20170503: The Warlock Order Hall

Warlock Order Hall: Dreadscar Rift

Location:
Planet: Azeroth
Continent: Broken Isles
Region: hard to tell, but seems to be above the Broken Isles...somewhere
Where: Dreadscar Rift
Specifically: the whole nightmare location is devoted to warlocks and their fel servants
Faction: Council of the Black Harvest

Your title in the order hall: Netherlord (one word)

What one does there:
Get quests
Set missions
--as in Warlords of Draenor, the Legion missions are done by named NPCs.
--examples:,
--also available: nameless followers (fel servants of one sort or another)
Upgrade permanent followers from mission rewards
Do order research: most of this is done at the 110 level
Edit the artifact weapon at the weapon forge.  This is the only place for warlocks to update traits.
Train temporary troops; here called 'ghouls'
Engrave weapons with enchantments
As one accomplishes more, be able to change the weapon's appearance with the artifact forge

How to get there:
In the new (Legion expansion) Dalaran, there is a portal to DR in the Underbelly near the entrance next to the Kirin Tor tower.

Return from Dreadscar Rift:
There is a portal in Dreadscar Rift to the new Dalaran.

Artifact weapons: warlocks can only update their artifact weapons in Dreadscar Rift

Destruction (DPS):
--Scepter of Sargeras, staff
--relic slots: Fel, Fire, (initially locked) Fel

------

Notes from early on with the warlock:

My level 98 Destruction Warlock, Chronoslock, on 20170503 attained the

1. new Dalaran hearthstone
2. armor upgrades: 560 average to 587 average
3. from Stormwind Vanguard Staff (staff, level 685; replaced 536)
4. from Accolade of House Wrynne (trinket, level 685; replaced 565)
5. from Signet of Stormwind (ring, level 640; replaced 515)
6. an invitation from the faction 'Council of the Black Harvest.'
7. There was a summoning; the demon showed, then the demon imprisoned my warlock and 3 others.
8. One obtains 'A Tome of Blighted Instruments' then tries to escape.
9. I got the book, got away from the demons, but hearthing back to Dalaran did not constitute escape.  Crap.
10. Start over.
11. Did the same stuff, only more efficiently.  Worked this time.  Go figure.
12. A portal to the warlock meeting place seems to be the Ring underneath Dalaran in what was called the Underbelly.
13. Got the quest to get the  Destruction artifact weapon.
14. Finished the quest, got the weapon
15. Got the invite to the order hall
16. Got my character installed as leader (Netherlord)
17. Got my artifact weapon properly initialized at the artifact forge.

2018-0202_Battle for Azeroth pre-order goodies

Battle for Azeroth (pre-order, 31jan2018)

Bias: Of my 33 characters, 7 are Horde, 26 are Alliance.  Of my ten (10) characters at level 110, only 1 is Horde, while 9 are sensible members of the non-bastard Alliance.

Setting:
Planet: Azeroth, after the Legion was taken out.  The warring sides are the traditional Horde versus Alliance.  Both are looking for reinforcements to their ranks.
Leaders:
Anduin Llane Wrynn, King of Stormwind, leader of the Alliance, and
Sylvanas Windrunner, Warchief of the Horde.

Purpose of the preorder:
Make money for Blizzard
Get new BfA appropriate armour: my lead Legion character had armour iLevel 928.  After the pre-launch patch, that same armour was level 210, 208 (a couple days later), then 204 (a few more days later.  During the pre-launch patch, moving up to 212 was not especially difficult using the world quests.
Get a new weapon: my glorious artifact weapons were all totally castrated.  May you be damned, Blizzard.  The new replacement weapons are monstrously weak, but they work in BfA.  So get a round of new weapons ASAP.

Introduce two new races per faction.
Void Elves and Lightforged Draenei (Alliance).
High Mountain Tauren and Nightfallen Elves (Horde)

After the actual start of BfA, there will be even more allied races.

Introduce requirements (2  per race) enabling the user to access the races.

Standard purchase reward: user gets to advance an existing character to level 110, or start a new character at level 110.

Deluxe purchase reward: everything in standard, plus mounts and pets

Why go ahead with the pre-purchase:
The enabling quests might take most users a long time.  For instance, I am still working on "Revered" from Argussian Reach (01mar2018).  Exalted is required.  On the other hand, I witnessed players getting access to the new races on 01feb2018.

After a re-launch, or sooner, your 110 level characters should get mail and video from High King Anduin (Alliance) or Warchief Sylvanus (Horde).  Meet your respective leader where they have indicated that your character go.

Next travel step:
Alliance:
Get to Stormwind City, one way or another.
Fly, ride, or walk to Olivia's Pond.  You should be able to see the new Embassy building.
High King Anduin Wrynne awaits within, along with kings, queens, and distinguished leaders.

Horde;
Go fuck yourself.
Less seriously, get to Orgrimmar, the Horde capital.  When the goblin filth joined the Horde in the Cataclysm expansion, Orgrimmar suddenly had a goblin slum.  Go there.
Find Warchief Sylvanus.  A motley crew of traitorous Horde backstabbers surround her.

What to do, Alliance:
Listen to High King Anduin Wrynne discuss the losses incurred by the Alliance and the growing militarization of the Horde forces.  Anduin introduces High Exarch Turalyan and Alleria Windrunner.

High Exarch Turalyan discusses Light-forged Draenei as allies. Speak to him. A dialog pops up giving requirements for creating a Light-forged Draenei character, and some of the abilities the new character would have.  One needs to have exalted status with the Army of the Light.  Also, complete 'you are prepared.'

Alleria speaks of Blood Elves who have studied the Void to the point where she can use it, rather than it use her.  Speaking to her yields pop-ups describing Void Elves' abilities.  One needs to achieve exalted status with the Argussian Reach faction, and complete 'you are prepared.'

What to do, Horde: 
Go straight to hell. Do not pass GO, do not collect 200 dollars.
Less seriously, listen to the Warchief, who introduces two useless scum.

Listen to the scum, then speak to them about requirements to create a character from the new races.

20170526: a few recommendations

Some best early decisions in the Draenor => Legion transitions.

1. One can get to Legion material from Draenor at level 98.  Speaking from the viewpoint of a post level 110 veteran, I'd say there are planning decisions one can make at level 98 to simplify things.

2. How many alts do you have?  If the answer is 'many,' read on.

3. Recommendations, early on.
  a. Choose your strongest level 98 to go forward.  'Favorite' is OK, but strongest is better.
  b. Get through the Scenario about landing on Broken Shore.
  c. Pick up all the armor and goodies from subsequent quests.  Try not to skip any quests, including the one that gets your to New Dalaran and a third hearth stone.  (Yes, third.)
  d. On the quest to get your order hall, do all possible parts.  Learn how to get there and get back to New Dalaran.
  e. Get the quest to obtain your first artifact weapon.  Get it.  Do not do ANYTHING ELSE until you get that first artifact weapon.  (First?  One can get a separate artifact weapon for each specialty your class has. For Monk, it's three: Brewmaster (tank), Mistweaver (healer), Windwalker (DPS); each has its own artifact weapon.)

4. You've got class order hall, artifact weapon, hearthstone to New Dalaran.
  a. Get the quest to choose the first campaign for your order hall.
  b. This starts your campaign in one of the following regions: Val'sharah, Azsura, High Mountain, or Stormheim.  The sub-regions Suramar and Broken Shore are intrinsically level 110, so you cannot start there.
  c. This is the start of your work in the Broken Isles.-----------------------------

5. There are a few common things to do early on.
  a. Your opponents, wherever you choose to start, will be at your level.  Well, except in Suramar, which always seems to be level 110.
  b. Start any quest line.  Follow it as far as you can.
  c. Get flight points as you go.
  d. Do not leave the region until you have reached 'Honored' reputation for the dominant faction.

6. Flight.
  a. Once you have reached 'Honored' for five dominant factions, you can get the 'pick me up if I'm under the sky' taxi service.  This is great.  Once you have finished a harsh quest, you usually have to fight your way out of the bad region you are in.  The taxi service saves you from most of this.
  b. To get the license to fly your own bird, much more is required:
     
i. Get the Exploration achievement for each of the sub-regions
Val'Sharah,
Azsura,
High Mountain,
Stormheim,
Suramar, and
Broken Shore.
   
ii. Reach reputation 'Revered' with all of:
Dreamweavers,
Wardens,
Vrykul,
Court of Farondis,
High Mountain,
Nightfallen, and
Army of Legionfall.
   
iii. Complete the 5 Loremaster achievements:
Azsura Matata (five parts),
Ain't No Mountain High Enough (seven parts),
That's Val'Sharah Folks (seven parts),
Good Suramaritan (eleven parts),
Vrykul Story Bro (eight parts).

-----Use your Achievements pane to check your progress on these Loremaster achievements. Each of these parts consists of a quest line which consists of 10 to 25 quests.