Garrison



Garrisons are one of the main features of Warlords of Draenor.

Garrisons are phased, highly customizable character-specific sub-zones, where players can arrange, construct and manage their own base of operations against the Iron Horde. Expansive and fully explorable areas featuring dozens of different buildings and characters, garrisons are brought to life by the player's followers, interactable NPCs who must be inspired (or bribed) to join the player's ranks. Detailed characters in their own right, followers can be grouped up and sent off to undertake quick quests, delve into dangerous dungeons or join with an army of allies to tackle special raids against mighty foes. Successful missions can reward the player with epic loot and vital resources for the development of the garrison.

Each garrison building offers a special purpose - be it to improve the player's followers, grant access to alternate professions, or provide the player with bonuses in other areas of the game. Buildings and followers can be customized, with every upgrade and specialization reflected in the appearance of the base.

As well as providing unique gameplay functions, garrisons also feature as extensive explorable areas in their own right, with standard fixtures such as merchants, quest givers and flight masters. Garrisons can also be entered by party members, whether to appraise the base's strategic planning, to interact with followers, or to trade in special resources.

Garrisons are intended to be part of the expansion's leveling experience, and are integrated into the expansion's zones and gameplay, with players frequently redirected to their garrison throughout the leveling experience. However, they are also an ongoing feature at max level. Garrison development is tied to key quest lines throughout the expansion's zones, with each character's garrison located in their faction's home zone on Draenor. Garrison play extends beyond the garrison itself, with buffs that affect play in the rest of the game, and discoverable elements such as followers found through exploring the rest of the game world.

Garrisons offer a high level of customization, with a number of possible buildings and followers from which the player must choose, each providing different rewards. However, these choices are not permanent and can be undone by the player.

Players first begin to build their garrisons shortly after completing Warlords of Draenor's Dark Portal introductory experience. Horde players can find their garrison, Frostwall, in Frostfire Ridge, while Alliance players can find their garrison, Lunarfall, in.

Official preview
Blizz

Garrisons and buildings
Garrisons are real zones placed within the actual game world, which the player can explore in detail, entering individual buildings and interacting with followers and other NPCs. Players are able to enter garrisons seamlessly, without a loading screen, similar to Sunsong Ranch in Valley of the Four Winds. Each character's garrison is permanently located in their faction's home zone on Draenor - for the Alliance, Frostfire Ridge for the Horde. Players are given a Garrison Hearthstone, allowing quick travel back to the garrison with a 20 minute cooldown.

Garrisons provide various plots for a selection of buildings to construct, allowing easy switching of buildings that share the same plot sizes. Each building features lavish detail, and will change - outside and inside - as they are upgraded, developing from simple tents and huts to grand towers and imposing fortresses. Buildings can be entered and explored by the player, which are filled with related NPCs and objects which can be interacted with.

Garrisons also look very different depending on the character's faction, featuring iconic design from Warcraft tradition. The Alliance garrison strongly reflects human architecture, while that of the Horde reflects traditional orcish designs. Individual buildings, primarily the professions buildings, offer "racial hints" from other races of the player's faction. Party members can visit the garrison of the current party leader through clicking on their portrait. This allows players to show off their garrisons and have their friends help fight off invading forces, and is often used to allow access to the variety of visiting NPCs randomly found in different garrisons each day (see below). Any number of friends can come in to your garrison, up to a 40-member raid.

Like the buildings within them, garrisons initially start at level 1, and can be upgraded from there to level 2, and then level 3. Each level expands the garrison significantly, radically altering the physical zone, adding new building plots and architectural features, and unlocking new building Blueprints. Level 3 also unlocks end-game elements such as the Garrison Support daily quests and the Garrison Campaign quest line. Upgrading the garrison is achieved through special quests, available at specific points in the character's progress. The level 1 and level 2 garrison become available through the introductory quest line, while the level 3 garrison is unlocked through reaching level 100. Upgrading the garrison requires a fair amount of gold and Garrison Resources.

Outposts
While the introductory quest lines in Draenor's starting zones see the construction of the garrison itself, those in Draenor's other zones involve the construction of an outpost.

Outposts are essentially small towns, complete with innkeepers, flightmasters and other NPCs, and represent the efforts of the faction to build a base of operations to tackle the threats within that zone. During the initial quest line, the player will be given the choice of two special buildings, each related to the zone in question, only one of which they can choose to construct for their outpost. Once chosen, the building will actually be constructed in the outpost much like a building in the garrison, complete with related NPCs. The choice will also grant access to the corresponding Blueprints, allowing the player to construct the building of the same (or similar) name at their garrison - although the relationship between the outpost building and garrison building generally stops there. Players are however able to purchase Blueprints for all zone-specific buildings at level 100, allowing players to eventually explore all building options, and ensuring that the questing experience is not mandatory in order to fully explore the garrison feature.

Blueprints aside, the choice of building is only of consequence within the zone involved. Once a building is chosen, the player will be offered a related quest line, and more significantly is granted a permanent zone-specific special effect related to that building, such as the ability to summon a temporary guardian NPC to assist them in battle. These effects are only usable within the corresponding zone. For examples, players questing in Gorgrond are given the choice of constructing a Lumber Mill or a Sparring Arena in their Gorgrond outpost. The former grants access to a shredder vehicle, and a quest line set in the densely forested south of the zone - while the latter grants the aid of a variety of bodyguards, and a quest line set in the zone's rocky and ogre-filled north.

Interaction
While at lower levels, garrisons require a reasonable amount of player interaction in order to recruit followers, gather resources and take on missions, as players progress garrisons become less time-intensive, aiming to reduce player fatigue while continuing to reward participation:


 * Blizz



Buildings
Buildings are the individual "pieces" of each garrison. They improve and expand the functionality of the garrison, such as by improving the player's ability to recruit, use, and train followers; to craft; to complete missions; and to run missions more quickly by reducing followers’ downtime. Buildings can also grant bonuses for play in the rest of the game, including player buffs, once a day free resurrections and access to professions. Players are able to choose from 21 unique building types in total.

Garrison buildings can be upgraded from level 1 to level 2, then level 3. Upgrading buildings will alter their appearance, causing them to grow larger and more impressive. More importantly, doing so will improve their function, granting additional or increased effects, and increasing work order numbers. For example, while a level 1 Barracks unlocks patrol missions, upgrading it to level 2 will allow a follower to escort you in Draenor as your bodyguard; while upgrading it to level 3 increases the number of followers the player is able to have active, as well as unlocking special racial guards and banners.

Profession buildings allow players with that profession to purchase recipes using a profession-specific currency (which is on a daily cooldown). All players can place work orders to transform baseline materials into high-end materials for that profession. Players without the profession will be able to craft low and mid-level crafted gear/enchants/consumables through an NPC at the building, but high-end items will only be available from players with that profession. Having a profession building is similar to having that profession trained to a lower level, although the limited number of plots will force players to choose which professions to focus on. All professions buildings are small buildings.

Upgrading and constructing buildings requires the player to have learned the blueprints for the building they wish to build or upgrade, and costs various amounts of Garrison Resources and gold. The player can get a few blueprints by completing specific quests in zones around Draenor that reward a token redeemable at a vendor in Warspear or Stormshield. The rest of the blueprints may be purchased from a vendor inside the garrison once they have been unlocked. Once the player has learned the blueprint, they may go to the architect table in their town hall and construct or upgrade the building.

Work orders
Most buildings offer work orders, allowing the player to trade in baseline profession or world resources for refined resources or more Garrison Resources. A level 3 building can have up to 21 work orders outstanding, and a level 3 Storehouse increases that to 36.

Work orders can be started by speaking to an NPC within the building. Once the player has turned in the required resources, work will begin, with completed orders appearing in a bundle outside the building. Work orders generally take 4 hours to complete, and continue regardless of the player's actions or login status. With level 3 buildings allowing 21 work orders at a time, this allows players to retrieve work orders only once every 3 days if desired, so that they aren't required to keep a constant eye on production. Work orders can be completed immediately using Rush Order items.

As well as the stated resources, work orders also have a chance to produce Sorcerous items (Sorcerous Air, Sorcerous Earth, Sorcerous Water, Sorcerous Fire) and a very small chance to produce Apexis Crystal.


 * List

Follower perks
Some followers have specific profession traits that allow them to work at matching profession buildings. These can be assigned through the Architect Table. While a follower is at work at a profession building, collecting work orders from that building will yield double the usual resources. Followers who are working cannot be sent on missions, but do not usually need to be kept at profession buildings; simply put them to work there prior to collecting work orders in order to receive the benefits. Some profession buildings grant additional effects when a follower is working there. For example, assigning a follower to the Herb Garden allows the player to choose which type of herb to grow. While most of these can be accessed on demand, some, such as the Herb Garden, require the follower to remain working there in order to activate the additional effect.

Plots
Garrisons have a number of plots for creating buildings. These come in three sizes: small, medium and large. Each building matches a certain size of plot, with the limited number of available plots forcing players to choose which of the many possible buildings to construct. Players can place buildings according to their own wishes, allowing for a variety of possible garrison designs. Buildings of the same sizes can easily be swapped at the architect table without rebuilding, allowing for refined customization.

At specific points, special quests will allow the garrison to be upgraded to the next level, in exchange for a fair amount of gold. Garrison buildings can be upgraded from level 1 to level 2, then level 3. Each level will grant a number of bonuses, such as increased work order number, increased mounted travel speed and specific buffs. Most importantly, higher level garrisons also open up more plots for buildings.

The player's garrison will offer 1 small and 1 medium building plots at level 1; up to a maximum of 2 large, 2 medium and 3 small plots at level 3.

Stationary buildings
These buildings are given to the player for free after completing quests related to the buildings. They are unable to be moved around the garrison, but can still be upgraded.


 * Town Hall
 * Lunarfall Excavation
 * Frostwall Mines
 * Herb Garden
 * Fishing Shack
 * Menagerie

Small buildings
Small buildings are constructed on small plots, and mostly are for professions. Most grant partial access to the corresponding profession, while the Storehouse helps out by proving the player with access to a bank, and the Salvage Yard has a chance to provide crates of salvage upon mission completion, with a chance to contain items to increase follower's item levels.


 * Alchemy Lab
 * Enchanter's Study
 * Engineering Works
 * Gem Boutique
 * Salvage Yard
 * Scribe's Quarters
 * The Forge
 * Storehouse
 * Tailoring Emporium
 * The Tannery

Medium buildings
Medium buildings are constructed on medium plots, and provide a variety of benefits around Draenor and in your garrison. The Inn allows the player to find and add followers with specific traits or abilities, and offers another rested area in the garrison. The Barn allows for the trapping of Draenor beasts, providing ways to gain leather, cloth and s.
 * Barn
 * Lunarfall Inn
 * Frostwall Tavern
 * Lumber Mill
 * Gladiator's Sanctum
 * Trading Post

Large buildings
Large buildings are constructed on large plots, and provide a more specialized benefit to the player. The Mage Tower allows the player to open ogre waygates around Draenor, with up to 3 spots for portals around different zones. The Barracks provides an increase in follower capacity, and also lets the player pick a follower to accompany them out into the world to help combat the savage wilds of Draenor.


 * Barracks
 * Dwarven Bunker
 * War Mill
 * Gnomish Gearworks
 * Goblin Workshop
 * Mage Tower
 * Spirit Lodge
 * Stables

Construction cost
Constructing buildings costs varying amounts of gold and Garrison Resources. The gold cost is determined purely be level, while the Garrison Resources cost is also affected by the size of the building.

Construction sequence
After completing the Dark Portal counterstrike chain in Tanaan Jungle the players will find themselves in /Frostfire Ridge. They will immediately be presented with a quest chain that ends with the construction of a Tier 1 garrison. They will quickly get a quest to build a Barracks in their only Large building slot.

Followers


Followers are the life and soul of a garrison, NPCs that the player can recruit to join them in the battle against the Iron Horde. Followers can be sent on missions to earn experience and loot for both themselves and the player. They can also be allocated to certain buildings, boosting production from tasks such as crafting or gathering resources and granting special bonuses. Once assigned to a mission, followers' actions will play out whether the player is online or offline. Management of followers is a key feature of garrisons.

Each follower has a name, character level, item level, class and specialization. Followers may be recruited as uncommon, rare, or epic, and their rarity affects the number of abilities and traits they can have. Followers' rarity can be increased through experience once they reach level 100, and when first recruited followers also have a chance to be granted a rarity upgrade similarly to quest rewards. Followers also come in types, such as melee, ranged and caster, and players can choose to recruit tank, DPS and healer followers.

Followers have a variety of abilities and traits that affect missions and tasks. Each mission offers one or more threats - each belonging to one of that mission's bosses - and countering these threats increases the mission's likelihood of success. For example, if a follower has the Taunt ability, they will be able to counter the Wild Aggression threat. Traits have a smaller impact than abilities, and can increase mission success chance in more synergistic ways, or add other benefits such as increasing experience gained. Some traits are not related to missions but rather to buildings, allowing that follower to be put to work at a specific building within the garrison, doubling work order production and granting special bonuses. For example, if a follower has the Enchanting trait, the player will be able to assign them to the Enchanter's Study, gaining twice as many Fractured Temporal Crystals from work orders, and also granting access to unique cosmetic enchantments.

Followers can increase in level, rarity and item level by running missions. Followers start at between level 90 and 100, and have a maximum level of 100. Experience gained from missions will cause them to increase in level, allowing them to tackle higher level missions in a similar way to player character level. Once a follower has reached level 100, further experience will allow them to upgrade in rarity until they reach epic rarity. Regular followers cannot exceed epic rarity, although there is one legendary follower -. Once followers reach level 100, it becomes possible to improve the item level of their weapon and armor through special upgrade items provided as mission rewards. All followers start with item level 600 gear, and upgrading it will increase their chance of success against higher item level missions.

Followers exist in the garrison game world as NPCs, and feature more dynamic behavior than found in other NPCs. Players will be able to see followers walking around their garrison, while sending followers off on missions will cause them to stop what they are doing and travel together out through the front gate of the garrison. Followers will notice and walk around, rather than through, the player, respond dynamically to inputs such as placement of buildings, and can also be interacted with, with followers /waving to each other and /dancing with the player. Followers will also help the player defend their garrison when it is attacked by hostile NPCs (see below).

Recruiting followers
Followers must be recruited by the player, which can be achieved through various means. A reasonable number of followers are obtained while leveling to 100, either from quest lines or through encounters within zones, such as Blook, who must be tracked down atop his lonely perch in Gorgrond and "persuaded" into the player's service through an impressive combat performance. Followers can also be recruited through the Lunarfall Inn/Frostwall Tavern, where a new follower can be chosen from a large range each week. Max-level quest lines, reputation-limited vendors and other means offer further sources of followers once at level 100.

Missions
One of the main uses of followers is to send them on missions. Missions are special undertakings which the player can send groups of followers to fulfil, ranging from 15 minute Quests to week-long Raids featuring dozens of followers. Successful missions can reward resources for developing the garrison and crafting reagents, as well as actual player loot usable by the character. In addition, missions serve to earn followers experience, slowly increasing their level and improving their abilities.

Each mission has its own name, follower level (similar to player instances), specific duration, group size requirement, and other characteristics. Players can view available missions through the interface and choose which followers to send on a mission. Some missions are unlocked through having specific buildings. Missions are specific to the garrisons feature, and are not related to any playable content.

Players can choose to send their followers on four different types of mission:

Quests

 * Time: 15-30 mins

Quests are very quick and generally used to level up your followers. Higher level quests can yield player loot.

Scenarios

 * Time: 2-3 hours

Sending your followers on a scenario will take longer but has a higher chance to yield player loot.

Dungeons

 * Time: 1-3 days

Dungeons are much more difficult and take longer but are guaranteed to yield player loot.

Raids

 * Time: 4-7 days

Raids unlock when you get 10 followers to level 100. Occasionally you will receive transmog missions for older raids.

Rewards
Each mission offers a special reward, available only if the mission is successfully completed. There are several types of reward, including player and follower XP, player and follower gear, Garrison Resources, and others such as contracts granting new followers.

Player gear granted by missions will include some normal mode raid pieces and maybe a few heroic raid quality items towards the end of the raid tier. Mythic raiders will be fine without making use of their garrisons.

All missions also reward experience (XP) for followers, allowing them to level up. This XP is rewarded regardless of whether the mission is a success or a failure. Many missions also offer bonus XP as a reward for successfully completing the mission. Followers that are 3 or more levels below the mission level will only receive 10% of the mission XP and bonus XP.

Garrison Blueprints
Garrison Blueprints are plans used to learn how to construct or upgrade buildings around your garrison.

Obtaining Blueprints
Blueprints are obtained in a few different ways, depending on the level and size of the Blueprints. Players may level through zones, allowing them to pick a building as an outpost and receiving that building's blueprint for the garrison, or at level 100 players may purchase blueprints from a vendor to acquire those that they missed during the leveling process.


 * All level 1 Blueprints become available once the Garrison reaches Tier 2
 * Because you get them all for free at Garrison Tier 2, you might consider hanging on to the small building blueprints that come from the profession-specific dropped item quest line so you can sell the redundant blueprints for gold.
 * Level 2 Blueprints become available at different points depending on their size:
 * Small: Reaching level 96 or completing Talador
 * Medium: Reaching level 98 or completing Spires of Arak
 * Large: Reaching level 100 or completing Nagrand
 * Level 3 Blueprints become available upon completing various account-wide Warlords of Draenor achievements
 * Level 3 Blueprints are account-wide, with all known level 3 Blueprints automatically known by all characters on the player's account.

Monuments and pristine archaeology artifacts
At Tier 3, garrisons also feature monuments and the ability to display pristine archaeology finds.

Monuments can be earned by completing achievements. They can then be displayed on one of the three monument bases in the garrison. There are currently six known, with five available.

Pristine archaeology artifacts can be collected by completing the various Archaeology artifacts around Draenor and obtaining a pristine version. Once the player is level 100, the artifacts can be turned in at the player's Town Hall and displayed in the back room on tables, pedestals, and hung on the wall. These are permanent objects that unlike at the Seat of Knowledge, cannot be read (likely to reduce garrison server load).

Invasions
Garrisons will sometimes be invaded by "the enemies of Draenor". Players will be able to defend their garrison with help from their followers and up to 2 friends. These assaults will happen repeatedly, and will get harder as time goes on.

At certain points the player will be notified that an invasion is approaching. This is intended to occur ostensibly as a result of the player provoking the local Iron Horde forces through their actions in the area. When ready, the player can speak to an NPC to start the invasion.

Each invasion sees attack by a variety of NPCs invading the base, and engaging in combat with the garrison's defenders. There are 6 or 7 different types of invasion, with each playing out differently. Invasions make use of new AI technology to randomise the experience, with invaders sometimes attacking NPCs or the garrison walls, and at others kidnapping followers. Objectives include defeating snipers and stealthed assassins who are picking off the garrison's defenders, and healing injured defenders before they die. Objectives are marked on the mini-map for players to see. Guards and buildings destroyed by invading forces will be replaced following the invasion.

You do not have to do the invasion immediately, despite your garrison UI indicator blinking. If you talk to the quest giver but do not start it, and then come back and find it is "failed", you can abandon the quest - you'll be able to pick it right back up and start the invasion.

Success
Success in repelling invasions is measured by the number of enemies defeated, and the number of guards and buildings that survive.

Performance is graded similarly to Challenge Mode dungeons, with players awarded a Bronze, Silver or Gold medal, higher medals offering superior rewards. All players taking part in an invasion will be able to gain rewards from it. Each player can gain each medal once per week. After that, they can still gain Garrison Resources for completing invasions.

Having a larger number of players will improve the player's chances of attaining the higher rewards. In this way garrisons are intended to encourage players to group with their friends, with each potentially taking turns to assist the others in their own invasions.

Triggering invasions
The first garrison invasion occurs after the player has improved their garrison to Tier 2, intended to be approximately mid-way through the Frostfire Ridge or Shadowmoon Valley questing experience. However, it is possible to reach Tier 3 before this invasion takes place.

Once the player reaches max level, invasions will be triggered "organically" by player actions within the wider world. These will primarily by triggered through actions in and around Apexis Crystal mission areas.

Visitors
One of four visitors will visit the garrisons of level 100 characters with a Tier 3 town hall each day. Each character is random, but the four visitors and the quests they offer are the same region-wide. That is, if one player has the fur trader in his or her town hall, all characters with a trader will have the fur trader, and no characters will have the herb or ore traders that day. Players need to visit other players' garrisons to pick up quests, but can turn in at their own garrison.

Bounty daily
Bounty dailies, offered by Renzik "The Shiv" to Alliance characters and Shadow Hunter Ty'jin to Horde characters, are Group-3 quests that have players kill the specified bounty. Each bounty quest awards and a slim chance to loot the Bloody Stack of Invitations from the bounty.


 * Death to Amethon!
 * Death to Gor'thul!
 * Death to Hivelord Ik'rix!
 * Death to Nullifier Darkoor!
 * Death to Tremor!
 * Death to Undertow!

Dungeon daily
Dungeon dailies, offered by Muradin Bronzebeard to Alliance characters and High Overlord Saurfang to Horde characters, task players to complete the specified Warlords of Draenor dungeon. The specified dungeon does not have to be completed in Heroic mode, but does require that the attempting character be level 100. Each dungeon quest awards.
 * Auchindoun (quest)
 * Bloodmaul Slag Mines (quest)
 * Grimrail Depot (quest)
 * Iron Docks (quest)
 * Shadowmoon Burial Grounds (quest)
 * Skyreach (quest)
 * The Everbloom (quest)
 * Upper Blackrock Spire (quest)

Raid weekly
Raid quests are once-weekly endeavors, and require the completion of a single specified raid encounter. They are offered by the same NPC as the Dungeon dailies, and at the same time. These quests can be accomplished on any difficulty level, from Raid Finder to Mythic, and will award a cache of Greater Bounty Spoils and. The spoils contain an item level 645 or 655 token, but the contents do not depend on the encounter difficulty.
 * Walled City: Brackenspore
 * Arcane Sanctum: Ko'ragh
 * Imperator's Rise: Imperator Mar'gok
 * Slagworks: Heart of the Mountain
 * The Black Forge: Kromog
 * Iron Assembly: Admiral Gar'an
 * Blackhand's Crucible: Blackhand

Profession daily
Five profession dailies are available, trading Warlords crafting reagents for Primal Spirits. Unlike the other daily quests, players need only be level 90 to complete the daily quest. Also, rather than the vendors being randomly available, they appear in a set pattern: ore, dust, fur, leather, herb. After the daily quest, The traders also exchange the same reagents for a lesser quantity of Primal Spirits and additionally sell recipes for professions that use the reagent items.

Relic daily
Harrison Jones offers one of six quest lines daily. The initial quests are linked here, but see the full series on each quest page. Completing all six quest chains awards the achievement Master Relic Hunter, needed for Don't Call Me Junior, which awards Harrison Jones as a follower! The final quest in the chain awards.
 * Treasure Contract: Amulet of Rukhmar
 * Treasure Contract: Explosive Discoveries
 * Treasure Contract: Gutrek's Cleaver
 * Treasure Contract: The Artificer
 * Treasure Contract: The Infected Orc
 * Treasure Contract: The Thunderlord Sage

Jukebox


Added in Patch 6.1, a Garrison Jukebox can be unlocked after completing a fetch quest, allowing players to change the music that plays in their garrison. 31 tracks are available from such varied sources as fishing in Ironforge's Forlorn Cavern or Thunder Bluff's Pools of Vision, to chests next to Sylvanas Windrunner in Undercity and Tyrande Whisperwind in Darnassus to raid encounters like Kel'Thuzad, the Lich King, Nefarian's End and Madness of Deathwing.

A full list is found in the Garrison Jukebox article.

Garrison decorations
Izzy Hollyfizzle will sell decorations for garrisons, in exchange for special resources available only during the Hallow's End and Winter Veil events. There are several kinds of decorations, each adding new NPCs, objects and/or cosmetic effects to the player's garrison.

Once purchased the items can be used to create the desired decorations. The decorations can be removed by speaking to Izzy Hollyfizzle again. Decorations are not time-limited, and can be used at any time of year. Multiple decorations can be combined for intense effect.

Storyline

 * After rescuing members of the Frostwolf Clan during Warlords of Draenor's introductory experience, Horde players will be given a plot of land by . This is where they will begin building their garrison.
 * The Alliance, after the player helped to destroy the Dark Portal, set up two garrisons: one commanded by the adventurer at Lunarfall, and the other commanded by veteran officer Taylor in Spires of Arak. Taylor's garrison would unfortunately fall, to treachery from within.
 * Some questgivers will be able to be recruited by players to be followers, following completion of their quest lines.
 * Garrisons are integrated into the levelling experience, with levelling players frequently redirected to their garrison, and regular changes to reflect players' progression on Draenor. NPC attacks upon the garrison may also be tied to storyline events.
 * While levelling, players will be given choices between possible buildings to add to their garrison. As well as affecting garrison play, the player's choices will also impact the levelling experience through influencing which quests are offered. Completing construction of the chosen building will also provide the player with a zone-specific benefit.
 * At various points, the player's garrison will be visited by important characters including "notable heroes" from the player's faction, presumably as part of quest lines.
 * While having a garrison will be a mandatory part of the expansion, progressing or customising it will not. Players who choose not to progress their garrison, and those who level through non-quest means such as dungeons, will be able to get back to their garrison later if they wish.

Garrison Campaign
Each week characters with a level 3 garrison will be offered a Garrison Campaign quest. The quest is the same across all characters. Sometimes the quests can result in permanent upgrades to the garrison (like a mole machine that teleports the character to their outpost in Gorgrond).

Garrison Support
Characters with a level 3 garrison will be provided with a choice of two random assault missions daily, only one of which can be completed each time. These assault missions take place across Draenor and reward a large number of Apexis Crystals.

Phasing
Due to phasing, each player character has their own, individual garrison. That garrison cannot be visited by anyone who has not been given permission to enter.


 * Multiple same-faction characters walking into the garrison zone will each phase to a different garrison
 * If multiple characters are in the same party, each non-leader will have to right-click on their portrait and choose "view leaders garrison" to visit the same garrison. Only the leader's garrison can be visited; to visit another player in the party's garrison they will have to be given leadership.
 * For opposite faction players, trying to go to the location of the opposite factions garrison will take them to the zone as it appeared before any garrison was built there.

Development
Garrisons were partly conceived as a way of incorporating the concept of player housing found in other games into World of Warcraft, but in a very Warcraft way. The developers had discussed the concept of adding player housing for "a long time" prior to Warlords, but wanted to find a way to have the feature change the way people played the game, rather than merely providing a cosmetic addition.

Warlords of Draenor provided "the perfect time" to implement player housing, with the storyline stranding players on an alternate Draenor, needing to build a base for their operations against the Iron Horde. The garrison was intended to be reminiscent of the Warcraft RTS games, with the player slowly developing a base of operations in a new region. The garrison was also intended to provide a form of external character progression, allowing max level players to continue to progress in the world. Garrisons also help to create a sense of importance and standing for characters themselves, with the player in charge of a sprawling base inhabited by NPCs which salute the player and refer to them as "Commander".

Another important development aspect was for the garrison to be integrated into levelling and activities in other zones, and to remain relevant at max level. The developers also wanted the garrison to feel "part of the world" rather than a separate feature. This was achieved through the incorporation of garrison-related quests, special abilities usable in each zone, and loot rewards from follower missions.

Iterations
The garrison feature went through significant alterations following its original announcement at Blizzcon 2013.


 * Prior to April 2014, it was planned for players to be able to choose the location of their garrison with a number of possible zones, and the ability relocate their garrison if they changed their minds. However, as the developers realized they wanted to "heavily integrate the Garrison into the leveling flow" it became necessary to fix the garrison to a single location, with the starting areas allowing them to be involved in quest lines from the start of the leveling experience.
 * The team originally intended for players to learn how to use the garrison while leveling, and then offer more choices once they reached maximum level. They realized that players wanted the flexibility earlier, so the experience now has more choices early on.
 * Originally the team wanted to have all of the buildings affect your garrison's missions, but as they playtested it became clear that the buildings should have more of an impact on your gameplay out in the world. The garrison also was tied into the storyline more than originally planned.
 * Buildings originally granted relatively simple buffs and improvements, but over time the developers realised that it was necessary to have them impact gameplay more substantially. As a result, buildings were changed to start quest lines and add additional gameplay elements such as using vehicles. Buildings also provided an opportunity to provide limited access to special features the developers had not been able to offer previously.
 * Garrisons were originally far larger than their final implementation, as showcased at Blizzcon, and featured a larger number of building plots. However, the developers received a lot of feedback that the expansive bases were too large, with players struggling to get their bearings and to feel personally in charge of such a large area. As a result, the bases were "squished down", allowing players to feel more personally connected to their garrisons.


 * A listing of some of the minor changes and bugs from the Warlords of Draenor beta can be found at Warlords of Draenor beta timeline.

Trivia

 * Blizzcon footage showed a 'Dance Studio' listed among the small buildings. However, this was apparently "Just the UI guys having a little fun." There is a mission called The Dance Studio: "Rumored not to exist, yet clearly baseless". It awards the Supreme Manual of Dance trait.
 * During the beta, an NPC known as Garrison Ford provided garrison-related services.
 * Serka refers to the town hall in Frostwall as a Great hall.
 * At some point during development, a fourth level was planned for the garrisons, further increasing the number of building slots.

Development

 * In-beta