In World of Warcraft, several things will change with Battle for Azeroth. We show you the 5 most important innovations of the WoW add-on!
About a month ago, Blizzard unveiled the latest expansion of World of Warcraft. There was plenty of information at BlizzCon, but what are the most important features and innovations that Battle for Azeroth will bring us? We have created a list of the 5 most important things that the new WoW add-on has in store for you!
Allied Races
While other expansions only ever implemented a maximum of one new race per faction (if at all), Battle for Azeroth brings six new species. These new “Allied Races” need to be unlocked through a questline completed by the main character.
The Alliance can look forward to the following races:
- Void Elves
- Dark Iron Dwarves
- Lightforged Draenei
The Horde receives support from these allies:
- Nightborn
- Highmountain Tauren
- Zandalari Trolls
New characters of the allied races start their adventure at level 20. If someone manages to play a character manually to the maximum level, they will also receive a stylish “Heritage Armor” that can only be worn by that race.
During Battle for Azeroth, more allied races are expected to follow. These will likely be introduced with the major patches when the story of the expansion allows for it.
Elimination of PvP Servers
With Battle for Azeroth, World of Warcraft bids farewell to traditional PvP servers. There will only be one server type and additionally the designation as an RP realm. However, this does not mean the end of World PvP.
Instead, players will have the opportunity to freely choose whether they want PvP activated or deactivated within their capital. Those who choose to activate PvP will only see other players in the world who have done the same.
As a special incentive for the system, many actions – such as quests – will be rewarded with additional bonuses if completed during a PvP phase. This aims to motivate players to engage more often in skirmishes.
At the same time, World PvP will be made fairer. The PvP templates known from battlegrounds, which set a character’s values to a fair level, will also be active in the open world.
The Heart of Azeroth and Azerite
Since players will soon retire their artifact weapon, Blizzard needs a new carrot to dangle in front of players. This carrot will be the Heart of Azeroth. Essentially, this is an “artifact necklace” given to every player at the start of Battle for Azeroth by Magni Bronzebeard.
Azerite is the new resource that essentially replaces “artifact power.” Players earn it for most actions in the game – such as visiting dungeons, PvP, island expeditions, completing world quests, and so on. Story-wise, Azerite is the lifeblood of Azeroth.
The Heart of Azeroth levels up continuously. It gains additional properties and talent points, but it can do even more: the Heart also grants bonus effects to other pieces of the hero’s equipment. For example, when acquiring new shoulder armor, it can be upgraded with the Heart of Azeroth. This will unlock additional talents gradually.
We have explained how the Heart of Azeroth works in this article.
Once again, there will be a “catch up” mechanic for the Heart of Azeroth, so that newcomers and returning players can more easily reach a high level in the Heart of Azeroth. Unlike in Legion, however, the amount of Azerite received does not increase, but the required amount per level-up decreases over time. This avoids absurd numbers like “5 billion artifact power.”
The Island Expeditions
Although the Mythic dungeons in Legion provided a lot of long-term motivation, Blizzard wants to achieve even more changes and increased replayability. This aims to be achieved with the Island Expeditions.
These small mini-dungeons are designed for 3 players, and specialization should not matter – it could even be 3 healers or 3 tanks or just 3 DPS entering the instance.
Even though there is only a predefined set of a few islands, the experience there is meant to be different every time. One time the island might be occupied by Mogu performing dark rituals. Another time you might meet an opposing troll tribe, or the Hozen might be throwing a crazy party. Mission objectives and circumstances change constantly, creating a new gaming experience with unpredictable twists.
The special twist: Your team plays against a group of NPC adventurers who also try to loot the treasures of the island! These NPCs are significantly smarter than other mobs in the game, planning ambushes or tactically retreating. There is also a PvP mode – this is likely the hardest difficulty level.
Warfronts – Simulated Warcraft 3
Our last highlight is the Warfronts. Since everything in Battle for Azeroth revolves around the conflict between Horde and Alliance, the war will also be fought on several fronts. These Warfronts are one of the major events players can experience multiple times throughout the expansion.
Essentially, it is a large-scale PvE event where many players from one faction experience the siege of a stronghold. For example, the Horde attacks Stromgarde in Arathi to regain its power position in the Eastern Kingdoms.
The developers aim to revive the old feeling of Warcraft 3 here. Players must build complete outposts and construct barracks, forges, and other buildings to spawn NPCs that will then initiate the siege.
These are perhaps the biggest features that will define Battle for Azeroth. Which of these points are you particularly looking forward to? What features would you still want, and which should be removed? Let us know in the comments!
