On April 17, 2018 — Blizzard Entertainment opened the War Fronts (Horde) to stress the server, and to submit bug reports and feedback. The War Front takes place in Arathi Highlands. The objective is to take the nearby Alliance outposts, reclaim iron and wood resources, and to build a stronghold and train your forces. Once a foothold is secured, players have to keep the invading Alliance forces at bay, while preparing for the final confrontation against Commander Danath Trollbane.

UPDATE: Video below is from Beta (June 9, 2018). The older Alpha stress test video (from April) can be found here.

QUEUE TABLE

In order to join the War Fronts, you have to reach the Port of Zandalar (Zuldazar). The War Front table is located on the eastern side of the port (near the Ogre vendors). Click the table to queue for the War Front: Battle for Stromgarde scenario.

RECLAIM AR’GOROK

Lady Liadrin: Focus on the task at hand. First, we capture Ar’gorok, then onward to Stromgarde! Arathi will be ours! For the Horde!

Warlord Zakgra: This way! A glorious battle awaits!

Reclaim our base and establish a steady stream of iron and wood.

Veteran Sargeant Slayde slain

Great Hall rebuilt

Hatchet Ridge captured

Drywhisker Mine captured

Players spawn at the Tempest’s Roar gunship. The doors are closed for about a minute to allow you time to prepare prior to the War Front scenario; and probably while other players’ loading screen progresses. Once the gates open, turn to your left, and jump off the cannon platform.

NOTE: Your character will hover down with a parachute. Upon landing, attack Alliance Skyfire Raiders, and slay Veteran Sargeant Slayde. He holds a blue flag on his back. Be careful with his wide-range Bladestorm (whirlwind), and stand behind him to avoid his frontal attack. The Bladestorm does 15-20% damage to you. Be careful not to get fired upon by the Skyfire gunship above, which shoots down cannonballs (watch for the orange swirl effect on the ground, and move away).

After slaying Sargeant Slayde, click the Alliance Banner to reclaim Ar’gorok.

TIP: Take the Drywhisker Mine first so you start looting Iron faster. Let others capture the Hatchet Ridge for Wood. You need Iron and Wood to construct buildings.

Lady Liadrin: Well done. We won’t get far without the iron from that mine.

Lady Liadrin: We’ll use the lumber from Hatchet Ridge to build the foundation of our base. Excellent work.

THE GATES MUST FALL

Lay Siege to the gates of Stromgarde and destroy them.

Demolishers constructed: 0/1

Valorcall Pass captured

Strongarde Gate destroyed

Danath Trollbane: Lady Liadrin! Welcome to Arathi. I trust you’re here to surrender?

Lady Liadrin: Don’t delude yourself, old man. We’re here to take Stromgarde back.

Lady Liadrin: The Alliance will soon be at our door. We need to move fast. Secure wood and iron, so we can establish a foothold.

Eitrigg: Hatchet Ridge is ours. We can use its lumber mill to help build our base.

Danath Trollbane: You impudent worms have no right to be here. Soldiers of the League, charge!

Eitrigg: Horde, to battle! Crush those cowardly castle-dwellers before they breach our gates!

Eitrigg: Well done. With Drywhisker Mine under our control, we will never want for iron.

Danath Trollbane: You dare invade Stromgarde, rightful home of the Trollbanes? Get out of my sight, green-skin.

Wistel Silversnitch: Hey, umm… boss? I’m gettin’ reports of some sort o’ huge tree- monster walkin’ around the woods. You know what that means… free lumber!

Lady Liadrin: The barracks is ready to begin training our forces.

Eitrigg: We have a barracks, now train those grunts!

Throk: We’ll need reinforcements to win this war. See me at the Barracks when you’re ready to train our army.

Eitrigg: The Altar of Storms has been completed.

Eitrigg: The armory is complete. Get those forges up and running!

Lady Liadrin: We’ve successfully secured Newstead.

Lady Liadrin: This new armory will allow us to better equip our troops.

Lady Liadrin: There, that should give us some breathing room.

Grezla Bloodfury: Hold the line! Nothing gets through!

Lady Liadrin: Our base has grown in strength. The Great Hall is now a Stronghold.

Location: CIRCLE OF ELEMENTS

Gwyndra Wildhammer: The Skies… call.

Rokk Stoneblood: Hold the Perch and the skies are ours!

Lady Liadrin: High Perch is ours! One step closer to claiming Arathi for the Horde!

Rokk Stoneblood: Let them try and break our defenses!

Danath Trollbane: Save your celebrations, blood elf. You still have to deal with me.

Spirit of Fire: Purge!

Wistel Sliversnitch: Looks like some of our wind riders are in trouble. Check the battlefield for survivors.

Lady Liadrin: Our Stronghold is now a Fortress. For the Horde!

Raider Grosh: Raiders ready for battle!

Graul: If I catch anybody sleeping on the job I’ll feed you to the wolves myself!

Danath Trollbane: Crush Ar’gorok, for Arathor! For Stromgarde! FOR THE ALLIANCE!

Name has captured Valorcall Pass!

Lady Liadrin: Bring in the demolishers! Destroy their gate! Reduce Stromgarde to rubble!

Wistel Sliversnitch: Uh-oh… Fozruk’s patrollin’ the roads in the southeast. Be on the lookout for a nasty ol’ stone giant.

THE SACKING OF STROMGARDE

The time is now! Charge in and defeat the Alliance Commander.

Alliance Commander defeated.

Lady Liadrin: The gates have fallen! Press the attack!

Danath Trollbane: I have killed thousands of your kind before. You are no different.

Danath Trollbane: Ramparts, let your arrows fly!

Danath Trollbane: Echoes of the past, rise!

Danath Trollbane: Now you know your place.

Danath Trollbane: The spirits of Arathor will destroy you!

Danath Trollbane: Rain death upon the Horde!

Danath Trollbane: One day, Stromgarde WILL belong to the Alliance again.

Lady Liadrin: Our victory was never in question. For the Horde!

This is the version where Danath Trollbane is Commander, but according to Matt Goss (lead game designer), War Fronts: Battle for Stromgarde is a dynamic replayability scenario where we will encounter different Commanders each time we play, with different special events. “You need to defend the territory that you take. You need to defend your base, or else you lose. So each time you play through a Warfront, we are trying to look at different systems to make it feel different. One of the ones we are really excited about is this concept of different enemy commanders. Again… going back to that original Warcraft fantasy. So imagine you have a human commander that you are fighting against as Horde. He might have upgraded knights, and footmen that he sends all the time. Or you could have a Dwarven commander who has upgraded rifleman; and also has a special unit that no other commander has: a dwarven mortar team.” — source: BlizzCon 2017 Game & Systems Panel transcript

QUESTS

Raiding the Boulderfist Grelka: The Boulderfist have recently raided Drywhisker Mine and are sitting on a large amount of iron ore. We want it back. QUEST OBJECTIVES Obtain 200 pieces of Unprocessed Iron Ore. (Suggested players: 5) Reward: 80



TIP: Go to the Circle of Elements (southeast). Once there kill all Alliance npcs and the Spirit of Fire to claim the Circle of Elements. Head to the following cave.

TIP: Click the Ogre Supplies until you collect 200. Each Ogre Supplies grants x 21-26 Unprocessed Iron Ore. COMPLETION Grelka: We can't let the Alliance take Arathi. We'll use whatever iron we can get. Grelka: This will do. Throm-ka, (Name). Iron Stores Lug'ruk: While the mine is under Horde banners our peons ensure the iron supply never runs dry. This key provides access to the chest. Make sure it still works. QUEST OBJECTIVES Use the Heavy Iron Key to access the Iron Stores.

Rewards: 5



NOTE: Click the Iron Stores (chest) behind Lug'ruk. Every few minutes this chest will have a pillar of light on it to visually inform you there are new resources of Iron and Wood stored in it from the Drywhisker Mine and the Hatchet Ridge.

COMPLETION Lug'ruk: Heh, glad to see it still works. What Ya Looking For Wistel Silversnitch: You know what you need? You need a good, easy way to get back to me to buy your things whenever you want. I can help ya there. Reward: Scroll of Town Portal Break's Over Lug'ruk: It's come to my attention a few of our peons have been caught sleeping instead of hauling iron from the mine. We can't let our supplies get low. Take this club and get those lazy peons back on track. QUEST OBJECTIVES Return 3 Lazy Peons to work. Reward: 10





NOTE: Click on the lazy peons to awaken them with the club. Lazy Peon: Sleepy... so sleepy... Lazy Peon: Just was resting eyes! Back to work now!



COMPLETION Lug'ruk: With our peons back on track the iron stores should be full in no time. Chop, Chop! NOTE: This quest becomes available after reclaiming the Hatchet Ridge. Graul: Throm-ka, (Name). The sapling behind me blocks our worker's path to the mill. If we break pace to remove it we risk missing our next shipment. Grab yourself an axe. There's plenty lying around. If you remove the sapling without much trouble I'm sure we can find a better use for your skills. Rewards: Lumberjack



NOTE: Click the Lumberjack's Axe located on a crate (to the left side from Graul.)



Graul: Be careful with that axe, (Name). Our blades never dull.



NOTE: Click the sapling a bit to the north, and three Pile of Wood spawn. Loot them. Graul: Just the kind of strength we need around here. Graul: Heh, too easy! Try your hand in the field. We can always use more wood.

BUILDINGS

As you gather Iron and/or Wood resources, players turn in at the different available buildings to help construction efforts in the same fashion way as Broken Shore’s Mage Tower, Command Center, and the Nether Disruptor. At Ar’gorok, instead you build a Great Hall, Barracks, Armory, War Mill, Workshop, and Altar of Storms.

Build Order

1. Great Hall

2. Barracks

3. Armory

4. Altar of Storms

Upgrade to Stronghold (Level 2)

You can upgrade the Great Hall into a Stronghold after you have constructed the Altar of Storms and the Armory. The Stronghold will allow you to build:

1. Workshop (for Demolishers)

2. War Mill (research Weapon & Armor upgrades)

Upgrade to Fortress (Level 3)

You can upgrade the Stronghold into a Fortress after you have constructed a Workshop.

CAPTURE POINTS

1. Destroyed Great Hall: Capture and Rebuild. Required to construct other buildings.

2. Drywhisker Mine: Allows for the collection of Iron.

3. Hatchet Ridge: Allows for collection of wood.

4. Northfold Crossing: Secure a foothold in Arathi.

5. Circle of Ellements: Construct a Spirit Lodge to bring powerful caster units to your army. Unlocks:

Shaman : 50

: 50 Elemental Spirit: 50

6. High Perch: Construct a tower, providing fast access to captured locations. Unlocks:

Flight Master: Fly to captured locations.

7. Newstead: Construct a Bestiary to recruit mounted troops. Unlocks:

Wolf Raiders : 50

: 50 Kodo Rider: 60

8. Valorcall Pass: Capture to lay siege to Stromgarde.

9. Stromgarde Keep: Assault and defeat the enemy commander.