Everything you need to know about World of Warcraft: Dragonflight
This November the 28th, Blizzard Entertainment will launch World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, the ninth expansion for the franchise.
The new adventure is set on the Dragon Isles, a new continent with five zones. The Isles have existed in World of Warcraft lore for years, but this is the first time that players will get to explore the location.
Blizzard has also announced a revamping of some of the core features along with the introduction of a new playable race-and-class. As the Dragon Isles awaken and players prepare to enter a new age of adventure, get on the front foot by discovering what’s coming in the new expansion of the game.
Five things you need to know about World of Warcraft: Dragonflight
1. What will Dragonflight gameplay center around?
The Dragon Isles was once the heart of the dragon’s kingdom, until the dragons were forced to leave their ancient homeland behind in the wake of the Great Sundering, which was the result of the Legion’s attacks on Azeroth and saw much of the magic of the isles drained away.
Now the Isles are awakening again, surging with elemental magic once more, and the dragons are ready to reclaim their legacy and return to their rightful place as protectors of Azeroth. However, the Isles have undoubtedly changed in the last 10,000 years, with new challenges and the resurfacing of old enemies who need to be confronted and overcome before the dragons can truly reclaim their ancestral home.
As players adventure through the Dragon Isles, they will get to aid the dragons, discover their ancient lands, and uncover long-forgotten secrets, as well as encounter other mortal races, such as the Tuskarr who are making a return to Dragonflight.
2. Where does Dragonflight take place?
The expansion takes place on an unexplored continent, the Dragon Isles. Having been hidden away for more than 10,000 years, it’s a place few have heard of and even fewer have been to, so there’s plenty for players old and new to explore.
The Dragon Isles is the biggest continent ever made for a World of Warcraft expansion, designed specifically for Dragonriding – a new form of aerial movement in the game. Players will get to take to the skies in the new zones, as well as earn a customizable drake mount in each of the four main leveling zones.
The Isles are made up of five zones – four of them are leveling zones whilst Forbidden Reach is the starting zone for dracthyr evokers. Upon their first playthrough, players can only advance through the zones in order:
- The Forbidden Reach (Dracthyr Evokers only)
- The Waking Shores
- Ohn’ahran Plains
- The Azure Span
- Thaldraszus
3. What new characters will feature in the expansion?
The expansion will add a new draconic race called the Dracthyr – World of Warcraft’s first-ever playable race-and-class combo. Players can switch between a humanoid visage form and a draconic form to battle foes and overcome obstacles, both of which can be customized when creating a character.
Dracthyr will be given their own unique playable class: the Evoker. Players will have to choose their allegiance, either Horde or Alliance. Evokers have two key specializations: devastation and preservation, meaning they can fight from the skies with fiery breath attacks as well as use magical abilities for healing in order to bolster their allies.
Players will be introduced to the story of the Dracthyr in a brand-new starting experience and will be able to practice the new abilities before exploring the Dragon Isles. Dracathyr is available to players from level 58.
4. What are some of the new features?
Dragonflight will introduce a more complex talent system allowing players to create new combinations of spells and abilities. The main “class tree” will feature utility skills for your class while “specialization” trees boost offensive or healing powers, and focuses on current role performance, and adapts to whichever specialization you are in. When players choose a specialization, the tree will be altered to suit their needs.
Under the new talent tree system, players will be able to create combinations of spells and abilities that were not possible before.
The UI will also be receiving its first major revamp in 18 years and will improve design so it is more attractive, accessible and adjustable. Players can expect to see a decluttered appearance, with a larger minimap and health bar for ease. The HUD has also been improved and players will now be able to move select elements across the screen that can be saved, edited, copied and named.
5. What are the new Dragonflight professions?
In Dragonflight, professions will undergo a huge overhaul with the three main aspects being:
- Crafting orders – allows players to request other players to craft something for them, even if they don’t have the right profession or specialisation to do it themselves
- Crafting specialisations – craft items of a higher quality by focusing on a particular area of a chosen field
- Quality – the quality of crafted items has also been updated meaning the better the item, the more useful it will be
As a result, players will be able to hone their craft, which can lead to a large clientele based on a reputation for high-quality items.
If you want to learn more about World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, check out the World of Warcraft website, or for real-time updates, follow the official Twitter.
No Comments