Day one of BlizzCon is over. There was a lot of talk about Warlords of Draenor after the trademark first went through, now we have seen it firsthand. Blizzard once again blew the doors off the top MMORPG by announcing this expansion. Warlords bring players back to the early days of the Warcraft genre and really feels like the WoW expansion we have always wanted. Beyond Mists, Blizzard is now taking us into the savage birthplace of the orcs and back to the game’s overall roots.
If you like Orcs in Warcraft then you are in for a real treat. The expansion centers around Garrosh escaping his trial, going back in time and attempting to form his own “Iron Horde” before the orcs were tainted by the demons. His plan just might work, however there are other forces behind the scenes which will be revealed later on. For now, you are journeying into the harsh lands of Draenor and will experience savagery on a truly epic scale.
No surprise that the expansion takes players to 100, however what is really great is the ability to bring a second character right up to level 90. You will be able to join your friends right away in Draenor by purchasing Warlords when it comes out. It will reunite friends who had played together through the years and get people leveling at the same pace again. This was a theme that the dev team stressed with Warcraft lately. The first step was flex raids to open up more content to the players who have less time.
The largest addition with Warlords is the Garrison feature. Tom Chilton said this is how housing in WoW will work. You will get a plot of land and be able to build your own area. Your town or fortress will have nameable followers, buildings, crafting, and even missions for your followers. You will also be able to get rewards and benefits in your zone as well as decorate it with trophies. Tom Chilton also said in the panel that your Garrison will have offline progression in the game. You will progress through three tiers of Garrisons and expand your zone. Personally, I cannot wait to build my Horde fort full of orcs and trolls.
They are also cleaning up heirlooms, toys and tabards and making them account wide. In addition to this clean up, you will also get a fix to your bags. You won’t have to store quest items in your bags anymore. Items will get colors for their icons so you can find your epic loot quickly. They are doing their best to clean up the personal character space for fans.
The storyline of Draenor brings in six of the classic orc clans. Thrall’s father Durotan leads the Frostwolf Clan which Horde players will meet early on. Ner’Zhul, the first Lich king, leads the Shadowmoon Clan in their dark shamanistic ways. The Shattered Hand Clan is one the team has not said much about, but Kargath Bladefist was such an icon during the presentation and has a dark history. The Blackrock Clan are smiths and crafters. Grommesh’s Warsong Clan are the wolf riders on the continent. The other unique clan is the highly savage Bleeding Hollow clan lead by Killrogg Deadeye. Players will interact with each of these clans as they go through the storyline and try to convince them not to join the Iron Horde.
The seven zones of Draenor create the savage world that once existed before Outland tore it apart. The maps show the lands before the Burning Legion came in. The look and feel of the zones are very primal and bring players into a dark and brutal world. The lore is turned around from the way we know it. The Alliance players will have what becomes the Black Citadel as their city. They will also have to explore the harsh environments to unlock the Draenor’s history.
Overall, Warlords of Draenor brings Warcraft right back to where fans want it, or at least, where this fan wants it. In a harsh brutal world with epic heroes fighting for survival, Draenor will bring a lot of players back. There's a lot more to explore in the expansion, including new skills, new character models, a new PVP zone and tons more. The stage is set and fans will be brought to the origins of the IP itself. If Mists of Pandaria was not your style, this new expansion will be everything you want in World of Warcraft. We got our hands on with the game too, and will bring that to you later on.
