Prepare for Battle: The Pre-Expansion Iron Horde Incursion
It looks like the Patch 6.0 PTR might be coming soon! Be sure to check out our preview of the changes to Blasted Lands and this UBRS video.


Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker)
Get ready for first contact with the Iron Horde—oh, and you’ll probably want to prepare yourself for battle. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be testing a pre-expansion patch that will bring players to the brink of great peril, as the Iron Horde begins to aggressively gain a foothold on Azeroth.

As part of this patch, players will encounter fierce new opponents and get their first chance to experience a number of updates we’re making to the game. In addition to changes to the skills and abilities for every class, this patch will introduce brand new features such as 20-player Mythic-difficulty Siege of Orgrimmar, as well as systems adjustments including stat squish and diminishing returns on crowd control. The next chapter in the World of Warcraft saga is coming at you armed to the teeth.

Treacherous Developments
The Dark Portal in the Blasted Lands has turned blood red. Hundreds of strange-looking orcs are violently pouring into Azeroth, killing everything that stands in their path. Nethergarde and Okril’lon have already fallen, and while the Horde and the Alliance moved as quickly as they could to get reinforcements to their people, they are too late. The Iron Horde invasion has begun.

In this desperate hour, King Wrynn and Warchief Vol’jin have called upon their greatest champions to join the front lines in the Blasted Lands and do whatever they can to stop the Iron Horde . . . before the rest of Azeroth falls before them.

Word of this surprise attack sends players rushing to the Blasted Lands to reckon with the barbarous infiltration. After the fall of a high ranking Iron Horde general named Gar’mak Bladetwist, you’ll report what you’ve witnessed in the Blasted Lands to King Wrynn or Warchief Vol’jin. It’s apparent to both the Horde and the Alliance that this is only the first salvo in a much larger conflict, and the only way to win is to take the fight directly to the Iron Horde . . . by journeying through the Dark Portal into Draenor.

The Infiltration of Blackrock Spire
An advance party of Iron Horde forces has barged right out of the Blasted Lands and pushed all the way to Blackrock Mountain, where they found refuge and supplies in Upper Blackrock Spire. There can be only one response: the Alliance and the Horde of Azeroth must face this iron incursion head on.

Available to level-90 characters for a limited time, this specially revamped five-player version of Upper Blackrock Spire sets the stage for the coming counterstrike against the Iron Horde. Here, you will face Orebender Gor'ashan, Kyrak, and Commander Tharbek as you begin to take the fight to the enemy and sharpen the skills (and swords) you’ll need to succeed on an unwelcoming alien world.

Draenor is waiting.
This article was originally published in forum thread: Prepare for Battle: The Pre-Expansion Iron Horde Incursion started by chaud View original post
Comments 65 Comments
  1. Teebone's Avatar
    Orc, orc, orc. Boring.
  1. Otaka's Avatar
    Orc, orc, orc. Interesting!
  1. zoomgpally's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Minti - Lightbringer View Post
    ??? Idk, i think that's pretty conclusive.
    PTR is not mentioned once in the blue post.
    Blizzard used the word "testing", which was translated to PTR.
  1. PenguinChan's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Otaka View Post
    Orc, orc, orc. Interesting!
    So long as both sides get a good perspective (Alliance / Horde), can be. I'm just hoping this expansion keeps orcs interesting.
  1. Queen of Hamsters's Avatar
    I wonder when we can expect it to hit live...anyone have any ideas?
  1. mmoc4ef0f601bd's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Rorcanna View Post
    I wonder when we can expect it to hit live...anyone have any ideas?
    Isn't it usually 2 months after pre-patch the expansion hits? So about a month from now for live?

    As for the PTR I've no idea, they said there wasn't much that needed to actually be "tested" when questioned about it earlier so I assume it won't be up there for very long.
  1. openair's Avatar
    Is this blasted lands 6.0 questline as boring as the video makes it out to be? Mostly talking to npcs over and over?
  1. mmoc4ef0f601bd's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by openair View Post
    Is this blasted lands 6.0 questline as boring as the video makes it out to be? Mostly talking to npcs over and over?
    Interesting pre-expansion events would cost you a raid tier.
  1. Dristereau's Avatar
    Hopefully be start of October-ish, I still have CMs to do. 6.0 doesn't bring much I see myself interested in doing for too long.
  1. Aeluron Lightsong's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Wolfheart9 View Post
    Coulda sworn they showed Thrall being the start, then after accepting his quest, you go talk to the Alliance character after, but may be mistaken.
    Nope. At the Shattered Beach Head Maraad is talking to Alliance and Thrall is talking to Horde. I know this because I went to investigate the Horde part. I don't know the full extent of the pre event though. I expect it to be much much more.
  1. The Stormbringer's Avatar
    Here I was hoping for Orc-tober... I mean, October. Ah well.

    The cinematic was good, but... it really failed to 'catch' me like all the others did. Well, except for Vanilla... Vanilla's was never that impressive, in my opinion.
  1. Alissana's Avatar
    Say "Lok'tar friend, what is it you wish?" one more time! I dare ya mofo!
  1. Toijin's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Alissana View Post
    Say "Lok'tar friend, what is it you wish?" one more time! I dare ya mofo!
    Lol he keeps saying it. I also made a video from a warrior's perspective of the blasted lands questline and it annoyed me to no end.

  1. Gyrotex's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Luminoth4 View Post
    Hopefully be start of October-ish, I still have CMs to do. 6.0 doesn't bring much I see myself interested in doing for too long.
    Yeah, there are also still plenty of achievements in game, right?.... >.>

    6.0 can't come soon enough.
  1. Kryos's Avatar
    How many mounts does mythic SoO drop? 2 like 25 man now or 1 like 10 man?
  1. mmoc2469da80bf's Avatar
    Lets hope they will try to put it on live before sept 30 (end of Q3) to counter their dropping subscription numbers .
  1. Daywalk3r's Avatar
    The event on the beta atm is pretty lame, feels like there is something big missing.

    For those who want to see a full lenght horde walkthrough (with german commentary) anyways, check out:


    or a shorter alliance version here:
  1. mmocd677b832e5's Avatar
    I'm a little confused...

    King Wrynn and Warchief Vol’jin have called upon their greatest champions to join the front lines in the Blasted Lands and do whatever they can to stop the Iron Horde.

    Then it says

    An advance party of Iron Horde forces has barged right out of the Blasted Lands and pushed all the way to Blackrock Mountain

    If there are 2 armies, Horde and Alliance making a front line battle outside of the portal, how do the iron horder sneak through them and make their way from blasted lands to swamp of sorrows to deadwind pass to duskwood to redridge to burningsteppes to get into Blackrock.
    Surely someone in the 2 armies might have noticed and stopped them getting through...
  1. Meggle's Avatar
    Because that small group pushed through before the allies and horde could respond? Derp.
  1. Quakecanada's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by hozzdutch View Post
    I'm a little confused...

    King Wrynn and Warchief Vol’jin have called upon their greatest champions to join the front lines in the Blasted Lands and do whatever they can to stop the Iron Horde.

    Then it says

    An advance party of Iron Horde forces has barged right out of the Blasted Lands and pushed all the way to Blackrock Mountain

    If there are 2 armies, Horde and Alliance making a front line battle outside of the portal, how do the iron horder sneak through them and make their way from blasted lands to swamp of sorrows to deadwind pass to duskwood to redridge to burningsteppes to get into Blackrock.
    Surely someone in the 2 armies might have noticed and stopped them getting through...


    its more important to hold off the big army coming through portal than to worry about a bunch of loser orcs trying to take over a land that no one wants.........

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