The release of WoW Dragonflight is coming soon. To prepare, we spoke with Doctorio, a well-known figure in the German Twitch community when it comes to WoW. We asked the expert some questions about the new class, the expansion in general, and asked him for tips for players.
Who is the streamer? Doctorio is a Twitch streamer and WoW expert. In the German community, he ranks 4th among the largest WoW streamers by viewer hours over the past 365 days (via sullygnome). He streams almost daily on his Twitch channel.
Doctorio is known primarily for his deep expertise with all classes and the gameplay of WoW. Many of his fans appreciate his advice and insights on balancing or seek tips for better gameplay from him.
The Twitch streamer is also part of the German e-sports organization Aversion, which is both the best German WoW guild and one of the best in the world. We previously spoke with the head of Aversion and asked how professionals actually prepare for raids.
In the conversation with Doctorio, the expert reveals his assessment of the new class of the Dracthyr Evoker, what will occupy him the most in the expansion, and what tips he has for you.
In our overview, you will find all the information about the new expansion Dragonflight. In the new gameplay trailer, Blizzard showcases the features of the addon once again:
“I prepare by not preparing”
MeinMMO: In comparison to previous expansions, how would you rate Dragonflight just before release? Feel free to compare it to other addons.
Doctorio: Very hard to say. The essence of an expansion only becomes clear with later patches, once the teething problems of the still very young new talent system are resolved, and new innovations, such as more exciting tier sets, new raid item mechanics, and more, determine the meta.
MeinMMO: How are you preparing for Dragonflight?
Doctorio: By not preparing. As an intensive player, you quickly face the problem of having played through all the content too quickly. Then you rely on alternate characters. But those are also accelerated through the built-in catch-up mechanics for players who generally have less time.
Of course, you could already play through every quest, every achievement, every dungeon, and every secret on the beta. But that ruins your motivation for the coming months.
Cross-faction “will give a healthy boost in the right direction”
MeinMMO: What new feature do you celebrate the most and why?
Doctorio: Changes that keep the game alive in the long term are always more interesting than acute features. Sure, new tier sets or dragon riding are exciting, but really meaningful features are the merged auction houses and the current efforts to blur the lines between Alliance and Horde.
Both factions can already enter dungeons and raids together. And soon, joint guilds should also be possible. This will give a healthy boost in the right direction.
MeinMMO: What will occupy you the most in Dragonflight?
Doctorio: Writing WeakAuren for all 38 specializations. These packages are popular in the community and offer me the opportunity to engage more deeply with all classes to stay up to date. Outside of streams, this is by far the biggest task and occupies me the most.
For clarification: WeakAuras is an addon for World of Warcraft that simplifies many game controls or provides information. You can find out more in our list of the best addons for World of Warcraft.
MeinMMO: Which features should Blizzard definitely expand in the future and which should be phased out?
Doctorio: That’s a very good question. I would refer to the features we discussed earlier: Accessibility for returning players and better integration between Alliance and Horde. Any measures that secure player numbers for the coming years are important for the game.
The further the game develops in a complicated direction, the higher the likelihood that beloved WoW will end up like WildStar. This MMO [WildStar] has become so deep and elitist that newcomers lost all sense of direction and were very demotivated to quit. The top end of players had a lot of fun, but due to a lack of players, the servers were eventually shut down.
That’s the very big drawback when a game is overly complicated just to satisfy the top 1% of players. And no one wishes for that scenario. Therefore, I would answer here: Features that change or complicate the game too much should be phased out. This includes:
- Cleansing of class abilities to Shadowlands: Many classes have unnecessary or unused spells that remain in the spellbook only for reasons of class identity.
- Highly intrusive tier sets: By Season 3, many classes received very drastic tier sets. Tier sets can be very fun and also end up providing a task to farm something for the class that offers a boost in strength. However, small rewards or passive improvements are sufficient. Just like it is with the current tier sets in Dragonflight Season 1.
- Media: Conduits (media) were an exciting thing for many. Good players quickly recognized the value of conduits and adapted their playstyle accordingly. Or also soulbind abilities. Example: Korayn’s “First Strike.” Regular players underestimated the strength of soulbinds and conduits and merely copied the meta without adapting their rotation.
Currently, Blizzard has adopted many of these abilities into the new talent system. Although it may seem daunting at first, the new system is very good. It consolidates many abilities from past content (artifacts, legendaries, conduits, soulbinds, talents) into the class itself.
Many specs have anchored these essential mechanics in their kit, instead of having to rely on external strength – i.e. borrowed power. This talent set can be easily expanded with additional points with the next addon, and you work with a framework that is already very familiar and does not require learning much from scratch.
This rewards dedicated players who know every aspect of their talent tree and can now build even more connections. At the same time, it is not too intimidating for returning players who are already familiar with the talent tree from the beginning of Dragonflight. I think this is also Blizzard’s core idea, which is why they present Dragonflight as the third era of WoW. Very long-term thinking, and that’s a good thing.
“Don’t waste too much time on just one class”
MeinMMO: What is your assessment of the Evoker as a “mid-range class”?
Doctorio: There are three possibilities:
- Blizzard designs bosses with strong consideration for the mid-range of the Evoker. However, that means they heavily restrict themselves regarding the variety of mechanics that require group positioning. Sludgefist as an example. A boss with similar positioning demands for the raid is less likely to be developed.
- They design the bosses according to usual guidelines and trust that the Evoker – and the entire guild – will dynamically respond to any situation. That would be interesting but thankless.
- What I find unlikely: They make Evokers into a full ranged character with a 40-yard range and avoid many unique problems.
For the Evoker, you can find on MeinMMO a comprehensive guide with builds for DPS & healing. Doctorio himself has already discussed in a video which class will be the best in Dragonflight:
MeinMMO: If you had to give someone 3 tips who hasn’t played since Legion and now wants to start Dragonflight, what would they be?
Doctorio: The most important tip: Don’t be afraid of leveling. It has become very easy and quick, and the reward is the highest one you can get in the game: character levels that do not lose their value.
Tip 2: Don’t waste too much time on just one class. The game is very good at throwing players small breadcrumbs after essential weekly tasks that they may want to fulfill for perfectionist reasons. Like farming rares all evening for just 5% more reputation.
Tip 3: Build on tips 1 and 2: By leveling several characters and not wasting unnecessary time on just one class, you maintain all your twinks at a significant level. Once the meta slowly sets in, you then have the pleasant option to choose from several classes what you want to play for the rest of the season. A positive side effect: you improve in the game in general because you have learned about different classes and roles. This experience remains valuable in the long term.
MeinMMO: Thank you for the answers!
We also spoke briefly with the developers of World of Warcraft about the lore, the features, and the endgame of Dragonflight:
WoW developers in interview: ‘Features of Dragonflight will improve the future of WoW forever’
