World of Warcraft's fifth expansion pack Warlords of Draenor is not fondly remembered by the player base, but that does not mean it had nothing to offer. The expansion brought players back in time to an alternate reality Draenor for an adventure seeping with old school Azeroth lore. It showed players a different period that had not been explored much, and it introduced the brand-new garrisons feature that formed the core of the entire expansion.
Blizzard ended up cutting Warlords of Draenor short and moving onto the next World of Warcraft expansion Legion as soon as possible. The brand-new garrison feature has not cropped back up since, and instead it has joined a long line of expansion features that are left forgotten. However, the garrison feature was interesting enough that it should not be left behind. It was the first time that players got a version of player housing, and it offered a new form of content that World of Warcraft had not done before or since.
Warlords of Draenor's Garrisons Were Flawed But Interesting
Warlords of Draenor's garrisons were the big new feature that came with the expansion. The idea was that players were going to claim a spot of land in the harsh continent of Draenor that would serve as the base of operations for their battle against the Iron Horde. Alliance players would construct one in Shadowmoon Valley while Horde players got to build one in Frostfire Ridge. Each player had their own garrison, and they were free to design it to their liking within the confines of Blizzard's game design.
Players were able to place down an assortment of buildings in their garrison that served many purposes during their adventures in Warlords of Draenor. These buildings ranged from resource gathering areas like a Herb Garden, Mine, and Pet Menagerie to larger buildings like an Inn, Trading Post, and Forge. These buildings could be upgraded to expand their offerings, and the entire garrison could be leveled up three times to unlock new building slots and change the overall aesthetic. Players could also decorate these garrisons with trophies and awards based on things they accomplished during the expansion.
The garrisons of Warlords of Draenor gave players a version of player housing in WoW, and it offered a decent amount of content that players could grind out. However, the garrisons also drew a lot of criticism for the fact that they made World of Warcraft feel like a singleplayer game. Players would spend hours in their garrisons, and each player had their own that they would hang out in. There was little reason to leave and explore the greater Draenor outside of leveling, as almost everything could be done within the confines of these garrisons. Much of the content surrounded the feature, and many players felt like World of Warcraft was no longer an MMO.
The Garrison Feature Could Live On In New Expansions
The garrison feature was very flawed since it made the game no longer feel alive, but it also had some interesting ideas that should be brought back. World of Warcraft players have been clamoring for player housing for years, and garrisons were the closest that the game has come to offering that. Many players want to spend time customizing a place of their own and showing off their achievements across multiple expansions, but the garrisons only offered that during Warlords of Draenor.
Blizzard seems to have a bad habit of introducing brand-new WoW features with each expansion only to abandon them with the next, but the garrisons do not deserve that treatment. Players should be able to place down a base of their own somewhere across Azeroth that they can customize to their liking and show off to other players. Essentially, World of Warcraft needs a form of player housing, and the garrisons already laid the groundwork. Blizzard just needs to expand upon the feature and give players a form of content that persists across expansions, and World of Warcraft may be better for it.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC.