Blizzard has announced the next expansion for World of Warcraft – it will be Dragonflight. We reveal what is included in the new addon.
The latest expansion for WoW has finally been revealed. Some of the leaks have been confirmed, others have not. But at least the name is correct:
Dragonflight
The 9th expansion of WoW revolves around the Dragon Isles and thus takes place on Azeroth again. Included are a new race and even a new class with quite interesting cosmetic customizations.
New Areas: The Dragon Isles
The story of “Dragonflight” will take place on the Dragon Isles. Here, players not only level up to level 70 but also explore 4 completely new areas:
- The Waking Shores
- The Plains of Ohn’ahra
- The Azure Span
- Thaldraszus
There will be a lot to explore, especially “ancient wonders” and secrets of the Dragon Isles. After all, this is one of the oldest areas of Azeroth and gives developers plenty of room to create new stories and legends.
New Class: Dracthyr Evoker
A highlight of Dragonflight will likely be the new class, the so-called “Evokers”. They are bound to a single race – the Dracthyr! This is a new species that you can play with Dragonflight.
Similar to Demon Hunters, Dracthyr Evokers have only two specializations. They are:
- Damage Dealer (Devastation): With various devastating breath attacks, claws, and fangs, Dracthyr descend upon their enemies – especially from a distance, as Devastation Evokers are a ranged specialization.
- Healer (Preservation): As healers, the dragons support their allies and empower them in battle.
Dracthyr wear mail armor.
Especially cool: Dracthyr Evokers have extremely extensive cosmetic customizations. They have, similar to Worgen, a humanoid form in which they interact with the mortal races. Additionally, they have a dragon form that they adopt in battle.
Both forms can be freely customized. The humanoid form resembles a mix between humans and blood elves, along with numerous draconic features – scales, horns, and so on.
From a story perspective, the Dracthyr have just awakened. They experience the world almost from the perspective of newborns, being attentive and curious. Dracthyr Evokers start at level 58 and have a special quest line that introduces them to the game world, at the end of which they must choose to join the Horde or the Alliance – very similar to Pandaren.
Revamp of the Talent and Professions System
A rather unexpected yet welcome announcement is a major overhaul of the talent system. It is said to be the “most comprehensive update to the talent and profession systems in World of Warcraft since the game’s release”.
While not all details are known yet, the talent system will be redesigned so that there is a talent point at each level, so players will have to make a decision with every level-up. At the same time, the developers want to avoid making talents boring and nearly without impact, as was the case with the classic talent system.
Whether this balancing act will succeed will likely only be shown in the beta – but at least the ambition sounds good.
Regarding professions, Dragonflight also promises significant innovations. There are talks of “entirely new features,” new tools, and even profession gear as well as an entirely new specialization system. It seems that crafters can adopt a specialization and regain some reputation on their realm as a result. Exactly how that will look is not entirely clear yet.
New Feature: Dragon Riding
An expansion called “Dragonflight” naturally cannot be without flying dragons. This “Dragon Riding” will be a new feature that will initially likely replace flying in the new areas.
Every character can receive a dragon of the Dragon Isles and fly with it. You will be able to increasingly customize your dragons throughout the expansion – new appearance options will be the focus here.
It is also important that your dragons learn new abilities over time. Then they can fly faster and further.
It seems that Dragon Riding will temporarily replace flight mounts – at least initially. Players would then explore the areas with their dragons and could only fly briefly. This looks like a good compromise for exploring the world for the first time.
What else is in the addon?
Aside from the major features, many other small details are packed into Dragonflight. The developers have announced a comprehensive overhaul of the interface – thus, the 17-year-old WoW interface has become outdated. Most players have already replaced it with add-ons anyway, but soon the standard will also be significantly improved. All elements are supposed to be customizable by default and offer many options. The developers have in mind “contemporary displays” – thus, they are orienting themselves to what add-ons already allow.
The first screenshots also reveal that many creatures will receive a significant visual overhaul. Centaurs, Tuskarr, and nearly all dragons seem to be getting a visual refresh as well.
Can you sign up for the beta?
Yes! The beta registration is now available on the Blizzard website. There is still no start date for the beta or even a release date.
Are you excited about Dragonflight? What is your first impression?
