In the same way that World of Warcraft: Legion also focused on meeting the wishes of fans (with the coveted Demon Hunter and the re-establishment of the new Dalaran as its capital, as well as a huge rework of class identity and a greater focus on aesthetic presence) WoW: Dragonflight appears to fall into the same stall.

Both WoW and other parts of Blizzard's arsenal of games choose to go all-in on nostalgia and thus create a renewed interest, ranging from WoW: Dragonflight's new custom mount and new class / race, to the announcement of the upcoming expansion to WoW: Classic - namely one of the most popular expansions ever: Wrath of the Lich King, which will be released (again) during 2022 . There's a lot to go through this time, so get tight, grab your dragon's reins and let's set course for the hidden, mythical land: the Dragon Isles.

Fly towards the land of dragons: Welcome to the Dragon Isles

The story now continues in Azeroth, after players have spent their time in Shadowlands (WoW's version of the afterlife) - and in fact we are taken back to the beginning. The Dragon Isles is the island where the various Dragonflights multiplied, as Azeroth was still young and untouched, before the deadly races began to create kingdoms and political conflicts over them.

After Sargeras' Burning Legion invaded Azeroth (leading to the Great Sundering and the War of the Ancients, where the world literally exploded) the dragons had to flee their homeland; however, they left behind protective statues that could open the land up to the dragons once again when the balance of magic was re-established.

That time has now come and soon players will have the opportunity to experience the land where the mighty Primordial Dragons and subsequent Dragon Aspects were created. In the new zones of expansion, you can fly through iconic areas where Alexstrasza, Nozdormu, Kalecgos, Ysera, Malygos and Deathwing, as well as their descendants had their daily walk in the beginning of time.

True to tradition, the new expansion comes with five new zones for players to explore. In short, this is what you can expect from the different zone areas:

The Waking Shores

This is the first zone that players get to know. In this part of the world you will, among other things, learn more about Alexstrasza: The Life Binder (and generally the red dragon herd) story. The country is characterized by being one of the main areas for the red dragons, as well as the home of the destructive black dragon herd, originally led by Deathwing: The Destroyer. See beautiful landscapes filled with lakes and natural flora in stark contrast to the spear volcanoes and rivers of glowing magma.

Thaldraszus

Thaldraszus is more architectural in its visual imprint; here you will find ancient ruins and huge buildings that protrude from the beautiful landscape that could otherwise be reminiscent of a mix of Azsuna and Ardenweald. This is the highlight for all five kite flocks and therefore it is also here that the players find the new main city: Valdrakken, which has a combined look and feel of all the different kite flocks. In addition, you will also find here Tyr's ten-thousand-year-old technological marvel, Tyrhold, which we are sure will have a great influence on future historier in Azeroth.

The Azure Span

The Azure Span is an aesthetic reference to one of Blizzard's former zones, which is often pointed out as one of the players' favorite areas: Grizzly Hills, from Wrath of the Lich King. With this zone's frozen tundra climate and red trees covered in fog, players will definitely get a sense of having returned to one of Wrath of the Lich King's highlights. Here you will also find the breed Tuskarr and the magical blue dragon herd, which is very similar to what you could find in Borean Tundra and Dragonflight (which are both, you guessed it, WotLK zones).

Ohn'ahran Plains

This part of the Dragon Isles is named after the wild god: Ohn'ahra, who is the god of the Wind. In Her domain you will also find more information about the much-loved green dragon herd, which in the dawn of time fought against the centaurs, who also call this place their home. The zone has large, open areas and areas filled with trees, as we gradually know it from places where the Wind has dominance.

Forbidden Reach

Forbidden Reach is the home of the new race / class station wagon, which is also coming to World of Warcraft. The breed Dracthyr, which is a hero class that starts at a higher level than other races, can evoke (hence the name of there class: Evoker) the various dragon aspects and use these magical powers to do damage or heal their allies. The Dracthyr breed starts their time in Azeroth in the Forbidden Reach, where they must rise in level and learn something about their and the previous dragons' history.

Not your own kite: upgrade, customize and train it

One of the big elements of yesterday's announcement was the new dragon mounts, which will be implemented as a separate system. It seems that World of Warcraft has learned a bit from its competitors (not only here, but actually also in the upgrade of their profession / crafting system, which is now being intensified to a level similar to a mix between Guild Wars 2 and Final Fantasy XIV ). ). Now mounts must not only be something you can farm on a Saturday night from an old boss, but actually be a system in itself.

You get your own kite, which you can upgrade, both in terms of how the kite looks and how it moves around. Among other things, you will be able to fly high and then dive with your kite, thus achieving high speed in the air, just like Guild Wars 2's Griffon mount .

Additionally, you can choose the color of your mount and certain other aesthetic options (muzzle, horn, tail, armor, etc.) that make your mount experience a little more personal, instead of everyone flying around on the same red pull through the entire expansion.

Upgrading the profession and crafting system

The professions in World of Warcraft have seemed almost indifferent for the last few years. After Legion chose to put a strong focus on their impact and feeling, with, among other things, specific quest lines for each crafting / gathering profession, these have subsequently died out a bit.

But now something is happening again - on many fronts. Among other things, an ordering system will be implemented, which means that crafters can help peopleto create the things they stand and lack, for a sum of money (and with the customer's materials, of course). In other words, it becomes less necessary to shout in / trade channel, to get someone to help you with your order - it can all happen in the professions UI. In addition, greater focus is also placed on professional identity, with the ability to craft gear that suits the profession you are.

Read about even more new features…

Activision Blizzard has been out with the huge fanfare this time, after releasing two expansions in a row, which has met with great criticism from both critics and consumers. Therefore, you also get all the elements that we have mentioned in this article, as well as a new race / class combination (for the first time), an upgrade of the HUD and a new talent system that has not been upgraded properly since the implementation of Mists of Pandaria's system in 2012. This, and much more, you can read about in our colleagues' article on download.dk .