With a new year comes a new list of games and one that you might not have intended to play was World of Warcraft, the very definition of MMORPGs back in the day. Even though in recent times, other games have topped the MMO charts, it’s still hard to forget what was once considered the only game worth subscribing to.
So what does the latest expansion, Battle For Azeroth, have in store for its players? Starting from new content, there are six new races that will be joining the ranks of both the Alliance and Hordes.
For the Alliance, you’ll get three swanky new choices of:
- Void Elves, a damage-based race with a unique ability to open up portals and zip through them within five seconds of casting it, along with a hefty 5% damage/healing buff.
- Lightforged Draenei, a race so blessed by light, they come with two different abilities designed to nuke enemies with holy light.
- Dark Iron Dwarves; not much is known about this race yet, unfortunately. They do look pretty badass though!
Meanwhile, over at the Horde, your three new choices are:
- The rugged Highmountain Tauren, first introduced in the previous expansion, Legion, players will now have a chance to try out these bulky tanks.
- Nightborne Elves, a race designed to tap into the forces of magic (They also come with an ability to access your mail for a short time, which sounds awfully useful in an MMO)
- Zandalari Trolls, like the Dark Iron Dwarves, are still vague and not much is known about the race yet. Still, they also look pretty badass as well!
Some longtime players have commented that the new races from the Alliance are much more interesting compared to the new Horde races, but much of it is still speculation at this point.
Along with new races, Battle For Azeroth will also introduce new PvE content. A constant staple would be new raids and dungeons; Blizzard will be adding ten new dungeons for BFA such as Uldir and Halls of Control. An exciting aspect since Legion impressed many players by adding some much-needed innovation to the content. In turn, many long-time players such as GenerationHollow are looking forward to what BFA will offer for WoW.
“Legion was a huge step forward after the massive step back that was Warlords of Draenor [WoW’s 5th expansion]. [Blizzard] learned their lesson and Legion had SO much content/innovation that I look forward to the refined versions in BFA – but I hope they keep trying new things in BFA just like in legion, even if they make mistakes.” said the Youtuber.
While we’re on the topic of raids, a thing to note that Legendary Gear will no longer be randomly dropped. Ion Hazzikostas, Game Director of WoW, has stated that they will be changing gear into something they’re calling the “Heart of Azeroth” progression system, which primarily focuses on customising and making choices in how you build your character. These equipment uses a new resource known as Azerite and cannot be Titanforged.
Azerite will be obtainable through the same way as artifact power, a la questing, raiding, PvP, etc. Along with the available sources comes two new ways to obtain them: Island Expeditions, a short 3v3 co-op experience that can be PvAI or PvP, and Warfronts, a new 20 player RTS experience that occurs occasionally, most likely on a schedule of sorts.
It’s a bummer to lose the artifact power and legendary equipment, and it’ll be interesting to see how The Heart of Azeroth will work and if it’ll be satisfying enough for players to stick around with.
Hollow adds, “I am concerned about losing artifacts and class halls, the stories and uniqueness of every spec, let alone class, was fantastic. I hope we get something like that in BFA or it’ll feel like we’re missing something important and fun. I look forward to having a variety of weapons again, but powering up the weapon was very satisfying and I will miss it.”
Last but not least, Horde players will get to travel to the empire of Zandalar, land of the Zandalari Trolls, to lend their naval might. As the Alliance, venture to the seafaring kingdom of Kul Tiras, home of Jaina Proudmoore, and rally its inhabitants to fight for your cause.
Those were some of the additions Battle For Azeroth will bring into World of Warcraft. If you’ve picked up the hype for the upcoming expansion, you’ll be happy to note that pre-purchases for BFA will include a level-110 character boost immediately, so players can enter the expansion ready to fight on the front lines of the coming war. Also, questlines that let you try out the new races are already available; just head on down to your embassy in Orgrimmar or Stormwind and talk to your ambassadors for the quest lines. (PS: It also comes with a free swanky new mount to travel with!)
What are some of your opinions of Battle For Azeroth, and are you pre-ordering it too?
