Greetings gamers! Last weekend (November 3rd-4th) was BlizzCon and, if you hadn’t heard, there was a major announcement for the World of Warcraft franchise. If you follow any gaming news then you already know what’s happening. I’m not going to regurgitate everything you’ve already seen 100 times by now. If you want to see it all again then I suggest going to Blizzard Entertainment’s YouTube page. This is merely my thoughts on the expansion announcement and the changes coming to the game.
I’ll cover their new approach for the next three expansions, the new systems (ex: Delves and Warbands), and a few other things.
First The “Meh” Things
I want to end this post on a positive note so let’s begin with some of the things that are cool or just kind of “meh”.
The Hero Talents sound cool but they need to be visually stunning if I’m going to be excited about it. When Divine Toll was introduced, I fell in love with it and it is now, hands down, my favorite Paladin talent. I am hoping Hero Talents can live up to that kind of expectation.
As always there are UI updates and I’m sure there are more to come. The changes to the Spellbook are a good change and integrating it with the Talents window is smart.
I’m glad “dragonriding”, now known as “Dynamic Flight”, is here to stay. I don’t think this is a surprise to anyone. As Ion Hazzikostas said, there’s no going back.
Cross-Realm Guilds is a really nice addition. We do have a couple of folks, on different servers, that raid with us regularly. It will be nice when we can fully incorporate them into our guild.
The Earthen playable race is the least interesting addition. They feel like reskinned and recolored Dark Iron Dwarf. The Horde players certainly didn’t ask for Dwarves and Alliance didn’t need another Dwarf race. Regardless, the Earthen Dwarves are the new race and if you don’t want one then don’t create one.
Blizzard Continues to Innovate
Blizzard’s innovation continues to impress me. Unfortunately, now that Microsoft is in charge that may be over. Microsoft hasn’t innovated in decades; they’re just copying others and claiming it as their own … wait a minute … Holy shit! Microsoft is ChatGPT!!
Sorry, I digress. I couldn’t resist an opportunity to make a joke at the expense of Microsoft and ChatGPT.
The idea of an “expansion trilogy” is a great idea! I don’t think it’s ever been done before. It sets our expectations for the next three expansions and now we get to enjoy content and wait for updates. I just wish they had given us some kind of roadmap that lays out the timeline for these expansions. Who knows, maybe that’s still to come.
A Few of My Favorite Things
Don’t judge me for quoting The Sound of Music. It’s a fantastic film and if you haven’t watched it then man up and go check it out.
Blizzard announced two new systems they are adding to “The War Within” (the first expansion of the trilogy). They are among a few of my favorite things coming in the next expansion.
Delves
Delves are new, outdoor, open-world events that are easily triggered simply by entering specific caverns or structures. They can be completed with a group of 1-5 players and you will be given an NPC to help you along the way.
There are two things about delves that I really like. First is the group size of 1-5 players. This means it’s something I can do on alts to help them gear up. Also, since my daughter now plays, it’s something the three of us can do together. This helps her gear up and there is no stress and anxiety about random rude and impatient players.
Second, completing delves gives you an extra chance at loot in the Great Vault. Again, this is great for all the reasons listed above. Also, the gear awarded in, and from, delves will improve with each season (much like Mythic+ gear).
I cannot wait to try out this new system on alts and with my daughter!
Warbands
This is something World of Warcraft has needed for a very long time—a system to bring together all of your alts. After 20 years Blizzard has finally realized that we play a lot of alts (I have 18 max-level characters – and counting). Warbands allow nearly everything to be account-wide, including reputations and renown.
The biggest burden about playing alts are the reputations. I always max out the reputations on my main character but I’ve never spent the time to grind it out again on alts. I may be a sadist but I’m not a masochist.
An account-wide bank is one of the biggest highlights of this system. I will no longer have to mail gear, gold, and reagents between characters. Simply depositing those things into the Warband bank means all characters, on the account, have access.
As an alt-aholic, these quality-of-life changes are huge! Game-changing (literally and figuratively)! I cannot wait to see this feature in action.
But, in the meantime, I’m gonna go make another alt!
What are your thoughts on the expansion announcement?
If zombies attack the world, everyone will run and hide. Except for us gamers, of course. We’ve been waiting for this all our lives!