Dragonflight Developer Interviews - Ungeek, Gamespot, and Gamerbraves

[Stoy]

Dragonflight Developer Interviews - Ungeek, Gamespot, and Gamerbraves
Several fan sites interviewed the World of Warcraft developers about Dragonflight.

Ungeek Interview

• The Dragon Isles are large and so Dragon Riding was added to allow a unique and easier way to navigate this world designed for dragons.
• Flying hasn't changed much in 17 years, and Dragon Riding was added to provide a modern take on it that involves physics and momentum and is available early into the expansion that grows over time.

Gamespot Interview

• Flying in the Dragon Isles will not require a Pathfinder achievement.
• The Dragon Isles was chosen for this expansion because it was one of the few remaining known places on Azeroth yet to be explored.
• The Evoker class came about as the team realized that the Dracthyr race was too unique to be accessed by the current classes.
• A Threads of Fate leveling system for alts will be utilized in Dragonflight and Blizzard is looking into making more systems account-wide.
• Blizzard also plans to provide a more in-depth open world experience going forward.
• There are no borrowed power systems in Dragonflight, but instead a revamp of systems that players are familiar with.
• The team saw with the release of WoW Classic that much of the strengths of the old talent system still worked today and tried to find a way to incorporate that into the modern game.
• The team is taking a "when it's ready approach" to release and so there is no release date yet.

Gamerbraves Interview

• You will get a new talent point for every level from 60-70 with the new talent system.
• The Dragon Isles will let players explore familiar themes while feeling fresh. We will see centaurs, primordial trolls, and Tuskarr in a land that hasn't been visited in 10,000 years.
• The Dracthyr Evoker may interact slightly differently with the Dragon Riding feature, but they will be able to utilize it as well.
• The Dracthyr Evoker might feel limiting because of the single race and only two specs, but the customization and unique spell casting makes it seem extremely unique and engaging.
• The starting zone for the Dracthyr will tell the story of why they are waking up now and their place in the story.
• The UI for customizing your dragon mount is based on the barber shop revamp from Shadowlands, so it will feel very familiar.
• The new UI will be customizable based on your spec, and will change accordingly whenever you switch your role.

[glowpipe]

"There are no borrowed power systems in Dragonflight, but instead a revamp of systems that players are familiar with."

Best shit I've read in quite some time

[Woggmer]

Here are some highlights from this.

Flying in the Dragon Isles will not require a Pathfinder achievement.

A Threads of Fate leveling system for alts will be utilized in Dragonflight and Blizzard is looking into making more systems account-wide.

There are no borrowed power systems in Dragonflight, but instead a revamp of systems that players are familiar with.

And perhaps the most interesting and shocking of them all.

The team is taking a "when it's ready approach" to release and so there is no release date yet.

Seems as though this might shape up to be the redemption arc we've been hoping for. No overarching story, No Sylvanas/Anduin taking up screen time, No Horde or Alliance conflicts, No borrowed power systems, No flying restrictions, No Pathfinder, Threads of Fate being made to be more alt-friendly, Updated UI, New Talent Tree that doesn't enforce more borrowed power nonsense...

I'm on the fence on how this'll play out, but it all sounds promising... and it won't be a rushed mess like with other expansions.

[StillMcfuu]

You will get a new talent point for every level from 60-70 with the new talent system.

You've got to be shitting me, it's not even being applied to before 60... so the classes are going to stay the same shitty empty shells they have been since the Legion redesign?

[oldgeezer]

Flying in the Dragon Isles will not require a Pathfinder achievement.

So...we can use our regular flying mounts without all this physics garbage?

[MxLionheart]

You've got to be shitting me, it's not even being applied to before 60... so the classes are going to stay the same shitty empty shells they have been since the Legion redesign?

There is absolutely no way they are giving us 10 talent points and calling it a day with the size of the revamped trees lmao

[LordVargK]

You've got to be shitting me, it's not even being applied to before 60... so the classes are going to stay the same shitty empty shells they have been since the Legion redesign?

Just from the look of it those trees look like they have way more than 10 points to distribute. So maybe you'll already have some at level 60.

Is it know which class color the evoker will get?

[Argorwal]

You've got to be shitting me, it's not even being applied to before 60... so the classes are going to stay the same shitty empty shells they have been since the Legion redesign?

I think they meant you still get 10 more points (one each level) while leveling in the new zones. Sort of like TBC or Wrath leveling.

I would be extremely odd to not have it active during leveling, which is actually where I feel the talent trees are the most fun.

[Softbottom]

Flying in the Dragon Isles will not require a Pathfinder achievement.

Except "you must level your dragon to X before you can fly" will probably gate you from being able to fly anytime within the first number of months :S

[Pakheth]

I am quite positive to these changes. A lot we players have requested for years and some return to form which is very refreshing to hear from them.

I am cautiously optimistic.

[Ielenia]

• The Dracthyr Evoker might feel limiting because of the single race and only two specs, but the customization and unique spell casting makes it seem extremely unique and engaging.

The evoker really bugs me because the developers said they want to have all five dragonflights represented, but we're clearly missing the black dragonflight... which could have been a melee or tank spec.

Why no black dragonflight? Especially since it was the Black Dragonflight Aspect that created the drakthyr!

- - - Updated - - -

Flying in the Dragon Isles will not require a Pathfinder achievement.

Except "you must level your dragon to X before you can fly" will probably gate you from being able to fly anytime within the first number of months :S

You'll already be flying with your dragon, so.... what's the deal?

[StillMcfuu]

There is absolutely no way they are giving us 10 talent points and calling it a day with the size of the revamped trees lmao

There are only 10 levels to each tree, one point in each tree for 10 levels would sort of work... I know they show them more filled out, but say they started them at 10 and you got 1 pt every other tree until 70, that would be 35 points in each tree, which would mean you could do pretty much every spell, which also doesn't work.

[Buliwyf the Omen]

The evoker really bugs me because the developers said they want to have all five dragonflights represented, but we're clearly missing the black dragonflight... which could have been a melee or tank spec.

Why no black dragonflight? Especially since it was the Black Dragonflight Aspect that created the drakthyr!

- - - Updated - - -


You'll already be flying with your dragon, so.... what's the deal?

They stated that the Evoker uses all five flight specializations.

I think, with Neltharion being the creator of the Race&Class, it'll be the basic abilities from the Black Dragonflight combining both specs. For example defensives and the likes. Lightning Bolt or similiar attacks that are available for the entire Class.

[bruxx]

There are only 10 levels to each tree, one point in each tree for 10 levels would sort of work... I know they show them more filled out, but say they started them at 10 and you got 1 pt every other tree until 70, that would be 35 points in each tree, which would mean you could do pretty much every spell, which also doesn't work.

The old talent trees had multiple points to spend in most talents, might be the case here too

[Ielenia]

They stated that the Evoker uses all five flight specializations.

I think, with Neltharion being the creator of the Race&Class, it'll be the basic abilities from the Black Dragonflight combining both specs. For example defensives and the likes. Lightning Bolt or similiar attacks that are available for the entire Class.

Yes, they said so.

But then they go along to explain how the DPS spec utilizes Red and Blue dragonflight magic/graphics, and the healer spec uses Green and Bronze dragonflight magic/graphics. Not a single mention of the black dragonflight magic and/or graphics.

[Lady Atia]

I just hope that the dragon customization unlocks are accountwide, and that every character can customize their own 4 drakes.

[enigma77]

There are no borrowed power systems in Dragonflight, but instead a revamp of systems that players are familiar with.

OK? Then what do we do? Raidlog week 1 ?

[Jodmos]

So...we can use our regular flying mounts without all this physics garbage?

I seriously hope so as the dragon riding looks like it will get old really quickly. I really don't want the hassle of swooping to get speed to soar higher repeatedly.

[Buliwyf the Omen]

Yes, they said so.

But then they go along to explain how the DPS spec utilizes Red and Blue dragonflight magic/graphics, and the healer spec uses Green and Bronze dragonflight magic/graphics. Not a single mention of the black dragonflight magic and/or graphics.

Im sure it will be involved in the Class. We literally only seen an early glimpse of the Class and havent seen anything apart from Alpha Footage.

My bet is still on it being the "Evoker Talent Tree" that is primarily the Black Dragonflight representation, and then you have the 4 Flights with 2 each mainly involved in each spec respectively.

[Ielenia]

Im sure it will be involved in the Class. We literally only seen an early glimpse of the Class and havent seen anything apart from Alpha Footage.

My bet is still on it being the "Evoker Talent Tree" that is primarily the Black Dragonflight representation, and then you have the 4 Flights with 2 each mainly involved in each spec respectively.

We'll see. I'm still kinda disappointed, but I'm waiting for more info.