WoW gets a new class/race and plenty of Dragons as Blizzard announced Dragonflight

Hope, excitement, and cautious optimism for MMO fans today as Blizzard announces their latest World of Warcraft expansion, Dragonflight. Officially revealed in a live stream today (April 19th), WoW’s ninth expansion will see players travel to the Dragon Isles and perhaps help the Dragons reclaim their legacy.

Beyond just a new land to explore, Dragonflight looks to introduce a new race and class, the Dracthyr Evoker. A race-locked class, the Evoker will start at level 58 in their own zone, and use devastating magical techniques to deal damage to foes. But that’s not all—Dragonflight looks like it will have a host of new features to delight players old and new.

One of the new features is Dragonriding. As players explore the Dragon Isles, they’ll be able to fly their own dragon, which they can customize and upgrade. Using the new Dragonriding skill, players will level up their aerial skills over time. 

Unlike usual mount flying, there’ll be a skill-based element to Dragonriding. According to a post on the official World of Warcraft site, you’ll be able to learn to defy gravity and use your momentum to soar ever higher in the Isles.

Speaking of the Dragon Isles, there are four brand new zones to explore within them. The Waking Shores, Ohn’ahran Plains, Azure Span, and Thaldrazus. Ranging from primordial landscapes, to high spires and temples, these zones offer something unique and new for players to explore. 

But one of the most exciting design decisions that Blizzard has revealed is the updates to existing parts of the game. An improved HUD and UI, an overhauled Talent update that makes it far simpler to swap character abilities, and an entire profession revamp look to make the game more accessible and more fun to play. These quality-of-life changes seem geared toward improving existing systems rather than adding new ones; something players have been highly critical of in the past.

Still, early feedback is mixed. There’s optimism but also caution. Shadowlands, the previous expansion, had colossal hype. Elements like Torghast were hugely anticipated, but like so many WoW features, turned into an endless grind. Still, there’s a generally positive reaction to the reveal, especially the Evoker.

Overall, like always, people are excited about a new WoW expansion. There’s something about the prospect of new content in perhaps the most well-known MMOs globally that melts away the community’s cynicism for a while. And Blizzard, as always, will take all the positive PR it can get.