Wow Battle For Azeroth Trinitycore

• Wow Battle For Azeroth Start

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth (abbreviated as Battle or BfA) is the seventh expansion for World of Warcraft. It was announced at BlizzCon 2017 on November 3, 2017. The idea of the expansion came up after the heroes of Azeroth dealt with so much external threats like the Burning Legion.

This article is about the expansion itself. For the conflict and lore of the expansion, see Blood War.

• 3Zones
• 4Dungeons and raids
• 5Prominent figures
  • 5.1Main characters
• 8Gallery

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth (abbreviated as Battle or BfA) is the seventh expansion for World of Warcraft. It was announced at BlizzCon 2017 on November 3, 2017.

The idea of the expansion came up after the heroes of Azeroth dealt with so much external threats like the Burning Legion. In their own words, 'so when we talk about what's the biggest threat in this world, is it the titan or is it the dwarf paladin that put a hammer in that titan's head'? As such, the enemy (at least during the early parts of the scenario) will be the opposite faction, a 'vast army of world-destroying forces'.^[4]

On January 30, 2018 Battle for Azeroth was made available for preorder, coming with the unlocking of the four first allied races. With the announcement of the Collector's Edition and release date for Battle for Azeroth on April 5, 2018,^[3][5]Legion was the first expansion to be offered for free with a preorder.^[6]Battle for Azeroth is the first expansion to launch in the Americas, Europe, Taiwan, Korea, and Australia/New Zealand at the same time.^[1]Battle for Azeroth set a new day-one sales record for a World of Warcraftexpansion with more than 3.4 million units sold on day-one.^[7]

Battle for Azeroth comes in three versions: Standard Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition and Collector's Edition.

Story

Declare Your Allegiance (original website)

Azeroth paid a terrible price to end the apocalyptic march of the Legion's crusade—but even as the world's wounds are tended, it is the shattered trust between the Alliance and Horde that may prove hardest to mend. As this age-old conflict reignites, join your allies and champion your faction's cause—Azeroth's future will be forged in the fires of war.^[8]

Preorder pitch

Azeroth paid a terrible price to end the apocalyptic march of the Legion's crusade—but even as the world's wounds are tended, it is the shattered trust between the Alliance and Horde that may prove the hardest to mend. In Battle for Azeroth, the fall of the Burning Legion sets off a series of disastrous incidents that reignites the conflict at the heart of the Warcraft saga. As a new age of warfare begins, Azeroth's heroes must set out on a journey to recruit new allies, race to claim the world's mightiest resources, and fight on several fronts to determine whether the Horde or Alliance will lead Azeroth into its uncertain future.^[9]

Whoever wins the coming war will likely win a dying world thanks to the Burning Legion. Magni Bronzebeard reached out to the faction leaders and was rebuffed. So now Magni turns to the adventurers, needing help to save the world, and these chosen ones will receive a gift from the titan herself.

An epic 'War Campaign' arc will be woven throughout entire questing areas.

The expansion pack takes place 33 years ADP.^[10]

Features

• New continents:
  • Kul Tiras
    • Drustvar - Primary arms (and sausage) supplier of Kul Tiras and ancient home of the drust.
    • Mechagon Island - New land added in patch 8.2.0. Home to a ancient lost city of the gnomes.
    • Stormsong Valley - Home of the tidesages and primary ships supplier of Kul Tiras.
    • Tiragarde Sound - Where Boralus, the capital of Kul Tiras, is located.
  • Zandalar
    • Nazmir - Swampland, home to the blood trolls and location of the titan facility of Uldir.
    • Vol'dun - Desert area where the criminals of Zandalar are exiled and home of the sethrak and the vulpera.
    • Zuldazar - The capital of the Zandalari Empire. In its center lies the palace of Dazar'alor.
  • Nazjatar - New land added in patch 8.2.0. Home of the naga at sea bottom where a hole in the ocean opens with a parting of the seas.
• Eight new allied races who start at level 20:
  • Alliance:
    • Lightforged draenei (7.3.5) - 'For untold millennia, the Army of the Light waged war against the Burning Legion throughout the Twisting Nether. The draenei most committed to their long crusade would undergo a ritual to become Lightforged, infusing their bodies with the very essence of the Holy Light. After finally achieving victory on Argus, the Lightforged Draenei have undertaken a new mission: protecting Azeroth from rising threats and helping the Alliance push back against Horde aggression.'
      Classes:Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Warrior
    • Void elf (7.3.5) - 'Many have sought to harness the corruptive magic of the Void. Most who tried have fallen into madness. Determined to use this power for the good of Azeroth, Alleria Windrunner is the first mortal to succeed at defying the shadow's whispers. Coming to the aid of a group of her kin who nearly gave in to the darkness, Alleria has vowed to train these Void Elves to control the shadows within them and pledge their newfound powers to the Alliance.'
      Classes:Hunter, Mage, Monk, Priest, Rogue, Warlock, Warrior
    • Dark Iron dwarf - 'Known for their fiery tempers and fierce determination, Dark Iron dwarves have a turbulent history with the other clans. A failed coup in Ironforge ignited the War of the Three Hammers, and many of the Dark Iron once fought in the service of Ragnaros the Firelord. Though one faction is pledged to Queen-Regent Moira Thaurissan, others refuse to stand alongside their kin. The Alliance seeks a united Dark Iron clan to harness the power of Azerite and aid their struggle against the Horde.'
      Classes:Hunter, Mage, Monk, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, Warrior
    • Kul Tiran (8.1.5) - 'Kul Tiras was founded by fearless explorers who sailed uncharted waters in search of adventure. As a key member of the Alliance of Lordaeron, the Kul Tiran navy dominated the seas of Azeroth with its legendary fleet. But after years of turmoil and hardship, the kingdom grew isolated and vulnerable to dark influences. Thanks to the help of brave heroes, House Proudmoore has been restored and Kul Tiras is poised to fight alongside the valiant Alliance once more.'
      Classes:Druid, Hunter, Mage, Monk, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warrior
  • Horde:
    • Highmountain tauren (7.3.5) - 'Descended from Huln, brave hero of the War of the Ancients, the Highmountain tauren honor the spirits of earth, river, and sky. Though the Legion invaded their lands and sowed seeds of distrust between them, the tribes of Highmountain stand united once more. At long last they are ready to venture beyond their sacred mountain and stand beside their kin from Kalimdor, lending their nobility and strength to the mighty Horde.'
      Classes:Druid, Hunter, Monk, Shaman, Warrior
    • Nightborne (7.3.5) - 'Isolated behind a protective barrier for 10,000 years, the elves of Suramar grew increasingly dependent upon the arcane magic of the Nightwell. To protect this font of power, the leaders of the Nightborne struck a bargain with the Burning Legion that plunged their kingdom into civil war. After fighting for freedom from their demonic masters, the Nightborne seek allies in the Horde to help them reclaim their place in the world.'
      Classes:Hunter, Mage, Monk, Priest, Rogue, Warlock, Warrior
    • Mag'har orc - 'For untold generations, the orc clans of Draenor battled one another in endless war. But when Gul'dan offered them the blood of his demonic masters, the disparate tribes of Mag'har—the orcish word for 'uncorrupted'—refused the dark bargain and banded together to drive out the Burning Legion. United under the leadership of Grommash Hellscream, the Mag'har pledged to one day repay Azeroth's heroes for aiding their cause. As war against the Alliance intensifies, the Horde must call upon the might of the Mag'har to seize victory.'
      Classes:Hunter, Mage, Monk, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warrior
    • Zandalari troll (8.1.5) - 'The Zandalari are a proud people whose origins date back to the early days of Azeroth's history. Their fierce warriors ride dinosaurs into battle, and they possess one of the most formidable naval fleets in the known world. But enemy attacks on their borders—as well as unrest within the king's council—have threatened the kingdom's foundations. By returning stability to Zandalar, the heroes of the Horde can gain a powerful new ally.'
      Classes:Druid, Hunter, Mage, Monk, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warrior
• Island expedition 3-player scenarios - Set sail for the previously unmapped isles of Azeroth. Battle in groups of three as you race against cunning rival intruders—or enemy players—to collect the island's resources. Constantly evolving challenges await as you traverse frozen landscapes near Northrend, open the gates of an abandoned Gilnean castle, navigate a war between elementals and more. Can be done either in PvP or PvE against advanced AIs.
  • 11 island locations in rotation of 3 per week: Crestfall, Dread Chain, Havenswood, Jorundall, Molten Cay, Rotting Mire, Skittering Hollow, Snowblossom Village, Un'gol Ruins, Verdant Wilds and Whispering Reef.
• 2 Warfronts a new 20-player PvE mode: Battle for Stromgarde and Battle for Darkshore.
  • Heroic difficulty for Battle for Stromgarde to be added in patch 8.2.0.
• New dungeons and raids
• War Campaigns for each faction
• Level 110 Character Boost
• Level cap raised to 120
• Items
  • Heritage armor - Race specific cosmetic armor sets.
  • [Heart of Azeroth] and Azerite Armor are powered by the Azerite Power.
  • Cloth, leather, mail and plate themed sets, no more armor sets themed after each class.
• Player vs. Player
  • 3 new arenas: Hook Point, Mugambala and The Robodrome.
  • Toggleable PvP mode, removing the PvE/PvP servers distinction. Playing with War Mode activated applies the Enlisted buff. Also adds the new bounty hunting and air drop systems.
  • Honor talent system revamped
• Others
  • Second stat squish with an item level squish
  • First Aid profession removed; bandages and anti-venoms that were in the profession were move to Tailoring and Alchemy and will need to be relearned.
  • Mount equipment slot and mount equipment items added in patch 8.2.0.
  • Model updates for worgen and goblins in patch 8.2.5.

In addition to those, a new battleground, the Seething Shore, as well as embassies in Stormwind City and Orgrimmar were added early in patch 7.3.5 in order to prepare the coming of the expansion.

Zones

Old world changes

The Horde will now control most of Kalimdor, and the Alliance most of the Eastern Kingdoms. For a low-level character the quests and storylines won't change, but for high-level players many zones will see changes via phasing. Teldrassil is burned and Undercity is in ruins as the story progresses by phasing. At max level Arathi Highlands and Darkshore are phased to be updated to reflect their status as locations for Warfronts.

Echo Isles has a dock added for a ship to Zuldazar. In Swamp of Sorrows the Misty Reed Farm was added in place of Misty Reed Post. Portal rooms were added in Stormwind and Orgrimmar. Darkmoon Faire added a rollercoaster ride. Warsong Gulch and Arathi Basin battlegrounds were remastered.

New level up zones

You will level up in your faction's zones, and access the zones of the other faction at 120 through world quests and emissaries. The scaling technology introduced in Legion comes back, and you can do the zones in any order.

• Kul Tiras
• Zandalar

Dungeons and raids

Dungeons

• Operation: Mechagon in patch 8.2.0

Raids

• Battle of Dazar'alor in patch 8.1.0
• Crucible of Storms in patch 8.1.5
• The Eternal Palace in patch 8.2.0

Prominent figures

Main characters

Protagonists

• Sylvanas Windrunner
• Anduin Wrynn
• Jaina Proudmoore
• Varok Saurfang
• Baine Bloodhoof
• Thrall
• Katherine Proudmoore
• Taelia Fordragon
• Derek Proudmoore
• Rastakhan
• Princess Talanji

Antagonists

• Prophet Zul
• Lady Priscilla Ashvane
• Gorak Tul
• G'huun
• Emperor Korthek
• Lord Stormsong
• Queen Azshara
• N'Zoth

Others

• Magni Bronzebeard
• Genn Greymane
• Turalyon
• Alleria Windrunner
• Moira Thaurissan
• Gelbin Mekkatorque
• Nathanos Blightcaller
• First Arcanist Thalyssra
• Lor'themar Theron
• Jastor Gallywix
• Mayla Highmountain
• Bwonsamdi
• Vorrik
• Lucille Waycrest
• Brother Pike
• Flynn Fairwind
• Tandred Proudmoore
• Daelin Proudmoore
• Tyrande Whisperwind
• Malfurion Stormrage
• Shandris Feathermoon
• Master Mathias Shaw
• Xal'atath

New creatures

Humanoids

• Ankoan
• Blood troll
• Dark troll (as a single NPC)
• Drust
• Fungarian
• Hozen with wings
• Junker gnome
• K'thir
• Naga with a crustacean body
• Naga with a tentacle lower body
• Ranishu
• Sethrak
• Siren
• Tortollan (previously seen as part of a Collector's companion pet)
• Vulpera
• Witch
  • Witch matron

Undead

• Mummy zandalari ravasaur
• Skeletal devilsaur
• Skeletal dwarf
• Skeletal gnome
• Skeletal goblin
• Skeletal monkey
• Skeletal tauren
• Skeletal troll (type with a unique model)
• Troll lich
• Troll spectre
• Undead dire troll (with unique models)

Beasts

• Abyssal grouper
• Albatross (a type with a unique model)
• Alpaca
• Ankylodon
• Bee
• Blood tick
• Bramblebear
• Brutosaur
• Butterfly (a new type)
• Core hound (a new one-headed type)
• Crawg
• Deep sea frenzy
• Dolphin
• Eel (a type that can go on land)
• Falcon & Hawk (types with a unique model)
• Ferret
• Frog (a new huge type)
• Golden retriever
• Hermit crab
• Jellyfish
• Kakapo
• Kraken (a new type)
• Krolusk
• Platysaur
• Pterrordax (a new type)
• Riverbeast (a new type native to Azeroth)
• Sabertusk
• Saurid (retconned from Compy from MoP)
• Saurolisk
• Sawfish
• Sea snail
• Serpent (a new type)
• Snap dragon
• Snooter
• Spider crab
• Thornclaw
• Tidal guardian
• Tidestallion
• Toad (a new type)
• Vulpine Familiar (as a Shop mount)
• Zandalari ravasaur (previously seen as part of a Collector's mount)

Mechanical

• Alarm-o-bot (new type)
• Blood troll enchanted tiki
• Goblin crowd pummeler
• Mechanical dog
• [Mechanical Cockroach]
• Mechanical crawling hand
• Mechanical ground squirrel
• Mechanical frog
• Mechanical parrot
• Mechanical tiger
• Spider tank (new type)
• Zandalari enchanted tiki

Elemental

• Algan
• Azerite elemental
• Coral ancient
• Drust construct
• Ghost elemental
• Lasher (a new type)
• Sandstorm elemental
• Snow Orb
• Water elemental (a new type)

Giants

• Earthliving Giant
• Goldenvein
• Zandalar titanic watcher

Aberration

• Beastman
• Blood abomination
• Consumer of souls
• Eyeball jellyfish
• Spawn of G'huun
• Thros fiend
• Wicker construct

Unique

Wow Battle For Azeroth Start

• Baa'l (a demonic goat)
• Fetid Devourer
• Gorak Tul
• Grong, the Revenant (undead gorilla)
• Hir'eek
• Hogrus, Swine of Good Fortune (as a Shop mount)
• Lord Arthur Waycrest
• Opulence
• Sylverian Dreamer (as a Shop mount)
• Taloc
• Vectis
• Zek'voz
• Yazma

Tie-in literature

Novels

Comics

Animated shorts

Novellas

• Elegy & A Good War

Gallery

Official art

See also War of the Thorns#Gallery and Battle for Lordaeron#Gallery

• Standard retail box front cover

• Digital Deluxe cover

• Collector's box front cover

• Anduin and Sylvanas fighting

• Sylvanas and Anduin fight during the Battle for Lordaeron.

• Sylvanas Windrunner, Varok Saurfang, jungle troll Zekhan, and unnamed Forsaken, tauren and orc.

• Anduin Wrynn, Genn Greymane, and unnamed dwarven rifleman, human, draenei and night elf.

• Anduin vs Sylvanas Key Art (April 2018)

• Anduin vs Sylvanas Wallpaper

• Orc vs Human Wallpaper

• Orc vs Human artwork

• Alliance Wallpaper

• Horde Wallpaper

• Region release times

• Talanji vs Jaina

• Dark Iron dwarf vs Mag'har orc

• Patch 8.1.0 key art

Screenshots

Concept art

Creatures and people

• Sethrak spellcaster

• Kul Tiran monster hunter and Pirate Queen

• Kul Tiran armor

• Wicker beast

• Arathi Warfront plate armor set 1

• Arathi Warfront plate armor set 2

• Dwarf heritage armor

• Darkshore Warfront armor

Locations

• Kul Tiran tavern

• Always on top autohotkey youtube. Nazmir

• Nazmir

Miscellaneous

• Logo from the cinematic

• Battle for Azeroth login screen

• World map

• Zandalari crest

• Sylvanas' letter to the Hordeadventurer

• Anduin's letter to the Allianceadventurer

Videos

System requirements

Main article: System requirements

Notes and trivia

• Just like the 'World of Warcraft' name already appeared in Warcraft: Orcs & Humans ('welcome to the world of Warcraft'), the 'Battle for Azeroth' one was already used in Warcraft II ('The battle for Azeroth continues over land, sea and air'). Patch 8.1.0, 'Tides of Vengeance', was later named this way to reference Tides of Darkness.^[11]
• The box art for Battle for Azeroth appears to be a callback to the box art for Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, which depicts an orc grunt and a human footman staring each other down, and which later received a reimagined wallpaper version with modernized grunt and footman designs.
• Battle for Azeroth incorporates a lot of material from previously non-canon content:
  • Boralus, Tandred Proudmoore, the surname Waycrest, and Queen Azshara having octopus tentacles instead of a typical naga tail all originated in the Warcraft RPG. The Nazjatar zone also takes cues from the RPG Eye area.
  • Skycap'n Kragg and tortollans first appeared in Hearthstone. Fungarians, brutosaurs, and Azerothian riverbeasts may also have been inspired by various similar creatures first introduced in Hearthstone.
• Jesse Cox and Jeremy Feasel have joked on the acronym for 'Battle for Azeroth' stating that from now on 'BfA' should be pronounced 'Beefa'.^[12][13]

References

1. ^ ^abBattle for Azeroth™: One Launch to Rule Them All. Blizzard Entertainment (2018-06-07). Retrieved on 2018-06-07.
2. ^https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHo_WscmbHA
3. ^ ^abBattle for Azeroth™ Arrives August 14. Blizzard Entertainment (2018-04-05).
4. ^PC Gamer: Blizzard answers some of our biggest questions about World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth
5. ^Battle for Azeroth™: Collector’s Edition. Blizzard Entertainment (2018-04-05). Retrieved on 2018-04-16.
6. ^https://us.shop.battle.net/en-us/product/world-of-warcraft-legion
7. ^Battle for Azeroth™ Becomes Fastest-Selling World of Warcraft® Expansion Ever. Activision Blizzard (2018-08-23). Retrieved on 2018-08-23.
8. ^Official site - Battle for Azeroth. Retrieved on 2017-11-05.
9. ^MMO-Champion: Battle for Azeroth Pre-Purchase Now Available
10. ^Alex Afrasiabi on Twitter.
11. ^Neryssa 2018-11-07. LATAM Content Creators Interview with Jeremy Feasel and Paul Watkins - Flying in Nazjatar, PvP Information. Wowhead. Retrieved on 2018-11-07.
12. ^Jesse Cox on Twitter
13. ^Jeremy Feasel on Twitter

External links

World of Warcraft’s seventh expansion, Battle for Azeroth, is now available.

Like past expansions, it adds new zones, dungeons, raids, and features, as well as raises the level cap (to 120). The release of a new expansion is a great time to dive back into World of Warcraft. Here’s what new or returning players need to know.

The story returns to the Alliance vs. Horde conflict

Recent expansions have toured through extreme and varied realms of World of Warcraft lore, culminating in the last expansion, Legion, which wrapped up the long-running conflict against The Burning Legion. Battle for Azeroth takes a breather, refocusing on Azeroth itself, and the conflict between Alliance and Horde.

That’s not to say the expansion won’t eventually have a “big bad.” It probably will. For now, though, the story deals with the fight between the two factions, and major characters that have risen through the ranks on each side.

You might be surprised by how the story progresses if you haven’t played World of Warcraft for years. The game’s in-engine cinematics have drastically improved, and voiced dialogue is far more common than it used to be. The leveling experience is more like an open-world, single-player RPG than an old-school MMO.

120 is the new level cap, level scaling returns

New expansion, new level cap. Players can now level to 120, an increase of 10 levels from Legion’s cap of 110. Level scaling returns, which means you can level through the zones in any order, though the story quests are more linear than in Legion.

Blizzard has added limited level scaling to all older content. Zones will scale within a range of levels. For example, the Northern Barrens — a classic zone outside of the Horde capital — now scales between levels 10 and 60. Everything in the zone will scale to your level, in both challenges and rewards, within that range.

That makes leveling more fun, though it still takes a long, long time to level a new character.

The expansion adds two new cooperative PvE modes

The focus on faction conflict has inspired two new cooperative modes that put players against A.I. opponents who represent the opposing faction.

Island Expeditions are three-man scenarios that pit the team against three enemies using what Blizzard calls “advanced A.I.” That means the enemies will act more like players, pursuing goals proactively and filling class roles. The expeditions take inspiration from action RPGs, with randomized areas that mix up the experience each time. Players’ main goal will be obtaining resources more quickly than their foes, and expeditions should last 15 to 20 minutes. While primarily meant for PvE, there is a PvP mode that replaces the opposing A.I. with teams from the enemy faction.

Warfronts are larger, 20-man challenges that take inspiration from the Warcraft strategy games. Players are deployed on the Warfront to collect resources, destroy enemy troops, construct buildings, and eventually launch an assault to take over the enemy base. These battles take 20 to 40 minutes to complete and, unlike Island Expeditions, don’t offer a PvP mode.

Both modes reward players with a variety of achievements, loot, armor appearances, mounts, and a new resource called Azerite, which is used to upgrade armor.

Past game modes will remain

Battle for Azeroth isn’t removing any game modes to make room for what’s new. The game continues to support standard dungeons, raids, arena PvP, and battleground PvP. The Mythic+ dungeons – timed dungeon runs of increasing difficulty and rewards – will also return from Legion and support all the new expansion’s dungeons.

In total, the new expansion adds 10 dungeons and one new raid. It’s virtually guaranteed that a number of new dungeons and raids will appear throughout the expansion, as that’s been Blizzard’s tactic in recent years.

PvP servers are dead, ‘War mode’ replaces them

Despite the focus on conflict, Battle for Azeroth is effectively killing PvP servers. They no longer exist after the introduction of the expansion, and current PvP servers have been converted to regular servers.

That doesn’t mean world PvP has disappeared, though. The expansion introduces a new “War Mode” that anyone, on any server, can turn on. Activating the mode brings players to a part of the world that exists only for those in War Mode. You can attack other players of the opposing faction, and they can attack you.

Players who turn on War Mode will earn bonus experience and credit toward the game’s PvP “conquest bar.” That’s unlike current world PvP, where players earn next to nothing for participating except the satisfaction of killing their enemies.

Artifact weapons are gone, Azerite replaces them

The key feature of World of Warcraft’s previous expansion, Legion, were the artifact weapons. These had special features and a key ability, and unlocked skill trees unique for each class specialization.

They’re gone for Battle for Azeroth, however, and are replaced by the Heart of Azeroth, a medallion that players upgrade with the expansion’s new resource, Azerite. Upgrading the Heart of Azeroth unlocks new traits on other pieces of armor, providing new customization options for each class.

Make no mistake – the Heart of Azeroth isn’t as impactful as artifact weapons were. Still, it allows some new forms of character customization that weren’t possible before.

No new classes, but many new races (kinda)

Battle for Azeroth doesn’t include a new class. It also doesn’t introduce a specific, all-new race. What it does add, though, are “allied races.”

Allied races are variants of existing races. The Void Elves are a version of Night Elves, while the Highmount Tauren are, you guessed it, a version of the Tauren. Four allied races are already in the game before launch and two more, the Dark Iron Dwarves and Mag’har Orcs, were added after Battle for Azeroth launched. Each Allied Race has its own racial abilities. You can also unlock a heritage armor set by leveling any Allied Race to the level cap.

It’s not clear how far Blizzard will take this system. Players have speculated that numerous Allied Races could be added, but only six have been confirmed. It seems a good bet that a few more will be added over the course of the expansion. Which ones, though, is anyone’s guess.

Communities let you buddy with people outside a guild

Guilds have long existed in World of Warcraft, but they’re tightly organized groups that can only be joined by players on the same server.

The new expansion pairs them with Communities. They have rosters and roles like guilds, but aren’t tied to servers, and players can be in multiple Communities at a time. They don’t have the leveling features of Guilds, nor will players be able to unlock Guild achievements when grouping with players in them.

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Yes, you still need to subscribe

You can play World of Warcraft for free up to level 20, but otherwise, you must pay for a subscription or purchase “WoW Tokens,” which are $20 each.

You can buy the tokens with in-game currency, too, and play for free — but at around 211,000 gold on U.S. servers (and more elsewhere), new and returning players won’t be able to afford them.

Sorry. No free-to-play here.

But Battle for Azeroth is all you need to buy

Blizzard surprised fans by removing the Battle Chest bundle, which included the game’s previous expansions. It has no replacement. Instead, a subscription to World of Warcraft now includes all expansion content prior to Battle for Azeroth.

That’s a nice change. The Battle Chest wasn’t expensive at $20, but adding that to the expansion did up the overall cost of entry for new players. Now, anyone can start playing up to level 110 for the $15/month subscription, which should be more than enough for new players to decide if they like the game.

New content has arrived

Blizzard released a new update in December 2018 called patch 8.1, which added a ton of new content to World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth.

This includes the “Tides of Vengeance” campaign missions, which continue the War campaign introduced when the expansion launched. Two new island expeditions called Jorundall and Havenswood were also added. Weekly quests also require less Azerite than they did in the past, Mythic and player-versus-player islands award more Artifact power, and new vendors were made available.

Two new raids coming after the initial update differ drastically in size and content, depending on which side of the war you’re on. The Battle of Dazar’alor raid sees Alliance players trying to take over a city, but if you’re part of the horde, your version will see you try to defend it. Once you’ve beaten it once, you can then play the other side. The Crucible of Storms raid, on the other hand, is smaller and only consists of two bosses.

Blood Elves and Dwarves gain access to Heritage armor as part of 8.1, as well, without a prolonged quest line, though they’ll need to be exalted through Silvermoon and Ironforge, respectively, in order to receive it. A Warfront called The Battle for Darkshore focuses on the struggle between Night Elves and the Forsaken. During the Warfront, you’ll be able to transform your character with temporary abilities, and when your faction controls either the Darkshore or Arathi Highlands, you’ll gain access to world quests.

Another content update is planned, and will be called “Rise of Azshara.” The update will focus on the Naga and Queen Azshara and explore the area Nazjatar, and it will ultimately culminate in an eight-boss raid called “Azshara’s Eternal Palace.” Also coming in the update is a new area called “Mechagon,” which will feature its own mythic-level dungeon.