Originally Posted by
Gungnyr
Alright, I've decided to tackle this issue like an intellectual, and to narrow down our options as much as possible. Towards this purpose, I have assessed the various ways that each and every spec attains their HAA, and can now say a bit more about what kind of thing we can expect from the location of our HAA.
First and foremost, as Blood DKs (such as myself) get their HAA from Withered Army Training (hereafter abbreviated WAT), I looked at what other classes attained a HAA from WAT. As it turns out, this included just the Monk and the Paladin class, neither of which were helpful. This is because I have pre-emptively ruled out the following ways of attaining HAAs from our probable options: Emerald Nightmare (EN) Kill, Order Hall (OH) Progression, Immediate Purchase (which just includes BM Hunters), Direct Zone Mob Drop (including just Fire Mage and Holy Paladin), Dungeons (including just Outlaw Rogues and Resto Shamans), and something I refer to as Special Attainment (which includes Unholy DKs, Arcane Mages, Ret Paladins, Disc Priests, Subtlety Rogues, and Demonology Warlocks). Special Attainment HAAs either require looking for a very unique cue (Eredar Heads, Exploding Sheep) or require something which launches you back into old content through some obscure trigger (Unholy DKs, Ret Paladins, Disc Priests, Subtlety Rogues). The key point here is this: By this criteria, no class yet has more than one Special Attainment HAA. This would seem to imply that looking for the Frost HAA in old content or looking for some super special way of acquiring it is pointless. This idea is reinforced by the fact that Blizzard retracted a statement originally telling Frost DKs that their HAA (like Ret Pally's) would require a super special set-up. Blizzard corrected themselves, saying they intended to say Arcane Mages and not Frost DKs. There are, instead, 6 other ways which seem more likely:
Option 1: Reputation. MM Hunters require Court of Farondis rep, Balance Druids require Dreamweaver rep, and Holy Priests require Valarjar rep. Notably, this would seem to indicate that a HAA should require Highmountain rep (so that all four leveling reps are used). What would be required once this rep is attained, it is hard to say, but both Balance Druids and Holy Priests had to run iconic dungeons for theirs. If one is worried about the fact that Wardens rep is also not being used by any HAA, it is possible that either unused rep is related to the Arms Artifact as well.
Option 2: Indirect Zone Mob Drop. In contrast to the Direct Zone Mob Drops which we have already ruled out, Indirect Zone Mob Drops include Havoc DHs and Affliction Warlocks. These two specs get their HAA from first looting some item off of a Zone Mob (Havoc gets theirs in Suramar, while Affliction gets theirs from a specific mob in Faronaar). Once they have acquired these items, they end up directed to do some specific task in order to finally get their HAA. Our discussion regarding the Glowing Runestone and Futhark would seem quite similar to the HAAs in this option. However, the HAAs in this option get their initial object from Mobs, not off of the ground. Perhaps we have simply not killed the right sort of mob enough times? It is hard to say.
Option 3: Unique Daily. Many specs get their HAA from a direct sort of OH daily, however, this category is a bit different from that sort of OH attainment. This option includes Feral Druids and Prot Warriors, who have to go to a specific location every day, and then they get some sort of cue that they can acquire their HAA there. Both locations for these specs appear in Legion content. I was wondering if our ability to duel NPC DKs might be related to this. If not, there still may be some location where this can activate for us. Altogether, though, this option seems the least likely.
Option 4: The Underbelly. I have already attempted farming the Underbelly, but have just learned that it can take anywhere from 20 rare Underbelly elite kills to 150 in order to find a respective HAA. Two other specs acquire their HAAs in this way: Assassination Rogues and Elemental Shamans. While not the most likely of possibilities here, it certainly is a possibility nonetheless. I will continue farming Underbelly while in Frost spec, although I am unsure if the player had to be using the respective specs for Rogues and Shamans.
Option 5: World Bosses. Our nightmare come alive. Both Enhancement Shamans and Fury Warriors rely on this slow, boring, easy mechanic in order to acquire their HAAs. It's always possible that we are on this list, too. The Soultakers have been listed as a likely source of our HAA. I hope that recent Dev talk referring to our HAA attainment as "prestigious" implies that this is not the case.
Option 6. Unknown. What, unknown?! WHAT'S THE BLOODY POINT OF THIS LIST, THEN?! You ask. Well, simply put: Many of the HAA Attainment styles listed above come in pairs. It is possible that the Frost DK HAA and the Arms Warrior HAA trigger also come in a pair, one with a new mechanic which has yet to be discovered. Perhaps, in contrast to Option 2, both of these specs must pick up an item off of the ground (like the Glowing Runestone) which will eventually lead them to their HAA. Perhaps there is a specific World Boss that needs killing at a specific AK level (I'm looking at you, Mortiferous!). I don't want to give too much hope with this list, but I do want to reinvigorate the conversation.
I hope we can find the HAA soon. The above options may be suitable starting points on the matter.
P.S. Also, no other HAA appears to require the use of a toy, and none of them appear to rely on professions except for the most Special of Special Attainments (Ret Pally's HAA). I think our energies would therefore be better directed at other activities, though in one finds, say, the archaeology reward Key to Narthalas Academy, feel free to look through the area for us, just in case.
TL;DR: Options 1-6 are the most probably ways of attaining our HAA, based on the ways other specs have attained theirs.
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