World of Warcraft has been expanded with patch 10.2.5. We will tell you what has changed – and what you should still take care of today.
The latest patch of World of Warcraft is live. The update 10.2.5 “Seed of Renewal” is a small patch, but it brings some new content and should entertain at least for a while. This includes many improvements to the game, some fresh story quests, and especially dragon riding in (almost) the entire game world.
The most important points at a glance:
- The Horde and Alliance can help the Worgen in retaking Gilneas.
- There are epilogue quests related to the Dragon Isles with plenty of “Stay a while and listen” events.
- Dragon riding is unlocked throughout the entire game world.
- Bel’ameth, the new capital of the night elves, is now inhabited, and there are some treasures to discover.
- The new event “Archives of Azeroth” occurs hourly and brings a new reputation faction along with plenty of cosmetic rewards.
- The Dragonflight dungeons can now be visited on normal difficulty with NPC companions.
Patch 10.2.5: Seed of Renewal – All Highlights
Patch 10.2.5 is just a small “x.5” patch, but there are still some new contents with many rewards. No new season starts yet, and changes to character power are minimal, but collectors and transmog fans should find plenty to enjoy.
Basically, nothing in this patch is truly “mandatory” – you can decide for yourself what content you want to check out and where you would like to accumulate rewards. However, if you want to see everything important, you should tackle the following points this week:
Archives of Azeroth
One of the larger features is the “Archives of Azeroth”, a PvE event that takes place hourly at half past each hour (9:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, etc.) in the Azure Mountains. The event is reminiscent of time anomalies but scales better with the number of characters. This means that even if you participate alone, you can complete it at the highest level and claim the maximum rewards.
Exciting transmog sets, a few small story snippets from the past of the Dragon Isles, and a new reputation faction await. All rewards are purely cosmetic.
Retaking Gilneas
The Worgen are reclaiming their city. Whether as a member of the Horde or the Alliance, you can participate in this endeavor. In a questline, you plan and begin the retaking, at the end of which the Worgen will likely possess a kingdom again – but you will better experience the exact outcome of the quest in the game.
As a reward, there is also a really stylish transmog set in the typical noble look of Gilneas. Anyone looking for a fancy top hat will definitely enjoy this set.
Dragon Riding (almost) Everywhere
Also new is the unlocking of dragon riding in the old areas. Whether you are traveling in Outland, Northrend, Kul’Tiras, or Azeroth – in all areas you can climb onto your dragon as soon as you reach level 60 and have unlocked dragon riding for your account.
The speed is limited to 85% of the maximum speed of the Dragon Isles. However, as the old areas are much smaller than the zones on the Dragon Isles, this should hardly be noticeable. You will still travel through the world much faster than ever in the history of WoW.
The only exceptions are the areas where normal flying is currently not possible. So, for example, Quel’Thalas (Silvermoon, Immersang Forest, Ghostlands) and also starting areas of the Draenei as well as some other areas where flying is not allowed.
Epilogue Quests to Conclude the Story
A short questline concludes the events on the Dragon Isles. You have the opportunity to talk to the Aspects once more and also visit Bel’ameth, the new capital of the Elves. Most characters reflect on the incidents with the incarnations and the Emerald Dream.
If you are interested in the story and want to see some new dialogues, you should click on the various NPCs. Often you can select the dialogue option “Stay a while and listen”. This will initiate a small event where important characters discuss, and you gain a bit more insight into their personalities.
Observant heroes may also find a dialogue with the Alliance that indicates that King Anduin has been seen “somewhere in Kalimdor”. This is a clear hint towards the cinematic that heralds “The War Within”.
Dungeons with NPCs
A feature that will be particularly interesting for “casual” players is the option to tackle the normal dungeons of Dragonflight with NPCs. You can either take a full party of 4 NPCs or mix it up by taking 1 to 3 friends.
You can choose whether the NPCs lead the charge – pulling and starting fights – or if you want to take charge yourself.
This option is especially suitable for players who enjoy experiencing dungeons at their own pace or do not want to engage with other players right now.
The feature will also be particularly interesting in “The War Within” since it is expected to be active from the launch of the expansion.
At the start, only 10 dungeons per day and account can be visited this way. For most, that will be more than enough.
What else is changing? Apart from the major features, there are several small but nice changes that we will briefly cover here:
- Dracthyr can now use their racial ability like dragon riding – there are no more differences.
- The Warden transmog set, which was available for completing 12 months in the trading post, is now split into 3 sets. The color-changing set, as well as the green and white sets, are now separate.
- The catalyst, where you can convert items into tier set pieces, now receives a charge each week instead of every 2 weeks.
- Warlocks, trolls, and draenei have some new customization options for themselves or their companions (demons).
- A new dragon riding event will take place in Outland starting on January 18, offering new cosmetic rewards.
- The “Love is in the Air” event has been updated with new rewards.
Note that the patch also brings a whole host of class changes. All buffs, nerfs, and changes to the classes have been presented here.
