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The Defilers

The Defilers are the Horde side of Arathi Basin, a Forsaken force sent to seize the basin's farms, mines and mills from the humans of the League of Arathor. Operating from the orc outpost of Hammerfall in the Arathi Highlands, they reward the Horde players who fight for them with the Defiler's armor sets and a handful of fine level 60 weapons. Like the League, they were a major source of good gear for players who did not raid.

Who they are

The Forsaken of Undercity have long eyed the lands of the fallen human kingdoms. Arathi Basin, a rich valley below Stromgarde, could feed the Forsaken and their allies, and taking it would also starve the last human soldiers of Stromgarde. The Defilers are the force the Forsaken sent to do it: undead soldiers, deathstalkers and plague-bearers who answer to Sylvanas, the Dark Lady, and care little for the land itself.

Some of the Defilers were once citizens of Stromgarde, raised as undead and now fighting the people they lived among. They treat the basin as plunder rather than a home.

Where to find them

Rutherford Twing, the Defilers' supply officer at Hammerfall
Rutherford Twing, the Defilers' supply officer at Hammerfall © Blizzard Entertainment

Earning reputation

Arathi Basin is a fifteen-against-fifteen battle over five resource points: the stables, the blacksmith, the gold mine, the lumber mill and the farm. Held points add resources over time, and the first side to 2,000 wins. Each member of the Horde team gains Defiler reputation every time the team passes another few hundred resources, so even a lost match is worth something.

Other sources:

Rewards

Standing Rewards
Friendly [Defiler's Talisman] (in several versions for different levels), rations and bandages
Honored Defiler's girdles, such as the [Defiler's Plate Girdle] and [Defiler's Cloth Girdle]
Revered Defiler's greaves and boots, such as the [Defiler's Plate Greaves] and [Defiler's Cloth Boots]
Exalted Defiler's shoulders, such as the [Defiler's Plate Spaulders] and [Defiler's Epaulets]; the staff [Ironbark Staff], the dagger [Mindfang] and [Deathguard's Cloak]

Each Defiler's set, in plate, chain, mail, leather, lizardhide and cloth, has three pieces bought one at a time at Honored, Revered and Exalted. At Exalted, Take Five Bases asks the team to hold all five bases at once and rewards the [Battle Tabard of the Defilers], a tabard worn as proof of a long campaign.

Hammerfall, the orc outpost where the Defilers gather
Hammerfall, the orc outpost where the Defilers gather © Blizzard Entertainment

The Defiler's rewards mirror the League of Arathor's: the same stats and standings under different names. The [Defiler's Talisman], a trinket that absorbs physical damage when used, was the first thing many new Arathi Basin players bought.

History and trivia

  • Arathi Basin opened in patch 1.7, the third battleground of Classic.
  • Players exalted with the Defilers, the Warsong Outriders and the Frostwolf Clan later earned the title "Conqueror".
  • The Burning Crusade removed the reputation requirements from the Defilers' rewards.
  • In Battle for Azeroth, the Defilers held Go'Shek Farm in the Arathi Highlands during the war for Stromgarde.

Sources

Categories: Reputations, Battlegrounds, Lore

Last changed October 29, 2026: Written by QuestCore

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