If you have always wanted to explore an unknown island, fight mysterious enemies, and steal important resources from your opponents’ noses, then the island expeditions are just right for you. But what makes this key feature of the new WoW addon Battle For Azeroth actually different?
Dungeons are a feature of World of Warcraft that has existed since the very beginning. They have always been an incentive and a source for better gear on the way to the maximum level or raid preparation in WoW.
Over time, dungeons evolved: first came the heroic mode, then challenges, and finally the mythic difficulty. Recently, Blizzard adapted dungeons through the “Mythic+” option, where dungeons became increasingly challenging to provide new incentives.
In Battle for Azeroth, the developers take it a step further. The “Island Expeditions” are one of the main features of the new addon and expand dungeons – similar to scenarios – as another alternative. The island expeditions do many things differently than their predecessors.
What are Island Expeditions?
In the new expedition feature, you are sent as a research team to a foreign island to search for the new, important material from Battle for Azeroth: Azerite. You will rarely find the same island more than once, as they always change randomly.
There are some outlines that the islands can take – what exactly you can find on them is different with each visit. The positions of possible quest givers and Azerite deposits, as well as the types of enemies, change every time.
The island can even change during your visit. If the ground shakes and an elemental lord breaks forth, it can happen that the entire island is on fire and besieged by fire elementals – or the air fills with lightning and strange creatures.
What is the goal of the expeditions?
The main reason to visit the islands is the new resource Azerite. You need this to upgrade your gear – and your faction for war. The more Azerite you possess, the more power you have.
You will also encounter the opposing faction whenever you explore an island. The expeditions are a race, where the first faction to collect 6000 units of Azerite wins.
How do they play out?
An island expedition is an instance designed for three players. Grab two friends or sign up for a random group to play. The composition doesn’t matter.
Expeditions break through the classic tank-healer-DPS schema. Any combination is possible; you just need to react accordingly and possibly choose different routes on the island. The islands are designed so that no combination makes it impossible.
You are not bound to any exact requirements. You only see what your characters can currently see. No objectives tell you what needs to be achieved next. Since the island can change at any time, you must decide at all times which direction to take next and which path to follow to gather enough Azerite.
What innovations do the expeditions bring?
Anyone can join at any time. Island expeditions are a feature that has not existed in World of Warcraft before. Since they can be played by smaller groups in any composition, their availability is much higher than that of dungeons.
Expeditions combine PvP and PvE. In addition to the normal, heroic, and mythic difficulty levels, expeditions can be completed in PvP mode. In this mode, the three opponents of the other faction are not NPCs but real players!
An improved AI makes them more challenging. Even if you are not playing against real players, you should not underestimate the opponents. Due to an improved AI, the NPCs behave like players. They focus on healers, have a broader range of abilities, and have their own personalities – which you will learn to love and hate.
The differences between dungeons and expeditions
At the moment, the feature is not fully visible in the Alpha of Battle for Azeroth. However, the differences to the dungeons are already evident. They will rather represent a standalone feature than an alternative.
| Classic Dungeons | Island Expeditions |
| 5 players, classic role distribution | 3 players, flexible roles |
| Always the same structure and flow | Dynamically designed and random environment |
| Fight against NPCs and bosses, in mythic+ against the clock | Competition against another group for resources |
| Guides make it easier to get through | The group must coordinate to decide for each situation |
| Mainly a source for gear | Mainly a source for Azerite |
Island Expeditions bring a whole new aspect to World of Warcraft that expands the content. While Legion had dungeons both expanding the artifact weapons and the gear over dungeons, this will be split in Battle for Azeroth.
They also bridge the gap between PvE and PvP. Due to their structure, they promise to be interesting for both sides and constantly offer variety. They have the potential to become the most interesting feature of the addon.
More interesting news and specials about World of Warcraft can be found in our WoW group on Facebook!
