Warfronts
Warfronts are the new Battle for Azeroth content. They are factional PvE scenarios that focus on the theatre of war between the Alliance and the Horde on a chosen battlefield. Currently, it is only Arathi Highlands Warfront that is available for players, and the patch 8.1 will bring the Battle for Darkshore Warfront into the game at some point after release.
Contents
How Warfronts Work
Here is a summary of what the Warfront is:
- It is a PvE scenario for 20 players;
- Objective: Gather resources, build up the base, gather troops, besiege an enemy fort and defeat an enemy commander;
- Control over Warfront changes between factions in cycles;
- At first, one faction controls Warfront during one week. In a seven day scenario, the queue is closed for this faction, but they get access to the World Boss that drops 370 loot;
- While the leading faction is killing a World Boss, another faction is gathering resources for a few days (approximately 5 days), to start an assault on Warfront. The process is similar to buildings on a Broken Shore;
- Once the Contribution bar reaches 100%, control over Warfront goes to another faction;
- Warfront cycles are not attached to the weekly resets.
How to enter Warfront
To be able to get on a Warfront you need to pick a quest at your faction’s ship in the capital city. Quests will give you a guided tour through Arathi Highlands.
If your faction is dominant on this Warfront stage, you can feel free to hunt down the rare NPCs on Arathi and complete quests that require killing several mobs. Most importantly, you will be able to fight a world boss “The Lion’s Roar” for the Horde or “Doom’s Howl” for the Alliance.
If Warfront does not belong to your faction at the moment, you are still able to fly there on your own and kill rares.
World bosses on Arathi Highlands drop 370 item level gear.
If you need to take control over Warfront, you will have to contribute to the Warfront effort first. There are multiple quests at the port that require profession materials and resources. Here is the list of some possible variants:
- Alchemy/Herbalism: Steelskin Potion х2 or Coastal Mana Potion х20;
- Blacksmithing/Mining: Monel-Hardened Hoofplates x2, or Monel-Hardened Stirrups x2, or Monelite Ore x60;
- Cooking/Fishing: Seasoned Loins or Meaty Haunch х60;
- Enchanting: Enchant Ring – Seal of Critical Strike х3 or Enchant Ring – Seal of Versatility х3;
- Engineering: Crow’s Nest Scope х6 or Frost-Laced Ammunition;
- Inscription: War-Scroll of Battle Shout х3 or War-Scroll of Intellect х3;
- Jewelcrafting: х15 Any cut level green gem such as Straddling Viridium;
- Leatherworking/Skinning: Drums of the Maelstrom х2, or Coarse Leather Barding х2, or Coarse Leather х60;
- Tailoring: Battle Flag: Rallying Swiftness or Tidespray Linen х60.
There are also two non-profession quests:
- Requires: 100 War Resources.
- Requires: 100 Gold.
Each completed quest for turning in resources will grant you 500 Azerite.
Warfronts Cycles
Control over Arathi Highland cycles between factions. The speed of the cycle depends on how fast an assaulting faction turns the resources. When a contribution is completed, the assaulting side will have a week to queue for battle. In the seven days scenario the queue closes, the World Boss becomes available and another factions start to gather resources and prepare for an assault.
Warfront Assault Scenario is available for 7 days. World Boss is available for a ~5 days.
Warfront Map
The Arathi Highland map looks like this. We have marked all key points for your convenience. Those points are constant regardless of faction.
Warfront Resources
There are 2 main resources on a Warfront: Wood and Iron. They are acquired at Mill and Mine respectively. Each resource is capped at 200. In addition to collecting them directly from the Mill and Mine, you have caches at your base that accumulate some resources over the course of time – just as it worked in Garrison back in Warlords of Draenor. There is an additional rare resource – Essence of Storms, which you can have one of at a time. This can be turned in for a very powerful buff for 10 minutes – Call of the Storm.
Warfront Buildings
Each faction constructs identical buildings with similar functions:
Castle/Great Halls
The main building that empowers your troops and has 3 levels.
- 2nd requires 380 Iron and 180 Wood. Increases number of peons collecting resources.
Increases the maximum number of battle units that can be recruited at the barracks.
Unlocks an additional unit to recruit from barracks - 3rd requires 620 Iron and 260 Wood
Increases number of peons collecting resources.
Increases the maximum number of battle units that can be recruited at barracks.
Increases damage dealt by siege machines.
Allows Commanders to use a special ability.
Barracks
Allows you to recruit different types of troops. Requires 140 Iron and 90 Wood. You can recruit:
- Footmen / Grunts for 20 Iron.
- Riflemen / Axe Throwers for 30 Iron.
- Priests / Shaman for 50 Iron. Requires Circle of Elements.
- Knights / Wolf Raiders for 50 Iron. Requires Newstead.
War Mill
Provides your troops with the best armor and weapons. Requires 260 Iron, 140 Wood, and Barracks.
Turn 10 resources to upgrade weapons or armor of your troops and fill the research progress bar.
Altar of Kings / Altar of Storms
Allows buffing your character. Requires 260 Iron and 140 Wood.
Enemy faction NPCs can drop Essence of Storms, which you can turn in for the very powerful buff – Call of the Storm. Recommended to use on a final boss.
Workshop
Allows building siege machines that can destroy enemy buildings. Requires 500 Iron, 220 Wood and 3-rd level of Castle/Great Halls.
Introduction
After queuing to a Warfront, you will spawn on your faction’s Aircraft, from which your squad will parachute into a base that has been captured by an enemy. The battle begins.
Warfronts Strategy
There are few differences between factions. Assault on the front and resource objectives on the map are mirrored. Alliance assaults from the south and Horde from the north. All NPCs have different names but identical abilities.
Once landed on a base you will find its territories crowded with enemy troops. Your objective is to overpower an enemy commander and take the flag, which looks similar to a flag from battlegrounds.
- For the Horde it is – Veteran Sergeant Slayde
- For the Alliance it is – Veteran Reaver Kromshok
Once you have captured the flag you will proceed to construct buildings, and at this point, you cannot get any further without resources.
Gathering resources
The Mill always lies to the west of the base while the Mine is on the east side. Your squad need to split between those points and capture them as soon as possible to start gathering resources.
- For the Horde its Lumbering Leo on the Mill. Overseer Krix inside the Mine.
- For the Alliance its Graul <Mill Foreman>. Overseer Krix inside the Mine.
Once you defeat those NPCs you will be able to capture these points and gather resources.
Here is how to gather resources:
Mill
You can loot Wood from an Angry Treants or by cutting trees that spawn across Warfront. To be able to cut the trees you need to pick an ax at the Mill. You can have a maximum of 100 wood at a time.
Mine
You can loot Iron from the dead Kobolds and from the carts that spawn on the Mine territory. You can have a maximum of 200 iron at a time. Let’s not forget that Iron can also be gathered in the cache that is supplied by peons at your base over the course of time.
When you reach a cap of resources, run back to your base, turn them into the buildings, recruit troops and buff your character.
Now let’s talk about priorities and how to sequence your efforts correctly.
Your actions on a Warfront can be divided into three groups:
- Gathering resources,
- Defense,
- Assault.
You already know how to gather resources, but enemy squads will attack the Mill and Mine regularly. If you don’t neutralize these squads in time, they will take control over the point and it will slow down further construction of your base.
To prevent this from happening, you need to watch out for the announcements in the middle of the screen. Look for an enemy attacks announcements and you will have time to intercept them before they get to the point. You can also assign a group of people to play in defense or players that gather resources on the Mill and Mine, depending on a squad target location, can stop these attacks. Players with Tank roles are the most suitable for stopping those squads.
Building priority
- Barracks: Required to recruit troops and for further base upgrades. Units will greatly help both defense and offense.
- Armory: Upgrades unit’s capabilities.
- Altar of Storms/Altar of Kings: It is not toostrong from the beginning, but it is important for a further base upgrade.
- Upgrade the main building to level 2.
- Workshop.
- Upgrade the main building to level 3
Until those buildings are constructed, you need to spend resources on them and only some necessary defense units. Once everything is built, you can start investing resources in troops, machines and spend them on troop’s improvements.
At this point, you will go from defense to offense, as you will create enough siege machines/destroyers to start an assault on the enemy base.
Offensive
There are 3 footholds on the way that you need to capture. Once you capture the central point, enemy attacks on your points will greatly decrease.
There are also 2 points worth mentioning on the map: Newstead and a Circle of Elements. Both points can be controlled to gain access to additional units.
It is better to start with a Newstead because of Wolf Riders/Knights being strong units with AoE damage. It will help in an upcoming assault. Newstead capture works the same way as other points – by taking down the commander NPC and capturing the flag.
For the Horde its Huntmaster Theodore , and for the Alliance its Raider Zugg.
Newstead is the best option to start assault with, as it gives you the ability to recruit strong troops.
Circle of Elements is not that important, but it gives you access to Shaman/Priests in the barracks and allows you to summon a Spirit of Fire.
Important: To capture this zone you need to defeat the mages inside the Circle, and then defeat an Elemental. All burst damage abilities should be saved for the last 30% of elemental’s HP as he starts to cast an uninterruptible spell that will heal him to full HP.
After capturing 3 main points on the way to an enemy base, you will have to breach the main gates. To accomplish this, you need to have 3 siege machines as they are the only thing that is capable of destroying the gate. While they are firing at the gates, enemies will try to rush them and bring them down, which you simply cannot allow. Defend them and once the gate is down, invade an enemy base and finish off their commander.
If you still have some resources left and you are near your base – spend them on a character buff at the Altar of Storms/Altar of Kings.
These bosses are somewhat tough, so it is better to have a tank in your group.
For the Alliance it can be one of these 3 bosses:
For the Horde:
Defeating an enemy commander will grant you a 340 item and the Warfront scenario will end. Do not forget to turn the quest in a port to get 370 item.
Quests
Once the contribution phase is over, you will be able to pick a quest near the Warfront Map (table in the port) for a Warfront assault scenario. This quest rewards you with 370 item level gear.
When the Warfront is under control of your faction, you will be able to complete quests that require farming some mobs on Arathi Highlands. Four quests reward 200 War Resources, one reward 1300 Azerite and one – 340 item level gear, six quests in total.
You can pick these quests at Portal master in a port, or inside Warfront base. For the Alliance – Yvera Dawnwing , for the Horde – Druza Netherfang.
- Twice-Exiled,
- Executing Exorcisms,
- The League Will Lose,
- Boulderfist Beatdown,
- Sins of the Syndicate,
- Wiping Out the Witherbark.
World Bosses
Depending on the faction after a week of scenario queue, a world boss of a dominant faction will spawn. For the Horde it is The Lion’s Roar and for the Alliance it is Doom’s Howl. These bosses have similar abilities and loot tables.
Rewards and Loot
Many rare NPCs across Arathi Highland drop 340+ items, toys, and mounts.
Items
All rares have a chance to drop 340+ item level pieces of armor or weapons.
Mounts
Mounts can drop from the following rares:
- Witherbark Direwing drops from Nimar the Slayer.
- Highland Mustang Alliance only, drops from Doomrider Helgrim.
- Broken Highland Mustang Horde only, drops from Knight-Captain Aldrin.
- Lil’ Donkey drops from Overseer Krix.
- Swift Albino Raptor drops from Beastrider Kama.
- Skullripper drops from Skullripper.
Pets
Drop from the following rares with a low chance:
- Aldrusian Sproutling from Branchlord Aldrus.
- Foulfeather from Plaguefeather.
- Fozling from Fozrul. Patrols the main roads at Arathi Highlands.
- Fuzzy Creepling from Venomarus.
- Ragepeep from Ragebeak. Has 2 spawn points, depending on faction controlling the Warfront.
- Scabby from Yogursa.
- Squawkling from Man-Hunter Rog.
- Teeny Titan Orb from Echo of Myzrael.
- Voidwiggler from Darbel Montrose.
Toys
Drop from these rares:
- Molok Morion from Molok the Crusher.
- Kovork Kostume from Kovork.
- Witherbark Gong from Zalas Witherbark.
- Coldrage’s Cooler from Kor’gresh Coldrage.
- Magic Fun Rock from Ruul Onestone.
- Syndicate Mask from Singer. Has 2 spawn points, depending on faction controlling the Warfront.
- Spectral Visage from Horrific Apparition. Always spawns on the base of a defeated faction.
- Foul Belly from Foulbelly.
- Brazier Cap from Geomancer Flintdagger.
Achievements
Like any other content in World of Warcraft, Warfronts have many achievements.
Alliance Achievements
- Leader of Troops – Recruit one of every troop type in the Battle for Stromgarde.
- Strike Fast – Capture every location on Warfront.
- Strike Hard – Capture a location on Warfront.
- War is Hell – Complete the Warfront scenario.
- Tour of War – Defeat the following enemy commanders. Commanders change every cycle of Warfront.
Horde Achievements
- Leader of Troops – Recruit one of every troop type in the Battle for Stromgarde.
- Strike Fast – Capture every location on Warfront.
- Strike Hard – Capture a location on Warfront.
- War is Hell – Complete the Warfront scenario.
- Tour of War – Defeat the following enemy commanders. Commanders change every cycle of Warfront.
