World of Warcraft has always ensured that its zone maps are engaging, fantastical and diverse, and the newest expansion, The War Within, continues this trend. Dragonflight offered players a wide range of biomes to play around in, filled with vibrant colors, intriguing wildlife and gorgeous scenery. The geography of a game like World of Warcraft might not be at the forefront of players’ minds, but one shouldn’t underestimate how much maps can impact gameplay.
When a new expansion releases, it typically features a roster of about four to eight previously unseen zones, all of which are part of a continent or world that hasn’t been accessible or discovered yet. As was the case with the Dragon Isles and other places like Zandalar, players were aware that they existed in the lore, and much excitement followed their addition to the game.
Dragonflight and The War Within Zone Comparisons
|
The Dragon Isles |
Waking Shores |
Ohn'aran Plains |
Thaldraszus |
Azure Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Geography |
Mountainous wetlands and volcanic floes |
Rolling grassy steppes and rivers |
Sheer cliffs and mountains |
Icy tundra and pine forests |
|
Inhabitants |
Djaradin, Red Dragonflight, Black Dragonflight |
Centaur, Green Dragonflight |
Titan constructs, Bronze Dragonflight |
Tuskarr, Furbolg, Gnolls, Blue Dragonflight |
|
Instances |
2 dungeons |
1 dungeon |
3 dungeons, 1 raid |
2 dungeons |
|
Khaz Algar |
Isle of Dorn |
The Ringing Deeps |
Hallowfall |
Azj-Kahet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Geography |
Forested Settlements and Rock Formations |
Cascading Waterfalls, Magma, and Stalactite Formations |
Rocky Shorelines and Alien Forests |
Fungal Grottos and Bioluminescent Slopes |
|
Inhabitants |
Earthen Dwarves |
Earthen Dwarves, Kobolds |
Arathi Humans |
Nerubians |
|
Instances |
3 Delves, 2 Dungeons |
2 Delves, 2 Dungeons |
4 Delves, 2 Dungeons |
3 Delves, 2 Dungeons, 1 Raid |
The War Within's Map Needs To Keep Players Captivated
When it comes to The War Within, there isn’t much of a lore background to rest upon with its new zones. The premise revolves around players descending into a hidden kingdom to tackle the growing threat of the Void. Unfortunately, this does leave the expansion on its back foot, as it can’t rely on the hype given to previous ones like Dragonflight, Legion, or Wrath of the Lich King because of their well-established lore.
As a result, The War Within has to ensure its zones are memorable, using geography, color pallets, sky boxes, and landmarks to create a truly unique environment. Steller examples of this in the past are zones like Icecrown, Plauguelands, Vol’dun, and Deepholm. Even glancing at these zones on a map ignites a sense of wonder and anticipation, compelling the player to explore every inch of it.
Where The War Within Can Be Better Than Dragonflight
World of Warcraft generally tries to add zones with a lot of hype later in expansions, given that their mysticism lets them satisfy players when less content is available. Dragonflight’s Emerald Dream was a good example, as this zone had remained out of reach since it was teased in the game’s Vanilla days.
Unfortunately, the other two zones in Dragonflight's later patches, the Forbidden Reach and Zaralek Cavern, did not achieve as much appreciation. As for The War Within, there’s no telling what zones will arrive further down the line, but they’ll have to maintain the game’s current momentum to keep players orbiting its content.
The Isle of Dorn and Dornogal
Location-wise, the Isle of Dorn sits between Pandaria and Kalimdor, making Khaz Algar the first new continent in Azeroth’s western hemisphere in over a decade. The expansion’s new city, called Dornogal, is located upon the Isle of Dorn too, and is open to both Alliance and Horde. Lurking below this idyllic setting, are a range of novel areas, each nestled deeper in Azeroth’s crust than the last.
Skyriding Is One of WoW's Major Strengths
All zones in this expansion are designed with Skyriding in mind, meaning that higher elevations and sheer drops can be integrated within the zone. Skyriding is an enormous boon to exploration in World of Warcraft, as every nook and cranny from the ground to the sky can be stuffed with treasures, resources, and NPCs.
Perhaps the biggest reason for players being more than willing to revisit Dragonflight's maps was dynamic flight from the get-go, so The War Within has to make full use of this feature. Given all it has to live up to, there's no doubt The War Within will be memorable, for better or for worse.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight
- Released
- November 28, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight was developed by Blizzard Entertainment and is the ninth expansion pack for the iconic massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft.
Dragonflight features an overhauled user interface, raises the level cap to 70, and introduces a new race and class.
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard, Activision
- Publisher(s)
- Blizzard, Activision
- Franchise
- Warcraft
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
