World of Warcraft may have delayed the Shadowlands expansion to sometime later this year, but there is still some exciting new content on the way this month. The MMO is getting a massive pre-patch in just a few days that will drastically change the leveling experience, character customization, and a lot of endgame items.
The new zones and additional levels (51-60) won't arrive until Shadowlands officially launches, but the first pre-patch lays the groundwork for a brand new era of World of Warcraft with the level squish and a ton of other changes. There's a lot to keep track of with this major update, so Blizzard put together a survival guide video to highlight some of the biggest things for players to keep track of.
The level squish will be the most obvious change, that's really just the beginning. The character customization options make it possible to add some great new flavor to some of the game's races and the new level 1-10 starting zone and Chromie Time leveling system make creating alts (or brand new accounts) a whole new experience.
Although it is disappointing that the new zones and true Shadowlands content are arriving late, there are clearly still a ton of changes to check out when the pre-patch content drops. The new leveling experience will be most exciting for players who enjoy playing alts, but players who prefer the endgame can focus on the new pre-expansion quests and storyline being added that allows heroes to establish a foothold in Icecrown.
Although it's not getting as much attention as the other changes, it will be very interesting to see how the new navigation tools are implemented and received by the community. A more modern and intuitive way to identify points of interest and whether things are above or below the player's current position should be a great quality of life improvement if done correctly.
The Survival Guide also offers one final warning that players need to complete any achievements or goals that are going away or becoming harder to obtain once the pre-patch drops or Shadowlands drop. This includes finishing the current PvP season, unlocking a few special BFA mounts, or receiving other achievements that will change after the new content arrives. The pre-patch is being implemented on October 13, so players should hurry up if there are things they are still trying to accomplish before Azeroth is forever changed.
Be sure to check back in the coming weeks as more details about Shadowlands emerge. Until then, For the Horde!
World of Warcraft is available now for PC. At this point, World of Warcraft Shadowlands is expected at some point in late 2020 for PC.
Source: World of Warcraft