STACK #166 Aug 2018

GAMES FEATURE

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PUTTING THE WAR IN WARCRAFT World ofWarcraft is still alive and kicking after 14 years.We chat to lead encounter designer Morgan Day about what players can expect in the massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG)’s seventh expansion, Battle For Azeroth . Words Alesha Kolbe

B attle For Azeroth will take a deep dive into the faction war that’s played out through the long history of the game; Horde versus Alliance. Taking place on two new continents, Kul Tiras and Zandalar, Horde and Alliance players alike will be able to experience new encounters, new dungeons, and

the great parts of the job according to Day. “We really try to see where the stories take us, and follow them through one story to the next,” offers the lead encounter designer. “All the way back with Warlords of Draenor; we saw the return of Gul’dan. Gul’dan got away from Draenor and got back into Azeroth, and that was really a huge part in the events of the Legion coming together and being able to assault Azeroth. Having these stories weave through expansions and lead up to the events of the next one is something that we really enjoy working through. With Jaina being such a big part of Kul Tiras – and the Proudmoore family in general – having them was really something that made sense for us.” Battle For Azeroth not only expands on lore current World of Warcraft fans have come to know and love, but is also a great entry point for newcomers. “With every new expansion for World of Warcraft, there are always new things to be excited about,” says Day. “For me in particular, as I mentioned – for the first time – we are going to have two distinct continents for players to level up through, which is something we’ve never done before. We have a feature that we actually added in Legion called Class Trials, where you can try out a class at max level and see if you like it; see if you like the spells, if

back in Warcaft: Orcs vs Humans”, he enthuses. “The idea has been stirring for quite a while, as we saw back in Legion with the Battle For Broken Shore. The Horde had to retreat, and the Alliance suffered massive losses. The action really set into motion the events that lead up to our expansion. After the Battle For Broken Shore, Jaina didn’t really want to participate with the

Morgan Day

Horde, and that’s something players can relate to. We found out with some recent events where she’s been, and this has all kind of lead up to the events that take place in Battle For Azeroth, with Kul Tiras and Zandalar.” Yes – Jaina Proudmoore. Kul Tiras is her home, and weaving these stories of beloved main characters into new expansions is one of

new stories around the age-old faction conflict, as well as encountering some familiar faces. In World of Warcraft’s 14-year history, there have been seven significant, paid DLC expansions to the game. Each has its own challenges, and according to lead encounter designer Morgan Day, the encounters and dungeons in Battle For Azeroth were particularly troublesome. “We have 10 new dungeons in Battle For Azeroth ,” he tells us over the phone. “We actually had a really fun and unique challenge for this expansion when developing our dungeons, because for the first time ever we have two distinct continents that our players are going to explore. If you’re playing as Alliance, you’ll be on Kul Tiras, and Horde will be on Zandalar. It was a really cool challenge for us to try and work through the different dungeons for the different factions. With this expansion

With every new expansion for World of Warcraft, there are always new things to be excited about

the fantasy speaks to you. And then if you like that class, you can use what’s called a boost to get your character up to level 110 – or you can use it on a character that you already have and that you already know and love.” Again, Day reiterates why the Horde vs Alliance battle is so key to the story of Battle For Azeroth. “Also, one of the other things I’m super excited for in this expansion is being able to expand on the age-old Horde vs Alliance battles. Two of our

we’re able to take the fight back to the original ‘red vs blue’ aspect of World of Warcraft, and especially with the new War Campaign - that I’ll talk about a little later - we’re able to take a proper look at the faction wars.” This battle of ‘red versus blue’ is a story arc that Day especially has been looking forward to examining in-game for quite some time. “Honestly – I’m so excited to get back to the core of Warcraft, the story that really started all the way

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