In World of Warcraft Patch 6.2, you’ll oversee your Garrison’s first new major construction project—and take command of your forces in a whole new theater of war. In order to push back against the twisted remnants of the Iron Horde, you’ll need to expand your operations to the shore and set your sights on the seas between you and the mysterious Tanaan Jungle. To do that, you’ll need a Shipyard.

Alliance Shipyard

The Shipyard is a new building available to all Garrison commanders who have reached level 100 and improved their Garrison to level 3—and after you travel to the Iron Docks and discover just how dire the naval situation is, you’ll want to make your Shipyard a top priority. As soon as you return to your Garrison, you’ll be able to raise a level 1 Shipyard and begin construction on your first ocean vessel immediately.

Horde Shipyard

Your Fledgling Fleet

In war, you need soldiers to fight on the front lines—with that in mind, your first ship will be the mighty Troop Transport, a vessel designed to help you tackle a variety of seafaring threats. This stalwart ship will help you initiate combat, and will serve as the backbone of your fleet as you’re getting your feet wet.

Ships are managed much like Garrison Followers. You’ll send your ships on naval missions, and each naval mission will present a new set of challenges for you to counter with your ships’ abilities. Some of the new abilities include Salty Crew (improves success chance by 10%), Unsinkable (shields the ship from a fatal shot), and Trained Shark Tank—because navigating through mine-studded waters is no problem when you have trained sharks on your side.

And guns. The sharks have guns.

Setting a Course

Just as your Followers need Garrison Resources to operate, your ships will require Oil. Collect enough Oil to send your ships on many naval missions, and you’ll unlock the level 2 and level 3 Shipyard, allowing you to maintain more ships and take on more naval missions.

There’s oil on Draenor! And as fate would have it, it’s mainly to be found in Tanaan, where the enemy has been collecting the precious substance for a while now. They’ll have to be relieved of it in some way or another . . . and that’s where you come in. Your ships need oil. Your entire war effort now depends on it.

Naval warfare to take place precisely right there!

Your ships also come with equipment, and how you use it will play a key role in your success on the high seas. For example, a ship with a Gyroscopic Internal Stabilizer can deal with Chaotic Whirlpools by staying upright and stable. A ship with a Food Storage Bay has additional space for stashing extra supplies, and is therefore better at taking on longer naval missions.

Your ships can be manned by a specific crew, and the composition of the crew helps determine your results and rewards. For example, a goblin crew increases the gold gained from the mission; a night elf crew reduces mission time; and a human crew increases your success chance.

A tauren crew is sturdy—and rewards a 50% experience bonus.

The high seas are filled with threats, and they won’t be easy to deal with. Take too much of a risk on a naval mission, and you could lose your vessels and all of the time and resources they represent. You’ll want to pay close attention to which ships counter which threats. For example:

• Submarines move silently underwater, sneaking up on unsuspecting ships.
• Destroyers counter Submarines with Depth Charges.
• Battleships fire long-range artillery to sink enemies such as Destroyers.
• Carriers deploy bombers to attack Battleships from the air.

First Look: Ships

Alliance and Horde Destroyers

Alliance and Horde Submarines

Alliance and Horde Carriers

Alliance and Horde Battleships

Alliance and Horde Transports

Want to get a better look at the next patch for yourself? Join us on the Patch 6.2 Public Test Realm, and share your thoughts and opinions on everything coming to World of Warcraft in our PTR General Discussion forum. If you find a bug while testing, let us know about it in our PTR Bug Report forum.

See you at sea!