bf exit. The most interesting news World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. List of free servers WoW: Battle for Azeroth

In less than 2 weeks, all-out war between the Horde and the Alliance will unfold again in the world of Warcraft, and on this occasion, we decided to tell you about 10 reasons why you should play Battle for Azeroth. And no stupid items like “new locations” or “new story”.

1. Now is the perfect time to start playing WoW

At the time of the release of the Legion expansion, we said that there was no better time to start playing World of Warcraft, but now this information is outdated: Battle for Azeroth is even more suitable for beginners than the previous expansion. And this is true, even if we consider only the purely objective side of the issue - the financial one.

The fact is that just a few weeks ago, World of Warcraft became more accessible than ever - now you don’t need to buy the base game and all add-ons to play this MMO, you just need to pay for a subscription, and you can go explore Azeroth.

True, this rule does not apply to content that will appear in the game along with Battle for Azeroth - you still have to purchase the upcoming add-on separately, but it's still cheaper than entering WoW quite recently. Plus, buying Battle for Azeroth will give you the ability to instantly level one of your characters up to 110, in case you decide to skip the old content.

2. Return to the roots: the war between the Alliance and the Horde

Over the almost 15-year history of World of Warcraft, the plot of this game revolved around a variety of events: the madness of the black dragon aspect of Neltharion, the spread of the influence of the Old God Yogg-Saron, the attack on Azeroth by the titan Sargeras, and many others. But if you are not a fan of the World of Warcraft universe, then, most likely, all these names hardly mean anything to you.

But in Battle for Azeroth, the game returns to the origins of the Warcraft universe - to the war between the Horde and the Alliance, which all fans of the RTS series of the same name are well aware of. Unlike many other incredible conflicts in WoW, the confrontation between orcs and humans (as well as all their allies) is intuitive, and you can understand the origins of this enmity in 2 hours - just watch the Warcraft movie.

3. A new era in the history of World of Warcraft

Battle for Azeroth can also be recommended to those who have never liked or got tired of the old motives of the Warcraft universe. Despite the fact that part of the add-on will be devoted to the war between the Alliance and the Horde, few doubt that towards the end of the addon, both sides will face an external enemy.

And, for the first time in the history of World of Warcraft, this enemy will almost certainly be completely new, because all the main Warcraft villains Blizzard has already used: the stories of Illidan, the Lich King, Deathwing and almost all the Dark Gods have already been told and are in the past. It's time for new heroes and new villains, and now everything is limited only by the imagination of Blizzard writers.

4. In the center of the plot of the addon are some of the most interesting heroes of Warcraft

The number of important characters in the World of Warcraft universe is not even in the tens, but in the hundreds, but not all of them have interesting characters and depth. Fortunately, this time around, surprisingly ambiguous and interesting characters turned out to be the central characters in additions.

Of course, the cloyingly kind Anduin Wrynn will certainly play an important role, but three conflicting heroines should be at the very center of the narrative in Battle for Azeroth: Queen Azshara, who once summoned demons to Azeroth, the former pacifist Jaina Proudmoore who defected to the xenophobic camp, and the ruthless Sylvanas Windrunner, who has already managed to become the most controversial leader of the Horde.

During the announcement of Battle for Azeroth, Blizzard warned that in this add-on the main characters would find themselves in the zone of gray morality more than once, and so far it seems that this is true - perhaps for the first time in the history of World of Warcraft, an intriguing plot awaits us, in which it will be difficult to clearly name the right and wrong.

5. Expeditions to the islands

Fortunately, Battle for Azeroth differs from previous World of Warcraft expansions not only in potential story innovations, but also in gameplay innovations. And expeditions to the islands are one of the most interesting of them.

In Battle for Azeroth, the PvPvE mode "Island Expeditions" will appear in the game, in which you will need to clear procedurally generated islands from elite monsters, collecting a valuable resource of azerite. In parallel with you, a team from the enemy faction will do the same.

You are on the same island and compete for resources, and therefore you can interact with enemies - avoid them or, conversely, purposefully hunt down and try to destroy them in order to take away the accumulated resources. With a choice of tactics and procedural island generation, this mode offers near-infinite replay value and is sure to be a hit with fans of offbeat PvP combat.

6. Updated and improved World PvP

Speaking of new gameplay “features” and PvP, one cannot fail to mention the recently added “war mode” to the game, which should return World PvP to the game. Now it does not matter whether you are on a PvP or PvE server: thanks to the war mode, you can join the epic war between the Horde and the Alliance at any time, which is going on in all locations.

If you turn on the war mode, then you automatically get into the same world with other players who also want to fight - that is, you will instantly find yourself on the same server with the same World PvP fans like you, who are ready to fight day and night. And if the constant battles with the players of the enemy faction tire you, then you can turn off the war mode at any time and return to a quiet farm.

7. Allied Races

Unlike new leveling locations, dungeons, and story quest chains, new classes or races do not appear in every World of Warcraft expansion, and their appearance is always perceived by game fans as a separate small holiday.

And this time the holiday turns out to be especially big: new classes in Battle for Azeroth will not be brought in, but there will be new races, and 4 at once - two for each faction. Alliance members will be able to play as Dark Iron Dwarves and the island dwellers of Quel Tiras, while Horde members will be able to take on the role of Mag'har orcs and mighty Zandalari trolls.

8. Warcraft IV… oh, that is the battle for Stromgarde

The first front-line battle was the “Battle for Stromgarde”, in which the Alliance and the Horde are fighting for a fortress on the Arathi Highlands, and both sides will need not only heroes, but also an army to win the battle - and each member of your team will have to strengthen and expand this army .

Control of Stromgarde changes from one faction to another every few days, and the side that controls the location receives special bonuses. Of course, this mode cannot be called truly strategic, but, most likely, we will not receive anything more similar to Warcraft 4 from Blizzard in the coming years.

9. Compression of characteristics and all numerical indicators

With each addition, the heroes in World of Warcraft become more and more powerful: with new levels, sets of weapons and armor, their main characteristics, the amount of health and damage dealt grow. To match the increased strength of the heroes, all the mobs are becoming more and more “fat”.

Almost no one paid close attention to this fact, but when in the Legion expansion, after each hit, the players began to display seven-digit numbers, and the amount of health of raid bosses began to be measured in almost billions, Blizzard realized that this was already too much.

You may think that this is a trifle, but believe me - it is not. At some point, the seven-digit numbers that pop up after hitting an enemy with an ability cease to be useful information, turning into visual garbage. Fortunately, in the Battle for Azeroth pre-patch, the developers solved this problem by “squeezing” all the numerical indicators in the game.

10. Battle for Azeroth - Improved Legion

World of Warcraft is constantly changing and transforming - every year this game becomes less and less like the one that came out back in 2004. And while ardent fans of vanilla World of Warcraft insist that WoW only gets worse over time, it is obvious to most gamers that Blizzard is constantly trying to improve the game, developing good ideas and discarding bad ones.

And Battle for Azeroth is the best confirmation of this - this addition, which develops all the best practices of the Legion addon, adding several new gameplay features on top. In BfA, we are again waiting for the well-established rotating World Bosses, mythical dungeons, world quests, the companion system, etc. And as a bonus to them - everything that is listed above.

So at the moment, Battle for Azeroth is simply the best version of World of Warcraft, which inherited almost all the best from previous versions. True, many of the problems inherent in WoW in BfA also have not gone away.

Today, Battle for Azeroth debuts on August 14, the latest World of Warcraft expansion and still the most popular subscription MMO title.

The new addition is partly a return to the roots of the cycle, at least thematically. In the center of the story there is a conflict between the Alliance and the Horde, which was most often used in strategies Warcraft .

As a standard, we get, of course, a higher level cap to achieve, a lot of tasks, some impressive scenes, changes in the balance of skills, as well as various group tasks.

Each chapter of World of Warcraft also introduces more exciting and exciting news. Here are the most interesting ones.

Two new lands

Developers at Blizzard have become accustomed to the fact that each supplement introduces a new continent. Therefore, it was a surprise that the Battle for Azeroth will offer two new lands One for each faction.

Alliance members will start their adventure on three islands Kul Tiras once the pride of the navy. Panstuko should now rejoin the war against the Horde.

There are three large exploration zones waiting for players, as well as the city of Boralus. Visually, Kul Tiras resembles Northern European landscapes, but there is no monotony in the visual experience. The artists took care of different views.

Representatives of the Horde, in preparation for the final confrontation with the enemies, are sent to an exotic island Zandalari or the cradle of the Trolls. The independents are looking for allies to repel the Alliance and bring order to a land where chaos continues from the cataclysmic events of the cataclysm, when the realm was literally separated from Kalimdor.

Zandalari are completely different landscapes than Kul Tiras. We will visit jungle-like forests, we will see creatures inspired by dinosaurs. One of the main themes will be the fight against the dangerous worship of blood trolls.

Sample shots from Zandalar:

expeditions

Blizzard is regularly trying to introduce new activities to WoW so that players can have more varied activities. Battle for Azeroth introduces unique scenarios for groups of three.

Expeditions, on which you can leave the capital of each of the two lands, will allow you to visit one of several small islands. When we come ashore, our goal will be collect azerites- a resource that we will strengthen our equipment, for example, reinforcements of the Artifact in the previous application.

Azerides are found in the form of minerals, but we can also find them in chests and take them from the bodies of defeated monsters. All actions performed on the island during the Expedition will reward us with this valuable resource. However, there is one catch - the material will also be collected by representatives of the enemy faction.

Shrines that offer reinforcements, as well as special items that are available for purchase only on the ship and on the territory of a particular island, will help in the struggle and competition. It is also worth noting that Expeditions appear in different versions, divided by difficulty level - normal, heroic, mythic and PvP. In the latter case, we will fight with other players.

The creators have taken care of the appropriate rewards, so by participating in this type of activity, we have a chance to get interesting items. There are still unknown ways to get different monsters, but Expeditions will allow you, among other things, to get a green parrot or a skeleton, an excellent monkey.

Warfronts in Battle for Azeroth

Another new addition to Battle for Azeroth is an interesting experiment. Warfronts allow you to participate in large-scale skirmishes with 19 allies that affect the overall conflict between the Horde and the Alliance. Interestingly, this is not a PvP mode - we are fighting with advanced artificial intelligence.

Warcraft 3 was the inspiration for Warfront 3. Our hero is the commander of one group of units. We move around the big map, create footholds and protect sources of raw materials, or establish paths for resources and additions. We are also training subsequent units to fight on the main front line.

The ultimate goal is to capture the fortress of the enemy faction. Before us are the main opponents representing different classes, as well as heavier bosses that require more coordination of the battle participants.

When one faction wins a battle, it takes control of the region. The other side of the conflict must gather special resources to challenge and try to deflect the target. The reward for the controlling faction is, among other things, the presence world boss in a certain place. Other bonuses were also prepared, such as the ability to get a special mountain - and how!

mixed racing

In the mists of Pandaria we haven't seen any new characters in World of Warcraft, so Blizzard came up with an interesting idea, introducing additional races, which aren't actually... new.

Allied Races are different factions or variations of already existing races. These are, for example, the Dark Iron Dwarf clan, the Tauren mountain region of the Highlands region, or the Dark Elves of the Nether.

Access to some races requires the completion of specific streams and a number of tasks related, for example, to a military campaign that will begin soon. Zandalari Trolls and Kul Tiran Humans will only be available after August 14th.

Battle.net Voice Chat

Battle for Azeroth could change that as the developers implement the latest version of the Battle.net voice chat system, the same tool we've already used in Overwatch.

In this way, we get more usability, additional options for muting different channels and, above all, better sound quality. We can also talk to friends who are playing another Blizzard game. This is a great option for those who don't regularly use Discord or aren't satisfied with Skype.

No more PvP servers

Another big change is the elimination of the traditional division of servers into PvE (player versus environment) and PvP (player versus player) that has existed in the game for many years. Previously, when playing on a server of the second type, we had to reckon with the fact that in certain zones we could become a victim of a player from the enemy faction.

Now the system is changing. PvP mode - in practice, agrees to participate in competitions between users - we activate one button. In this way we also include our PvP talents updated in the new application and we will reach a world where we will find other players who prefer the same style of gameplay.

This solution is a response from the creators to requests from some users who felt restricted on a server with fixed rules. Also, it's worth noting that activating War Mode will provide a small bonus to accumulated experience points, which is definitely worth considering when aiming for level 120 in the Battle of Azeroth.

It should also be emphasized that the military mode literally transforms all zones into areas where we can fight with opponents of another faction - there are no exceptions. In addition, in the zones of the new addition, the most dangerous players will be marked on the map for rivals, and rewards will be allocated to eliminate them. All this corresponds to the spirit of the conflict between the Horde and the Covenant, like a glove.

Return of Jaina

Jaina Proudmoore - the most famous sorceress in the Warcraft universe - was virtually absent from the previous feature expansion. Even in Warlords of Draenor, we didn't see her very often. Behind this position is the destruction of the city she founded on the Isle of Theramore - Garrosh Hellscream did this terrible deed.

Proudmoore is no longer looking for compromises and is not going to even think about giving a hand to any representative of the Horde. Given the similar attitude of the enemy leader, we can expect some pretty significant developments in the Battle of Azeroth. Since such outstanding heroines want to end the other side of the conflict at all costs, this will happen.

Jaina is also just an interesting character - and there are probably feelings here. After all, we have known this for a long time, also from strategy games many years ago. While an MMO game will never offer a storytelling worthy of a real single-player experience, Blizzard can present interesting events in a very efficient way.

An overview of the Battle for Azeroth add-on for World of Warcraft. Major new features in Battle for Azeroth, new continents and islands, allied races, dungeons, raids, game changes and more!

release date

Accordingly, to access the Lightforged Draenei, you will need to complete the Argus storyline and reputation with the Army of the Light. The Void Elves must be connected to the Argussian Reach and the main story in some way.

There are new zones in Stormwind and Orgrimmar where you can interact with representatives of the Allied Races. In these zones, a quest chain begins to gain access to new races.

Below are the available classes for each Allied Race.

Races of the Horde

Alliance races

Note: Allied Race paladins are currently only available to the Alliance.

Read the full guide to learn about racial abilities, mounts, heritage armor, and the best ways to level allied races:

New locations and changes to old zones

In addition to the Battle for Azeroth in WOW, 2 new islands (continents) will be added - Kul Tiras (Alliance territory) and Zandalar (Horde territory). Each of them will have 3 locations.

Kul Tiras

The island of Kul Tiras is quite gloomy. The local forests are full of witches and ancient, magic-using druids.

Kul Tiras consists of three locations:

• Stormsong Valley
• Drustvar
• Tiragarde Sound

Stormsong Valley

Drustvar

Tiragarde Sound

Below is more detailed information about each location in Kul Tiras.

Stormsong Valley

• this location has a port that produces warships consecrated by the Sea Priests - this makes the ships more powerful, which helps the Alliance in naval battles.
• the valley is home to the Shrine of the Storm, a sacred site and a 5-player dungeon used by local priests

Drustvar

Long ago, this hilly region, covered with dense forests, was inhabited by people who called themselves the Drust. Later, people already familiar to us reached Drustvar, who drove out the indigenous inhabitants of these lands, destroying most of them.

But the Drust are not completely gone - they seem to be frozen in time, located in the central part of the city, protected by some kind of strong magic.

The Drust spirits are looking for ways to get back - they even made a pact with the current owners of Drustvar, and specifically with Lady Waycrest. She agreed to this treaty only to strengthen her position in the council of Kul Tiras.

Another Battle for Azeroth dungeon, Waycrest Manor, is located in Drustvar.

Tiragarde Sound

The location is inhabited by pirates - it is here that their stronghold, Freehold, is located.

In the capital of Tiragarde Sound, Boralus (run by Jaina Proudmoore's mother, Miss Katrina Proudmoore), there is a level 120 dungeon called Siege of Boralus (a scenario similar to the Quarter of Stars).

Zandalari

Zandalar is a territory inhabited by trolls, full of prehistoric animals and ruins.

Zandalar Island Locations:

• Nazmir
• Zuldazar
• Vol'dun

Nazmir

Zuldazar

Nazmir

Nazmir is somewhat reminiscent of Un'Goro Crater - prehistoric animals, dense thickets and swamps. However, there is a difference - Nazmir is inhabited by tribes of blood trolls.

This location also contains the Underrot dungeon - the main source of corruption that the Zandalar tribe has undergone.

Zuldazar

Zulzadar is the capital of the continent, which makes this location the safest in comparison with other zones of Zandalar. Here is the base of the Horde.

There are 2 dungeons in the Zuldazar location - Atal'Dazar (an open-air dungeon like Zul'Drak and Zul'Aman) and the Rest of Kings (the inner sanctuary, the tomb of the troll kings).

Vol'dun

The desert land, once attacked by the ancient gods - this is how Vol'dun appears before the players. The Zandalar tribes exiled criminals here, so the location is very unfriendly. Inhabited by the Vulpera fox-men race and the Sethrak serpentine race.

In Vol'dun, you'll find another new dungeon, the Temple of Sethraliss.

Stormwind and Orgrimmar

In the Battle for Azeroth expansion, Stormwind City and Orgrimmar will not receive such global changes as during the Cataclysm, but they will have new buildings.

Faction leaders gather in the new buildings, discussing the possibilities of attracting allies. These same leaders tell the player the stories of the allied races and trigger quest chains/mechanisms to play with the chosen race.

Heart of Azeroth

The Heart of Azeroth (localized that way) is an artifact-level medallion that the player receives as a gift from Magni Bronzebeard at the start of the expansion.

The Heart of Azeroth will be with the player throughout the expansion. So it's sort of like the Legion artifact system, tailored around Battle for Azeroth.

What is the Heart of Azeroth

The Heart of Azeroth is energized by Azerite, which the amulet automatically consumes when near a deposit - you don't have to spend space in your bags and waste time collecting new substance.

As you consume Azerite, the amulet will increase its level, which can eventually be used to unlock the hidden abilities of your equipment.

Read the detailed guide:

Armor Upgrade

Leveling the Heart of Azeroth allows you to open "talent branches" at your helmet, shoulder pads and chest - the principle is approximately the same as for the Netherlight Crucible.

The talent tree is represented as several circles:

• talents of the first circle - class
• talents of the next circle - associated with a certain specialization
• on the 3rd circle - defensive talents
• center circle increases item level by 5

Items with the same name will have the same talent trees - in the case of the Heart of Azeroth, any randomness is excluded. However, the higher the level of an item, the more powerful its talents will be.

Once modified with Azerite, an item cannot be upgraded in the Titan Forge.

Azerite

Azerite in the Battle for Azeroth expansion is an analogue of the power of artifacts from the Legion.

This substance appeared on the surface due to the constant strife between the Alliance and the Horde, because not only the peoples, but also Azeroth itself suffer from them. Goblins and dwarves quickly figured out which islands they could mine and sent their expeditions there.

Azerite can be found in the form of deposits, in chests, as a reward for killing mobs and bosses, for completing normal and world quests.

island expeditions

Island Expeditions is a new form of battlefield designed for a team of three players. It is not yet known whether it is required to create a group in advance or players will be selected randomly, as in the dungeon finder system.

As for the roles in the team, they do not matter: you can participate in island expeditions both in a team of three tanks and, for example, three healers. The opportunity to win will be in any case, this is provided by the developers.

The territory on which hostilities will unfold will vary:

• other creatures on the map
• other types of points to capture
• different treasure chests
• new NPCs, etc.

Thus, according to the plan of the developers, the expeditions will not bother the players with their monotony.

Description of expeditions

An island expedition looks like this: you arrive on the island as part of a team of NPCs and two other players, and join in the fight against the forces of the enemy, who also sailed here in order to get the island's resources.

You can choose the type of opponents before sending on an expedition - either they will be NPCs (but much "smarter" than usual), or players.

Each Island Expedition will last approximately 15-20 minutes and will have multiple difficulty levels: Normal, Heroic, Mythic, and PvP.

One of the island expeditions

One of the island expeditions

Updated AI

The behavior of ordinary opponents has long been known - mobs just run up to you and hit you as best they can. If you move far enough away from them, they return to their place. That is why an advanced AI was developed for the Island Expeditions, which will try to defeat the players with their own methods: for example, such NPCs will try to turn into a sheep or stun your healer in order to calmly deal with you.

In addition, AI will be good at navigating space - identifying Azerite deposits, finding local bosses, as well as assessing the situation and making decisions along the way.

For example, in some cases it is easier for an NPC to use Polymorph on you and move on, bringing their team closer to victory.

The new NPCs are likely to have their own traits and names - for now, an NPC named Rogue Pete has been announced that will apply Sap on your healer if he sees that you clearly have the upper hand in combat.

Island Expedition Guides

Fronts

The new game mode "Front" is a co-op for 20 players, working like garrisons.

The mechanics of fronts were borrowed from classic RTS games, in particular from Warcraft III. Approximately how this would work:

• Setting up the camp: collecting resources (wood and metal), creating buildings (forge, armory, barracks, etc.)
• Each player collects resources independently and invests them in the selected building, which will be built automatically (as soon as the required amount of resources is collected)
• Next, you need to create an army to defeat the enemy leader
• Different leaders have the ability to upgrade certain types of troops: for example, the dwarf leader will allow you to improve shooters with guns, and the person at the head of the camp opens access to improved knights
• Also, random events can appear on the map, such as goblin merchants
• To win, you will need not only to break through to the enemy, but also to defend your lines from attacks.

Guides for these factions can be found on the Reputation page.

There will be 10 dungeons available at the launch of Battle for Azeroth. All of them will be available to players from level 120.

Below is the full list of Battle for Azeroth dungeons and raids.

• Free port
• Waycrest Manor
• Tol Dagor
• Shrine of the Storm
• Siege of Boralus

• Atal'Dazar
• Temple of Sethraliss
• Underrot
• Rest of Kings
• Kezan

Raid Dungeons:

• Uldir
• Halls of Control

So far, there is detailed information only about the pirate dungeon Freehold and the troll Atal'Dazar.

Free port

Freehold is a haven for pirates who do not want to live under the control of Kul Tiras. And before they become too strong, players will have to deal with their leaders, sowing confusion among the free people.

Atal'Dazar

In the tombs of Atal'Dazar, high on Mount Mugamba, lie the kings of the trolls, along with their treasures.

But the filth reached these places too - the prophet Zul, together with his faithful follower Yazma, cursed the tombs, wanting to use the already fallen kings for their own purposes.

class changes

Most of the changes in the new expansion will affect tanking classes. Abilities that allow you to massively stun opponents will also be revised.

An important moment for all other classes: in the Battle for Azeroth artifact weapons will be removed, and all the opportunities that it provided will be distributed in class talents and spells. Thus, it is planned to maintain a balance and not deprive the players of the already familiar and necessary combat capabilities.

In this case, the artifact will not simply be removed from the game - you have to go through a chain of tasks that will smoothly turn weapons into abilities, etc.

Main changes:

• Class buffs are back in the game
• Some classes received artifact or legendary effects as talents
• A new spell damage formula has been introduced that better balances attack power and weapon damage. See the English wowhead article for details.
• On the Bleeds and Poisons now affects Speed
• The concept of hunter pets has been reworked. In the Legion, any pet could have any specialization (tank, dd); In Battle for Azeroth, you will need to tame a specific family of pets for each specialization. Details are in the video.
• The PvP talent system has been completely redesigned. Now not one talent is selected from three in each row, but one talent from the general set. Total PvP talents in Battle for Azeroth reduced to 4 (from 6 in Legion).
• The ability animations for some specs have been reworked (for example, holy paladins and all warlock specs).

Most of the changes came into effect with the release

You will learn about the most important things you need to know before playing Battle for Azeroth.

Plot

The events of Battle for Azeroth begin immediately after the Legion expansion, when Azeroth stopped the invasion of the Burning Legion by winning on Argus. Yet the Alliance and the Horde have not forgotten the old disputes, and the conflict flares up with renewed vigor. The cause of contention is the struggle for Azerite, a resource that appeared after the battle with the Legion.

During the new battle, the Alliance attacks the Undercity, and the Horde burns Teldrassil. After that, the factions will begin to prepare for a large-scale war, going in search of allies in the lands of the Great Sea. The Alliance will join the sea state of Kul Tiras, and the Horde will form an alliance with the Zandalar Empire, the ancestral home of the trolls. .

Heroes of the Alliance will explore Kul Tiras, where they will fight against pirates, mysterious sea priests, and dark magic. All actions will take place in three locations: Tiragarde Sound, Drustvar and Stormsong Valley.

The Ordiners will travel to the Zandalari Empire, where they will have to fight against crazed troll cultists, giant dinosaurs and the creations of the titans. Heroes will travel through three locations: Zuldazar, Nazmir and Vol'dun.

New locations

War Front - 20 player co-op with classic RTS mechanics like Warcraft III. First, the players equip the camp, building forges, armories, barracks, and so on. Then an army is created to defeat the enemy leader. To win, you need to break through to the enemy and protect your own lines. And do not forget that on the map you can meet goblin merchants or other random NPCs.

Gameplay innovations

The developers will rework abilities that allow you to massively stun enemies. Artifact weapons will also be removed, but do not rush to lose heart, because their abilities will be distributed between talents and spells. In addition, the weapon will not just be deleted, but the player will have to go through a quest chain to turn it into an ability.

It remains to wait for the next addition, already on August 14, 2018, players will again go to save the world in the name of the Horde or the Alliance. Or maybe both at once.

Today we will try to consider at least some of the innovations of Battle for Azeroth (hereinafter referred to as BFA). The most important thing that keeps the game going is Azeroth's evolving storyline.

Attention, spoilers!

What is the lore preparing for us?

Perhaps, almost all previous add-ons, players were engaged in saving the world from universal threats and the like, but this time Blizzard decided to return, so to speak, to the original source. Namely, the confrontation between factions.

The most significant events that are currently known are the burning of Teldrassil by Sylvanas Windrunner and the Alliance, led by Anduin Wrynn, attacking Lordaeron (Undercity) in response. It is believed that Sylvanas did not have the intention of destroying the tree, her goal was only to kill the main commanders of the forces, Tyrande and Malfurion. The latter managed to escape, but the home of the night elves was destroyed and is no longer accessible to the public, and the coast of the Darkshore location is strewn with ashes.

There are also rumors that the leader of the Horde is planning an attack on Stormwind itself, the capital of the Alliance. However, not all forsaken subjects agree with such a move, so all freethinkers organize themselves into a separate secret circle ... What awaits Sylvanus, success or a knife in the back?

New lands to travel

For both factions, locations will be added, where adventures will take place. For the Alliance, this is the island of Kul Tiras, which in turn is divided into the zones of Stormsong Vale, Tiragarde Sound and Drustvar. Kul Tiras is inhabited by indigenous peoples (Drust), human arrivals, and pirates. Outwardly, the island is a hilly and wooded area.

The territory of the Horde is located on the jungle continent of Zandalar, with the locations of Vol'dun, Nazmir and Zuldazar. This island, overgrown with vines and other tropical flora, is inhabited by various prehistoric animals and Zandalari trolls, as well as tribes of blood trolls. Two animal races live in Vol'dun - the outlandish foxmen and serpentmen.

Where do the artifacts go?

For the past three addons, an integral part of the player's equipment has been one or more items of legendary quality, around which the plot of the game partially revolved. Battle for Azeroth will be no exception in this sense, and it seems that this trend will never go out of fashion among developers.

We had legendary cloaks, rings, weapons, and even stones to set, and now it's time for a necklace. It is called the Heart of Azeroth and works on the same principle as the artifact weapon now - it accumulates power at the expense of the collected Azerite (a new super-resource allocated by Azeroth itself from its bowels due to the ongoing wars between the Horde and the Alliance). It can also be used to enhance some equipment.

Weapons from the current addon will sink into oblivion. You will have to part with it by going through a chain of tasks, and the abilities of the artifact will turn into the skills and spells of the player.

New Allied Races

Both factions will join new allies, two races for each. The Horde managed to make friends with the Nightborne and Highmountain tauren, and the Lightforged Draenei and Void Elves came to the aid of the Alliance. These races are already available in the game with a pre-order. After the release of BFA, two more faction races will be added - Zandalari Trolls and Orcs of Maghar, Dark Iron Dwarves and Humans of Kul Tiras. But not the fact that this will happen immediately after the release. No other addon has added so many races! Each race naturally has its own unique vehicles and druid skins (for tauren and trolls), as well as a whole bunch of racial abilities. The Zandalari trolls have especially peculiar appearances of druids. To gain access to new races, you also need to complete special tasks.

Brief overview of other innovations

• Increased the maximum level, which is quite expected, to 120.
• The system of equipment levels has been revised.
• Class buffs are back. In addition to shamans, the guys were not lucky.
• Inside the game, you can create and join thematic communities (crossserver). Now it will be easier to find an achievement group!
• The First Aid profession will be removed. Hurry up to complete the achievements associated with it, which will go to the Legacy section.
• They will add such exotic modes of transport as a toad and a bee (and many other oddities).
• Expanded space in the hunters' stalls and new types of pets (finally you can tame a unicorn, we've been waiting for this for two years!).
• New achievements for the number of exalted factions and mounts (now it makes sense to collect them all).
• Now all production will be personal. Unbelievable but true.
• New battlefields, raids and dungeons - all this, of course, will be.

What you need to do before the release of Battle for Azeroth

All achievements are now busy catching up on everything that for some reason they did not have time to do and receive during the second invasion of the Legion. What will be unavailable in BFA and what needs to be done now?

Get achievements from the First Aid profession, it was decided to remove it as unnecessary. Well, in fact, in our century, to be treated with bandages? Now one of the longest achievements [Are there doctors here?], because to complete it you need to knock out a whole bunch of items from mobs with a low drop chance. Players team up to do it together, which means faster.

Complete achievements such as Glory of the Raider, while they are more or less relevant and of interest to a larger number of players. For them you can get titles and mounts.

Become the ultimate champion in the Fighting Arena or Arena of Challenges before it starts the new season! Some achievements can only be obtained with the help of friends, now a lot of players are doing the same, so finding a group will not be difficult.

Complete your class challenge at Mage's Tower in Broken Shore to earn an artifact skin and an achievement.

The Strand of the Ancients and Ashran battlefields will be removed, and the achievements associated with them will be moved to the Feats of Strength section. So if you are a PvP fan, then you should hurry up.

Complete the Trial of Valor raid on Mythic difficulty to earn the [The Chosen One] achievement, the title of the same name, and the Vestments of the Chosen Dead transmog set. To complete this task, you will need to kill the last boss without dying once during the entire raid! The achievement will no longer be available after the BFA release.

Obtain the Violet Spellwing mount, which can be obtained by killing Argus the Unmaker on Heroic difficulty. You will receive a personal loot in the form of an item that starts the quest for the mount. In the next addon, the item will no longer fall.

A couple more mounts that can be obtained after the start of BFA, but with a 1% chance - Villainous Hellfire Core and Tamed Ur'zhul. They now drop at a 100% chance on Mythic difficulty from the final bosses of the Nighthold and Antorus, the Burning Throne. But only one per raid.

Farm Blind Eyes in Dalaran Underbelly before it's completely empty. Otherwise, in the future you will have to knock them out only from a few monsters, which will complicate the task, or rather make it much longer-doable. These eyes can be used to purchase a variety of items, including the unique Rathorn Mount and the Jellyfish Companion.

Gain reputation with the Talon's Vengeance faction while there are more opportunities to do so. After all, you can only do this in special zones of the Legion, killing other players, and after the release of the next update, these locations will be empty. In addition to +1 to the number of exalted, get a mount.