This year is slated to be a busy one for theWarcraftfranchise, as the announcement of the nextWorld of Warcraftexpansion was swiftly followed up with theunveiling ofWarcraft Arclight Rumble, a mobile game set in the world of Azeroth. However, whileDragonflightpromises a return to many beloved features and themes of Blizzard Entertainment’s venerable MMO,World of Warcraftis still in itsShadowlandsexpansion – and some upcoming changes may arrive sooner rather than later.
The capital cities of the Horde and the Alliance have received a lot of love over the years, constantly being tweaked to either show the passage of time or inCataclysm’scase – rebuilt to accommodate flying mounts in old Azeroth zones. WithDragonflightlooming on the horizon andcross-faction content coming toWorld of Warcraftin the next patch, there has been a change to Stormwind and Orgrimmar with interesting implications.
RELATED:Twitch Streamer Asmongold Reveals Why He Thinks WoW Dragonflight Is Getting Less Attention Than Other Expansions
MrGM, a reputable member ofWorld of Warcraft’scommunity, created a Reddit post with a breakdown of the changes made to the capital cities with Patch 9.2.5 – the main one being the addition of stables to (seemingly) more accessible parts of Orgrimmar and Stormwind. This update seems to imply that Blizzard Entertainment is interested in providing new players an easier and more streamlined experience in learning their riding skills after leaving Exile’s Reach – or the new Dracthyr starter zone due to arrive inDragonflight.
In the case of Stormwind, the new stables would be across the Trade District at the entrance to the Mage Quarter, while Orgrimmar’s stables would now be just outside Grommash Hold in place of the Guild Master tent.
As far as more comprehensive changes to the capital cities, a revamp of the docks was teased forDragonflight.Despite this, it is becoming apparent thatWorld of Warcraftplayers yearn for something more. By the time the next expansion is released,Cataclysm’sredesign will have been twice as old as the classic Azeroth it was meant to replace.
While players argue that the old zones have started to show their age compared to the wondrous environments of the Dragon Isles, it is yet unknown if Blizzard is planning to do a full-scaleremaster along the lines ofFinal Fantasy 14in the near future. One thing seems to be clear: Blizzard still strives to makeWorld of Warcraftas accessible and easy to pick up as ever, a gamble that won the hearts of many in the gaming world back in 2004 and a pillar of the game’s philosophy that still stands almost two decades since.
World of Warcraftis available now on PC.
MORE:How World of Warcraft Classic is Keeping Wrath of the Lich King Old School in the Era of Modern MMOs
