The Iron Horde invasion has begun.... Patch 6.0.2: The Iron Tide is now live, and this pre-expansion update introduces tons of new content and features to the game. To help you navigate the changes, we’ve put together a handy reference highlighting the key things you need to know—beginning with an informative new video by Community Manager Josh “Lore” Allen:
Character Updates
Updated Character Models: The Dwarf, Draenei, Gnome, Human, Night Elf, Orc, Tauren, Troll, and Undead models have all been updated! Blood Elves, Goblins, and Worgen are planned to be updated at a future point in time. If you want to customize your face to tweak your new look, you’ll be able to visit your local Barber Shop and pay a small fee. You can also view all of the updated models within our character viewer.
Class Ability, Spell, and Talent Changes: We’ve made lots of changes to how each class plays in preparation for Warlords of Draenor. Check out the full patch notes here to read up on what’s new with your favorite class.
Character Undelete: Regret wiping that Death Knight from existence? You’ll now be able to use the new Undelete Character feature if you’ve accidentally deleted a character—or just changed your mind about its fate. Read the post to find out more about this feature, including some important restrictions.
Character Name Reclamation: As of this patch, we’ve released the names of any characters that have not logged into the game since November 13, 2008. Read more about it here.
Interface Updates
Premade Groups: Group Finder has a new addition. Find a group to adventure with or create your own (you’ll even be able to name it). It’s easier than ever to find like-minded players to group with.
UI Changes and Additions: We’ve made some big additions and changes to the user interface, including many storage improvements, Map & Quest Log updates, bag sorting, and even a new Reagent Bank. Learn more here.
One area that trips a lot of people up when coming into a major game update—especially one with as many changes as Patch 6.0.2—is out-of-date UI add-ons: Both WoWInterface and Curse are popular UI sites that offer up-to-date add-ons. Look for add-ons that state they support version 6.0.2 and/or the Warlords of Draenor expansion.
If you’ve been away from the game a while or are running into UI issues, LUA/XML error messages, or “Unknown” entities, your best option might be to just wipe everything clean and start your add-on adventures over. Our UI Reset FAQ can help!
New Events
Treacherous Developments
The Dark Portal in the Blasted Lands has turned blood red. Hundreds of strange-looking orcs are violently pouring into Azeroth, killing everything that stands in their path. Nethergarde and Okril’lon have already fallen, and while the Horde and the Alliance moved as quickly as they could to get reinforcements to their people, they are too late. The Iron Horde invasion has begun.
In this desperate hour, King Wrynn and Warchief Vol’jin have called upon their greatest champions to join the front lines in the Blasted Lands and do whatever they can to stop the Iron Horde . . . before the rest of Azeroth falls before them.
Word of this surprise attack sends players rushing to the Blasted Lands to reckon with the barbarous infiltration. After the fall of a high-ranking Iron Horde general named Gar’mak Bladetwist, you’ll report what you’ve witnessed in the Blasted Lands to King Wrynn or Warchief Vol’jin. It’s apparent to both the Horde and the Alliance that this is only the first salvo in a much larger conflict, and the only way to win is to take the fight directly to the Iron Horde . . . by journeying through the Dark Portal into Draenor. Convenient portals to the Blasted Lands are located in the capital cities.
The Infiltration of Blackrock Spire
An advance party of Iron Horde forces has barged right out of the Blasted Lands and pushed all the way to Blackrock Mountain, where they found refuge and supplies in Upper Blackrock Spire. There can be only one response: the Alliance and the Horde of Azeroth must face this iron incursion head on.
Available to level-90 characters for a limited time, this specially revamped five-player version of Upper Blackrock Spire sets the stage for the coming counterstrike against the Iron Horde. Here, you will face Orebender Gor'ashan, Kyrak, and Commander Tharbek as you begin to take the fight to the enemy and sharpen the skills—and swords—you’ll need to succeed on an unwelcoming alien world.
The End of a Season
Challenge Modes: The Challenge Mode season has come to an end, and those who have earned great victories should expect their just rewards. You can learn more about what’s in store for next season here.
PvP Season 15: PvP Season 15 has ended, and we’ve begun the approximately two-week process to determine end-of-season reward eligibility.
Brawler’s Guild Season End: Season One of Brawler’s Guild has come to an end and progress has been reset. Any achievements you’ve earned have been added into a new category within Feats of Strength called Legacy.
Last Chance to be Legendary: For those looking to earn their Legendary cloak, it’s time to make your last push. With the release of this patch, players who are not already on the journey through this quest line will no longer be able to begin it. We’ve also removed the Test of Valor step with Patch 6.0.2 as a part of our transition from using Valor as a currency.
Siege of Orgrimmar Heirlooms: Those who are looking to obtain Garrosh Heirloom weapons from the Siege of Orgrimmar will want to step up their quest to obtain these valuable items. Once Warlords of Draenor launches, they’ll be removed from Garrosh's loot table. For a complete list of available heirlooms, see Wowhead’s handy list.
The Kitchen Sink
The Stat Squish is in. Expect to see smaller numbers but still remain a powerful hero of Azeroth.
Justice and Valor points have been removed and converted to gold at a rate of 47 silver per point.
Pandaria zones are now cross-realm, allowing players to find other likeminded adventurers in zones they’re in more easily.
Personal Loot: Players will need to collect their personal loot from defeated bosses (or the corresponding chest). They aren’t sparkling for their own health; make sure to rummage around in there for your goodies. If for some reason you forget, don’t worry—your item will be located and sent to you by the mail goblins.
CASC Conversion: As previously announced, Patch 6.0.2 marks our transition to the new “Content Addressable Storage Container” (CASC) file format system. This transition is an automatic process that will occur through the Battle.net desktop app as it installs Patch 6.0.2. While it shouldn’t require any action on your part, we have a few notes on the process that can help ensure a smooth install.
Read the full patch notes for all of the details here.
Additional Resources:
- Wowhead’s
As always, if you have any support issues, start at our World of Warcraft Support website, and if you don’t yet have the Battle.net desktop app, get started using it to keep all your Blizzard games up-to-date here.
Warlords of Draenor launches worldwide November 13, and you can prepare to journey to Draenor now by boosting a character to level 90 with your pre-purchase of the expansion digitally.