After a month in closed alpha testing, World of Warcraft has each of Dragonflight’s new zones available for players, all located on the Dragon Isles - the storied homeland of the dragonflights. As players journey across them, they discover ancient secrets, plots of sedition, and breathtaking scenery from atop their customizable dragon mounts. Most importantly, players will find five areas that truly feel like they belong in World of Warcraft.
Like many World of Warcraft stories, the main goal of Dragonflight is to find, secure, and empower a number of artifacts, this time called Oathstones: five pillars which represent the power and charge of the major dragonflights by the Titans in ancient history. By activating all five, the Aspects can regain powers they surrendered to defeat Deathwing during Cataclysm. Of course, the Titan-hating Primalists seek to prevent this at all costs. All across the Dragon Isles, these elemental proto-dragons and their followers seek to stop the Aspects and their allies.
The Forbidden Reach - Evoking the History of World of Warcraft
The Forbidden Reach, located north of the Dragon Isles proper, is where the new dracthyr race in Dragonflight has its starting experience. Overgrown and lush, the Forbidden Reach is dotted with the ruins of Neltharion’s facilities. The walrus-like Tuskarr have a village tucked away on the shores, relatively safe from the wild scythids and tarasek who prowl the jungle.
During the starting experience, dracthyr Evoker characters emerge from their slumber after 20,000 years to find Neltharion gone and the world changed. Shortly after they awaken, the dracthyr must contend with their draconic jailers who wish to see them sleep forever, and Primalists who seek to unleash the devastating Primal Incarnate Razageth from her Titanic prisons.
Players travel across the Reach aiding Scalecommander Emberthal, Viridia, and Sarkareth as the dracthyr emerge from stasis, and later depart alongside Scalecommander Azurathel or Cinderthresh to join the Horde or Alliance, respectively. While players do not return to The Forbidden Reach during the leveling experience, World of Warcraft hints it has a role to play in future events of Dragonflight.
The Waking Shores - A High Start for Dragonflight
The Waking Shores is the first zone players visit in the Dragon Isles leveling experience. This mountainous region is divided between the Red and Black dragonflights of Warcraft fame. The areas controlled by the former are lush, full of rich gardens, forests, and riverbeds; meanwhile the lands of the latter are fierce, active volcanic peaks. The zone is rife with elemental strife as the Primalists stir the land itself to rise against the Aspects.
The Dragonqueen Alexstrasza and her majordomo, a nonbinary dragon named Selistra, are the player’s primary contacts with the Red dragonflight. Together, these dragons work to secure the future of dragonkind by safeguarding the Ruby Lifeshrine from the Primalists. Meanwhile, Wrathion and Sabellian fight to reclaim the Obsidian Citadel from the Djaradin - a race of dragon-slaying elemental giants - and rebuild their broken flight.
Ohn’aran Plains - An Emerald Dream
The Ohn’aran Plains are the second area players will visit in dragonflight. These tranquil, rolling plains are home to the Green dragonflight and several clans of centaurs. Inhabited by beasts great and small, this idyllic land is evocative of Nagrand from Burning Crusade and Warlords of Draenor, and is protected by the Wild God Ohn’ara: an eagle spirit that Hunters might recognize from Legion.
While traveling the plains, players meet the four major centaur clans who dwell there. Though they will interact with all of them, Dragonflight players interact primarily with Clan Shikaar and its deaf leader, Sansok Khan. When the Primalists stir up a storm of trouble, the centaur beseech Merithra, daughter of former Green dragonflight Aspect Ysera. In ages past, Merithra made peace with the centaur clans’ ancestors, and it falls on her to do so once again.
The Azure Span - A Love Letter to Wrath of the Lich King
The Azure Span is the third zone players will visit in Dragonflight’s leveling experience. The largest area in Dragonflight, this arboreal land is the home of the Blue dragonflight, as well as the tuskarr and hyena-like gnolls. Traveling across this expansive zone reminds one of the best parts of Wrath of the Lich King - from the evergreen forests of the Grizzly Hills to the snow-covered peaks and arcane constructs of Coldarra.
In this zone, players will travel with Khadgar and the Kirin Tor as they aid Kalecgos in rebuilding the Blue dragonflight. To do so, Kalecgos learns from both the humble Tuskarr and an unexpected face from the history of the Blue dragonflight. Through this, Kalecgos may gain the wisdom and strength to stop the Decay magic from threatening the Azure Span, and face the Primalist leader, Razageth.
Thaldraszus - The High and Mighty Hub of Dragonflight
Thaldraszus is the fourth and final place players will visit while leveling in Dragonflight. Home to the highest mountains on the Dragon Isles, Thaldraszus’ vertical development allows the new Dragonriding feature of Dragonflight to shine. In addition to housing the Bronze dragonflight Oathstone, this region is home to Valdrakken: the capital of dragonkind and hub city of Dragonflight.
Though all the major dragon leaders appear in Thaldraszus, players work mostly with the Bronze and Red dragonflights. Alongside the Bronze Aspect Nozdormu and his Prime Consort Soridormi, Chromie and the Bronze dragonflight contend with agents of the Infinite dragonflight to avoid a time-twisting disaster.
Alexstrasza, on the other hand, must quell a rebellion seeded by the Primalists within Valdrakken. By restoring the five Oathstones, she hopes to ignite the Mother Oathstone, and in doing so restore the Aspects to their former glory. Razageth seeks to release the other Primal Incarnates from their ancient prison at Tyrhold - the fortress from Dragonflight's cinematic trailer - and stands in Alexstrasza’s way.
Even in alpha, the new zones in Dragonflight are gorgeous, expansive, and teeming with the life that makes World of Warcraft’s other regions so memorable. The plot is pretty standard fantasy fair, but its threads feel authentically Warcraft - something many players desire more than anything after Shadowlands. Though World of Warcraft has not said where future patches will go, there is evidence of a subterranean area that may be the subject of future expansions. World of Warcraft players won’t have to wait long to discover these secrets, or explore the zones in their completed forms.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC, with the Dragonflight expansion set to launch later this year. Game ZXC was invited to the closed alpha for this coverage.