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⬅️ Previous capture (2023-01-29)
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Written 2022-12-05
So after coming home from a business trip, I finally got to play the new World of Warcraft expansion yesterday. It's so much fun! The last time I remember thoroughly enjoying the initial experience of a WoW expansion was Wrath of the Lich King over ten years ago.
The starting area of the Dragon Isles is absolutely gorgeous. That the expansion encourages exploration makes it even better. There are little things to discover all over the place. The new dragonriding mechanic - basically Flight 2.0 - is really enjoyable and dovetails into the exploration. The Dragon Isles are definitely designed with dragonriding in mind, because there are pillars, canyons, towers, and all other manner of interesting obstacles and terrain to fly around, through, and in.
Something that caught me completely by surprise was the changes to professions. They added a level of depth that is on par with Final Fantasy XIV crafting, and may even draw some inspiration from Star Wars: Galaxies in some limited ways. Even the gathering professions got a little bit of depth added to them, though they at least are still not as complex as FFXIV or SWG. It's going to take me awhile to learn the new systems, and I adore that I have to do that. It makes crafting much less boring and much more rewarding.
The story thus far is less cataclysmic than previous expansions' stories. Yes, there's a big bad, and letting them win would be very not-good. But it doesn't feel like I just got done saving the world and now I have to save it again; instead, the villain story is only part of a larger narrative around restoring the dragonflights to their former glory and their former home.
All of this, in one day. I'm really looking forward to playing more.