Loot Officer Trev

Loot Officer Trev
Current Gear Set Phase 2 Classic WoW

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Loot Officer Trev Alterac Valley Guide

Alterac Valley (AV) is a 40v40 large-scale PvPvE battleground for level 51+ players. Victory is achieved when one team defeats the enemy general, but many objectives can be completed for a tactical advantage such as capturing graveyards, defending towers, and summoning faction lords.

Alterac Valley also has many lucrative rewards from the Stormpike Guard (Alliance) and Forstwolf Clan (Horde) factions including  Don Julio's Band.

In our detailed guide to Alterac Valley, we will cover everything you need to know to win, including how to queue, important objectives, buffs, quests, and gaining reputation.

Alterac Valley Overview

Alterac Valley is one of three battlegrounds in World of Warcraft: Classic, with a focus on large-scale combat as each faction can have up to 40 players inside of the battleground instance.

Alterac Valley is unique due to its PvPvE nature, as players will be fighting enemy players and NPCs of the opposite faction, as well as hostile creatures native to Alterac Valley. In addition, players may gather resources (such as  Stormpike Soldier's Blood and  Frostwolf Soldier's Medal) to upgrade infantry units, summon ground, cavalary, and aerial assault units, and summon massive faction Lords.

Alterac Valley Entrance Location and Queue

Players that have reached levels 51-60 can queue up for Alterac Valley by either traveling to the battleground entrance in Alterac Mountains, or by speaking to an Alterac Valley Battlemaster in a major city.

What Version of Alterac Valley is Used in WoW Classic?

As Alterac Valley saw many changes even before the Burning Crusade expansion, Blizzard clarified back in March of 2019 that Alterac Valley in World of Warcraft: Classic will use details from the 1.12 version.
Originally posted by Blizzard (View Original)Collapse
This is a subject that has been asked about several times recently, and we want to clarify some of the details surrounding it. Like many aspects of the game, Alterac Valley was tuned and adjusted in different ways from patch to patch in 2005-2006.

First and foremost, we’re planning to use the 1.12 version of Alterac Valley. For many parts of the game like this, we’re picking an original WoW patch that gives us the most clarity for WoW: Classic, and 1.12 is that patch.

In Alterac Valley, that puts us before the introduction of reinforcements. It puts us before the removal of all of the Commanders and Lieutenants. The only win conditions are the killing of Drek’thar in Frostwolf Keep or Vanndar Stormpike in Dun Baldar.

It gives us several early improvements to the BG that we’re glad to have in place. Early on in AV, there were too many NPCs and they were too hard to kill. By 1.12, many had been removed and NPC health was brought down to a reasonable level. Turning in armor scraps is an encouraged, supportive activity by this point. Many capture points (mostly graveyards) had been moved away from their initial placements to gain better balance across the map. Korak the Bloodrager was removed, and killing opposing players no longer drops items like Dwarf Spines, Orc Teeth, or Human Bone Chips. Gross.

How to Win Alterac Valley

To achieve victory in Alterac Valley, players must kill the enemy General Vanndar Stormpike or Drek'Thar. This goal is made easier by destroying enemy bunkers/towers to reduce the number of elites (Marshals/Warmasters) guarding the General.

Historically it was not uncommon for Alterac Valley games to last for multiple hours, even days before changes were made to the battleground after Classic.

What To Do Your First Time in Alterac Valley

The first time in Alterac Valley, you should set your first goal of completing  Proving Grounds/  Proving Grounds. This will earn you your first  Stormpike Insignia Rank 1/ Frostwolf Insignia Rank 1, a sort of Alterac-specific hearthstone with a 2- minute cooldown. This will get you back to your base in a hurry so you can do turn-ins or consolidate your forces.

After that, your best bet is to attach yourself to a group, if you aren't already in one. The first few goals of Alterac Valley are simple:
  1. Get to your first faction tower, clear the NPCs, and cap (Icewing Bunker for Alliance, Tower Point for Horde). "Capping" means to capture the flag inside and wait 4 minutes for it to turn to your faction's colors.
  2. Get to your first uncapped faction graveyard just beyond this tower and cap (Stonehearth Graveyard for Alliance, Iceblood Graveyard for Horde)
  3. After that, if you have the freedom to do so, use your insignia to return to the keep to do turn-ins.
Once these objectives have been completed, you can choose either to help defend captured resources, or move forward with the group on offense. It's up to you. Try everything!

General Tips and Strategies for Alterac Valley

  • Know the map.
    Winning Alterac Valley goes to whichever team knows the map best and can use it the most effectively.
  • Travel in a coordinated group whenever possible.
    A coordinated team of people, especially if connected through voice chat, can take on a great deal and is much more likely to survive. Solo players are targets and will be picked off.
  • Don't automatically try to kill enemy players.
    Often, players will see an enemy player and immediately attack them, whether it's strategically necessary or not. Enemy players should be treated like NPCs -- NPCs that are often less powerful, and will "evade", and have unpredictable aggro. Keep your mind on the goals and don't get slowed down.
  • Learn the ways to get around difficult areas or choke points when possible.
    Knowing the sneaky ways around can not only get you past difficult areas, but can help you defend more effectively against other players who know those ways too.
  • Avoid the roads.
    Most players are naturally inclined to follow roads, but in this case, don't. The road has patrols and just leads into the Field of Strife where all the zergers will congregate, which doesn't advance the battleground's goals.
  • Cap towers.
    This means staying there to defend until they are capped, which takes 4 minutes. For every tower under your faction's control, the boss will have 1 Marshall or Warmaster in the room with him, a very tough elite.
  • DON'T allow the other side to control the most strategic graveyards.
    Keep the nearest graveyard to the current objective capped.
  • Don't fight on the bridge, or too close to the ravine.
    The bridge between the Alliance keep and Stormpike Graveyard is a famous chokepoint. It's easy to get knocked off the bridge and die. Fight on one side or the other; the bridge is for rapid crossing only.
  • If you get accidental aggro while fighting the end boss, DON'T try to escape by running out of the keep.
    This will reset the boss. Run to the tank.

Alterac Valley Map and Objectives

Below is a map detailing important objectives in Alterac Valley, including graveyards, towers, and mines. The locations on this map will be referenced frequently in the quest and objectives sections of this battleground guide.

A map of objectives in Alterac Valley.

Primary Objective: Kill Enemy General

As mentioned earlier in the guide, the primary goal of Alterac Valley is to kill the enemy faction's General, Vanndar Stormpike or Drek'Thar. While this can be done without completing the secondary objectives, it would be significantly more difficult. Once the General has been killed, the Alterac Valley match ends.


Frostwolf Keep (south) and Dun Baldar (north)


To ease the process of killing the enemy faction's General in Classic Alterac Valley, players can capture and complete a number of objectives such as killing captains, capturing enemy towers, and securing graveyards in advantageous locations.

Secondary Objective: Kill Captains

Players can kill Captains, which occasionally provide buffs to the enemy faction. Captain Galvangar is located in Iceblood Garrison, and Captain Balinda Stonehearth is located in Stonehearth Outpost.

Secondary Objective: Capture Graveyards

Players can capture contested/enemy Graveyards to advance their spawns and push back enemy spawns. In total there are 7 Graveyards in Alterac Valley.

Secondary Objective: Capture Towers/Bunkers

Players can capture enemy Towers/Bunkers to reduce the number of Marshals/Warmasters in the General's room.

Players can also defend their faction's Towers/Bunkers to preserve their Marshals/Warmasters.

Alterac Valley Enemy NPCs: Officer Ranks and Benefits

Lieutenants

Lieutenants tend to patrol the roads and graveyards of their faction, and provide a lesser buff of the same nature as the Commanders.

Lieutenants are fairly weak elites that can be killed by a skilled player or a few players. Killing Lieutenants grants bonus honor, and disables the respawning of some enemy troops.

Commanders

Commanders occupy the Towers/Bunkers and patrol the Graveyards of their faction while providing a moderate buff to nearby players.

Commanders are moderately tough elites that can be killed by a few players. Killing Commanders grants bonus honor, and disables the respawning of some enemy troops.

Captains

Captains periodically grant a 20% health buff to all members of their faction, and they are located in the Stonehearth Outpost and Iceblood Garrison respectively.

A skilled 5-man group can kill a Captain. Killing Captains grants bonus honor, disables the respawning of some enemy troops, and grants an additional periodic buff if your Captain is still alive.



Alliance Captain
Captain Balinda Stonehearth
Horde Captain
Captain Galvangar

Generals

Generals are tough, raid-level bosses that require coordinated tanking and DPS to kill. They are located in their respective fortresses and cannot be kited outside without resetting. The Generals are also guarded by several Marshals/Warmasters dependent on how many Towers/Bunkers are still intact.

Killing the General ends the match, and grants bonus honor based on what objectives are under your faction's control.




Alliance Captain
Vanndar Stormpike
Horde Captain
Drek'Thar

Alterac Valley Quests for Assaults and Troop Upgrades

There are a number of repeatable quests associated with Alterac Valley that are accepted and completed while within the battleground instance. In addition to providing reputation, these quests also provide troops and troop upgrades once enough resources have been turned in. Generally these quests are only worth completing during longer Alterac Valley matches to turn the tide of battle. These items will disappear upon leaving the battleground instance.

Unit Upgrades

Requirements: 500  Armor Scraps per upgrade - 1500 total for all 3 upgrades
Turn-in NPC: Murgot Deepforge / Smith Regzar

Players can turn in  Armor Scraps to Murgot Deepforge ( Armor Scraps and  More Armor Scraps) or Smith Regzar ( Enemy Booty and  More Booty!) to upgrade their faction's stationary troops. Each upgrade costs 500  Armor Scraps, a total of 1500 for all 3 upgrades. Completing the turn-in quest will also provide the  Polished Armor buff, which increases armor by 10% for 30 minutes.

 Armor Scraps drop from almost every creature in Alterac Valley, as well as enemy players. Upgrading troops through  Armor Scraps turn-ins will also result in your team's General providing a periodic buff to players' melee and spell damage. This buff scales from 10% at the Seasoned unit level, 20% at the Veteran unit level, and 30% at the Champion unit level. To activate the upgraded units when ready, a player needs to have Honored or higher reputation with their Alterac Valley faction.

Ground Assaults

Requires 280  Irondeep Supplies (North) or 70  Coldtooth Supplies (South)
Turn-in NPC: Stormpike Quartermaster
Requires: 280  Coldtooth Supplies (South) or 70  Irondeep Supplies (North)
Turn-in NPC: Frostwolf Quartermaster

To start a ground assault, players must gather supplies from the Coldtooth and/or Irondeep Mines. In order to retrieve the supplies, players must gain control of the mine by killing the boss residing in that mine. These mines contain non-elite creatures, so a single player or small group of players can easily gain control of a mine.

Once the mine is under control, the miners will start generating supplies for players to return to their base. To be able to loot the  Coldtooth Supplies and  Irondeep Supplies, players must have the respective quest(s):  Coldtooth Supplies,  Coldtooth Supplies,  Irondeep Supplies,  Irondeep Supplies. When speaking with the Quartermaster, they will inform players of the number of supplies needed for the ground assault to begin. As more supplies are collected, the pile of supplies near the Quartermaster will grow.

After enough supplies have been gathered (280  Irondeep Supplies or 70  Coldtooth Supplies for Alliance; 280  Coldtooth Supplies or 70  Irondeep Supplies for Horde), a player with Honored or higher reputation can activate the ground assault. This will spawn a group of elite troops that will move forward through Alterac Valley, attacking enemy players and enemy troops. Additional commands must be given to send them further in to attack by clicking on them, and if your reputation is high enough. After the attack has completed, there is a cooldown period before another ground assault can be activated.

Cavalry Assaults

Requirements for  Empty Stables : 25 Tamed Alterac Rams
Turn-in NPC (Stables): Stormpike Stable Master

Requirements for  Ram Riding Harnesses : 25  Frostwolf Hide
Turn-in NPC (Harnesses): Stormpike Ram Rider Commander
Requirements for  Empty Stables: 25 Tamed Frostwolfs
Turn-in NPC (Stables): Frostwolf Stable Master

Requirements for  Ram Hide Harnesses: 25  Alterac Ram Hide
Turn-in NPC (Harnesses): Frostwolf Wolf Rider Commander

Players can create and command a cavalry so long as they have completed the quests in their base's stables. Initially, a player must capture Rams or Wolves by taming them using the tools provided by the Stable Master ( Empty Stables or  Empty Stables). After the stables are full (25 Tamed Rams or 25 Tamed Frostwolves), a message will be broadcasted and then players will need to collect pelts - Horde players will need to slay Alterac Rams, and Alliance players will need to slay Frostwolves ( Ram Hide Harnesses or  Ram Riding Harnesses).

After enough components have been gathered (25  Frostwolf Hide or 25  Alterac Ram Hide), a player with Honored or higher reputation can activate the cavalry assault. Additional commands must be given to send them further in to attack by clicking on them, and if your reputation is high enough. After the attack has completed, there is a cooldown period before another cavalry assault can be activated.

Aerial Assaults

Requirements for  Slidore's Beacon: 120  Frostwolf Soldier's Medal
NPC Turn-In:  Call of Air - Slidore's Fleet at Wing Commander Slidore, Held in Tower Point, attacks Frostwolf Graveyard

Requirements for  Vipore's Beacon: 60  Frostwolf Lieutenant's Medal
NPC Turn-In:  Call of Air - Vipore's Fleet at Wing Commander Vipore, Held in Frostwolf Village, attacks Frostwolf Village

Requirements for  Ichman's Beacon: 30  Frostwolf Commander's Medal
NPC Turn-In:  Call of Air - Ichman's Fleet at Wing Commander Ichman, Held in West Frostwolf Tower, attacks outside Generals' Fortresses
Requirements for  Guse's Beacon: 120  Stormpike Soldier's Flesh -
NPC Turn-In:  Call of Air - Guse's Fleet at Wing Commander Guse, Held in Icewing Bunker, attacks Stormpike Graveyard

Requirements for  Jeztor's Beacon: 60  Stormpike Lieutenant's Flesh -
NPC Turn-In:  Call of Air - Jeztor's Fleet at Wing Commander Jeztor, Held in Stormpike Lumber Yard, attacks Dun Baldar Bunker area

Requirements for  Mulverick's Beacon: 30  Stormpike Commander's Flesh -
NPC Turn-In:  Call of Air - Mulverick's Fleet atWing Commander Mulverick, Held in Dun Baldar North Bunker, attacks Stormpike Aid Station


Once players have rescued the lost Wing Commanders after completing a series of quests, they can gain the ability to summon aerial units that patrol from the players' base to the center of Alterac Valley. The resources can be looted from enemy players and enemy troops, although if the Wing Commanders have not been rescued, players will be unable to turn in these resources.

After obtaining the necessary amount of items needed (which are turned in to a specific Wing Commander), a player with Revered or higher reputation can receive a beacon to place on the map which will order an air strike. Each Wing Commander will offer two options for each flight - one to deploy a Aerie Gryphon or War Rider, and the other to command the Wing Commander to assault the enemy's base.

Faction Lords - Ivus and Lokholar

Requirements to summon Ivus: 200  Storm Crystal
Turn-in Quest:  Ivus the Forest Lord
Turn-in NPC: Arch Druid Renferal
Faction Lord: Ivus the Forest Lord
Requirements to summon Lokholar: 200  Stormpike Soldier's Blood
Turn-in Quest:  Lokholar the Ice Lord
Turn-in NPC: Primalist Thurloga
Faction Lord: Lokholar the Ice Lord

Players can collect resources from fallen players of the opposite faction to summon a powerful, raid-level faction boss. After enough of these items are turned in, the Druid/Primalist will travel up to the Field of Strike accompanied by a group of elite guards. The Primalist will go to the area south of Snowfall Graveyard and north of Iceblood Garrison, while the Archdruid will go to the area west of Stonehearth Bunker and east of Stonehearth Outpost.

Once they have reached their respective location, they will start a summoning ritual which requires ten players to click on their summoning circle. Completing the summoning ritual will then spawn the faction lord, which will spend some time in the Fields of Strike attacking enemy players and enemy troops before advancing towards the enemy base. These faction lords can be buffed and healed, so guarding them carefully is recommended as they can easily turn the tide of battle and end the match.

Alterac Valley Rewards

The rewards provided through the Alterac Valley battleground and its associated factions (Stormpike Guard for the Alliance, Frostwolf Clan for the Horde) are generally well-itemized such as  Don Julio's Band, serving as raid gear. Keep in mind that these quests can be completed as early as level 51.

This guide will outline important rewards, but more details can be found in our dedicated Alterac Valley reputation guides below:

Hero of the Frostwolf/Stormpike Quest Rewards

Completion of the introductory quest ( The Battle for Alterac /  The Battle of Alterac), which requires the player to win an Alterac Valley match, will lead to the quest  Hero of the Frostwolf /  Hero of the Stormpike. These quests provide Rare-quality weapons:

Alterac Valley Reputation Rewards

These reputation rewards can be purchased from Quartermasters inside of Alterac Valley, or in Alterac Mountains outside of the battleground instance.

Honored Alterac Valley Rewards

Revered Alterac Valley Rewards

Exalted Alterac Valley Rewards

Alterac Valley Trinket

The Alterac Valley trinket provides some frost resistance and other half-decent stats, although its primary benefit is in its utility (being able to teleport back to the main base during an Alterac Valley match). Upon completing the Proving Grounds quest, players will receive the first rank of the trinket. Each reputation bracket (Friendly, Honored, Revered, Exalted, 999/1000 Exalted) will provide an improved trinket.

Gaining Reputation in Alterac Valley

As players fight in Alterac Valley, they will earn reputation with either the Frostwolf Clan or the Stormpike Guard. For each faction, there are two quartermaster vendors - one inside of Alterac Valley, and one in Alterac Mountains outside of the battleground's entrance.

In this guide, we will highlight the most important parts of Alterac Valley reputations, and even more details can be found in our dedicated reputation guides:



Reputation can be gained from the following sources during an Alterac Valley match:
  • Killing the enemy General (+389 reputation)
  • Killing the enemy Captain (+125 reputation)
  • Killing the enemy Lord (+125 reputation)
  • Destroying an enemy tower (+12 reputation)
  • Killing an enemy Lieutenant or Commander (+12 reputation each)
  • Killing an enemy Air Master (+5 reputation)
  • Killing an enemy guard (+5 reputation up to Honored)
  • Killing an enemy player (+1 reputation)
At the end of the match, additional reputation is earned for the following conditions:
  • Enemy Captain killed (+36 reputation)
  • Allied Captain still alive (+125 reputation)
  • Enemy Tower(s) destroyed (+24 reputation each)
  • Enemy Lieutenant(s) and Commander(s) killed (+12 reputation each)
  • Controlled intact Tower(s) (+12 reputation each)
  • Controlled Graveyards (+12 reputation each)
  • Controlled Mine(s) (+12 reputation each)

Personal Quests

In Alterac Valley there are a number of quests that players can complete and earn reputation from, such as:
 The Battle of Alterac (+500 reputation)
 The Eye of Command (+500 reputation)
 Legendary Heroes (+500 reputation)
 Earned Reverence (+350 reputation)
 Invaders of Alterac Valley (+350 reputation)
 Brotherly Love (+250 reputation)
 Capture a Mine (+250 reputation)
 Defusing the Threat (+250 reputation)
 Armor Scraps (+250 reputation)
 Fallen Sky Lords (+250 reputation)
 Honored Amongst the Guard (+250 reputation)
 The Sovereign Imperative (+250 reputation)
 Rise and Be Recognized (+250 reputation)
 Proving Grounds (+250 reputation)
 Alterac Valley Graveyards (+250 reputation)
 Towers and Bunkers (+250 reputation)
 Zinfizzlex's Portable Shredder Unit (+25 reputation)
 The Quartermaster (+10 reputation)
To learn more about the non-repeatable, one time quests you can complete in Alterac Valley, check out fellow Wowhead guidewriter Quissy's video companion:

Wild Creatures in Alterac Valley

Alterac Valley has many native denizens that are not affiliated with neither the Horde nor the Alliance. Wild creatures that players can find in Alterac Valley are:
  • Irondeep troggs, located in the Irondeep Mine far to the north
  • Wildpaw gnolls, located in the Wildpaw Cavern far to the south
  • Snowblind harpies, located in the Icewing Cavern west of Icewing Bunker in the north
  • Whitewhisker kobolds, located in the Coldtooth Mine northwest of Frostwolf Graveyard in the south
  • Rams, found north of the Field of Strife
  • Wolves, found south of the Fields of Strife
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