World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor Expansion Announced
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Here's the full press release:
WORLD OF WARCRAFT®: WARLORDS OF DRAENOR REMAKES HISTORY AT BLIZZCON® 2013
Lead the charge against the fiercest orc clans from Warcraft® lore Join your friends on the front lines with an instant level-90 character upgrade
ANAHEIM, Calif. November 8, 2013 The heroes of Azeroth are on the verge of a war that will reforge the fate of two worlds. Announced today at BlizzCon® 2013, World of Warcraft®: Warlords of Draenorâ„¢, the fifth expansion to Blizzard Entertainment's acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game, sends players to the world of Draenor at a pivotal moment in history to fight against and alongside legends from Warcraft's brutal past.
Across Draenor's savage jungles and battle-scarred plains, Azeroth's heroes will engage in a mythic conflict involving mystical draenei champions and mighty orc clans, and cross axes with the likes of Grommash Hellscream, Blackhand, and Ner'zhul at the height of their primal power. Players will need to scour this unwelcoming land in search of allies to help build a desperate defense against the old Horde's formidable engine of conquest or else watch their own world's bloody, war-torn history repeat itself.
(Warlords of Draenor gives players a chance to take a commanding role in one of the Warcraft series' most crucial conflicts,) said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. (This expansion also includes features that make it easy for anyone to jump right into the action, whether they've played WoW at some point in the past or are just setting foot in Azeroth for the first time.)
To help new and returning players answer the call to arms on Draenor, the expansion will enable anyone to instantly boost one character to level 90, including a newly created character, quickly getting them up to speed and ready to enjoy the latest content with their friends.
To establish a foothold on Draenor once they've arrived, the displaced champions of the Horde and Alliance will be able to construct their own Garrison, an expandable, customizable stronghold that will serve as each player's personal base of operations throughout the course of the expansion. As the Garrison grows, players will be able to recruit NPC allies and followers to take up residence, gathering resources and embarking on missions on the player's orders.
Warlords of Draenor will also introduce fully revamped player character models and animations for many of World of Warcraft's existing playable races , bringing the orcs, humans, and several other longtime residents of Azeroth up to the visual standards of newer races while still maintaining their iconic style and identity.
Along with these new features, World of Warcraft players will enjoy a wide array of new content on their way to the new level cap of 100, including new Zones, Dungeons, Raids, Scenarios, Battlegrounds, and more. Warlords of Draenor will also introduce questing improvements designed to encourage exploration and add unpredictability to players' ongoing adventures.
And a quote from the expansion's fact sheet:
GAME FEATURES:
- Explore a Savage World: Explore the hostile world of Draenor, home of the orc and draenei races, as it once existed, and adventure in all-new zones alongside characters central to Warcraft history.
- Build Your Garrison: Construct, command, and expand your own customizable stronghold on Draenor, and gather NPC followers to collect resources and embark on missions on your orders.
- Instantly Upgrade to Level 90: Boost one character of your choosing to be ready to adventure on Draenor, making it easier than ever to enjoy the latest content alongside your friends.
- New Player Character Art: Character models and animations for many of World of Warcraft's existing playable races are being fully revamped in keeping with the game's iconically epic style.
- Adventure to Level 100: Reach new heights of power and unlock bonuses to further enhance your abilities on your way to the new level cap of 100.
- .And More: Take on a wide array of Dungeons, Raids, Scenarios, Battlegrounds, Challenge Modes, and more no matter what kind of content you enjoy, new adventures await.
And to conclude, a FAQ:
Q: How does the Garrison work? What kinds of followers and upgrades are available?
To establish a foothold on Draenor and bolster your faction's defenses against the formidable Iron Horde, each player will need to build and manage their own Garrison, a customizable fortress that serves as your personal base of operations throughout the course of the expansion. As you complete quests and win allies to your cause, your Garrison will expand and you'll be able to choose which upgrades you'd like to construct from a variety of options. You'll also meet and recruit NPC allies and followers who will join you at the Garrison, each providing different benefits.
For example, a miner rescued from a dungeon might take up residence and help gather Mining resources. A heroic warrior you quarter might embark upon quests at your command, with a chance to return with valuable treasures. Other characters might provide you with quests that expand upon their own stories or lead you to valuable assets in your campaign.
When it comes time to upgrade your Garrison, you might choose to build a Barracks to send more followers on missions simultaneously, an Inn to provide new recruits, or an Infirmary to speed up injured followers' recovery time between assignments. You may instead decide to build a Smithy and recruit a Blacksmith to research new plans and craft valuable resources (such as those with daily cooldowns). You'll also be able to invite friends to visit your Garrison to trade resources and see how your home base stacks up against their own.
Q: What new zones will I explore on Draenor?
The expansion sends players to Draenor as it existed before it shattered into the realm World of Warcraft players know as Outland and while some of the names of these places might be familiar, we're building them all from scratch for the expansion.
Here's a breakdown of Draenor's zones:
- Frostfire Ridge: Across snow-covered wastes and beneath towering volcanoes, heroes of the Frostwolf clan and the Horde unite to repel invaders from their homeland.
- Shadowmoon Valley: Amid rolling moonlit hills, the draenei at the holy temple of Karabor unite with the Alliance in a desperate fight for survival against the Iron Horde and Shadowmoon clan.
- Gorgrond: Deep within the desert canyons of Gorgrond, an arsenal of massive siege weapons built by the Blackrock clan is about to be unleashed upon the whole of Draenor.
- Talador: In the shadow of a besieged Shattrath City, the Auchenai Soulpriests actively seek to safeguard the countless draenei souls inside Auchindoun from a terrible demonic threat.
- Spires of Arak: At the height of their power, the regal arrakoa plot atop their high peaks, well out of the reach of the brutal Shattered Hand orcs and the wingless outcasts below.
- Nagrand: Among the fertile hills and outcroppings of Nagrand, the bloodied wolf-riders of the Warsong clan remain a threat not to be trifled with.
- Tanaan Jungle: Within the overgrown jungle home of the Bleeding Hollow clan, a Dark Portal is under construction . . . and an Iron Horde army makes grim preparations to conquer Azeroth.
Q: Why are you giving everyone a level-90 character boost?
World of Warcraft is constantly evolving, and these days players engage with the game in a wider variety of ways than ever. Some enjoy the process of exploring the world and leveling up. Others enjoy the challenge of raiding. Many simply enjoy playing with their friends, wherever they may be. One of our primary goals with Warlords of Draenor is to empower WoW players to quickly and easily be able to participate in the content they're most interested in, and giving everyone a level-90 character upgrade right out of the gate helps make that possible.
One common piece of feedback we've received from new players and those who've taken an extended break from the game is that World of Warcraft requires a significant time investment before they're able to (catch up) and play with high-level friends. Design changes such as speeding up the leveling curve and features like the popular Scroll of Resurrection and Recruit-a-Friend system have proven very popular, but the issues's only getting more challenging with each patch and expansion we release. By giving players the option to boost a character to be ready for the latest expansion content, we hope to remove some of these entry barriers and make it so anyone can pick up and enjoy Warlords of Draenor right away, no matter how much World of Warcraft they've played in the past.
Q: It's been a while since I've played WoW will I know what to do with a level-90 character?
At the start of the new expansion, players will be thrust into an exciting introductory experience involving a desperate strike against the orc forces on Draenor. During this opening sequence, new and returning players will have an opportunity to get up to speed on the game before diving into their faction's starting zone content similar to the Death Knight starting experience in Wrath of the Lich King. We've also recently added features such as Proving Grounds, which help players learn how to tank, heal, and deal damage in dungeons in a solo (teaching) environment, to help ease the learning curve and prepare players for battle as quickly, efficiently, and enjoyably as possible.
Q: How will the included level-90 character upgrade work?
In regions where players purchase World of Warcraft expansions, each World of Warcraft account that you upgrade to the Warlords of Draenor expansion will receive one level-90 character boost (to be used once the expansion releases). You don't need to decide which character to boost immediately. You can also create a level-1 character from scratch and then use the upgrade on that if you wish. The boosted character will also receive a level-appropriate set of gear (along with some other assistance) to make sure you're set for adventuring. We'll have more details to share as development continues.
For regions where players do not purchase expansions (including China, Korea, and Taiwan), we'll have more information to share on our plans in the future. In the meantime, our goal for all regions remains the same to give players a way to get straight to the action in Draenor.
