With World of Warcraft planning an announcement for its next expansion pack in a couple of weeks, supposed leaks of the title have begun to circulate around the internet. However, an image of supposed key art for the next World of Warcraft expansion was recently discovered–with the same name as the one discovered on Blizzard’s website.Just recently, World of Warcraft fans discovered source code within the Blizzard website that made reference to a nonexistent product called Dragonflight. The code points to an inaccessible URL, as well as Base, Heroic, and Epic pre-purchases for an expansion pack.The key art leak seems to corroborate the expansion suggested by the source code leak. The image was allegedly discovered an hour before the source code on the Blizzard website, but has the same Dragonflight name. The key art itself features Alexstrasza, the Dragonqueen of the Red Flight, in a new outfit never seen before, with her draconic form behind her. Though an imperfect view, the art is incredibly well-made, and appears to be in the form of posters similar to those found at BlizzCon and other events.
As further evidence of the veracity of these leaks, a build of the World of Warcraft Public Test Realm from last month contained a mysterious outfit with no apparent source or use. The textures of this outfit appear similar to the image Alexstrasza is wearing in the leaked key art, providing a possible explanation as to their purpose.
Players are already buzzing with hype surrounding the expansion leaks. World of Warcraft fans have speculated a dragon-themed expansion was coming for some time, and alleged leaks have been cropping up on the web for months now. The dragonflights of World of Warcraft are intimately tied to Azeroth, and many hope such an expansion will allow them to return to the world they fell in love with in the first place.
However, plenty of Warcraft fans are reigning in their excitement for now. Despite a strong start, Shadowlands is regarded as one of the least-popular expansions to date. Until these players know the premise of Dragonflight–and know if it is real or not–they are not ready to get their hopes up.
Regardless as to the expansion’s actual name, WoW’s next release will be its most important one yet. Dragonflight or no, the expansion must deliver a better experience for its players, or it could mark the decline of World of Warcraft.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is available on PC.