garrisons
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Breakfast Topic: Have you planned out your garrison yet?
I have to admit, I'm having a tough time deciding how I'm going to lay out my first garrison. I was pretty set on having the Inn and Trading Post as my two medium buildings. At first glance, the Barn seemed kind of lackluster to me until I learned that it's the only way to get Savage Blood, which is used to upgrade crafted gear to higher item levels. I want to upgrade my engineering goggles and gun without spending a ton of gold so I decided I'm probably going to use the Barn, at least at the beginning. Now if I'm set on the Barn, what other medium building do I get rid of? I'm a big collector so I really like those daily quests in the Inn (plus the extra followers), but I also like the sound of the Trading Post. Decisions, decisions. I'm the kind of player who likes to go full tilt at the beginning of an expansion. I'll min-max anything I can to get a head start. In my opinion, garrisons can definitely be min-maxed when it comes to things like making gold or getting epic gear as fast as possible. Then there's buildings which are purely for fun or convenience. Any time I come up with a garrison build, I always seem to want a Stables in there. If you want to start planning out your garrison and you don't have the beta to play around with, there's also the Wowhead Garrison Calculator. Will you just pick whatever buildings sound fun, or are you researching your options beforehand?
Want the character creation armor? Build a Salvage Yard
The character creation screen class armor sets were originally added in Mists of Pandaria to preview what a class may look like once it was leveled up. The problem is that they were never actually made available in the game. This is finally changing in Warlords of Draenor. If you build a Salvage Yard in your garrison and upgrade it to level 3, the salvage crates you receive from missions have a chance to contain this armor. The crates can also contain some new weapon transmogs. @Gurzog @mumper It is. :) They've rescued it from less... fortunate adventurers. - Owen Landgren (@olandgren) October 2, 2014 Simply load up WoW and create a new character to preview what the armor looks like, or check out the sets in the Wowhead model viewer. The monk and hunter shoulders are invisible, but it looks like those specific pieces will not be eligible for transmog. You can only loot armor for your own class. The Salvage Yard takes up one of 3 small building plots in your garrison. Salvage crates can also contain upgraded gear for your followers, herbs, ore, and other items.
Warlords of Draenor: Garrison Followers and you
One of the largest and most highly-discussed features of Warlords of Draenor is the garrison -- a stronghold on Draenor that you get to construct and customize to your heart's content. Hand in hand with the garrison are a multitude of other things to look forward to -- missions, quests, blueprints, profession buildings, building bonuses, followers, and more. You aren't going to necessarily be spending a lot of time sitting around in your garrison, but you'll be ducking back to it periodically in between everything else there is to do on Draenor. You can kind of think of your garrison as your own, personalized capital city in a way -- you can customize it with whatever buildings you want, and you can switch those buildings out if you decide you're better off with a different kind of building. As for your followers, they are the citizens of your garrison, the NPCs that wander around doing various tasks and spitting out conversations with passers-by. But followers are far more than just eye-candy for your garrison -- they are useful tools to help you get the most out of what the expansion has to offer.
Warlords of Draenor: Garrison mission rewards at a glance
Players who aren't in the beta often have a simple question about garrison followers and their associated missions: what is the point? There are few resources that explain their purpose and what benefit they provide. The list of rewards below is by no means comprehensive and should only be taken as examples of variety. They're some of the items I've personally earned while dispatching follower missions on the beta. Archmage Vargoth's Spare Staff for your toybox from a rare level 90 mission Relic of Rukhmar to increase reputation with Arakkoa Outcasts Shimmering Gauntlets and other Shimmering equipment at level 90 Gleaming Ring and other rare-quality Gleaming equipment at level 90 Munificent Robes and other Munificent equipment at level 100 Apexis Crystals in lots of varying sizes, up to 1,000 from a rare level 100 mission Follower missions also reward XP for your followers, items and equipment to increase the strength of your followers, and gold. Basic level 90 quests often award 50 gold, but it can often be much higher -- a level 100 rare quest, Blingtron's Secret Vault, gave me 500 gold. These missions are far from mandatory, but there's no reason not to do them. Assigning your followers to their respective tasks will only take a few minutes out of your day.
Blizzard's second garrison preview focuses on buildings
So it's Garrison Preview time again, and this time, we're being told about buildings. Wondering how the Garrison Tier system affects your buildings? How large and small plots work? How you can progress your garrison and gain different buildings and new plots to put them on? Wonder no more, for the preview explains all of that for you. Your Garrison mainly comprises buildings and the Followers who inhabit them. As your Garrison grows, so will your options and opportunities to use these assets to your advantage on Draenor. The Followers that populate your Garrison will grow in number and power, and what they can do for you depends which buildings you choose to construct in your base. So if you're interested in how this new feature so central to the Warlords of Draenor experience is going to play out, head on over to the official site right now and take a gander at the write-up.
Working As Intended: Lessons from the history of MMO housing
Once upon a time, a subscription MMORPG sandbox had open-world housing, only there wasn't quite enough for everyone. Well, there was, but there wasn't enough of it in safe lands, so a lot of the people who wanted a place to live had to live in dangerous places they didn't like, places where they could be killed on their doorstep by other players. Even most of the plots in the safe lands were so remote or allowed for such small homes that they were undesirable. In fact, there were only a few housing plots on every server that afforded a strategic advantage in PvP or trade or storage, and if you didn't own one of those, you were at a distinct disadvantage. And when new lands opened up, scripters and gold farmers were first in line to grab the best plots and sell them on Ebay for hundreds (sometimes thousands!) of dollars. And legit players were pissed. I speak, of course, not of ArcheAge but of Ultima Online.
Warlords of Draenor: Getting resources for your Garrison
The player's Garrison is one of the central features of Warlords of Draenor, coming with its own special Hearthstone, and in many ways taking the place of a faction hub. Depending on what kind of structures you choose to build in your Garrison, you can have your own crafting centers, bank access, auction house, PvP center, and more. However, to build any of them, you need resources. In fact, to do just about anything with your Garrison you need resources. You need them for buildings, for crafting, and in order to send your followers on missions. So, just how do you get Garrison Resources? Well, I'm glad you asked. There are a variety of ways to earn your Garrison Resources in Warlords of Draenor, some easier than others.
The Queue: To fang or not to fang
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. Fangs for life. Andrew10 asked: I've decided to use my lvl 90 boost on a female Nelf druid. I love the new female Nelf model, with the fangs. My question is, if I do this now, and I like the face I choose, am I still going to be happy when we get the new models? Or will there be differences in the models that don't exist now, so I'll wish I had chosen a different face? Like, will I pick a face, and then come new models, realize mine doesn't show the fangs, but another one has them on display?
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.
Warlords of Draenor: Highmaul Coliseum offers free-for-all PvP
Warlords of Draenor certainly seems to be mixing it up on the PvP front, offering a lot of new options for players that enjoy PvP. Oddly enough, one of the coolest opportunities for PvP I've seen so far comes not in a battleground or even on the fairly addictive isle of Ashran, but from your garrison. While leveling through Gorgrond, players can choose to make one of two outposts, that will unlock the plans for one of two medium buildings -- the Lumber Mill, or the Gladiator's Sanctum. If you choose the Gladiator's Sanctum, you get a few nice perks for Gorgrond -- and you also get to build the Sanctum itself. Level 3 of the Gladiator's Sanctum unlocks the Highmaul Coliseum, shown in the video above. A solo scenario, the Coliseum places you in a pit with other players. Once the event starts, it's a free-for-all brawl, and the last person standing wins the spoils. What kind of spoils? PvP gear, of course! To unlock the level 3 blueprint for the Gladiator's Sanctum, players must first complete The Bone Collector, an achievement that requires players to collect 4,000 Broken Bones from PvP combat in Draenor -- any kill that awards honor also awards 3-6 bones. Once you've built the level 3 Sanctum, you gain access to Highmaul Coliseum, as well as a buff that reduces all damage in outdoor Draenor zones by 50% if you fall below 35% health. Take a look at the video for more of the Coliseum in action -- I particularly like how dead players are teleported up into the stands to watch the rest of the brawl play out, spectator style.
Warlords of Draenor: Recruit death knight Abu'gar for your garrison
Sometimes, death knights aren't all about death, destruction, and cold. Sometimes they really just want to kick back and reflect on what's important in the world -- fishing. Well, at least one death knight would rather be fishing, and his name is Abu'gar. Abu'gar was never exactly thrilled with the idea of serving the Lich King, he just wanted to spend his undeath relaxing by the side of a warm lake. You can find Abu'gar out in a lovely secluded glade in Nagrand, contemplating the water, the scenery, and the fishing conditions, all of which seem to be pretty idyllic as far as the death knight is concerned. But unfortunately, he's missing a few key items to take advantage of the awesome fishing spot he just found -- and that's where you come in. Scattered around the zone are the various tools Abu'gar needs to get a fantastic day of fishing in under the warm skies of Nagrand. Apparently Abu'gar is the forgetful sort, or simply neglects to pick up his things when he's moving on.
Warlords of Draenor: Dog may be in our garrisons after all
It's no secret that I love Dog, the farm puppy I rescued from the fields of Halfhill in Mists of Pandaria. I've written about Dog on a couple of different occasions, because he was just a really cool and unique perk to leveling reputation with the Tillers. Does Dog do anything? No, not really -- he just hangs around on the farm, responds to a few different emotes, but he doesn't actively do anything to further the game. He's just Dog, defender of the farm house, digger of holes, and overall good boy. It was with some concern that I wondered what Dog's fate would be when Warlords of Draenor hit -- I didn't like the idea of leaving the poor little guy behind. According to a recent tweet by Cory Stockton, that may not be a worry after all. A certain "Dog" might have just found his way to your Garrison in a future build. - Mumper (@mumper) August 7, 2014
The Daily Grind: What's the best MMO housing system of all time?
WildStar's floating palaces, Star Wars: The Old Republic's strongholds, World of Warcraft's garrisons, and Landmark's... well, everything... are getting a lot of press lately, maybe because the MMO industry has been starved for such content for so long. Few games implement housing after launch, and fewer still launch with housing ready to go; those that do seldom aspire to the heights reached by RIFT's dimensions, let alone the amazing customizable homes of older games like Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies. So let's resurrect a Daily Grind topic we haven't tackled since 2010. Which MMO features or featured the best housing of all time? 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!
Warlords of Draenor: Change your guards with exalted reputation
Ever since the means to actually grind reputations all the way to exalted was implemented in vanilla, I've always wished there was more to them. Certainly as later reputations were added with each additional expansion to the game, we got all kinds of amazing rewards. Yet our reputations within our own alliances netted us very little. I could be a human and exalted with Darnassus, but all that would do is unlock access to the mounts that the night elves rode around on. Other rewards were added later in the game, but nothing particularly striking. A fascinating post over on Reddit pointed out something very interesting coming up in Warlords of Draenor, however -- it seems those old vanilla reputations are getting a little more use in the next expansion. Along with being able to choose what buildings you place in your garrision, you can also choose which guards you'd like to have patrol your Draenor fortress ... provided you have the reputation to do so. After seeing the post, I had to go check it out myself on beta and see how it worked.
Warlords of Draenor: Recruit Archmage Vargoth for your garrison
One of the most prized, beloved items from the Burning Crusade expansion had nothing to do with your armor or your prowess in slaying endless dungeon and raid bosses. In fact, it wasn't even a quest reward -- it was simply a quest item, Archmage Vargoth's Staff, which was used to summon an image of Archmage Vargoth himself. Many players didn't bother handing in the quest in which the staff was obtained, because there was something appealing about having Vargoth on call. Players were so pleased with Vargoth that the image was eventually changed to respond to player emotes -- when you danced, Vargoth would chuckle at your absurdity. In Warlords of Draenor, where you go, Vargoth will follow -- or at least he will if you can find him. A rare level 100 follower with a whopping 550 ilvl, Vargoth, or rather, his image, is a solid addition to any garrison. But Vargoth isn't the easiest mage in the world to track down, and requires a little legwork and exploration if you want to add him to your army. Vargoth may be a powerful mage ... but he's not so good at getting to Draenor.
Warlords of Draenor: Recruit Nat Pagle for your garrison
The folks over at El's Extreme Anglin' have provided a comprehensive step-by-step guide on how to obtain legendary fisherman Nat Pagle as a follower for your garrison in Warlords of Draenor. Over the years Nat Pagle has become somewhat of a beloved figure in World of Warcraft, and has been the focus of numerous fishing quests -- some obscure, some mundane. In Warlords, you're going to have to have him as a follower if you want a shot at fishing up the rarest and most difficult fish in the expansion: Lunkers. To get Nat, you'll first have to unlock the garrison Fishing Shack, which becomes available at level 96. From there, your garrison fishing vendor will send you on a quest to catch a specific type of fish from a specific place. Once you turn that in you'll get a quest to go find Nat Pagle, and from there begins his recruitment questline. Once you complete all his requirements -- to fish up various Lunkers throughout Draenor using special bait -- you'll be rewarded with Nat as a level 100 rare-quality garrison follower. You'll also be able to start catching Lunkers throughout Draenor without using bait. No word yet on what Lunkers do, but my guess is that they'll be required for certain high-level cooking recipes, so devoted raiders or guild suppliers probably want to make sure to schmooze Nat into their garrisons! Happy fishing!
Know Your Lore: Quests, story, and you in Warlords of Draenor
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. A new expansion is certainly about delivering new content, but it's also a vehicle for story progression -- and the end of Mists of Pandaria left behind plenty of questions waiting to be answered. Unfortunately, any questions having to do with Pandaria or Azeroth will have to wait, as we have other, more pressing matters to think about. In Warlords of Draenor, the Iron Horde looms just over the horizon, a threat eerily reminiscent of the old Horde that began the First War so many years ago. Except the Iron Horde is stronger, more organized, and bolstered by the knowledge of just what's on the other side of that Dark Portal they are constructing, thanks to Garrosh Hellscream. That story, the story of Warlords of Draenor, is taking us in a different kind of direction, the likes of which we haven't seen before. While Mists may have pushed the button on innovation as far as max-level content was concerned, its seemingly never-ending cycle of daily quests upon daily quests quickly grew from entertainment to frustration as players quickly grew tired of the cycle of daily gated content and rewards. Warlords has none of that -- but it does have a whole host of new ways to make the story feel important, without overpowering how the player approaches the game. Please note: The following Know Your Lore contains small spoilers for Warlords of Draenor.
Warlords of Draenor: Garrisons to allow for weapon enchant transmog
Starting in Warlords of Draenor, you'll be able to change your weapon enchantments or hide them entirely via the Enchanter Building in your Garrison. This is really nothing but great news for those of us obsessed with transmog. Personally, every weapon I own will now get the level 60 Fiery Weapon Enchant. End of story, end of game. I just beat the World of Warcraft, thank you, Jonathan LeCraft. .@HideEnchants Enchanter garrison building allows you to trade WoD enchants for the same effect with a different visual (including none). - Jonathan LeCraft (@TheCrafticus) July 24, 2014 There's no indication on how much this will cost, and LeCraft said a "maybe" when asked if Death Knight runes will be included in this feature.
Is BlizzCon bad for World of Warcraft?
Okay, I'm sure with a headline like "Is BlizzCon bad for World of Warcraft?" you're already thinking this is it. Rossi has finally snapped. But hear me out for a second. We've had BlizzCons since 2005, before The Burning Crusade was even released. While they haven't happened every year (there was no BlizzCon 2006 and no BlizzCon 2012) it's been fairly regular since its introduction. Last year, Warlords of Draenor was previewed at BlizzCon 2013 - for many of us it's the source of pretty much every opinion we have on the expansion. That, in fact, is exactly what got me thinking that it's possible that BlizzCon itself is bad for the game, for the game community at large, and for the future of the franchise. BlizzCon, by its very nature, is a hype machine. It's where we learn details about the expansion - its name, its features, its setting and goals - before they are even close to being ready for players. People play demos. Developers give talks about the games. In many ways it's very exciting. I've never been myself, but most of my coworkers and a lot of my in-game friends have. So my argument isn't that BlizzCon itself is bad. But looking over the past year or so, in terms of Warlords of Draenor and player interaction with it, I start to wonder if having the big reveal at the convention does more harm than good, overall. Expectations are set at the convention - looking at the recent player reaction to the news that Karabor and Bladespire wouldn't be capital cities in Draenor, the issue can in part be traced back to the fact that we were told they would be at BlizzCon. Players (like myself) had months to get excited about the idea of Karabor as a capital city. Then, suddenly, we were told (almost as an afterthought) that no, the capitals were moved to Ashran.
WoW's Warlords of Draenor beta: The disappointment of garrisons
Once a player finishes the introductory quests for Warlords of Draenor, the Horde and Alliance gangs go in separate directions, and I had slightly higher hopes for the rest of my beta experience. The introduction was kind of a wash, a climactic third act delivered we'd been left out of the first two acts unless we'd read novels and participated in an event that's not yet live. But Shadowmoon Valley was where I could start seeing the pure promise of this expansion realized, the beautiful idea of a Draenor still filled with Draenei before the corruption and assault of the Horde, an alien landscape far from what was familiar on Azeroth. Not too far, of course, but just far enough to feel like we'd really come to a strange new place. And, of course, the first thing you do is unlock your Garrison. If my first impression of the WoD beta, which I posted last week, was negative, then this is where it took a sharp nosedive into something resembling rage. But let me start off with a statement that might seem to make no sense, in this context: I've always been fine with housing never being a part of World of Warcraft.
