WoW Warbands: Game-Changing Alt Progression in The War Within

One of the most game-changing features introduced in World of Warcraft: The War Within is the WoW Warbands system. Upon logging into the TWW client, you’ll immediately notice a difference—your characters are now grouped together on the right side of the screen, and four of them are showcased around a campfire, ready to be selected.

But WoW Warbands go far beyond a simple new login screen. This system streamlines alt management, allowing you to share account-wide progression, trade items and currencies more efficiently, and access a new Warband Bank for easy reagent storage.

What Are Warbands – Account-Wide Everything

Introduced in The War Within pre-patch, WoW Warbands completely change how the game recognizes the player behind the screen and respects their time. Previously, progression, reputations, and unlocks were all tied to individual characters, forcing players to regrind everything on each alt. Trading items between characters was also inconvenient.

With Warbands, that system is now obsolete. Instead, all characters share:
Achievements and Achievement Progression
Reputations and Renown
Currencies, which can now be traded instantly
Easier item sharing via the new Warband Bank

By reducing grind-heavy mechanics, WoW Warbands make alt progression faster and more efficient. A new UI feature even highlights completed quests on other characters, preventing players from wasting time redoing content unnecessarily.

According to Chris Metzen, Blizzard’s chief creative officer, this change reflects Blizzard’s commitment to respecting player time, especially as the community ages and has less time to grind.

While the Warbands system may seem complex at first, it’s ultimately designed to simplify multi-character progression in ways that WoW has never seen before. Additionally, the revamped character selection screen—featuring your top four favorite alts around a campfire—has drawn comparisons to Diablo’s character selection UI.

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Shared Reputations, Quests, Maps, & Achievements

There are several progression systems that all of your characters now share automatically in WoW Warbands, making alt management more convenient than ever. The character that has progressed the furthest in a given feature will set the baseline for all others.

Shared Progression Systems Include:

• Reputations & Renown – All characters receive the highest Renown level earned across your account.
• Completed Quests – Previously completed quests appear faded and include a note indicating prior completion.
• Most Achievements – Includes partially completed achievements, allowing alts to contribute progress.
• Map Exploration – Must be activated manually using the Warband Map To Everywhere All At Once Toy.

For example, if one character reaches Renown 25, all alts automatically receive the same Renown level, eliminating the need to regrind faction progress. Similarly, alts can contribute towards complex achievements like Loremaster, ensuring faster completion.

The only manual activation required is for Map exploration. To share explored zones between characters, players must use the free Toy called Warband Map To Everywhere All At Once. Simply log into each character to sync map data across your Warband.

Warbands Allow Instant Currency Transfers

Instant Currency Transfers Between Alts

One of the most convenient features introduced with WoW Warbands is the ability to instantly transfer special currencies between characters. This includes:

• Upgrade currencies like Flightstones and Sigils
• Tradable currencies such as Resonance Crystals (used for Renown purchases)
• Other previously character-locked currencies

How to Transfer Currency in Warbands:

1. Open the Currencies menu (found in the Character screen) on the Alt receiving the currency.
2. Click on the currency you want to transfer and select "Transfer".
3. Choose the Alt you want to send the currency to from the drop-down list.
4. Enter the amount and click "Confirm" to complete the transfer.

This new system eliminates the hassle of managing multiple alts' resources, making it easier than ever to keep all your characters well-equipped.

Warband Banks Let You Share Even More

In addition to currency transfers, the WoW Warbands system introduces Warband Banks, a shared account-wide storage that makes item management between Alts effortless.

Key Features of Warband Banks:

• Shared bank storage for all characters.
• Easier access to crafting materials across multiple professions.
• Supports the new “Warbound Until Equipped” (WoE) items, indicating which gear can be freely shared.
• Can be accessed anytime, anywhere, including via a Mobile Warband Bank at crafting benches.

Previously, players had to mail crafting materials and tradable items to their Alts manually. With Warband Banks, switching between characters is now faster and more efficient, removing unnecessary delays.

Blizzard has also stated that over time, more currencies and features from older expansions will be retroactively added to the Warband system, expanding its functionality beyond Dragonflight and The War Within.

Take full advantage of Warband Banks and instant currency transfers to streamline your WoW alt gameplay experience!

Elsa