We've been waiting a long ass time for a new content expansion in World of Warcraft, and that time finally comes tomorrow. We've already pre-patched in Warlords of Draenor with Patch 6.0.2, but there is far more that can be done to prepare. If you're planning on taking some time off, I recommend preparing with a good night's rest, as well as heading to the grocery store to stock up on fuel. I'm not necessarily talking about grabbing a case of Monster and clearing out the Totino's frozen pizza section, but maybe don't forget that water's best for staying hydrated and whole, nutritionally dense food will sustain you best. If you plan on gaming for long hours, you might as well keep that body going as well as possible. As the quote goes, “In order to feed the mind, you must first feed the body.” Also, if you're going to be sitting for long hours, be sure to get up and move around regularly to keep your blood circulating. Now that I've mommed you a bit, let's dive into how else you can get prepared for tomorrow.

First, I'd suggest getting caught up on Patch 6.0.2. When the Iron Tide went live, I put together a full write-up of the changes, including links to other information. That other information includes David's simple guide to 6.0.2, which is a good basic start on changes and what to expect. With the Iron Tide, a new quest line, Iron Horde Invasion, is available. I'd suggest knocking this one out tonight, if you haven't already. It's a pretty short and easy quest, which should get you positioned for tomorrow's expansion launch. I wish someone could please tell me why I grabbed the tank trinket reward for my druid when Restoration is my main spec and Feral Tank is my offspec. I think I was just too excited to get a greater Bear upgrade and jumped the gun without much of a thought. While Byron wrote his guide from an Alliance perspective, Horde have a similar line, so reading how the other faction does it won't stray you too far.

Another guide from Byron is one for all of the stat changes that come with 6.0.2: the Iron Tide. Stats have changed quite a bit, most notably staring with the great stat squish of 2014. The reasoning behind this is to do a bit of a reset with all of those numbers that have been rapidly increasing at a rather ridiculous rate over the past decade. Even in full heal gear and spec, my dumb (she's dumb because I play her, duh) Druid had almost a million hit points. Flopping over to OP Bear with Bear gear made it even more ridiculous. I remember recently renewing my World of Warcraft account and how in one day, I saw a 40% increase to health and mana while leveling through Pandaria content. I think I did the best I could to hysterical laugh in guild chat text. In addition to the squish, we've lost and gained some stats. Byron lets you know what the deal is.

Next up, I'd recommend reading David's most recent guide, which is all about preparing for your return to World of Warcraft. If you've taken time off while waiting on Warlords of Draenor (hey, don't feel bad, this gal is just as guilty of that), you might want to have a look and see what's going on. David's #2 is to use that sweet level 90 boost that comes with Draenor. I have one character at cap, my alt (and sometimes main, because I'm floppier than a flip flop) is a level behind cap, and I want more ways to heal everything. I'm still trying to decide on this one. John says it should obviously be a Paladin, but I don't know if shooting allies in the face with beams of light is really my thing or not. I need to grab a D4 and assign classes to numbers. He also recommends a very short list of mods and how to prepare otherwise for the new expansion. Most of it is common sense, but this stuff becomes easy to not think about when you're excited about something.

Like everything else, Professions are also changing. Warlords of Draenor is pretty much giving us a WoW 2.0 without a new game. Currently, the cap sits at 600, but will be raised to 700 come tomorrow. Since tomorrow also means that Garrisons are going live, this is something else that needs to be considered with crafting in mind from now on. Each Profession has, at minimum, a few changes, so knowing what's in store for you by reading Jason's guide is highly recommended. Be prepared, not surprised!

I'll probably never be prepared for a Skeksis Pool Party, though.

Lastly, we have several guides to go with all of the new factions that will come with Warlords of Draenor. Currently, I am looking at a total of five new ones that you'll have to deal with. As with all of World of Warcraft's factions, you might feel that some are worth skipping, some are necessary, and some are ideal once you're sitting at level cap again. Do know which ones are worth or a waste of your time? High faction with the Steemwheedle Preservation Society can earn you a level 100 Warlock for your Garrison, a ground mount, and Battle Pets, for example. The Vol'jin Spear has an instant mounting item, a ground mount, and PvP specific gear. Wrynn's Vanguard looks to be the Alliance mirror of the Vol'jin and has similar rewards. Laughing Skull Clan reputation will give you a level 100 Shaman for your Garrison and a transmog helm. Sha'tari Defense will give you a level 100 Paladin for your Garrison and a ground mount. These are only examples of faction rewards, of course! You'll have plenty more as you work your way up the ranks for each one.

Blizzard has also put together a collection to make sure you're ready for Thursday. Are you prepared for Warlords of Draenor arriving tomorrow? What are you looking forward to? Will you work on one or more of the factions? Keep in mind that we won't be stopping here, since a good deal of us here at Ten Ton Hammer plan on diving into World of Warcraft tomorrow to get our Draenor on. Be sure to come back to see what is new!


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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

About The Author

Vendolyn's been playing MMOs since 1999, although Vendolyn in-game often becomes a long-term shelved alt. When she's not gaming, she's likely marathoning some questionable TV show or babbling about music to no end. She really likes goats.

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