Like many fellow gamers out there, World of Warcraft opened the MMO doors to me, and it is a genre I haven’t been able to let go of until now, and frankly, I don’t want to. Few games give you that sense of community or those unforgettable experiences you get when you raid with people late at night. Still, like many other MMOs, I felt WoW’s retail version had hit a wall, and it hasn’t quite found a way around it yet. But now, World of Warcraft: Forever feels like a fresh start, recapturing the classic charm we all fell in love with while introducing several new additions that put Azeroth firmly back in the spotlight.
An Adventurer Again
In this beta, we got to experience the early levels as we made our way to the 20-level mark, the highest level we can reach right now. Like many others, I decided to roll a Horde Skyborne, and this is my only complaint about World of Warcraft: Forever, which I want to get out of the way because the rest is amazing so far. The Skyborne feel a bit out of place.
I’m not talking about the models or the druid forms; I’m okay with that. It’s their story, starting zone, and that world-ending threat at the end. See, one thing I was eager to try in World of Warcraft: Forever was feeling like a normal adventurer. Just a paladin running errands, making friends, and looking for a group to take down Hogger. So, it was pretty disappointing to see that retail high-stakes storytelling at the end of the Skyborne starting zone. With WoW: Forever going for a more grounded narrative, which is what many of us love, this was something that really made me go back to my usual Human and Orc characters and go from there.
With the iconic Northshire Abbey establishing shot, I started again as my classic Human Paladin and had a blast. At first, everything was like I remembered: the same wolf-slaying quest, the Kobold clean-up missions; it was all there. However, I noticed a new questline leading to some book-stealing Kobolds, which was extremely long, as it tied in with some Goldshire quests and some of the mines around Elwynn Forest.
Still, the surprises didn’t end there. Do you all recall the somewhat empty Tower of Azora? Guess what? There are new quests that add more meaty details to this location, as well as the whole zone, which I truly loved. And that just keeps going as you go from zone to zone. The cherry on top is that these new missions feel grounded, cohesive, but most importantly, engaging to tackle, which is exactly what we all needed: the return of that adventuring feel.
Azeroth Reborn
The next thing that made my jaw drop was the graphical overhaul in World of Warcraft: Forever. Even though I was already excited after watching the trailer, that video didn’t do it justice. The new lighting effects, water simulation, and the ability to swap between SD and HD models combine the best things from the modern and classic eras, which, for the purists out there, are entirely optional.
Still, as someone who’s always loved the classic style, I just can’t go back now. The HD mode of World of Warcraft: Forever is fantastic, and it blends perfectly well with Azeroth, without reaching post-Warlords of Draenor levels.
However, new gorgeous visuals aren’t everything. WoW: Forever also added several new zones and dungeons, and while I haven’t been able to explore all the new additions yet, what I got to see was so cohesive that it felt like it belonged to Azeroth’s original version.
The new areas are full of lore details that players who have followed the series since its RTS days will love. Yet those who’ve only played the MMO will have a blast, as they offer a new, untrodden leveling route we never took.
Regarding gameplay changes, I am liking everything so far. Yet, it is in the early 20 levels, so we don’t have the full scope yet. Still, as someone who isn’t a real min-maxer, I love how some of my main classes feel, like Paladin and Rogue. The former finally got its much-needed overhaul, moving the class away from a tedious auto-attack loop and making it way more engaging and involved. For Rogue, I feel it isn’t just a PvP-centric class anymore. It definitely has more tools for PvE content, and leveling feels much smoother now as these shady adventurers.
I’ve yet to try all classes, which I will do eventually, but all changes — from new additions to the revamped racial abilities — are excellent, even if some of them are a bit broken right now. Looking at you, Troll Warlocks!
One thing I also liked, which might be a hot topic among the community, but as a quest-lover I don’t mind: the leveling process. World of Warcraft: Forever seems to put a lot of focus on leveling through quests, with dungeon mob kills not rewarding as much experience as before. Frankly, this is an amazing approach. I like when dungeons are usually a one-time thing or something you do to get gear, but not the “meta” way to level up. Azeroth is such a wonderful gaming world with so many zones that I’m glad questing is extremely encouraged.
The MMO’s Comeback
Right now, this is only a taste of what World of Warcraft: Forever will offer, but as someone hungry for a grounded, addictive experience in Azeroth, I’m more than satisfied. All classes feel great to play, the new quests fit so well with each zone, and the new features add to this adventuring feel we’ve been craving for a long time.
Still, we need to see just how far Blizzard will go with this. The only thing I hope is that the studio sticks to its guns to deliver the classic-meets-modern experience we want, without making the latter its priority. As long as it keeps that challenge, grounded narrative, and social-oriented features, I think many of us will have a new MMO to call home — and maybe even rediscover some of what made us fall in love with World of Warcraft in the first place.
