In 2018, World of Warcraft has a lot in store. We will reveal which features and innovations are coming this year in Azeroth.
The year 2017 was completely marked by the Burning Legion for World of Warcraft. The titular demons of the expansion “Legion” had expanded their attack into 2017 and are currently being defeated in Antorus, the Burning Throne. But in the new year 2018, Blizzard wants to go full throttle again and present plenty of new content for the players. We take a look at the highlights that are coming in 2018 for World of Warcraft.
The Near Future: Patch 7.3.5
Although the next update, Patch 7.3.5, technically still belongs to the Legion cycle, many contents are already being associated with the upcoming addon. For many players, the highlight will be the complete overhaul of the game world so that all zones now scale with the level of the respective character.
Those who decide to create a new character will notice that most zones now adjust to the character’s level. Previously, it often happened that characters were already at too high a level and could never complete the story of an area – at least not if they wanted to earn worthwhile experience points.
Moreover, Patch 7.3.5 explains the significance of the wound in Silithus that was caused by Sargeras’ sword before the dark titan could be banished. A small quest line in Silithus, which is likely to be activated just before Patch 8.0, discusses how Azeroth can be cleansed and how we lose our artifact weapons.
New Battleground “Seething Shore”
A new battleground, “Seething Shore”, is also already included in Patch 7.3.5. Similar to Arathi Basin, it’s about holding multiple control points to gather resources in the form of Azerite. However, this battleground is not static, and the control points change at regular intervals. This makes quick reactions and good coordination in the team essential if one wants to achieve victory over the opposing faction. Whether the battleground will be accessible with the launch of Patch 7.3.5 is still unclear.
Battle for Azeroth: Elimination of PvP Realms
With Battle for Azeroth, Blizzard once again addresses the PvP system in World of Warcraft. This time, a radical approach is being taken: PvP servers will be completely eliminated. There will only be one type of server. Those who wish can activate the PvP mode in every capital city and will then share a world only with players who have also activated PvP. This “PvP phase” spans multiple servers and ensures a relative balance between the factions.
As additional incentives, quests completed with activated PvP will grant small additional rewards. However, what exactly these will be is still uncertain.
Allied Races and More Character Slots
Probably along with the Pre-Patch 8.0, which will be released shortly before Battle for Azeroth, all players will gain access to six new character slots, allowing for 18 characters to be created per server (with a limit of 50 across the entire account).
For most WoW fans, these additional slots will likely be filled with the new characters of the Allied Races. While the Horde secures the support of the Nightborne, Highmountain Tauren, and Zandalari Trolls, the Lightforged Draenei, Void Elves, and Dark Iron Dwarves will join the Alliance.
All new species will come with their own racial abilities, emotes, and voice acting and will begin their journey at level 20. This is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the aforementioned scaling of the entire game world.
The “Real” Content of Battle for Azeroth
In addition to all these minor details coming in 2018, the actual content of Battle for Azeroth awaits. Although there is still no concrete release date for the expansion, most speculation suggests fall, meaning after the hot summer days, we will head to the islands of Kul Tiras and Zandalar. Alongside the level increase to 120, there will be plenty of new dungeons, quest areas, island expeditions, and exciting stories revolving around the great leaders of the Alliance and Horde.
In the Distant Future: World of Warcraft Classic
At BlizzCon 2017, Blizzard announced that there will be “Classic” servers for World of Warcraft in the future. These will offer a player experience as it was common in “Classic” times, i.e., before “The Burning Crusade.” However, it is questionable whether the classic servers will be released in 2018, as fans will likely have to wait a bit longer since there is still no concrete date.What are you particularly looking forward to in relation to World of Warcraft in 2018? Which features can you not wait for? Are there any features you would rather not see in the game?
