Sign inThe Defilers
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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
- Hammerfall, an orc outpost in the north of the Arathi Highlands, is where the Defilers wait outside the battleground. Deathmaster Dwire gives the battle quests, Deathstalker Mortis takes crates and marks of honor, and the supply officer Rutherford Twing sells the rewards.
- Defiler's Den, at the southeast of Arathi Basin, is the Horde's starting point.
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:
- Battle quests. The Battle for Arathi Basin! asks players to assault four of the bases and is open at Neutral. At Friendly, Take Four Bases asks the team to hold four bases at once.
- Marks of honor. Each match gives Arathi Basin Marks of Honor, three for a win and one for a loss. Deathstalker Mortis takes three in More Arathi Basin Marks of Honor, a turn-in removed in The Burning Crusade.
- Supply raids. Cut Arathor Supply Lines and More Resource Crates ask players to win a battle and bring back a mark of honor or an Arathi resource crate.
- Care packages. Rutherford Twing gives out basin-only rations and bandages through quests such as Defiler's Advanced Care Package.
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.
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