon nest located in the center of the circle of mushrooms.
Patch 6.1: New follower traits and reroll items
Talonpriest Ishaal is finally going to have someone who wants to go on missions with him. Follower races which previously had no synergy traits, such as the arakkoa, will now have them available via special mission rewards. New/updated follower traits The Wildling trait increases success chance when on missions with beast followers. Taught by Winning with Wildlings. The Mechano Affictionado increases success chance when on missions with machine or construct followers. Taught by Grease Monkey Guide. The Bird Watcher trait increases success chance when on missions with arakkoa followers. Taught by Guide to Arakkoa Relations. The Ogre Buddy trait increases success chance when on missions with ogre followers. Taught by Ogre Buddy Handbook. The Speed of Light trait reduces mission duration, similar to Epic Mount. Taught by Sun-touched Feather of Rukhmar. The Treasure Hunter trait increases gold rewarded by missions by 100%. This trait appears to be unique to Harrison Jones. Scavenger now increases Garrison Resource rewards by 100% (down from 200%). Note that many of these missions have had their base rewards increased to compensate, e.g. Can't Go Home This Way was buffed from 175 base resources to 300. There will also be more opportunities to reroll traits and abilities on your followers with Follower Ability Retraining Guide and Follower Trait Retraining Guide. Both of these are rewarded from several new missions, and they can also be purchased for 1500 Garrison Resources each from your garrison quartermaster. As someone who has had awful luck acquiring Follower Retraining Certificates, I'm all for this new way to spend resources.
Patch 6.1: Rush orders allow instant completion of work orders
Tired of waiting for your garrison work orders to finish? In patch 6.1, you'll be able to acquire rush orders which allow you to instantly complete 5 active work orders for that particular building, e.g. Rush Order: Engineering Works. There are a couple ways to acquire these rush orders. Firstly, there are new profession missions which become available based on the profession buildings you have in your garrison. If you have an Engineering Works, you should periodically get missions like You're Fired or The Wonder Gears which reward 2 or 3 of these rush orders. Followers with profession traits have an increased success chance on these missions as well. Secondly, you can buy rush orders with Garrison Resources for non-profession buildings like the Barn and Gladiator's Sanctum. Currently it costs 1000 Garrison Resources per rush order, with the exception of the mine and garden which cost 300 each. Keep in mind this is PTR and all subject to change. It sounds pretty pricey to me, but if you're overflowing with resources it will give you something to spend them on.
The Queue: Blackrock Foundry and more garrison questions
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. I've been watching Young Justice again and find it funny that Superboy is essentially The Hulk for the bulk of the first season. What does that have to do with World of Warcraft? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. KingMarvel asked: Is the Blackrock Foundry raid in the 6.1 patch? I know this raid is coming out in February but is it simply unlocking or are we getting the new patch?
Patch 6.1 PTR: Customize your garrison music
A new customization option is on the way for garrisons in patch 6.1 -- you'll now be able to change what tunes are playing while you collect your work orders, mine, gather herbs, or just hang out. How? It all begins with a quest to build a boombox big enough to hear no matter where you're at in your garrison. This quest sends you across Draenor to gather the required parts for the jukebox of your dreams, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be fully implemented as of yet -- while I could collect the first piece on the list, a relatively easy to find drop from shredders on the Talador coast, further items weren't fully interactive. However, from what we've seen so far via datamining on the PTR, your quest doesn't end when you create the boombox. You'll need tunes to fill the thing -- and there are a wide variety to choose from. Most city themes are included, as well as old favorites like Lament of the Highborne and the Karazhan Opera House music. Keep in mind that because all of the sounds are datamined material, there's no guarantee that these options will make it to live servers. Given the sheer amount of music Blizzard has produced in conjunction with its games over the years, this is honestly a really nice way to bring all those great themes from the past back into relevance, and allow a little more customization as well. Future builds should fix any quest bugs and further reveal what we have to do to obtain all the tunes our hearts desire -- until then, I'm going to try and wrestle with the decision of what I want to hear while I'm hanging out with my followers and friends.
Patch 6.1: Trade Iron Horde Scraps for follower equipment
If you have a stockpile of Iron Horde Scraps, whether that be due to disinterest in transmogrification or already possessing all of the items you want, you'll be able to put them to good use in patch 6.1. While the War Mill and Dwarven Bunker are already a steady source of follower equipment, patch 6.1 implements a daily quest wherein you can trade 25 Iron Horde Scraps for an additional piece of gear. When you turn in the scraps, you have a choice between an Armor Enhancement Token or Weapon Enhancement Token -- the same items you can earn through select follower missions. That means there is a random element to the reward, your ultimate outcome being anything from a three ilevel improvement via Braced Armor Enhancement to an automatic ilevel 645 via the far more rare Goredrenched Armor Set. If your garrison has been running a Salvage Yard and War Mill/Dwarven Bunker since launch, you most likely have a stockpile of follower enhancement items already. If you haven't had those running for months, this daily quest will be a solid catch-up mechanic.
Patch 6.1: Dummies will (hopefully) stop murdering you
On live realms, the training dummies found within the garrison often prove to be a problem for DPS players. With the tanking dummy standing right next to the damage dummy, any sort of splash or cleave damage -- a baseline part of many DPS rotations -- hits the tanking dummy which proceeds to kill the player. The issue renders the dummies effectively unusable for many players who might be interested in practicing their rotation. On the patch 6.1 PTR, the damage and healing dummies have swapped places. The tanking dummy remains on the far left and the damage dummy is now on the far right. Even if you accidentally hit the tanking dummy with a bit of AOE damage, you're standing far enough away that you won't be brutally murdered by an ostensibly inanimate object.
Our must-have Warlords of Draenor addons
There are some addons that we all know, love, and use -- and have for numerous patches and expansions now. I'm talking about mainstays like Deadly Boss Mods or Recount. But with the new features in Warlords of Draenor (not to mention new addon development), it's worth taking stock of your current addon collection to see if there's something new that might make your gameplay a little easier. This collection of addons is the WoW Insider team's favorites -- and must-haves -- for tackling Warlords of Draenor content. It doesn't list every addon we use, just our personal favorites and the mods we find particularly useful this expansion. Have your own necessary addons? Let us know about them in the comments!
The Queue: Followers, transmog, and gross items
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. I managed to lose a day this week and thought today was Tuesday rather than Wednesday. For that reason, The Queue is a little late today. I hope you'll all forgive me. Snichy asked: Does getting a follower to "epic" quality have any benefits over them being the same iLevel but blue?
The Queue: A barn full of cash
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. I have a mighty long response to today's first question! Morte asked: You say "there are more than enough ways to make gold", could you give us a few ideas? I'm having a tough time keeping enough gold on my alts with all the garrison building expences.
New garrison NPC in patch 6.1 will sell you missed followers
Community Manager Crithto teased a new garrison NPC coming in patch 6.1 that will sell followers you may have missed because of quests, missions, buildings, or outpost choices. Remember that quest in Shadowmoon Valley that had you choose 1 of 3 followers? It looks like you'll now be able to get the other 2 -- for a price. This may address one of the concerns I posted yesterday (#5) regarding how easy it is to skip past potential followers on alts. Keep an eye out for more details once the 6.1 PTR launches. Crithto All of this feedback is great so thank you! We have some really cool changes coming to Garrisons in the future and a lot of them are based on what you've shared with us in recent weeks. Also, I've relayed many of the ideas you've posted here, too. One specific change I can share is in the next patch we're planning to add a new NPC to tier 3 Garrisons who will sell followers you might not have access to based upon which buildings and Outposts you've chosen. Definitely keep an eye out for that on the next PTR, test it out, and let us know what you think. Quote: Ohhh, what about for followers that came from quests that give you a choice of three but you can only choose 1. Gotta catch'em all you know =P. Yup! You'll be able to browse for followers you did not choose from quests and any you might have missed from failed missions. source
Trap-stealing hotfix is on the way
If you have a barn in your garrison, chances are you've run into this problem: trap stealing. As you go out to trap beasts, especially elites for Savage Blood, you've probably run into the nuisance of other players trying to trap the creatures you're trying to trap. This makes collecting Savage Blood a headache that often has to be done very early in the morning or very late in the evening, to avoid other players and the problems that can come with them. However, Blizzard is currently working on two changes that will make trapping a lot less frustrating. First, they plan on increasing the spawn rate of elites that can be trapped, to make these rare creatures a bit less rare -- and thus easier to come by. And more importantly, in order to trap a creature you'll need to have tapped it, which means a random person can't just come by and trap your kills. We don't yet have an ETA on when these fixes will arrive, but Takralus says they're being tested as we speak -- so hopefully they'll be live soon.
Garrisons and Alts: How can it be improved?
I sometimes find myself wishing that garrisons were designed to be account-wide from the beginning. It may sound silly, but I'd love to see my alts hanging out in my single account-wide garrison when I'm logged on another character. This is obviously not in the cards, but maybe there could be some changes to make managing multiple garrisons a little bit easier. You can tell yourself that they are "optional" as much as you want, but you'd be missing out a large portion of this expansion if you simply ignored them, even on alts. Thankfully, Blizzard is listening to feedback and plans on making adjustments in the future. Takralus We're looking into ways to make Garrisons a bit more friendly in future patches for those of you who enjoy alts. We see that Garrisons are a bit too much for you guys right now. source Good to hear. I have a few ideas on how things might be improved, some more realistic than others. 1. BoA follower armor and weapon upgrades As it stands, having a Dwarven Bunker/War Mill and Salvage Yard are essentially requirements if you want to partake in the most worthwhile follower missions. Wouldn't it be nice if after your first or second garrison this was no longer the case? I've put a significant amount of time and resources into my main's followers, and I'm at the point where most of them are maxed out in item level. However, I still have a ton of items like War Ravaged Weaponry which I can no longer use on this character. My alts could put them to good use.
The Queue: Abrogator Stones, garrisons, and player housing
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. It took until January, but it's finally cold and snowy in Wisconsin. Now, I'm not a big fan of the freezing cold or anything, but it's Wisconsin. It's about time. Chadalac2 asked: Anyone else not getting that many stones for the legendary quest? I have like 39 and a fellow guild mate has 120. What the heck.
The Daily Grind: Does your WoW garrison feel like home?
I've been a fascinated outside observer in regard to World of Warcraft's recent expansion and its much-touted garrison feature. I have no doubt that garrisons have filled a lot of purposes and gone all-out on functionality. It's certainly been a powerful carrot for Blizzard to wave in front of players. But what I've been wondering is whether garrisons are so functional that they forgot to be personal. In other words, do garrisons feel like "home" in-game even if you can't decorate and customize them the way that you can in other MMO housing systems? Has your character finally set down roots or does this feel like just another mission hub? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Queue: Garrisons forever
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. At this point, I think it's fair to say the holiday season has concluded. No, you may not extend it to Valentine's Day. Hopefully we'll see some Warcraft news on the horizon soon. Patch 6.1, anyone? gazaa07 asked: if you could create a new building to be used for your Garrison (can be anything), what would you build?
Pick up Peckers the Majestic for your garrison
Sure, collecting followers for your garrison is pretty fun -- after all, they head out on missions and can potentially bring you back all kinds of valuable rewards. But what about your garrison while everyone is away? Oddly enough, there are a few different potential garrison denizens that aren't followers. You'll never send them on a single mission. But they'll come hang out at your garrison anyway, if you go out of your way and rescue them from whatever unfortunate situation they've accidentally stumbled into. That's where Peckers the Majestic comes in. This fearsome looking raptor will gladly follow you back to your garrison if you take the time to help him out. Don't expect him to be too terribly friendly, though. While you can pet the raptor, he'll respond by promptly giving you a swift kick and running away. Apparently, he's been taking lessons from Ruthers the bad yak. Yet despite his temperamental disposition, he's a pretty cool addition to any garrison -- so how do you get this ornery raptor? You'll want to head to Gorgrond.
How to send your followers on raid missions
With the right followers, it's possible to get yourself a piece of genuine Highmaul raid loot without ever setting foot inside the raid. Before you endeavor to do this, you should know that the Dwarven Bunker/War Mill and Salvage Yard are basically required to do this in any sane amount of time. You need both buildings to get enough follower armor and weapon upgrades, as these missions require a roster of ilvl 645+ followers to complete. Raid mission basics Your first raid mission will unlock when you have 3 followers at 645 or higher item level. The mission should stick around for at least a couple days if you want to spend some time getting other followers ready. After completing a raid mission, your next one will unlock 2 weeks later. Any piece of loot from the raid appropriate to your loot specialization can drop, with the exception of weapons. Just like normal drops, these can be warforged, socketed, or have tertiary stats. The quality of loot is based on your current progression in the raid itself: Normal caches (ilvl 655 loot) are rewarded if you've killed 0-14 bosses in normal mode. Heroic caches (ilvl 670 loot) are rewarded if you've killed 15+ bosses in normal mode. Mythic caches (ilvl 685 loot) are rewarded if you've killed 15+ bosses in heroic mode. Mythic caches plus a bonus of 1000 gold are rewarded if you've killed 15+ bosses in mythic mode.
39 facts about garrisons in Warlords of Draenor
Garrisons evolved to become a central feature of Warlords of Draenor over the course of the expansion's development. Whether you're Alliance of Horde, garrisons are packed full of little details ranging from the gameplay-essential to the just-for-fun. Join Panser of TradeChat in exploring 39 garrison facts -- and even as garrison-obsessed as I am, there were a few in there that even I didn't know.
