We take a look back at BlizzCon 2017 and discuss the highlights in WoW and Overwatch. But also, the disappointments in games like Hearthstone or Heroes of the Storm will be addressed…
BlizzCon 2017 has ended, and slowly but surely all the information has been processed, panels observed, and the initial hype is subsiding. This is exactly the right time to reflect on the highlights of this year’s Blizzard convention.
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth – Finally, War Again!
The BlizzCon was entirely focused on one announcement: the next expansion of World of Warcraft. In Battle for Azeroth, the primary conflict in Azeroth is revisited: Alliance vs. Horde. In a large conflict, entire capitals are even destroyed. Familiar game mechanics, such as world quests, remain, and new features, like island explorations and a variety of new races, sound promising.
The bombastic cinematic got me hyped, and the various panels promise exactly what I wish for in a WoW expansion: New zones with cool stories, plenty of great stories about major characters like Anduin, Sylvanas, and Jaina, as well as useful improvements across the entire game world. Especially the scaling of old level areas, which is supposed to come in the next patch, brings me joy.
I find it funny that now there are many loud voices in the community complaining that the Alliance and Horde are once again in open war, when there are other problems to address. And this right after every expansion has been criticized for the Alliance and Horde being too friendly with each other. Blizzard just can’t please everyone – this is clearly evident here.
Overwatch – BlizzardWorld
In Overwatch, there was a major announcement and a minor one. The relatively unexpected reveal was the new hero Moira, who is now playable on the PTR. The healer supports her allies by siphoning life from enemies while simultaneously returning it to her teammates. This makes her a rather “dark” supporter, devoted to shady dealings – all in the name of science, of course.
However, the real highlight for me was the announcement of the BlizzardWorld map. What began as a small joke two years ago at BlizzCon, which was then referred to as “Blizzney Land,” has now become a reality. Overwatch is getting a Blizzard theme park where the universes of Blizzard can be found. Hidden inside are plenty of Easter eggs, such as the fast-food place “Snaxsramas.” Anyone who follows all Blizzard universes will hardly be able to stop laughing and marveling at this map.
That there are finally crossover skins for the heroes is the icing on the cake…
And I almost forgot about the Reinhardt cinematic – one might shed a tear!
Hearthstone – “Standard Addon”
The new Hearthstone expansion “Kobolds and Catacombs” hasn’t thrilled me so far. For the first time, I have no urge to save gold just yet to buy booster packs later. The spark just doesn’t ignite, even with the cool card reveals.
The single-player mode with 48 different bosses, randomly selected each time to bring the feeling of a “Dungeon & Dragons” adventure, sounds good on paper. However, there is no incentive to play this mode multiple times since completing it with all 9 classes only grants an exclusive card back.
At least the mode is completely free – still, I can’t bring myself to be excited.
Only the exclusive arena cards are appealing to me, as they might bring some fresh air to my favorite mode.
Heroes of the Storm – The Chubby Alexstrasza
I found the announcements of new heroes from Heroes of the Storm disappointing. Although Hanzo and Alexstrasza are both very cool characters, the red dragon lady shocked me. After she was seen “as known” in the cinematic trailer, there was a presentation of her in-game model. There, Alexstrasza looks almost a bit chubby and her head seems too small.
It’s fine to have a bit sturdier women in video games – diversity is good! But this just doesn’t fit Alexstrasza. The entire model looks strange, and the proportions seem off. I can only hope that Blizzard adjusts the model a bit. Because, to put it bluntly: I wouldn’t want to play an Alexstrasza that looks like this, no matter how great her abilities are. That’s not “my Alex” as I experienced her for many years in World of Warcraft.
World of Warcraft Classic – Reserved Joy and Many Doubts
I am happy that the people who have been crying out for official Classic servers for years are finally getting their wishes fulfilled. I will also definitely log in to the Classic server, create a mage, and as a “3-minute mage,” hop through the battlegrounds to kill some player outright and then run for my life for 3 minutes.
Can this be fun? Definitely.
However, I believe that this whole action will backfire in the long run. I personally firmly believe that a large part of the players who adore Classic may no longer cope with the game today. Because whoever used to be a student and could easily gather a dungeon group for 5 hours will typically not have the time for that today.
The player base and its habits have changed.
On the other hand, I also genuinely wish for every player to experience finding Bhag’thera in Stranglethorn Vale without a quest guide – that will definitely take an entire afternoon.
What were your highlights at BlizzCon and what did you not like at all? Were you overall satisfied or disappointed? Did anything really hype you?
