Patch 6.1 - Iron Horde Scrap Meltdown, Garrison Vendor, Rush Orders, Blue Posts

[chaud]

Quality of Life Changes, RoS at GDC 2015, Walking Conduit Monk

Deck Spotlight: Last Boss Mage, Arena Tier List Update, Fan Creations Forum

Founder's Pack Now Available - Buy Beta Access for $39.99

Patch 6.1 - Iron Horde Scrap Meltdown
Soon there will finally be a use for all of those Iron Horde Scraps you have been collecting. The War Mill will allow you to do a Scrap Meltdown, turning scraps into Weapon Enhancement Token or Armor Enhancement Token. Keep in mind that this is a daily quest, so you can only get one per day.

Patch 6.1 - Garrison Vendor
Patch 6.1 adds a few more items to your garrison's vendor to allow you to spend excess resources:

• Scouting Missives - These cost 200 x Garrison Resources each and grant access to an additional daily quest that rewards 800 x Apexis Crystal
• Rush Order (Garden / Mine) - These cost 300 x Garrison Resources each and instantly complete 5 of your active work orders.
• Rush Order (Barn / Gladiator's Sanctum / War Mill / Goblin Workshop) - These cost 1000 x Garrison Resources each and instantly complete 5 of your active work orders.
• Follower Trait Retraining Guide - This costs 1500 x Garrison Resources and will reroll follower traits.
• Follower Ability Retraining Guide - This costs 1500 x Garrison Resources and will reroll follower abilities.

Patch 6.1 - Rush Orders
Patch 6.1 adds Rush Orders to your garrison, allowing you to instantly complete 5 active work orders. All of the profession rush orders are rewards of profession missions. Missions that reward 2 take 4 hours and require 2 followers, while missions that reward 3 take 6 hours and require 3 followers.

Name	Level	Followers	Cost	Duration	Rewards
A Rare Flower A rare lily grows in the waters of Talador. Our alchemists say it is many times more efficient than frostweed.	100	2	× 20	4 hrs	× 2
Battlefield Scavengers Scavengers gnaw and pick at the fallen. Kill them so we can do some scavenging of our own.	100	2	× 20	4 hrs	× 2
Enchanted Weapons The Shadowmoon clan possess weaponry we can harness for raw magic. Raid their encampment and collect their enchanted weapons.	100	2	× 20	4 hrs	× 2
Jewels of Denial The arakkoa decorate their weapons and armor with fantastic jewels. Acquire them and let our jewelcrafters cut them into something useful.	100	2	× 20	4 hrs	× 2
Nest Raid Rylak's collect immense amount of fur when building their nests. Raid a nest and recover the fur.	100	2	× 20	4 hrs	× 2
Spy Games If we can decipher some stolen iron horde documents, we can find and assassinate their scouts.	100	2	× 20	4 hrs	× 2
That's Some Bull There's some rather large clefthoof in Nagrand. Let's take one down before they are killed by trappers.	100	2	× 20	4 hrs	× 2
The Wonder Gears Our engineers are excited about tearing apart a siege engine for parts. Let's take one down and let them have their fun.	100	2	× 20	4 hrs	× 2
Big Hands, Big Swords Ogre are known to possess massive, thick, and long swords. Disenchanting them makes a tremendous amount of dust.	100	3	× 20	6 hrs	× 3
Flux to Give Blacksmiths know that furies can be harvested for the best flux. Snuff the fires and bring it home.	100	3	× 20	6 hrs	× 3
Herb Infused A monstrous beast roams the Murkbog. Our alchemists say they can harvest it for a bounty of alchemy supplies.	100	3	× 20	6 hrs	× 3
Hunting the Hunters The garn are primarily known for their ferocity, but they are only slightly lesser well known for their sumptuous furry pelts.	100	3	× 20	6 hrs	× 3
Kill and Cut Iron horde tents are made from rugged leather that can be crafted into fine leather armor.	100	3	× 20	6 hrs	× 3
The Quill is Mighty It's time to make some changes to the iron horde's orders. If we can kill the guards, we can rewrite history before it happens.	100	3	× 20	6 hrs	× 3
Waste Not, Want Not Apparently the goren can't digest the valuable gems they eat. Your mission should be clear.	100	3	× 20	6 hrs	× 3
You're Fired The pale are expert scavengers. Let's relieve them of some of that salvage.	100	3	× 20	6 hrs	× 3

Blue Posts

I start this post saying that I think that flying mount removal was a good thing. Yeah it slows down travel times, but its made the game feel more open and alive in my opinion. That doesn't mean that flying mounts don't have a place in the game. I just think that they need a redesign.
A number of flight-specific toys and items were implemented to let you glide around the game world. There are also some zone-specific items, as well as items from past expansions that can help achieve the same thing as well--as well as potentially combined to some extreme results. I may also be forgetting a few?

Why do you guys say you're removing flying to help untrivialize combat and then put in items to help trivialize it
These don't allow you to lift up and set down wherever you like. They are generally also managed with cooldowns or charges. They do allow you to travel quickly across the game world, but they're generally not as precise or consistent as to change the moment to moment gameplay like full flight does.

I've always wished that when you aim your mount down it accelerated though. Like a dive bomb of sorts. Screen shaking, all that jazz.
Me too, actually! Or that the flaps/gliding animations would match my in-game trajectory. I think it's probably a fair amount of art and engineering work to do, though, and to be frank flight just isn't a system we've ever really looked at building out. Actually... that's sort of not true, early on in BC we tried some things to try to make flight a part of the gameplay, and even put a lot of effort into new flight mechanics in Wrath (which then got scrapped), but it really just doesn't work for what this game is and how the engine and content are created. WoW just isn't a flight sim, and creating those kinds of mechanics is very difficult, and even potentially radically different than the core gameplay that defines it. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Blue Tweets

Character / Items
anatomical dummy, spirit of shinri, swap blaster. That's 2 more I just thought of so 9. And the 3 guild battle standards so 12
Anything with a gameplay application is currently not being considered for Toy Box. (Muffinus)
can we define a game play application?
Anything that's not purely visual, e.g. a speed bonus, a teleport, or summoning a creature you can attack. (Muffinus)

PvE
I'd like to thank you for adding incentive to run older raids more, i feel like older content still has alot to offer even today.
I love some of the VO work in those dungeons/raids especially! (Muffinus)

3 essence pets, 1 boss, do all the 3 essences drop from Reliquary of souls?
Yep, you should be able to check the pet journal descriptions on various sites to check the droppers of these lil' cuties. (Muffinus)

Warlords of Draenor Raid Preview: Blackrock Foundry

Blackrock Foundry was the ancestral home of the Blackrock orcs, wherein master smiths smelted and worked the impossibly hard ore that is the clan’s namesake. Now, massive giants captured and broken by the Thunderlord heat the great forges, flamebenders of the Burning Blade imbue the ore with an inner fire, and engineers shape the slag according to otherworldly schematics. Warlord Blackhand’s foundry is the center of the Iron Horde’s military might, churning out the weaponry that will be used to raze Azeroth.

Just when you thought you’d become comfortable (as comfortable as one can get in a gladiator pit) with Highmaul, we thought it was time to shake things up and show you what’s waiting in our next Raid—Blackrock Foundry—and introduce you to Rukhmar, the latest world Raid boss.

We asked senior 3D artist Andy Matthews to provide some insight into the dungeon’s visual development:

The Foundry’s spark of inspiration was the creation of the Slagworks’ “furnace room;” it created iconic silhouettes that we carried throughout the rest of the Raid, which has a very strong industrial look and feel.

The Dread Grotto was my favorite shot to establish in the Raid. In its early development, we wanted to show the Iron Horde’s shipping area from multiple angles, foreshadowing later content. The Workshop shows the daily grind of factory life for the Ironworkers. Most workers dread the “flame-jet Fridays.”

Some say the Iron Horde motto is, “When in doubt, add a spike!”

You’ll need a minimum item level of 635 to tackle Blackrock Foundry via Raid Finder. The Foundry’s rewards range from item level 650 (Raid Finder) to 695 (Mythic).

Let’s take a look at the bosses that await you within Blackrock Foundry. . . .


Slagworks
Gruul- Garrosh knew that the surest path to breaking the gronn lay in subjugating their great father, Gruul. Known in another time as the Dragonkiller, here Gruul has been reduced to the role of menial laborer. In a cruel mockery of the Shattered Hand’s warrior tradition, his hand has been replaced with a hook to enable him to more easily haul pallets of fuel to the furnace.

Oregorger- The storehouses of the Blackrock Foundry, laden with heaps and pallets of unprocessed Blackrock ore, represent a grand banquet feast for the ravenous rock-eating goren who have burrowed into the chamber. Oregorger is by far the largest of the invaders, gluttony swelling his frame far beyond the size of any goren previously seen in Draenor.

The Blast Furnace- The Blackrock clan’s unique ability to smelt the black ore, a substance so dense that ordinary flame does not even soften it, has always been their most closely-guarded secret. Deep within the Foundry, their furnace contains a primal force as old as Draenor itself, raging within the confines of its prison as it emanates a preternatural heat.

The Black Forge
Hans’gar and Franzok- Hans’gar and Franzok are twin brothers raised and trained as masterful brawlers of their clan. Both carved paths of glory as warriors, but destiny had other plans. The brothers, each unwilling to slay the other in the rite of mak’gora, were banished from their clan and left for dead. They survived as outcasts in the savage wilds of Draenor and when the Iron Horde called, these powerful warriors found a new home in the massive war machine.

Flamebender Ka’graz- Under the banner of the Iron Horde, Blackhand has enlisted Flamebender Ka’graz of the Burning Blade to imbue the Blackrock-forged armaments with the essence of flame. Along with her assistant Aknor Steelbringer, Ka’graz toils before an ever burning forge in support of the Iron Horde’s conquest of Draenor.

Kromog- The magnaron are mysterious in their ways, ancient and inscrutable. Miners excavating an expansion to the Foundry, in support of the Iron Horde’s massive production needs, were horrified to unearth a chamber containing a living magnaron. To their astonishment, Kromog began to assist in their endeavors, and now uses his massive stone fists to hammer out the gigantic plates needed for the Iron Horde’s dreadnaughts and siege machinery.

Iron Assembly
Beastlord Darmac- As a young orc, Darmac quickly rose through the ranks of the Thunderlord as a gifted trainer of beasts. Where others only saw animal instincts, he recognized intellect and drew forth untapped potential from brain and muscle and bone. When the Iron Horde demanded his service, Darmac saw no greater honor than to outfit and train the most savage beasts Draenor has to offer.

Operator Thogar- Known more for his cruelty and cleverness than for brute strength, Thogar oversees the operation of the Grimrail. From the Foundry’s depot, he coordinates the ongoing ground battle against the draenei in Talador, with entire battalions of troops and artillery at his beck and call.

The Iron Maidens- With little opportunity to exercise her tactical brilliance under the ancient social structure of the orc clans, Gar’an was thrilled to be one of the first warriors to volunteer for naval duty under the Iron Horde. Instantly successful in battle, she was named Admiral of the iron Horde fleet and selected Marak and Sorka as her lieutenants. Together, they are called the Iron Maidens, and have crushed any who have dared face them.

The Crucible
Blackhand- A ruthless tyrant and fierce warrior, Blackhand is Warlord of the Blackrock clan, second only to Grommash in stature within the Iron Horde. Bathed in sweltering heat that few other mortals could withstand, Blackhand oversees the operations of his Foundry from atop its Crucible, wielding his smoldering slag hammer to forge weapons of peerless quality.

For more information on each of these bosses, their abilities, the items they drop, and more, check out the in-game Dungeon Journal.


World Boss: Rukhmar
Rukhmar occasionally appears as a blazing firehawk soaring through the skies high above the Spires of Arak. The origins of the great bird are unknown though Rukhmar is venerated as a deity by the arrakoa, seen as an embodiment of the sun itself.

Check out the Raid unlock schedule here.

Heroes of the Storm - Founders Pack: Buy Beta Access for $40
If you can't wait to get into the Heroes of the Storm beta, you now have the opportunity to purchase beta access that comes with some gold, heroes, skins, and mounts. This pack costs $39.99.

[Collected]

Any rough ETA on when 6.1 will go live?

[Jijek]

Am I the only one constantly starved of garrison resources because I pump them all into my war mill in hopes to level my followers item levels? My monk still only has one follower above 645 and I've been 100 on him for six weeks

[Amohell]

Am I the only one constantly starved of garrison resources because I pump them all into my war mill in hopes to level my followers item levels? My monk still only has one follower above 645 and I've been 100 on him for six weeks

Maybe in the early days of the expansion, anyway be sure to recruit some scavengers and always max out your trade post work orders.

[Deleted]

Am I the only one constantly starved of garrison resources because I pump them all into my war mill in hopes to level my followers item levels? My monk still only has one follower above 645 and I've been 100 on him for six weeks

Have you tried to get the salvage yard? i have alts sitting on 30 of each green token and a few of each other token waiting for missions. get max followers, do all 100 missions, use salvage get lots, my main has 100 of each green, 20 blue 7 epic and full 645 kits waiting so give it a shot if you havent

[Thelxi]

Am I the only one constantly starved of garrison resources because I pump them all into my war mill in hopes to level my followers item levels? My monk still only has one follower above 645 and I've been 100 on him for six weeks

Yes the problem is you. My war mill has been working non stop since launch and I don't have a TP/LM and I am constantly hitting 10k while spamming missions.

3 scavengers is all you need.

[Jijek]

Warmill is still rng though.

[Proxiz]

Am I the only one constantly starved of garrison resources because I pump them all into my war mill in hopes to level my followers item levels? My monk still only has one follower above 645 and I've been 100 on him for six weeks

Lumbermill + worker is plenty with your free GR to hold War Mill going. Mill and Salvage Yard and you get alot of upgrades. Think I have 6-7 on 655 ilvl and the rest in 630+.

[Deleted]

Any rough ETA on when 6.1 will go live?

well there is raid schedule in the end of the post, so you can guess :-D

[MrExcelion]

Any rough ETA on when 6.1 will go live?

Foundry goes live Feb 3rd. I'm not expecting 6.1 before the last Tues of Feb at the very earliest as it's very much been a work in progress. Probably early-mid March. Too bad we don't get our Foundry cache mission until 6.1, wish they could hotfix it in!

[Deleted]

rip herbalism and mining. But wait... they are already dead hm.. and not just dead but stomped into a dirt. So what will become of them now?

[Synoss]

Am I the only one constantly starved of garrison resources because I pump them all into my war mill in hopes to level my followers item levels? My monk still only has one follower above 645 and I've been 100 on him for six weeks

I do have to say, really? 100 for 6 weeks and only 1 follower above 645? ... You must be missing something, my DK has been 100 for about 10 weeks granted... but I have 22 Followers maxed out at 655...

[Deleted]

I don't even have a building anymore that generates resources. The cache + missions with scavengers is enough to keep me maxxed at 10k....

[Deleted]

well i got my 10k garrison resources already and pumping out flowers and such to my guildbank :P

[furydeath]

I see blizzard is starting to get into "early access" with HoTS.

[Rudypoo]

Maybe in the early days of the expansion, anyway be sure to recruit some scavengers and always max out your trade post work orders.

This.

Between resources from the trading post and from salvage, I'm never without resources these days.

It is ridiculously easy to accumulate resources in this expansion -- if you have the right buildings.

Why do you guys say you're removing flying to help untrivialize combat and then put in items to help trivialize it
These don't allow you to lift up and set down wherever you like. They are generally also managed with cooldowns or charges. They do allow you to travel quickly across the game world, but they're generally not as precise or consistent as to change the moment to moment gameplay like full flight does.

It all seems to come down to minutes (or "moments" here).

For instance, Aviana's Feather very much does allow you to "lift up and set down wherever you like." In fact, it is something of a "get out of jail free" card, with regards to bypassing normal game mechanics. No less than 10 times have I used it to get to quest mobs faster, to escape from PvP situations, and just to generally travel at a more rapid speed than a fp would provide. The 10-minute cooldown also is manageable. 10 minutes is not that long to wait when you're multitasking -- taking care of additional tasks or quests in a given area. So really it all just comes down to the "moments."

Is it really that important that I spend a few extra moments waiting for the feather to come off cd, than if I could just mount up and do it via flyer?

The only way I can imagine those extra moments having any sort of relevance is if there just isn't that much content to wade through this expansion -- a harsh notion that becomes a little more believable by the day. I can't speak for anyone else, but personally, I've already done just about everything you can on one character (or at least of the content I desire). The new Oqueue-like group finder makes rep grinding and mat farming easier than ever before. I'm continually pushing the max resource cap of 10k, and I'm struggling to find things to buy with them. Getting a surplus of Apexis crystals is easy as sin. Gold is much easier to come by than in any other expansion I can recall. Pretty much the only thing left is treasure hunting (I'm steadily burning through those like a weed sack).

At some point, there may be nothing left but to add flight.

I gotta be honest: I didn't expect to be turning to my alts less than 3 months after the xpac dropped.

[caervek]

Iron Maidens? Excellent!

[Deleted]

Is the scounting missive access to another grind 100 mobs quest? Or is it actualy a quest with some context?

It makes me sick doing Apexis grind once a day let alone twice (and thefore I don't)

And you get access to 800 apexis which are used to just make 655 gear....

Really? That is blizzards answer to all the complaints?

[Arvandor]

you can push these fake non-flying comments to the sky.. but the true is not forgotten..

only self flying and nothing else!

[Moradim]

they really cant give a good reason for removing flying, can they