Guide to the Wintergrasp PvP Zone in World of Warcraft

Written by: SP Clark • Edited by: Michael Hartman
Updated May 19, 2011 • Related Guides: Alliance | Warcraft | World Of Warcraft

This guide details everything a World of Warcraft player needs to know about battling within Wintergrasp - from information on vehicles to how Ranks work.

What is Wintergrasp?

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Located in the center of Northrend, Wintergrasp is World of Warcraft’s first and only designated PVP area. Its mobs offer up an array of crystallized elements, which makes it an ideal place for players looking to farm some much-needed gold. However, once every 2.5 hours, for approximately 30 minutes, Wintergrasp transforms into an arena of bloodshed. Its mobs go into hiding and the Siege Vehicles come out to play! But how does a successful team win control of Wintergrasp? Read on…

The Idea Behind Wintergrasp

Like most PVP events in World of Warcraft, Wintergrasp requires one faction to attack and the other to defend. The role of each team is decided based on the events of the last Wintergrasp battle, which means if Alliance won the previous battle then Horde would be attacking with Alliance protecting. The role of the offense and the defense do not, however, change with each battle. This means that in the above example Alliance’s role would be to prevent Horde from entering the Keep, a giant castle like building with two layers of wall protecting it. It is then the job of the offensive team (in this case the Horde) to break into the keep by demolishing the surrounding walls. If the Keep is breached then the attackers win, but if this is not achieved before the 30-minute stopwatch runs then the defensive team wins.

Wintergrasp Vehicles

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Vehicles are extremely important to the success of a team, especially to the team who is attempting to breach the Keep. Only the weapons attached to the vehicles can penetrate the Keep's walls, therefore it is vital to the offense team that vehicles are produced fast so they can start their onslaught as soon as possible. This can be done at one of the many Goblin Workshops as long as it is under the control of their faction (which is explained in greater detail later on in this article). The three vehicles that players can currently produce are the Wintergrasp Catapult, the Wintergrasp Siege Engine and the Wintergrasp Demolisher. Catapults are the fastest moving vehicles and are great for attacking players of the opposing team due to their AoE effects. Siege Engines can cause huge amounts of damage to structures with their ram and can also hold 2 passengers, who will be protected from harm while the vehicle is still working. Demolishers can do good amounts of damage to buildings (not quite as much as Siege Engines however), but can do so from a range by hurling burning boulders. Each vehicle has their advantages and a judgement call is required from players when choosing to build and maneuver a vehicle.

Ranks

However, to encourage participation with all members, barriers have been put in place that decide the type of vehicle that can be made. These are called Ranks, and as a player progresses in the battle he or she will climb the ranks. These Ranks are shown as buffs and are described, in detail, bellow:

Recruit – Player who has made 0-4 kills – Cannot create vehicles

Corporal – Player who has made 5-9 kills – Wintergrasp Catapult

First Lieutenant – Player has made 10+ kills – Can create all vehicles

Note that, according to Blizzard, ‘kills’ include NPCs and defensive cannons. Ranks are also important when it comes to the distribution of rewards at the end of a battle (see next Article in this series). In short, the more a player kills, the better the rewards.

Towers and Goblin Workshops

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There are six Goblin Workshops in total (where vehicles can be made) and seven towers. This means that each team has two Workshops each, and the remaining two are there to be contested over. The attacker’s two Workshops are located at the southern edges of the map, and the defenders are held within the Keep itself. All four of these Workshops can be destroyed by the opposing team but, for obvious reasons, cannot be taken control of. This means that gaining control of the remaining two contested Workshops is vital in winning Wintergrasp, especially for the attacking team since their own Workshops are so far away from the Keep itself. Much like gaining a base in Eye of the Storm, the team who has the majority of players in the surrounding area will win control of the Workshop.

Towers are also equally important if a team wishes to win a Wintergrasp battle. A 5% extra damage buff is given to every player on the attacking team for every tower of theirs that is still standing. This means that if the attackers have all 3 towers standing then they will have a 15% increased damage buff throughout the battle. However, to combat this, the defensive team is encouraged to go on the offensive and destroy the attacker’s towers in an attempt to ride them of their buff. If all three towers are destroyed then the game is shorted by 10 minutes, meaning the attackers will have very little time to breach the Keep.