Warlords of Draenor: Recruit Alexi or Weldon Barov for your garrison
Ah, the Barov family. If you've been playing WoW for any length of time, you're likely well acquainted with the brothers Barov. The last two heirs to the Barov family fortune, Alexi and Weldon Barov used to send players both Alliance and Horde to the opposite faction's camps in order to murder each other. Once the head of the offending brother was returned, players were rewarded with the Barov Peasant Caller, a trinket that summoned Barov servants. In Cataclysm, the Barov brothers seemed to have come to an accord, each no longer intent on the murder of the other, and instead focused on assaulting Scholomance.
But in Mists, both Weldon and Alexi disappeared without a trace. The Barov Peasant Caller was no longer able to be obtained, Scholomance was revamped, and the brothers Barov vanished. Some players idly wondered if this meant the end of the Barov line -- we can officially say no, it did not. Why? Because it looks like Weldon and Alexi decided to team up and band together to enter the lumber industry, and you can find them both on Draenor. In fact, you can recruit either Weldon for the Alliance, or Alexi for the Horde, as a follower for your garrison.
And that Peasant Caller? It's back, and it's gotten a substantial upgrade along the way.
In Gorgrond, players both Alliance and Horde can choose from one of two buildings for their outpost -- the Lumber Mill, or the Gladiator's Sanctum. The Lumber Mill will allow you to begin the process of cutting down trees, as well as granting the blueprints to build a Lumber Mill in your Garrison, which is where the mad Barov scramble begins. Once your Lumber Mill is established, you'll be able to cut down small trees found all around Draenor -- but for the purpose of finding Alexi or Weldon, you'll want to head back to Gorgrond and look for the small trees there. Randomly found in the zone is a Fallen Tree, pictured above -- cutting away the tree will set free the Barov brother associated with your faction.
And once you have freed either Alexi or Weldon, they'll thank you by signing up as a follower for your garrison, that simple. But the adventures of the brothers Barov don't stop there. There's a reason they were trapped under that fallen tree, and that reason is the scheming machinations of their brother. If you played in vanilla, you know what that means.
It's time, once again, to retrieve a Barov brother's head. In order to find the offending brother, simply head back to Gorgrond and begin looking for small trees again, and you should find both him and a few loyal peasants milling about the base of a tree. Be careful, though -- the peasants hit surprisingly hard. Survive their blows and focus on the Barov brother, they'll despawn once he's dead. Upon turning his head in at your garrison Lumber Mill, you'll be rewarded with a newer, better caller -- the Barov Lumberjack Caller. This trinket, when used, will summon a group of lumberjacks to come and fight at your side for ten minutes.
Unlike its vanilla counterpart, the Barov Lumberjack Caller also includes useful stats that make it worth equipping even if you aren't just summoning some peasants for laughs. Although it has a one-hour cooldown, it's still worth it, particularly for those that remember fondly the days of the Plaguelands in vanilla, and trying to get a group of level 60's together to attack the opposing faction's camp. Completing this quest is also one step in the achievement Upgrading the Mill, which will grant you the blueprints for the level 3 Lumber Mill when completed.
A Barov follower, a Lumberjack Caller, blueprints, and an achievement? Sounds like a good time to me. While players devoted to PvP may want to pick the Gladiator's Sanctum for its bonuses and goodies like the free-for-all PvP scenario mentioned yesterday, those that aren't quite as gung-ho about PvP, or simply want faster resources for their garrisons may want to go with the Lumber Mill instead. The Barov family has a long and colorful history -- after noting their disappearance in Mists with some disappointment, I'm glad to see them make a return.
