Blizzard Entertainment announced last night the latest expansion pack for their massive MMORPG World of Warcraft, the highly fantasy Dragonflight. It’s filled with dragons from Azeroth. that’s it.
Well, not all, because Blizzard also revealed that Wrath of the Lich King is coming to World of Warcraft Classic later this year. Wow, it feels like 2008 isn’t just about the economy.
Dragonflight increases the level cap to 70 and drags the action from the Shadowlands back to the Dragon Isle in Azeroth, where all dragons originate. Better tell Daenerys. Apparently, as “their sacred Broodlands awake, the dragons will call upon the heroes of the Alliance and Horde to help deal with the threats and mysteries that are beginning to surface”.
Blizzard said that as part of the expansion, they are “completely overhauling” World of Warcraft’s systems. This overhaul focuses on World of Warcraft’s talent and class system, and aims to provide players with important options at any level as well as a new class specialization system and tools. The UI is receiving a zhuzh to make it more customizable. Note the one on Wordle. Dragonflight also introduces the game’s first race and class combination, the dracthyr Evokers.
Dracthyr Evokers start the game at level 58 and can choose to specialize in ranged DPS or use their dragon superpowers to heal allies. They have their own starting questline and can ally with the Alliance or Horde. Probably the best part of being a Draxel evoker is being a bloody dragon in battle. You’ll be able to appear in human form the rest of the time, though, so don’t worry about scaring everyone.
Even if you’re not a dragon, Dragonflight gives every player the opportunity to fly on the backs of Dragon Island drakes with a new skill-based aerial mobility system. Drakes are customizable and can fly faster, so the hot rod scene in WoW is about to really take off. Dragonflight has no specific release date yet.
Meanwhile, Wrath of the Lich King Classic is returning to chilly Northrend. Arthas Menethil will be snuggling up in his crafty castle, presumably still listening to Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love.” Anyone with an active subscription can use it for free. Blizzard says it’s a tweak to the original, bringing achievements to Warcraft Classic, as well as retro raids like Naxxramas and ancient dungeons like Azjol-Nerub.
World of Warcraft’s first hero class, the Death Knight, will also return. Death Knights are open to both Alliance and Horde, and usually require a character level 55 or higher. Howevs, Blizzard is planning a content update ahead of Wrath of the Lich King release that will allow anyone to make a death knight without any level restrictions. There will be a paid option to level up your character to level 70 before launch to get ready for Northrend, but there are no details yet on how much it will cost.
Would it really have been a game if it had appeared 14 years ago? Regardless, you can watch a great showcase of both games in the video above.
Christos Reid believes that Shadowlands, the final expansion for World of Warcraft, has reinvigorated the experience with its 2020 beta. Despite calling it a “lore-heavy expansion,” he sees Shadowlands as “a storyline that I can actually get my friends to dive into right now, rather than the expected knowledge wall and outdated onboarding that will quickly reduce their excitement. feel”. According to Blizzard, it became the fastest-selling PC game of all time.
Back in 2008, RPS co-founder Alec liked Wrath of the Lich King waaaaaaay, calling it “a ostensibly cynical expansion for a very tired-looking MMO – but it turns out to be a direct fix. That’s half of what we’ve been complaining about in World of Warcraft. Over the past few years.” Will it be anyone’s Christmas this year?
Activision Blizzard remains mired in legal challenges and reports of an environment of discrimination and harassment of workers. It all happened as Microsoft bought the company for $69bn (£50bn). Mike Ybarra, head of Blizzard Entertainment, said he is committed to promoting change this year, even as the company’s parent company, ActiBlizz, continues to see employees go on strike over ongoing benefits issues.
