Free WoW: Battle for Azeroth servers. Review of the World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth add-on - the war between the Alliance and the Horde flared up with renewed vigor! WWII Battle for Azeroth update

There will be no winners or losers in this battle.

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Addition Battle for Azeroth became the fastest selling in history World of Warcraft: by the time the heroes of Azeroth received word from Magni Bronzebeard and hung their “Azerite vacuum cleaner” around their necks, more than 3,400,000 copies of the addon had already been sold. And there is every reason for this: a loud announcement during BlizzCon, gorgeous videos, exciting pre-patch events and, of course, allied races available only to owners of the add-on. But the main factor, perhaps, was the long-forgotten feeling of unity with one’s faction, expressed in the first cinematic trailers: “ For the Horde! For the Alliance!"And with weapons - wow!

But now new lands have been discovered, explored and explored, dungeons have been completed, crafts have been learned, battle pets have been defeated and collected. There are only a few days left until the opening of the first raid, the first PvP season and the first mythical dungeons. It's time to take a look at the entire starting state of "Battle for Azeroth" and try to understand whether it was worth it in such a hurry to join these three and a half million.

The battle for motivation

For a long time we were not given the opportunity to face not some “alien evil”, but a close, understandable and familiar enemy. And the preliminary events of “Battle for Azeroth” plunged us into an epic and bloody confrontation between the Horde and the Alliance. Have you ever wanted to throw a fireball at Anduin or rip Saurfang's shoulder pads? Here they are, right in front of us, former comrades-in-arms, for whom bills have accumulated over many years! Come on, neighbor, are you ready to answer for Theramore and Taurajo, for the homeless elves and oppressed orcs?

We witnessed episodes that forever changed World history of Warcraft. Before our eyes, the sacred world tree Teldrassil turned to ashes. With our direct participation, the ruins of Lordaeron became completely uninhabitable. After this, even fans of pet battles wished for retribution with all their hearts.

However, the overwhelming epic nature of what was happening did not completely hide the plot holes and lame motivation of the characters. Why did Sylvanas suddenly decide to start a fire and why didn’t she finish the fight with Malfurion? How do Saurfang's attack in the back and his subsequent feelings about it fit together? Why couldn’t Jaina, who had recently ended the Plague in a matter of seconds, freeze the Horde saboteurs in the same seconds? Finally, what was the princess of Zandalar doing in Stormwind prison and why did no one react to her escape? Why is there flight, here the capital almost burned down, and no one even mentioned it when sending Alliance fighters to Kul Tiras! Concerns arise: will the writers forget by the end of the addon that Darnassus no longer exists?

To somehow mend the holes, Blizzard even released two books of modest literary value. So what, players? Overwatch I’m happy that the game is separate, and the plot is separate!

But the saddest plot failure was hidden in the skies. Fighters "Legion" remember how powerful weapon could become spaceship Draenei - "Vindicare". For what reasons did Anduin Wrynn not think of ending the Horde with a couple of well-aimed shots? Obviously, for the most compelling reasons: the writers decided that “Vindicare” did not fit into the current plot, and simply forgot about it. Yes, the battle between the Horde and the Alliance is more of a friendly match, and you cannot leave half the players as winners and half as losers. But it was possible to at least briefly mention some important mission of Velen or a catastrophic engine failure? Apparently, they decided not to waste their energy. Go into the bushes, Vindicaar, grow some keys.

Battle for resources

Be that as it may, after the unsuccessful battle of Lordaeron for both sides, we will have to happily forget about the confrontation between the largest factions. The leaders of the Horde and Alliance assessed the losses and came to the conclusion: the armies needed fresh blood. Our mission is to find new allies, convince them to forget about their own problems and line them up with their fleet under the banners of the desired color. It seems that somewhere we have already seen the same plot plot... yes, yes, the same melody played after the first unsuccessful attack on the Broken Shore!

Most of all, the first patches of Battle for Azeroth resemble the beginning of Legion. And not only the plot: on new continents, activities that are very familiar from the previous expansion await us - perhaps in an economical version. The tactical map breaks down a single global mission into three smaller tasks (or six, if you count a skimpy military campaign on foreign territories), and from luxurious class strongholds the entire faction was moved to the ship's deck. Perhaps it was because of this that our companions lost interest in us: now there are only five of them, each with only one slot for equipment, and not a single one can be persuaded to join us on adventures. And the class resources simply changed their name - now they are “military” resources.

But the equipment system has been simplified (at least at first glance). We accumulate power in the same way by collecting Azerite to improve equipment, but instead of several types of weapons we have a single medallion, the level of which unlocks additional abilities on the obtained helmets, shoulders and breastplates. The savings in time and effort are, of course, significant. But previously, in addition to artifact weapons, we received as many as three epic storylines, one for each specialization, and the druids even got four unique stories. Now, instead of all this wealth, you can only count on the inspiring speech of Magni Bronzebeard - the same for all races, classes and factions.

Heroes who reach level 120 begin a two-year journey: they begin to collect equipment. Here, as usual, there are pitfalls, randomness and an endless pursuit of perfection. The thing is with those additional abilities: not all of them are equally useful. The new Azerite Rings carry over some of the abilities of the powerfully buffed Legendary items, but it will take a lot of luck and a lot of trying to find one that combines all the desired talents from the many varieties of items.

Battle for reputation

But in the process of leveling up, wonderfully drawn locations, stuffed with quests and tasks, open up. Sometimes even too generous: if you meet a lone warrior, you can be sure that he has five requests hidden in his stash. And if you stumble upon a camp or village, the number of orders will at least triple!

Most NPCs will be happy to explain to you how the confrontation between the Horde and the Alliance is connected with the urgent need to tear off two dozen tails from lizards or destroy the nests of pterodactyls. Some side effects are definitely worth going through - especially if you are a fan of mini-plots. For example, a plush tea party in Drustvar with an amazing, albeit useless reward. Or the story of a timid Brutosaurus who needs to find a mate, but all attempts by scientists to match him with someone lead to an unexpected result.

We have to infiltrate the pirate crew and help the dragons, deal with cultists and disrupt human sacrifices, arrange weddings and stab refugees with a needle, be horrified by losses and celebrate victories. We will meet new heroes and whole new tribes, including the vulpera foxes singing about Specks and Dolly and the mysterious serpent people Sethrak.

It’s worth playing for the Horde or going through a military campaign on Zandalar if only to see Bwonsamdi himself in the role of a healer of souls - this loa of death descends from the voodoo Baron of Saturday (aka Baron Samdi), and in his manner of communication he is reminiscent of Ryuk from Death Note " Every time he resurrects your hero, he makes a snide joke.

But in terms of mechanics, you can’t expect much abundance: most tasks come down to “kill, collect, use.” Because of this, even going after a cat stuck in a burning tower is perceived as a revelation and a gift.

But war is war, and local networks are on schedule. If you run through the plot and side quests accelerate, this will mean only one thing: the speedy advent of the era local quests, envoy assignments and earning reputation with new factions. The last one remains key element leveling up: without reputation you won’t see any flights, new allied races, or useful gizmos.

Battle for DPS

They tried to implement new mechanics in island expeditions - these are special dungeons where a team of three players must manage to collect several thousand Azerite before non-player characters or other users do so. But there was no revolution here either: despite the procedural generation, the expeditions are quite monotonous. But the list of possible trophies includes mounts and pets, so it is unlikely that the islands will suffer the same fate as the Pandaria scenarios. And competing with other players is always fun.

As for the new dungeons, they were a great success. Unless, of course, you pay attention to the narrow corridors where problems with the camera begin, and the labyrinths with nooks and crannies in which newcomers constantly get lost. Group instances look completely different, but are equally atmospheric and detailed. It’s not boring with bosses due to the variety of mechanics and abundance of control, and ordinary mobs guarding approaches sometimes surprise with their ingenuity. Those newbies will probably fray their nerves not only because of the labyrinths, but also because of the traps generously placed along the corridors. And in some dungeons, the opponents are so dangerous that the “high” keys for them will most likely remain unclaimed.

By the time the review appears on the site, most likely, the first raid, Uldir, will already have opened. “Keys” will appear: Mythic dungeons will gain additional difficulty levels. And for those who successfully cope with the new challenges, one of the main problems of the new addition will finally disappear.

But to talk about it, we have to go back in time.

Battle for subscription

The principle of scaling works in some multiplayer games, and not just in arcade session action games. IN The Elder Scrolls Online Adjusting the level gives players the opportunity from the very first minutes to rush to explore the most “fresh” lands and plots, and then, at their leisure, move to their original territories in search of missed adventures.

WoW scaling was introduced at the start of Legion on the Broken Isles and eventually expanded throughout the game, but it works differently. The world is divided into “pendocks”, between which gates are built: 60th, 80th, 90th, 100th, 110th levels. It doesn't matter if you love Pandaria, you still won't see it until you level it up. It doesn't matter if you like Draenor, you can't escape it unless you decide to level up by collecting resources on the Timeless Isle.

There is nothing wrong with the very idea of ​​scaling; pitfalls are hidden in its implementation, and level 116-120 players most actively count them using the bottoms of their ships. By this time, the effects of legendary items stop working, the epic armor of the “Legion” is almost completely replaced by the quest “green” and, if you’re lucky, by the “blue” from the dungeons.

You'll learn about the most important things you need to know before playing Battle for Azeroth.

Plot

The events of “Battle for Azeroth” begin immediately after the “Legion” expansion, when Azeroth stopped the invasion of the Burning Legion by winning a victory on Argus. Still, the Alliance and the Horde have not forgotten the old disputes, and the conflict flares up with new strength. The cause of discord is the struggle for Azerite, a resource that appeared after the battle with the Legion.

During the new battle, the Alliance attacks the Undercity, and the Horde burns Teldrassil. After this, the factions will begin to prepare for a large-scale war, going in search of allies in the lands of the Great Sea. The Alliance will join the sea state of Kul Tiras, and the Horde will enter into an alliance with the Zandalar Empire, the ancestral home of the trolls. .

Heroes of the Alliance will explore Kul Tiras, where they will fight against pirates, mysterious sea priests, and dark magic. All actions will take place in three locations: Tiragarde Shore, Drustvar and Stormsong Valley.

The Horde will travel to the Zandalari Empire, where they will have to fight maddened troll cultists, giant dinosaurs and the creations of the titans. The heroes will travel through three locations: Zuldazar, Nazmir and Vol'dun.

New locations

Warfront is a 20-player co-op with classic RTS mechanics, such as Warcraft III. First, players set up a camp, building forges, armories, barracks, and so on. Then an army is created to defeat the enemy leader. To win, you need to break through to the enemy and protect your own borders. And don’t forget that you can meet goblin merchants or other random NPCs on the map.

Gameplay innovations

The developers will rework abilities that allow you to massively stun enemies. Artifact weapons will also be removed, but don’t despair, because their abilities will be distributed between talents and spells. In addition, the weapon will not be simply removed, and the player will have to go through a chain of tasks to turn it into an ability.

So, the announcement of the new addition has taken place. Just a few hours before Blizzcon, information appeared online that the company had registered the name Battle for Azeroth. And so it happened. the long-awaited announcement was made. The new addition to World of Warcraft will be called Battle for Azeroth.

Battle for Azeroth - “Battle for Azeroth.” When I was linked to the news about the name registration, I thought that “Battle for Azeroth” meant the battle for the female titan of Azeroth against the Old Gods. This was quite logical, because after the victory over the Burning Legion, the Lords of the Abyss and their minions, the Ancient Gods, would become the new enemies of all living things. But it turned out that after a grueling and difficult battle with the hordes of Sargeras, the races of Azeroth did not unite to restore the “national economy”, but again butted heads.

From the point of view of common sense, this is more than strange. Over the past ten years, both factions have had common enemies much more powerful than themselves. And more than once both factions opposed them, albeit with a divided front, but still against them. In my opinion, this conflict of factions has long been an atavism that could be easily removed. But apparently they decided to do it differently.

The Horde burns Terdrassil, that is, the capital of the night elves, to which the Alliance responds with an attack on Lordaeron. In short, a new round of the struggle for power over Azeroth begins.

So, what about the plot is clear, what about the content and innovations? The main news is outlined below:

• Levelcap raised to level 120;
• Kul Tiras is a location where Alliance characters will be leveled up, and Horde characters will be leveled up on Zandalar;
• Kul Tiras is run by Jaina's mother: widow Katrina Proudmoore;
• Each of the islands is divided into three parts, which are ruled by their own factions. As the plot develops, we will have to get to know them and restore order in the relationship;
• I don’t think there’s any need to tell you who the Zandalari are, but if you don’t know, I advise you to read the corresponding section in the Chronicles;
• The main characters of the addition will be: the young king Anduin, Sylvanas Windrunner, Jaina Proudmoore, we will also learn something about Vol’jin and - surprise, surprise - Thrall will return to us;
• Since the battle ahead is serious, we need to gather all the allies we can. This is what explains the appearance of;
• Alliance subraces: lightforged draenei, Dark Iron dwarves, Void elves;
• Horde subraces: Nightborne elves, Highmountain tauren and Zandalari trolls;
• New subraces will need to be “discovered” during the game, and not just purchased as an add-on;
• After fulfilling the conditions for opening a subrace, they can be played starting from level 20;
• will appear new type armor that can be upgraded and customized (something similar to artifacts, but not quite) using a necklace;
• . Travel to the islands and fight for resources on them, and the opponents there will not be bags of loot, but something controlled by an advanced artificial intelligence;
• : content designed for 20 people, which will involve attacks on enemy battle formations and bases;
• Zone scaling will extend to the entire world, as long as the zone scaling plan is as follows (within these locations the level will be adjusted within certain limits):
  • starting zone: 0-10
  • classic zones: 10-60
  • Outland and Northrend: 60-80
  • Cataclysm and Pandaria: 80-90
• Cancellation of division into PvP and PvE servers. The PvP flag can now be raised at will;
• New arenas, battlefields and showdowns in Silithus;
• Two raids have been announced: Uldir, Halls of Control, which will have 8 bosses, and an unnamed raid, in which the boss (obviously the main one) will be Queen Azshara.

If it’s in large strokes, then that’s all for now. Details are in subsequent materials.

We met with the developers at Gamescom large-scale addition for World of Warcraft - Battle for Azeroth. WoW Producer Michael Bybee and Lead Environment Artist Ely Cannon told us a lot of interesting things.

Journey to the New World

So, the add-on was officially launched last week. This happened simultaneously for all regions, which was a new achievement for the creators of WoW. The launch went off without any problems, which made the team very happy.

Representatives of the alliance and horde have already begun to explore the locations of Kul Tiras and Zandalar. They complete quests, receive rewards, and enjoy an amazing story. Many players have reached the new level cap of 120 and gained access to additional content. Including, they opened world quests on two continents and began to study special storylines, available only at the maximum level.

Always be ready

The already implemented war mode is popular. In it, the player is constantly ready for PvP battles, receiving additional experience and others nice bonuses. The mode can be activated in the faction capital. This is a very fun innovation that allows, for example, the entire zone to attack aggressive players or organize internal competitions.

The development team has a lot of patches in their plans, when creating them they hope for feedback from players. Moreover, not every patch will have another raid. Basically, these will be local, small events that will fit well into the realities of what is happening.

Classic Warcraft universe

New one coming soon interesting mode- fronts. These are PvE battles designed for 20 people. When creating the mode, the developers were inspired by the mechanics of the original Warcraft 3. In it, you will play the role of a hero-commander leading into battle small group warriors Each participant will be at the head of his own group. It will also be possible to extract resources and build a base. Towards the end of the confrontation, the final assault on the fortress will begin, after which all heroes will fight with the enemy commander. By defeating him, they will successfully capture the territory, receive a reward and gain access to additional quests.

Initially, the Arathi Highlands, where the battle will take place, belongs to the Alliance. To enter the battle for this territory, the Horde will have to collect a certain amount of resources. Once she collects them, she will attack and is guaranteed to win. This is done to ensure that no one faction can control a strategically important area for too long. Having lost possession, the Alliance will also begin collecting resources, after which it will attack and return what was lost. And so on in a circle. The battle will take approximately 30-45 minutes.

Let's go on an epic trek

The first Uldir raid will begin on September 4th. It will open first on Normal and Heroic difficulties, and then on Mythic difficulties. In a few days, the first wing will open in the raid finder, and after two weeks, the second wing will open. The opening of the third wing is supposedly scheduled for October 10th.

When will Thrall return?

“Should we expect to see former Horde leader Thrall return from his so-called “maternity leave”? Producer Michael Bybee answered the question, saying that he personally and the entire team love this character very much, and, of course, he is not forgotten. But he is not yet ready to give an official statement about the leader’s return.

We remember that the Cataclysm expansion ended very vaguely, with fire, lava and a giant tidal wave marking the beginning of a new era. What she will bring to the leader and the newly minted shaman Thrall is unknown.

It's interesting that some people consider the union of Thrall and Aggra to be fake by calling a female character « filler » for those who dreamed of uniting the orc leader and his beautiful partner Jaina. Perhaps in the future we will learn more details about the life of this ambiguous union of hearts.

Blizzcon 2017 has passed, and long-awaited details have finally appeared about the new add-on for World of Warcraft - it’s called Battle for Azeroth, and, as usual, it contains a lot of innovations. But first things first.

Release date of the add-on: 2018, the exact date is not yet known. Subscribe to us on social networks so as not to miss anything interesting.

Introductory video (trailer) Battle for Azeroth (Battle for Azeroth) in Russian

Review of new items in the Battle for Azeroth expansion

Allied Races in Battle for Azeroth

Many complained that in World of Warcraft there are dark iron dwarves and a wide variety of trolls, but you can’t play as them. In the new addon, it was decided to correct this oversight - at the start, play will be available for 6 new subraces - dark iron dwarves, Highmountain tauren, abyss elves, nightborne, light-illuminated draenei, as well as trolls from the Zandalari tribe.

To unlock the ability to choose one of these subraces when creating a new character, you will first have to form an alliance with them with an existing hero, and only then go in search of adventure. Representatives of new gaming races begin their journey at level 20, and then the level of opponents is open world adapts to them. This mechanic has already been tested in Legion, so we can say with confidence that leveling up a new character will be noticeably more fun than is usually the case.

When a representative of any of the six subraces available at the start reaches maximum level, he receives as a reward a unique set of armor for transmogrification - another reason to get serious about leveling up a new character. You can order character upgrades in World of Warcraft on our website.

And How small bonus, all new races have new racial abilities, so this cannot be considered a purely cosmetic innovation.

New locations in the Battle for Azeroth expansion

This time, the adventures of the Horde and the Alliance will take place in radically different locations. Horde players will have to visit the mysterious islands belonging to the troll empire of Zandalar, and Alliance players will finally be able to reach the island kingdom of Kul Tiras, the homeland of Jaina Proudmoore. Each of these large locations consists of three smaller locations, in which Horde and Alliance players will have to level up. The ancient troll city of Zuldazar, the swamps of Nazmir and the Vol'dun desert await Horde players, and Tiragarde Seashore, Drustvar and Stormsong Valley await Alliance players.

Now they talk only briefly about what is happening on these islands, but this is understandable - if everything is told at once, it will not be so interesting. It is possible that the coming Ancient god N'Zoth, who is hiding somewhere in the depths of the ocean.

Island exploration

In the upcoming Battle for Azeroth add-on, you will also be able to travel to islands that everyone has long forgotten about, but which are fraught with untold riches and deadly dangers - just what you need to take your mind off all those invasions of the Burning Legion and talk about the dark future of Azeroth.

Exploring the islands will be something like mini-dungeons crossed with scenarios from Pandaria - fast, exciting, and in some places even profitable.

Sieges and base development

Also in the new addon there will be a new PVE mode in which 20 players will be able to jointly attack the forts of the enemy faction, and then try to gain a foothold in the recaptured territory, building their own network of fortifications. This whole regime - a great opportunity remember where World of Warcraft grew from - real-time strategies.

Strengthening armor instead of strengthening weapons

In Legion, we tried to strengthen our artifact weapons by infusing them with new and new abilities, but now we have to take care of armor with the help of the Heart of Azeroth amulet, which Magni Bronzebeard is forging somewhere right now. It is worth noting that the armor will not be an analogue of the artifacts from Legion - you are free to choose any suitable armor, and only then decide how to strengthen it.

Exciting plot

Something that will definitely interest fans gaming history- this is a story about the confrontation between former allies, who recently fought together against the countless hordes of the Burning Legion. It goes without saying that the global plot will move against the backdrop of many small subplots that can be told in new locations - troll cultists of Zandalar, court intrigues of Kul Tiras, gloomy forest witches. In short, a lot of interesting things.

And a lot more

The maximum level this time will be 120, so jokes about level 110 elves will have to be updated again.

New raids and dungeons, including the Free Haven, where Azeroth's most dangerous pirates gather, and the ancient golden city of Atal'Dazar, home to a sinister blood cult.

Instant level increase to 110, if suddenly someone wants to immediately try out the new content.

And that’s all for now – we look forward to new details from the new add-on to World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. This article will be updated with news about the Battle of Azeroth expansion.