World of Warcraft: Dragonflight - Developer Twitter Space

[chaud]

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight - Developer Twitter Space
The Twitter Space conversation took place today. We've recapped some of the points below.

Expansion Progress

• The expansion is quite far along, Alpha is coming soon.

Dracthyr Starting Zone

• The Dracthyr starting zone will be used for more than just a starting zone

Reputation System

• The reputation system hasn't really changed since 2004.
• Covenants in Shadowlands played out well in shadowlands, with a nice Renown UI
• There are some "Major Factions" that we'll encounter, with a clearer and more elegant reward progression.
• Each of the Major Factions stand on their own. Unlike the Covenants, you can switch around and focus on any of them as you'd like to.
• Covenants were more time gated but these will be much more flexible.
• Some rewards will be account wide, such as unlocking a cosmetic or access to an outdoor zone, but not items that give you power.

Mission Table

• There are no current plans for a mission table.

Story

• There is an epic ending that involves characters that we'll adventure along during the expansion.
• The team wants player to feel a sense of optimism and hope for the dragons. You will care about who you are adventuring alongside and the lands.
• Thematically this expansion is about the dragons, the threats they face, the goals they have, what we are doing to help them, and what other dragons are doing to stop them.

Mythic+

• Shadowlands and Battle for Azeroth dungeons are off limits for Mythic+, Mists had some that had great Challenge modes.
• The team is open to tweaking dungeons to give them modern gameplay needed for Mythic+
• Every Mythic+ season should be a fresh experience, just like raiders get a fresh experience with new raids.
• Unlikely, but possible, to go back to use Classic dungeons for Mythic+. They don't hold up with visuals or mechanics. The team probably draws the line at Mists of Pandaria onwards. Anything older would need significant reworking.

Dracthyr

• Dracthyr are an intellect class.
• Initial thoughts on weapon types will be what Shamans can use, minus shields, plus swords.
• Unlikely to have Mage Tower access, at least initially.
• They'll be able to run Torghast.
• No Artifact weapons or Class Hall. Chromie Time only goes so far.
• The Art team has added an amazing array of customizations for both forms. There's a blog post in the works by the artists to talk through the options in more detail.
• They aren't from a single race or Dragonflight, more of a combination of the best from all of them.
• When you awaken, you are in your draconic form. There will come a point in the story where you'll venture out into the larger world, and you'll have to tap into the mortality within to present their visage form.
• A Tank spec is unlikely. This is a spellcaster class at its core.
• The team won't close the door on a third spec, but tank is unlikely. Previous Hero classes have had Tank options, so that's pretty well covered.

Chromie Time

• Chromie Time is working well overall. The intent is to roll Shadowlands into it.
• Battle for Azeroth remains the default experience for new players, but that may be updated down the line.
• Shadowlands is a challenging story concept for new players.

Story

• Wrathion and other Aspects have built a lot of story over time that will be present in the Dragon Isles.
• In Patch 9.2.5 something takes place in Tirisfal Glades, and may let us catch up with Calia Menethil, get an update on the Forsaken, and more.
• When the team adds new character customizations, such as the Patch 8.1 customizations, they are added when there is a story opportunity.

Dragonriding

• Flight as it has existed is swimming through the air. No momentum, physics, or gravity.
• Flying has the potential to shrink the world, eliminate danger, reduce exploration.
• Long term, convivence is paramount, so the team let people unlock flying after some amount of time in the expansion.
• At launch, this time around they wanted to do something new and exciting, rather than just being stuck on the ground.
• In the first or second leveling zone, first day of the expansion, you gain the trust of a dragon companion that you can call upon. They initially have limited stamina and experience.
• There is a stamina bar that is depleted through gaining stamina or doing moves.
• Standard flying is still the long term plan for Dragonflight.
• The Dragonriding we have seen in the videos so far will be fairly early in the experience. It won't start out lame and have you work to make it feel good.
• TBD how you'll advance your Dragonriding skill. They don't want to tie it to one specific type of content, as that is limiting.
• Long term, allowing Dragonriding outside of Dragon Isles is a possibility. In the near term, this is an expansion specific feature, taking place in an environment built for it. Player feedback is key.

Misc

• Alexstrasza has seen a lot of carnage done to dragons by both mortals and dragons. She is optimistic but will acknowledge hard feelings towards previous actions. She may something specific to Death Knights. Conditional quest text when there is history relevant to a character is nice to have.
• The armistice signed at the end of Battle for Azeroth was the starting point for cross-faction play. Players will be reminded that this is a cooperative venture.
• Everything isn't forgotten between the Alliance and Horde, there is still resentfulness and distrust.
• We'll get to see some characters working together that would be previously unthinkable.
• In some ways, this is less about the narrative adapting to the new mechanic, but the mechanic adapting to the narrative from the past. Situational cooperation to overcome common threats has a history throughout Warcraft.
• Cross-faction guilds could happen, but there are a significant number of technical challenges.
• Community feedback and engineering progress will determine how any cross-faction play will go.
• Borrowed power going away.
• The team didn't carry forward most of the Shadowlands systems. There is gear, outdoor progression, and universal currencies that help to further your power progression.
• The outdoor world experience needs to stand on its own for players that enjoy only that part of the game.
• Some version of the Great Vault is being carried forward, with some small tweaks. It felt like a clear improvement from the single item chest.
• Tuskarr would be too powerful as an Allied Race!
• The World of Warcraft: Exploring Azeroth: Northrend book is coming with lots of cool stuff.
• When working on the Northrend book, the team met with some Inuit people to see how they could add some story in a way that would be respectful and feel good.

[olioster]

I want a definitive answer, damnit! Account wide reputation or no?! This is make or break for me.

[ChairmanKaga]

There are no current plans for a mission table.

Good riddance.

[LostSinclair]

Hope someone asks when they plan to remove the Dracthyr can ONLY be evokers restriction. They've hinted that it will happen "eventually" but with Blizzard being the one that said that...

[Danuel]

Account wide reputation or no?!

That is obvious: NO.

[ChairmanKaga]

Hope someone asks when they plan to remove the Dracthyr can ONLY be evokers restriction. They've hinted that it will happen "eventually" but with Blizzard being the one that said that...

I highly doubt until 11.0 earliest.

[Ersula]

How come no questions about the Pre-order?

[mwj1995]

wow I really want to listen to this but the guy asking questions sounds like a knob

[Mhyroth]

I want a definitive answer, damnit! Account wide reputation or no?! This is make or break for me.

Story and Lorewise it doesn't make sense since our Characters have to *earn* standing with a Faction.
That's their stance more or less and they won't change.

[Wonderment2]

Interesting that when asked if the story was about "Dragon Isles" the response was about dragons in general.

I do hope we see the Eye of Ysera and other similar locations

[Ezyah]

This Xpac cant come soon enough IMO

[Wonderment2]

Story and Lorewise it doesn't make sense since our Characters have to *earn* standing with a Faction.
That's their stance more or less and they won't change.

Then don't listen and read the MMC complied list.

[Nork]

Dracthyr: created by Neltharion, but they haven't got any spec related to the Black Dragonflight. Fair enough.

[Ezyah]

I want a definitive answer, damnit! Account wide reputation or no?! This is make or break for me.

There wont be rep, only renown

[Auxis]

*Ion talks about no artifact weapons or order halls for Evokers*
~10 seconds later~
Tali: Will Evokers get an artifact weapon or order hall?

Bruh, this podcast has been surprisingly good; but some things Tali is asking are just... ugh.

[Nerovar]

Shadowlands is a challenging story concept for new players.

I'd say challenged but close enough.

[Wonderment2]

Dracthyr: created by Neltharion, but they haven't got any spec related to the Black Dragonflight. Fair enough.

I assume the black dragonflight will be class spells over spec spells. Which sense that Neltharion will use his flight as the basis and built ontop of that with the other flight.

[Xilurm]

Sindragosa coming back in some form huh?

[Vandren]

My expectations for Taliesin were already low but...damn.

Asking questions that were answered less than 30 seconds ago is painful to watch.

[Khaza-R]

Shadowlands is a challenging story concept for new players.

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