World of Warcraft receives its next expansion with Battle for Azeroth – without random Legendaries, but with Titanforging. The legendary items are disappearing from WoW.
Battle for Azeroth was introduced as a new expansion for WoW at Blizzcon 2017. The preview of Kul Tiras and Zandalar is promising. At the same time, there are concerns among fans that some mistakes could be repeated.
However, Blizzard has learned from the past and listens to the community. Game Director Ion Hazzikostas announced that the Legendary system will NOT be carried over to Battle for Azeroth. Titanforging (translated: titanforged items) will remain part of the game – with restrictions.
No more random Legendaries!
Hardly any other topic is as controversially discussed in World of Warcraft: Legion as Legendaries. In the livestream from streamer Jesse Cox at Blizzcon, Ion Hazzikostas announced that they will disappear in this form in Battle for Azeroth:
“The system of about a hundred Legendaries that can be obtained through any activity will not be present in Battle for Azeroth. Some of the experiences we had with customization and interesting items will be transferred into the ‘Heart of Azeroth’ system, in which players can personalize certain armor pieces according to their preferences.
It is not a system characterized by randomness, but by progress. We have learned a lot from it, so experiences from the Artifact and Legendary systems can be integrated into the “Heart of Azeroth”. We aim to give players goals to strive for. They should be able to customize their character to fit their play style.”
Titanforging – Not banned, but adjusted
Another major criticism of Legion has long been Titanforging. This means that items can randomly appear several item levels higher, thereby outclassing supposedly better items. The system will be retained – but it will not be applied to the Azerite pieces for the Heart of Azeroth.
“The Azerite pieces for armor cannot be warforged or titanforged. They are fixed, as they already have enough depth. They possess a personalizing character, which is why they should be relatively straightforward. I obtain a mythic item that replaces my heroic one – a clear improvement.
For all other items, gloves, bracers, trinkets, and so on, we are very satisfied with the system. If anything, the factors need to be adjusted a bit, as it can quickly feel like only titanforged equipment provides an improvement.”
What does this mean for Battle for Azeroth?
In the current version of World of Warcraft, the Artifact weapon and Legendaries primarily determine how strong a character is. These changes will bring a piece of freedom of expression and potential choice back.
The most important point is that, due to the absence of Legendaries, some armor slots will no longer be blocked by “Best in Slot” items, without which the character cannot fully realize its potential.
Also, the deep impact that Legendaries had on the character’s playstyle will disappear with them. The decisive items in Battle for Azeroth are therefore no longer the Legendaries, but the Azerite pieces.
That they cannot be titanforged removes the current problem of the relics from the Artifact weapons. If one has a relic with a better property but significantly different levels, it requires a lot of calculation to choose the better one – and a mistake will immediately weaken the character.
Titanforging of the remaining items is therefore just another way to be able to improve for as long as possible, without the character needing these items for its actual strength.
