warlords-of-draenor-features
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Recruit Soulare of Andorhal for your garrison
How would you like a follower who will happily throw a beam of light on you if you /praise him, and hand over a toy for your Toy Box just to be nice? Soulare of Andorhal isn't your typical follower at all. He's a protection paladin with the usual array of good follower abilities, but it's the fun things this follower does that makes him appealing. There's also the fact that he's a thinly-veiled reference to the Dark Soul character Solaire of Astora, but that's just the icing on the cake. Getting this follower, however, is slightly more difficult than you'd think. He starts out at level 90, because you don't find him out in the wilds of Draenor -- you recruit him from your Inn. In order to get Soulare, you're going to need the right building, the right set of abilities, and a whopping dollop of luck on top of it. But it's all worth it in the end. And if you're not quite feeling up to the challenge ... well, there's some good news on that end, too.
Recruit garrison kitty Goldmane as a follower
He may not be the best-dressed or most literate garrison follower you'll ever have, but Goldmane has one thing going for him, and it's right in his name. Goldmane the Skinner is a level 100 follower with the Skinning trait, allowing him to work at your garrison Barn and increase work order production. Available to both Alliance and Horde, Goldmane is pretty easy to pick up -- he just requires a short trip out to the southern coast of Nagrand. Head to Ironfist Harbor on the southwest shores of Nagrand and you'll come across a base for the Iron Horde that also includes a bonus mission, if you feel up to the challenge of killing a lot of orcs. If not, look around for the tallest tower in the base -- your objective is at the top. Fight your way up the tower, and you'll see two things of note: One very angry kitty locked away in a cage, and an orc by the name of Bolkar the Cruel, who is gloating over his latest captive.
Recruit Leorajh the Saberon as a Garrison Bodyguard
The saberon are a new race, introduced for Warlords of Draenor -- a group of humanoid cat-people who by and large aren't terribly happy to see you, with very few exceptions. One of those exceptions is Leorajh. Leorajh isn't exactly on the good side of his clan, but he's happy enough to see you -- if you can find him, that is. One of a very few followers with the Bodyguard trait, Leorajh is hidden away in the Spires of Arak, awaiting those who are determined enough to locate him. As a Bodyguard, Leorajh can be assigned to the level 2 Barracks and accompany you on your travels in Draenor. There are a limited number of followers with the Bodyguard trait, and Leorajh is one of three that is available to both Alliance and Horde. Each Bodyguard has their own reputation bar -- taking them on missions with you will raise your reputation and unlock follower-specific quests, and eventually, a follower specific perk. Leorajh's perk? He'll grant you access to your command table from anywhere on Draenor -- meaning you can turn in and hand out missions from anywhere you happen to be on the world map.
Garrison Followers, traits, abilities, and training
If you've been playing Warlords of Draenor fairly regularly since release, you should by now be familiar with the traits and abilities of your followers. These abilities and traits are randomly generated when you obtain your new follower, but there are some items in game, obtainable via missions, that will teach a chosen follower a new trait. Apparently there had been some confusion regarding these items, so CM Crithto took to the forums to further clarify how these items work. Crithto There's been some confusion regarding the various items you can use that allow you to change a trait on one of your Garrisons followers, so we wanted to clarify how these items work. If you use an item such as the Supreme Manual of Dance or the Hearthstone Strategy Guide, the targeted follower will gain the trait associated with the on-use item, and lose a random trait which cannot be selected or changed after the fact. Currently, the tooltips for these items are not specific enough about the randomness associated with their outcome, and we're working on getting them adjusted. So if you're now missing a follower with a specific trait you want or need, remember that you can level your Inn or Tavern to tier 2 to gain access to an NPC who will hunt down new followers. When one becomes available, you can then limit your search based on the traits you desire. source
Choosing the right Garrison buildings for you
Once you head through the Dark Portal in Warlords of Draenor, you're going to be faced with a variety of choices, particularly when it comes to building your garrison for the first time. While the process may seem like a complicated jumble of various bonuses and purposes, it's actually relatively easy to get your garrison up and running -- and your first few buildings will be handed to you right off the bat. As you continue to level, however, you're going to face more and more choices in regards to what to place in your Draenor stronghold. Garrison buildings are also tied into professions in Warlords, although not quite as rigidly as you might think. Instead, what the buildings do is offer you a way to craft items that involve professions you might not already have trained. It's about flexibility and choice. It's also not something that's going to take up the majority of your time while you're in Draenor. Your garrison is fully capable of functioning on its own, once you've handed out the orders. So how do you pick what's right for you? It's a personal decision, but here are some things you want to keep in mind when you're getting started.
Warlords of Draenor: Official Draenor dungeon previews
If you've been wondering about the various new dungeons we'll be seeing in Warlords of Draenor, prepare to have your questions clarified. Earlier this week, Blizzard posted an official preview of all the dungeons introduced in the next expansion, including the revamp of Upper Blackrock Spire. The previews do a great job of giving an idea of what we'll be seeing in the dungeon without actually giving away any potential storyline spoilers -- just a brief overview of why the dungeons are there. There isn't even a boss list that tells you who you'll be seeing, which is nice for those wanting a little information without giving everything away. More importantly, each dungeon includes a short piece of commentary by one of the many artists and designers involved in bringing it to life. Each bit of commentary goes over one particular feature or design element of the dungeon and how it was brought to life. We don't usually see the behind-the-scenes for the dungeons we run, and it's cool to see some of the crew involved in dungeon design being given the opportunity to talk about their work. And even if you've already been playing through the dungeons in the beta, there's still information here that you can't get just from running it in game.
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.
Blizzard releases system requirements for Warlords of Draenor
There are a lot of updates on the way in Warlords of Draenor, and with all the updates to models and environments and graphics and UI, a lot of players have been wondering just what they'll need to run the next expansion without a hitch. The good news is that Blizzard has finally released the system requirements for Warlords of Draenor, both minimum and recommended. The bad news is, if you're still on an older system, you might be needing an update to run the next installment in World of Warcraft's ongoing story.
Patch 6.0.2 preview highlights upcoming UI changes
Those bags in that header image may look like a disorganized wreck now, but they're about to get cleared out a little sooner than expected. Blizzard released a preview of upcoming UI changes for patch 6.0.2 yesterday -- that's patch 6.0.2, the pre-patch for Warlords of Draenor, not the expansion itself. Along with all the pre-expansion content quests, the new character models, and the preview of Upper Blackrock Spire, we also get all those lovely space-saving improvements ahead of time. That's on top of a host of other really cool UI improvements, including a new and improved Group Finder that includes the Premade Groups function. In addition, the new map and quest log will make an appearance, the new Void Storage tab will be unlocked, you'll be able to check out your handy new reagent tab in your bank, and you'll be able to sort your bags more easily than ever before. I have to admit, while I'm excited about being able to sort my mounts and pick a few favorites, I'm far more excited to see rows and rows and rows of empty bag slots. For more of what to expect in patch 6.0.2 and how this will change the way you play, check out Blizzard's full preview on the official site.
Breakfast Topic: What do you want to know?
Playing the beta and witnessing an expansion in progress has been a pretty interesting experience -- each expansion is always a little different in terms of how much is complete when the beta is opened, and how many changes we see over the course of the beta. I have to say, however, that I think Warlords currently holds the record for the most flat-out changes I've seen in beta content. That's not a bad thing at all -- it just means that close attention is being paid to feedback from beta testers, and the devs are quietly working away at tweaking and polishing content in response to that feedback. The latest Developer Q&A addressed several questions players had regarding the upcoming expansion -- I was pleased that my question regarding professions made it to the list of those asked. And they certainly did their best to answer that question and clarify the purpose of professions in Warlords, which I appreciated as well. But I can't help feeling, even as someone who is currently playing on the beta, that I am still missing the big picture when it comes to professions. We haven't really seen any developer blogs on the topic, and I'm still wondering how being able to access multiple professions outside your own is going to impact server economies and general trading of goods on the auction house. Maybe that's just something I'm going to have to wait and witness once the expansion goes live. What about you guys? What kinds of Warlords questions do you have? What have you been wanting to hear more about? What features are you really interested in seeing once the game has been released? Is there anything about the new expansion that you're still unclear about? What kind of Warlords information would you like to know?
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.
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: 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: Orc posture updates potentially on the horizon
There are a few really iconic design choices in World of Warcraft that have always been a hallmark of the game. Big arms, huge shoulderpads, that sort of thing. One of the items on that list is orc posture -- orcs have a hunch. They've always had a hunch, unless you happened to be an important orc NPC. Player models have always been slouched over, because for some reason, orcs just don't have proper posture. But there may be some changes to that on the horizon, according to a couple of tweets made yesterday by Senior Art Director Chris G. Robinson. Regarding Orc posture, want to add upright orcs eventually but that won't be part of this update, no guarantee or eta. If/when we introduce- - Chris G. Robinson (@artofcgrobinson) August 3, 2014 Robinson went on to clarify that this is not something that will be out at the launch of the expansion -- and it might not be something that makes it to the game at all. But it's something that Robinson definitely wants to attempt to tackle in the future. And although this is one of those things that many players have expressed an interest in seeing, Robinson was quick to clarify that if this change does in fact see the light of day, it will be as an option, not as a default setting. So those who are fond of their hulking hunched brutes can continue to play them just as they are. It's interesting, however, to see that these kinds of changes are definitely being thought about. And it does make me curious as to whether or not we'll see other options regarding posture or even things like height or body options added in some day, like the ability to create wizards with wizard builds instead of barbarian builds. If nothing else, maybe we'll see the male trolls suddenly discover what their female counterparts have known all along -- life is a lot more enjoyable when you exercise the option to stand tall.
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: Bag space solutions, illustrated
I will be the first to admit that I am probably a little overzealous when it comes to collecting items and carrying stuff around in WoW. Most of what I collect is one of two things -- armor and weapons for transmogrification, or toys and little trinkets that were pretty cool while I was leveling. Because of this, I was ridiculously excited to hear about getting a new Void Storage tab, as well as the new Toy Box tab. Anything that opens up more bag space for the stuff I like to collect is automatically a good thing. That image above is my main character's bags and my bank when I first logged on to the beta servers. It's a chaotic mess, I know. At the time of that screenshot, I had 20 bag spaces free, and one spot in my bank. As for Void Storage, it's completely full on live. So how much bag space can you expect to get with just the Toy Box and Void Storage tabs available to play with? If there was anyone to test that out on, it was me and my admittedly insane collection.
Warlords of Draenor: Secondary Stat Attunements
The latest round of patch notes has introduced several new sections of content pertaining to the next expansion and just how classes are going to function. One of these new items is Secondary Stat Attunements -- passive abilities that grant a 5% bonus to specific secondary stat bonuses for every class and spec in the game. This bonus is in addition to the secondary stat bonuses you'll find on gear in Draenor. So what does that mean to you, the player? It's a little boost for your character, but in addition to that, it's also a little nudge in the right direction as far as choosing secondary stats that are appropriate for the spec you want to play. For instance, balance-spec druids have a Secondary Stat Attunement for mastery -- meaning they've automatically got a 5% bonus applied to their mastery, and indicating that hey, mastery is a pretty good thing, and perhaps you'll want to pick up more of that over other secondary stats. Read on for the full list of Secondary Stat Attunements.
Warlords of Draenor: New UI introduced for keybinds
I've been messing around in the Warlords alpha, but I'm afraid I haven't gotten very far in actual gameplay, largely because I keep getting sucked into the UI and the subtle changes that have been made. The latest change is a small one, but incredibly welcome -- the keybinding interface has gotten a small revamp. Instead of scrolling through one very long list, keybinds have been broken up into sections, and players can simply choose which section they want to work with. Once you've chosen the appropriate section, functions are clearly labelled to choose from. Just click on the keybinding you want to change, and press the appropriate keys you want the function bound to -- the same as it functions right now. There aren't really any major changes in regards to the keys you can bind, it's the same list. The layout has simply been refined and rearranged into something that is much easier to look at, and easier to use. Given the customization capabilities of so many addons out there, this new layout may not be of use to everyone. But if you, like me, are sick of scrolling through a seemingly endless list of options in one small panel in order to keybind one function, your days of being irritated are almost over.
Warlords of Draenor: New quest and map interface
The quest UI has received some tweaks and changes in Warlords of Draenor -- no longer simply a quest log, it has been renamed to the more appropriate Map & Quest Log instead. Hitting L for your quest log will now bring up a new pane which combines both map and quest log into one handy place. You can still hit M for a full sized map, but it almost isn't necessary with this new feature -- the drop down menus at the top of the pane will let you switch between continents, and then sub-zones within those continents. It honestly reminds me of the current Dungeon Journal UI, which lets you choose between expansions, dungeon or raid content, and then individual dungeons or raids for boss strategies and loot lists. And frankly, this is one of those quality of life changes I didn't really realize I needed until I saw it in action.
Warlords of Draenor: New mount tab and favorites function
The Warlords of Draenor alpha has plenty of content, but it's the little things that are standing out at the moment -- subtle UI tweaks and additions that are marked improvements to existing features. One of these in-progress changes is the mounts tab, a feature that has been pretty bare-bones since it was introduced. Although it isn't complete just yet, there are some nice changes -- mounts that you cannot use are clearly outlined in red, and mousing over their icons will tell you what riding skill you need in order to ride them. Mounts from both factions are now shown on the tab. However, Horde and Alliance icons clearly note which mounts are faction-specific, and which faction you need to be in order to ride them. In addition, some mounts now have flavor text in the mount window that includes a little information about the mount, and where it is obtained -- whether it be via quest or vendor.
