The upcoming World of Warcraft: Dragonflight expansion is bringing with it new content, as well as returning to the classic style for some elements, such as talents. Since this will be the ninth expansion for WoW, some additions like the increased level cap and new zones are unsurprising. But Blizzard is also making first-of-its-kind changes with dragonriding and a new race-and-class combo.
The dragonflights have been part of WoW since the base game, which included a questline that revealed Onyxia from the black dragonflight, who players would later fight in Onyxia's Lair, had been hiding among humans in Stormwind City. Of the primary dragonflights, five remain and are distinguished by color. The dragonflights in World of Warcraft are the appointed guardians of Azeroth, holding dominion over different aspects, such as life, magic, and time, depending upon their color.
Blizzard is sending players to the ancestral home of the dragons, the Dragon Isles, in WoW: Dragonflight. Players will be able to explore new locations related to different dragonflights. They'll also learn dragonriding, which includes new maneuvers that increase speed. Blizzard isn't ignoring the existing game elements, as it's also updating the user interface, professions, and talents.
World Of Warcraft's First Race-And-Class Combo Is The Dracthyr Evoker
Aside from eight new combinations among the existing classes and races, players will have the option to be a Dracthyr Evoker. Like the pandaren, Dracthyr Evokers can choose to join either the Horde or the Alliance. This new race will have a humanoid form and a draconic form, both of which are customizable. Players can choose to fill two party roles as a Dracthyr Evoker: DPS and healing. Like Demon Hunters in WoW, Dracthyr Evokers will have their own, new starting zone. For the first time, players won't be able to choose the class of their character for this race, as all Dracthyr are Evokers.
Explore WoW: Dragonflight With Dragonriding
Players can obtain many mounts in World of Warcraft, but the Dragon Isle Drakes are unique in that they can be customized, including glyphs and a skill tree, and used for dragonriding. Players can perform maneuvers while dragonriding to increase speed, but they'll also be at risk of being knocked out of the sky and even need to account for exhaustion. As players get the hang of dragonriding, they'll be able to take on dragonriding challenges, which will unlock further customization options for their drakes, which includes not only armor but the appearance of the drakes as well.
The Dragon Isles Are At The Center Of WoW: Dragonflight
Some players have explored the Dragon Isles early through the World of Warcraft: Dragonflight alpha and saw the four new zones that will be included aside from the starting zone for the Dracthyr Evokers. Each zone focuses on different dragonflights, with the Forbidden Reach making up the fifth zone as the starting area for Dracthyr Evokers. Following the trend of recent expansions, there's a high possibility that players will have a choice regarding which zone they'd like to go to first.
Of the new zones, The Waking Shores is the only one that features two dragonflights: red and black. Players will help the green dragonflight, who are without a leader, in Ohn'ahran Plains, and they can ride a green drake with the Dreamweaver mount, which is a reward for pre-ordering the Heroic Edition for WoW: Dragonflight or a higher edition. Next is The Azure Span, which is the land that contains the blue dragonflight's magical archives. And finally, there's Thaldraszus, where the bronze dragonflight resides and watches the flow of time.
New Changes To World Of Warcraft's Gameplay
As players may have expected, WoW: Dragonflight is raising the level cap to 70, but a new part of leveling will be the updated talent system. One of the changes being made will have less impact on characters than talent trees, but the new user interface options aim to increase visibility and be more fitting for the larger monitors that have become popular with players. Professions will also see some new features, such as the ability to specialize.
The Dungeons And Raids Of WoW: Dragonflight
Like the expansions before it, World of Warcraft: Dragonflight will launch with eight dungeons and one known raid spread throughout the Dragon Isles, with one of the dungeons being a return to the Badlands for Uldaman: Legacy of Tyr. The Waking Shores will have Ruby Life Pools and Neltharus. Ohn'ahran Plains will feature The Nokhud Offensive. The Azure Span has both Brackenhide Hollow and The Azure Vault, while Thaldraszus will be home to Halls of Infusion and Algeth'ar Academy.
Thaldraszus will also be the location of the only confirmed raid so far: Vault of the Incarnates. The raid will have eight bosses with Raszageth the Storm-Eater as the last of them. Blizzard describes the raid as a prison the Titans used to contain the Incarnates, and WoW: Dragonflight will have the raid launch with Normal, Heroic, and Mythic difficulties from the start, which makes this the first time they're released together instead of having a staggered release.
The World of Warcraft: Dragonflight expansion will include a mix of new content, but some featured changes for the game are updates to current aspects instead of being new. It can be hard for a game to feel fresh going into its ninth expansion, and Blizzard seems to be taking the strategy of returning elements from the original expansions - with changes to fit the current status of the game--and mixing them with original content like the new race-and-class combo. The dragonflight have been part of WoW since the base game, but their home of the Dragon Isles will be a new experience along with the dragonriding mechanic, which adds a new layer of customization for players to try.
WoW: Shadowlands is reaching its end as WoW: Dragonflight is set to release next month. With the release date so close, it seems unlikely that Blizzard will be revealing more information about new content and features for WoW: Dragonflight prior to its launch. Unless there's a delay, players will be setting off for the Dragon Isles on November 28 to see what powers are awakening in the homelands of the dragonflights and to find out how the Horde and Alliance will be able to help their long-time dragon allies in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight.
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