How to Start the Darkshore Warfront as Horde: A Comprehensive Guide
Starting the Darkshore Warfront as a Horde player in World of Warcraft requires a few key steps. The process is not particularly complex, but understanding the requirements and the initial quest chain is crucial for accessing this content. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how to get started:
To unlock the Darkshore Warfront for your Horde character, you need to level a character to 50 and complete a short, introductory quest line. Crucially, you must complete this quest line on at least one character of each faction to unlock access to both Horde and Alliance Warfronts account-wide. This means if you haven’t done the Alliance side questline, doing it on one character on your account will enable the warfront on any other character on the account.
Once these prerequisites are met, you will then be able to queue for the Darkshore Warfront when it is active during a warfront cycle. It’s important to note that the Warfront cycles are on a rotation, and you’ll need to check the in-game map to see which faction currently has control of the zone and can queue for the warfront.
Unlocking the Horde Darkshore Warfront: Step-by-Step
Prerequisites
Before you can dive into the Darkshore Warfront, make sure you’ve met these requirements:
- Level 50 Character: You need a Horde character that has reached level 50. This was the original level cap for Battle for Azeroth, where Warfronts were introduced.
- Introductory Questline: You need to have completed the introductory questline for Darkshore on at least one character of either faction on your account. This is vital for unlocking access to the Warfront across all characters in your account.
Starting the Horde Questline
The questline to unlock the Horde side of the warfront is much simpler than the Alliance one. The introductory quest is called “The Warchief’s Call” and is generally offered when you enter a capital city like Orgrimmar, or sometimes it will simply appear in your quest log.
- Accepting the Quest: Look for the quest marker either in Orgrimmar or on your minimap.
- Following the Questline: The questline will take you to the location of the Warfront board. Follow the quest objectives, which may involve speaking with specific NPCs and/or doing a short scenario. This scenario will provide you with a small introduction to Warfronts and unlock it account-wide.
Warfront Queue
Once you have completed the introductory quest line you are now able to queue for the warfront. When the warfront is active for the Horde (usually signified by the zone being under Horde control in the world map), you can queue by clicking the warfront icon in the zone map for Darkshore.
- Queueing: Simply click the Warfront button in the map to queue.
- Level and Item Level: You will need to meet the minimum ilvl to queue for the warfront. The minimum ilvl is 335.
Completing the Warfront
Completing the Battle for Darkshore as the Horde is essential to gain rewards such as gear, transmog, and reputation with the associated faction. This is a standard warfront scenario. The main objectives are:
- Gather Resources: You must gather resources from the environment by killing mobs and gathering items.
- Build Structures: These structures will allow you to produce units and improve your offensive and defensive capabilities.
- Capture Points: Capture specific points on the map to gain control of zones and access to other areas.
- Defeat the Enemy: The final objective is to defeat the Alliance commander and win the warfront.
Account-Wide Unlock
Remember, after you complete the introductory questline on one character of each faction, all characters on your account will be able to queue for the Darkshore Warfront. This is incredibly convenient for playing through this content on multiple alts.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 15 frequently asked questions about the Darkshore Warfront to help clear up any confusion and provide additional details:
1. What level do I need to be to queue for the Darkshore Warfront?
You need to have a character that is level 50 or higher. This was the level cap during the Battle for Azeroth expansion when the Warfronts were introduced.
2. What item level (ilvl) is required for the Darkshore Warfront?
You need to be ilvl 335 or higher to be able to queue for the Darkshore Warfront. This is a fairly low ilvl to achieve and shouldn’t pose much problem if you have run any content in the game.
3. Do I need to complete the Heart of Azeroth questline to access Warfronts?
No, you do not need to complete the Heart of Azeroth questline. You only need a level 50 character and to have completed the introductory quests on at least one character of each faction to participate.
4. Can class trial characters access Warfronts?
Yes, class trial characters can access Warfronts. You can create a class trial character, hearthstone out of the starting area, and pick up the quest to access warfronts.
5. How do I get the Blackpaw mount?
The Blackpaw mount is a Horde-only mount. It drops from Blackpaw at coordinates (49.7 , 25.0) in Darkshore. This mount can be looted once per warfront cycle. If you have multiple characters, you can farm this once on each character per cycle.
6. Can I get the Darkshore Warfront armor in Dragonflight?
Yes, you can still get the Darkshore Warfront armor in Dragonflight. The Mythic appearance armor is randomly found in the Warfronts Equipment Cache, a reward for winning the Battle for Darkshore for the first time each cycle.
7. How do I travel to Darkshore as Horde in Classic WoW?
From Zoram’gar Outpost in Ashenvale, follow the road north-east to the main road. Follow the road north into Darkshore.
8. What mounts are available from the Darkshore Warfront as a Horde player?
Horde-specific mounts available in Darkshore include: Blackpaw, Shadowclaw, and Athil Dewfire. These are generally available through drops during the warfront cycle in the Darkshore zone.
9. How often do Warfronts cycle?
Warfronts have a cycle where one faction has control of the zone while the other faction can queue to participate. This cycle can be around 10 days of zone control for one faction on average. Usually this includes 3 days of contribution to the war effort and 7 days where that faction can queue for the warfront.
10. Can I do Heroic Warfront quests if I have not done normal Warfront quests?
No, you cannot. You need to unlock normal Warfronts before you can access Heroic Warfront quests. If you faction change a character, you will need to redo the unlock for normal Warfronts.
11. How do I get the Blackpaw mount?
Blackpaw is a rare spawn found in the Darkshore zone during Horde control. He drops this mount as a rare drop and can be looted only once per cycle.
12. Is the Darkshore Warfront part of a specific expansion?
Yes, the Battle for Darkshore is a Warfront introduced in the Battle for Azeroth expansion, specifically with patch “Tides of Vengeance”.
13. Do I need to complete all the quests in Darkshore to participate in the warfront?
No, you don’t need to complete all the quests in Darkshore. You only need to complete the introductory questline for Warfronts on at least one character of each faction and meet the level and ilvl requirements.
14. Where can I queue for Warfronts in Shadowlands?
You can queue for warfronts through the in-game map when it is active for your faction. You don’t need to be in the Darkshore zone to queue. It will be available in any zone that has a world map.
15. Where does the Horde introductory quest begin?
The Horde introductory quest usually begins when logging into a major Horde city like Orgrimmar or with the quest simply appearing in your quest log. Keep an eye out for the “Warchief’s Call” quest.
By following these steps and keeping these FAQs in mind, you should be well-equipped to jump into the Darkshore Warfront as a Horde player and enjoy all the rewards it has to offer!