Blizzard admits ‘the necessity to do higher’ with World of Warcraft: Dragonflight

We described World of Warcraft: Dragonflight as “a promising new basis for a really previous MMO” in our current 80% assessment, and Blizzard appears to see it the identical approach. In a “Dragonflight in 2023” update laying out its plans for Dragonflight subsequent yr, the studio stated that older expansions like Legion are nonetheless “remembered fondly” by followers, and acknowledged that it hasn’t lived as much as that commonplace with more moderen releases.

Blizzard intends to place out six content material patches for Dragonflight over 2023, together with two main updates with new zones, raids, and seasonal rewards. It additionally desires to make sure loads of new content material between these huge updates, although, together with new world occasions, dungeons, narrative chapters, and cinematics.

“A WoW enlargement will not be a single second in time however a journey—we all know that the advantage of an enlargement hinges on the sustained high quality of its total arc,” government producer Holly Longdale stated. “Years after its launch, Legion is remembered fondly as a lot for the 11-week content material update cadence that served because the framework for its first yr as it’s for artifact weapons or Khadgar’s good dad jokes.

“In planning out the street forward following the discharge of Dragonflight, we have been aware of the obligation we owe our gamers to nurture this dwelling world and, frankly, the necessity to do higher than we now have at occasions within the current previous. Our purpose for Dragonflight is that there ought to all the time be one thing right across the nook, with a brand new update hitting our check realms shortly after the final one is stay and in your arms.”

An update including the Buying and selling Submit to Dragonflight is predicted to go stay in early 2023, shortly after which the following update, with a brand new quest marketing campaign and repeatable world content material, will launch onto the PTR. That may arrange the following main chapter of Dragonflight, “and by its conclusion, it needs to be apparent what our subsequent vacation spot should be.”

That is what the roadmap appears to be like like without delay:

Naturally, not all the things is nailed down at this level: Longdale stated there will likely be content material updates within the second half of 2023 to bridge between the foremost updates, however is not committing to any specifics simply but.

“The purpose is just extra Warcraft: extra story, extra content material, extra rewards, extra occasions, extra tech enhancements, with much less downtime between them,” Longdale stated. “I do not need to spoil all the things, and I am assured that there are not less than a few surprises coming alongside the best way that nobody is anticipating. And a number of the particulars merely aren’t determined but, as a result of your suggestions will assist form precisely what we prioritize in these updates.”

For individuals who are inquisitive about Dragonflight however not fairly able to commit, Blizzard additionally introduced at present {that a} trial model of the enlargement is now obtainable to all World of Warcraft gamers with both a subscription or energetic Game Time on their accounts. Just for a restricted time, although: The trial model of Dragonflight will run till January 2, 2023, after which gamers might want to buy the enlargement to proceed taking part in.