Cataclysm Classic Tol Barad guide: overview and strategies
Are you ready to be the winner? Let’s dive into our Cataclysm Classic Tol Barad guide to claim your victory!
Table of Contents
In this Cataclysm Classic guide to Tol Barad, we’ll break down all the essentials you need to know. Discover the key objectives and strategies for both Attackers and Defenders. Learn about the quests, achievements, and rewards waiting for you ahead!
What is Tol Barad in Cataclysm Classic
Tol Barad is an outdoor PvP zone introduced in Cataclysm. Victory in this battleground rewards players with Honor Points and Tol Barad Commendations to purchase various gear and rewards. It also unlocks a daily quest hub and grants access to Baradin Hold, a raid instance located on the Tol Barad Peninsula.
Baradin Hold features bosses, including Argaloth in Phase 1 of Cataclysm Classic, who drop valuable loot like tier set pieces and PvP gear. To enter the raid, head to the northern part of the peninsula. You can clear the raid twice a week, in both 10-man and 25-man difficulties, with separate raid lockouts for each.
Overall mechanics
Tol Barad player cap
Tol Barad’s maximum cap is 80 players per faction, and the minimum cap is 25 players per faction. This means that a maximum of 80 players per faction can join a battle at once. As for the minimum cap, if 25 Horde players and 100 Alliance players queue, the system will set up a 25 vs. 25 match. However, if only 10 Alliance players queue against 25 Horde, the battle will be 25 vs. 10.
Tol Barad doesn’t have the Tenacity buffs to adjust for imbalances in player numbers. Instead, it employs a queue system that maintains equal faction participation. For example, if 50 Alliance players are in the queue, only 50 Horde players can join, regardless of how many more are waiting.
Tol Barad’s time limit
A Battle for Tol Barad lasts for 15 minutes. Players can prolong the battle duration by destroying three Spires located in the West, East, and South. Each Spire gives an additional 5 minutes.
Tol Barad’s cooldown
After a Battle for Tol Barad concludes, there is a cooldown period of two hours and 30 minutes before the next battle can take place.
Two teams: Attackers and Defenders
In Cataclysm Classic Tol Barad, players are split into two teams: Attackers and Defenders. The goal for Attackers is to capture three buildings (Ironclad Garrison, The Slagworks, and Warden’s Vigil), while Defenders aim to protect them. At the top of the screen, you’ll see which team is attacking, how many buildings they’ve captured, and how much time is left in the battle.
How to capture and control different buildings in the game
The team with the most players alive present at a building’s location will gradually begin to capture it. As the capture progress bar fills with blue, it signifies that Alliance players have taken control of the building. If the bar fills with red, it indicates that Horde players have captured the building.
How to win
When the time expires, and the Attackers fail to capture all three bases at the same time, the Defenders win. Conversely, if the Attackers manage to capture all three bases before time runs out, the Attackers win.
How to join Battle for Tol Barad
The Battle for Tol Barad starts every two and a half hours. To participate in Battle for Tol Barad, press ‘H’ to open the PvP window and select the “Battle for Tol Barad” option. When you’re eligible to join the battle, a red button will become available for confirmation.
Before starting the Battle for Tol Barad, remember to get the quest from Major Marsden as an Alliance and Colonel Karzag as a Horde. You will find them once you enter the portal to Tol Barad. These NPCs will provide a quest requiring victory in the Battle for Tol Barad. You will receive Honor Points, gold, and Tol Barad Commendations as rewards upon completing this quest.
Cataclysm Classic Tol Barad guide: strategies
Overall strategy
Don’t stay in one building with your whole team forever. It’s better to divide and conquer by attempting to secure multiple locations simultaneously. This not only enhances your chances of capturing additional buildings but also creates confusion for the opposing team, increasing your likelihood of emerging victorious.
Tol Barad guide for attacking
At the start of the battle, Attackers spawn near the bridge and later respawn closer to the nearest buildings upon being defeated.
Objectives
- Capture all three buildings in the North, bottom right, and bottom left corners. Remain in control of all three buildings at the same time.
- Get at least one Honorable Kill. Doing so will give you a buff to control various in-game vehicles. Use this advantage to drive a Siege Engine straight to a Spire and deploy it.
- Find the Siege Engines and destroy the Spires in the West, East, and South as soon as possible to gain added time. Use Ability 1 to boost the Siege Engine’s movement speed for a short duration. Drive and deploy it to a Spire, and it will start auto-attacking. You can choose to defend the deployed Siege Engine or seek out additional ones. Drive the new Siege Engine to the same Spire for increased damage or to different Spires to disorient the opposing team.
Best tactic for Attackers in Tol Barad
- Destroy all the Spires at the start of the battle with the help of Siege Engines.
- Divide into two groups to secure two bases at once. Defenders typically focus on guarding one base at first, so this often is a breeze.
- Attackers should regroup after securing the two bases and concentrate their forces on the base where the defenders are. This tactic will force the defenders to thin out their forces to reclaim the other two bases.
- As the Defenders leave their last base, Attackers need to split again. A small group should stay at the Defenders’ last base to capture it. The rest should follow the Defenders to the other bases to prevent them from recapturing the bases. Use slow, CC, and, of course, kill them if needed.
Tol Barad guide for defending
As the defending team, you’ll start in the middle of the zone with all three bases under your control. Defenders will respawn in the middle, so it’s really handy to recapture the lost points.
Objectives
- Protect at least one of the three buildings in the North, bottom right, and bottom left corners until the time ends.
- Protect the Spires from being attacked.
- Destroy the Siege Engines.
Protecting the bases will be a lot more challenging if Attackers extend the battle by destroying Spires. So, make sure to prevent them from doing so:
- Stay alert for warnings of Spire damage during the game. Check your map to identify which Spire is under attack. Monitor the health of the Spires at the bottom right corner of your screen, where a green line indicates their remaining health.
- Beware of Siege Engines and eliminate them promptly if spotted. However, as the defending team, attempting to damage them right from the beginning is futile due to their Thick Layer of Rust protection as it instantly restores their health upon taking damage. Instead, wait for an Attacker to enter the Siege Engine before destroying it.
Best tactic for Defenders in Tol Barad:
- Take control of one base immediately at the beginning of the battle and wait for the Attackers to make the first move.
- As the Attackers move to capture another base, Defenders should rush to recapture the first base. More Defenders mean a faster capture, so the base will switch hands almost instantly.
- Repeat this cycle until the time ends. You don’t need to defend all bases to win. Just keep at least one base under your control, and you’ll be good.
Tol Barad achievements and rewards
Achievements
Here are all the achievements you can get from Tol Barad:
- Tol Barad Veteran
- Tower Plower
- Tol Barad Saboteur
- Pit Lord Argaloth
- For Whom The Barad Tols
- Tol Barad All-Star
- Towers of Plower
- Breaking out of Tol Barad
- Explore Tol Barad
Rewards
If you win, you will gain:
- Access to Baradin Hold
- Access to a hub of 12 quests in the center zone
- 1,800 Honor Points and 3 Tol Barad Commendations
And that’s not all. For a complete list of rewards, be sure to check out our article here:
Conclusion
And that’s the end of all you need to know about this Cataclysm Classic battleground. We hope that this Tol Barad guide has been able to help you claim your victory, along with all the well-deserved rewards and achievements. And, of course, have fun gaming!
FAQ
Why do you need to participate in the Battle for Tol Barad?
You should participate in Battle for Tol Barad for various reasons: earn additional Honor Points, reputation with the Baradin’s Wardens and the Hellscream’s Reach, powerful Head and Shoulders enchant, gear, mounts, and access to the raid Baradin Hold.
How long does the Battle for Tol Barad last?
15 to 30 minutes, depending on whether the Attackers can destroy the Spires or not, as each destroyed Spire adds five minutes to the total time limit.
How to join Battle for Tol Barad?
Press ‘H’ and select the “Battle for Tol Barad” option. When you’re eligible to join the battle, the button will turn red for you to click.
What is Tol Barad’s cooldown?
Tol Barad’s cooldown is two hours and 30 minutes.
How many Tol Barad Commendations per day?
If you win, you get 16 dailies. If you lose, you get only 6 dailies. Each daily quest gives you 1 Tol Barad Commendation. So if you win, you get 16 Tol Barad Commendations. If you lose, you get 6 Tol Barad Commendations.
How do I go to Tol Barad Peninsula?
Tol Barad is in Baradin Bay, between Hasic and the shores of Khaz Modan. Horde players can get to Tol Barad through the portal in Orgrimmar, located just above the Valley of Wisdom near the flight master. Alliance players can find the portal to Tol Barad at the Eastern Earthshrine in northeastern Stormwind City.
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