Warfronts Begin and the Updated Arathi Highlands!

Yesterday I was surprised when I logged in and accepted a quest that took me over to Stromgarde in Arathi Highlands. I was not expecting to log in that evening with the first Warfront, Battle for Stromgarde, going live just yet, but I sure am glad it did! Warfronts were released on the same day that BFA’s first raid, Uldir, unlocked so there were bound to be server problems. All things considered, I had minimal issues and only experienced occasional lag when in Arathi.

I think that one of BFA’s biggest features finally made it into the game at a good time, because by now most players have reached 120 on their mains and have been looking for new things to do. Revisiting an old zone that I haven’t been back to in ages was a fun little trip down memory lane, and the visual updates to Arathi are beautiful. All the new things there have definitely helped to breath life back into the zone, and it can be compared to a smaller Timeless Isle. For now, Alliance players get a handful of quests to go slay each of the different creatures in the zone in exchange for Azerite, War Resources, and an epic ilvl 340 item. These quests also reward some reputation with the 7th Legion, and help to pass the time while the Horde mount their attack for the coming battle!

In case you’re confused about how Warfronts work like I was, I’ll explain. Warfronts are massive 20 vs. 20 PvE scenarios in which the Horde and Alliance fight to control the zone, much like back in Warcraft 3 days. Just like in Warcraft 3, players will gather resources and command troops and take the place of a Hero character. Basically, Warfronts allow us to see the battle from a different perspective, where we are directly involved. Warfronts start when one of the factions gather enough resources and mount their attack against the other, starting the Battle for Stromgarde scenario. Blizzard estimates that it’ll take a week for us to gather enough resources and start the Warfront, so in the meantime the faction controlling Arathi has access to a World Boss.

Of course, there are other things to do while you’re waiting for the battle to start. The zone has tons of rares that drop toys, pets, and mounts. I already have most of the pets, but I have to keep farming to get the toys and mounts! This addition to the game has been exciting so far, and I love being able to fly again and get around the zone quickly to tag rares. I can’t wait to try Warfronts and collect the full Arathi Warfront set!