Elite_Magazine__Issue_94_2018

of a challenge even to well-equipped characters.
These are all completable solo or in groups, and the
continual cycle ensures that there’s always something
to do. The quests might not always be especially
innovative, but there are enough variants and
minigames peppered through the usual medley of
kill and fetch quests that you’ll find plenty to keep you
busy, and with rewards that will be of benefit as well.
For those looking for a greater challenge, there are
8 ‘normal’ difficulty Dungeons tailored for level
120 characters, with a further 13 ‘heroic’ difficulty
dungeons, and these are joined by 5 multi-sectioned
Raids, all accessible through the group finder, which
works across servers to match players together
pretty damn quickly - even if you’re queued up as a
damage dealer. PvP is serviced by 11 Battlegrounds,
incorporating everything from team deathmatches
to Capture the Flag and PvPvE elements, and there’s
always the lure of open-world PvP for those seeking
a less structured challenge.
Some headaches remain; it’s not always clear how
to access the different regions of Azeroth, especially
those of the expansions, unless you know what to
look for, and whilst the more recently added regions
have added portals to make moving around a lot
easier it can be tricky to figure out how to reach
certain zones, or how to get back from them when
you’ve gotten there. Looking for Group instances
can be a silent, solitary affair, distanced from the
joy you get from running a challenging dungeon
with friends. There’s still a heavy reliance on random
drops. The visuals can look dated, though they’re still
bursting with character. For every headache, there’s
at least a positive side, a sign that Blizzard has tried
to correct the issue.
Battle for Azeroth will take the game back to its roots
Returning to Azeroth makes one thing abundantly
clear, though: there’s a very good reason why
World of Warcraft has remained the most popular
subscription based MMO for the last 13 years:
Because it’s bloody good. Blizzard has successfully
iterated on and expanded every aspect of the game
world, borrowing features from other games and
inventing many of its own, wrapping them up in a
package that has plenty to offer both casual players
and hardcore raiding guilds. Not every new feature
and expansion has been a hit - Warlords of Draenor
in particular was widely derided - but more of the
content is a hit than a miss, and there’s such an
abundance of it everywhere you look that it’s as easy
now - if not easier - to get lost in Azeroth as it ever
has been.
00 182 www.eliteonlinemag.com