World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor (Video Game Review)
Warlords of Draenor takes the lore of Warcraft and completely changes everything fans have come to expect from the series. The newest expansion sees Garrosh Hellscream change his destiny and travel through space and time in order to unleash the Burning Legion and the newly formed Iron Horde on an invasion of Azeroth. Sticklers for sticking with the original lore of Warcraft will find the new content problematic to say the least, but the new content takes place on a separate plane of existence altogether and can be taken with a grain of salt for players that simply want to experience the wild ride.
Though the storyline featured in Warlords of Draenor is grandiose and ambitious, it's clearly meant to be enjoyed by longtime fans of the series. The game makes constant references back to earlier expansions released for the Warcraft series, and unless players are already well acquainted with the likes of Thrall, Gul'Dan, Garrosh and Mannaroth, they can find themselves quickly lost in the narrative of the new expansion. The new campaign focuses on a strange blend of long developed characters and changing the history of those said characters so that many players will feel alienated by the narrative and may choose to enjoy the other content of the expansion while mostly ignoring the story throughout the 30-40 hours it takes to complete the new missions.
Luckily, the additional gameplay Warlords of Draenor adds to the main game is a lot of fun no matter what type of player you are. The biggest addition to the game has to be the new graphical presentation. Environments have been changes, and user interface has been improved, but the biggest draw are the all new character models. The character art is vastly improved for Warlords of Draenor so much so that the new models look as though they come from a completely different game when compared with the last updated models for World of Warcraft. The new models are aesthetically pleasing to look at and far more detailed than previous releases, and the new animations help bring the characters to life like never before while simultaneously giving a breath of fresh air to the world of Draenor.
If the improved character models are the biggest improvements included in Warlords of Draenor, Garrisons must be the second most important feature in the new expansion. Players will be allotted a plot of land that can be outfitted with a number of buildings selected from a pool of 20+. Different buildings give players bonus benefits from profession enhancements to additional gold production. If players decide they don't like a building or want to receive different benefits, a building can be demolished at any time and replaced with a new construct. Players will want to spend time leveling their Garrison, completing invasions and defenses and finding new staff to outfit their Garrison for additional benefits. Customizing and leveling Garrisons is powerfully addictive, and many players will find themselves spending just as much time in this new mode as in the new missions featured in Warlords of Draenor.
Warlords of Draenor includes new bosses, enemies, locations and a new player vs. player zone for fans to check out. There are tons of new quests, seven new dungeons and two raids for players to experience as well. The new content is difficult and will require players be very high level to attempt. Luckily, Warlords of Draenor includes a level boost to 90 and a new level cap to 100 to easily allow old companions to come back to the game and enjoy questing with friends even if it has been many years since a player has logged into their Blizzard.net account.
Of course, Warlords of Draenor comes with a plethora of minor tweaks. The game has improved inventory management in order to prioritize certain items and make searching for particular items less problematic. Auction houses have been combined to make shopping for items much easier. Characters and classes have also been changed to include new and revamped skills and abilities that also account for the increased level cap. All of this adds up to give good replayability to a game that has long been one of the more addictive games in the last decade of video games.
Warlords of Draenor expands the World of Warcraft universe in new and previously unimaginable ways. Not every fan of the series will appreciate the new storyline, and newcomers may feel even more intimidated by the new narrative, but there is a good amount of content included in the game that is developed well and is fun to uncover and explore. Garrisons add an addictive new way to enjoy the game, while new character models and other tweaks will allow longtime players to find new reasons to play a game they already love. Become a conqueror in Warlords of Draenor out now for PC and Mac.
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor is now available for PC and Mac and can be purchased for the MSRP of $49.99. World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor is rated T by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol & Violence. For more information on the game, check out the official World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor website.
Game Features:
- Massively Online Multiplayer
- New Character Models
- Includes Level 90 Character Boost
- Build and Customize Garrisons
- Unlock Bonus Content for Other Blizzard Titles
Game Information:
Developer & Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Platforms: PC (reviewed) & Mac
Release Date: November 13, 2014
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