Why is WoW Dragonflight better than past expansions?

There has been a very high surge of interest in World of Warcraft recently with the release of Dragonflight, both from new and returning players.

In this article we will be looking at some of reasons that contribute to this popularity and make WoW Dragonflight better than past expansions.

10. Awesome Rare Transmogs

Transmogs are a huge part of World of Warcraft, being the very game that popularized the use of that term for the cosmetic system of changing the appearance of your gear.

With every expansion, we have the release of many new unique cosmetics and appearances for armor and weapons in WoW. We can definitely say that Dragonflight really shines in that aspect, with lots of rare cosmetics that follow the draconic aesthetic and much more.

The highlights here go to the Obsidian weapons, especially the Obsidian Dragontooth sword and the Obsidian Barrier shield, and the very rare Citadel Crusher’s armor set.

9. Beautiful New Zones

Every WoW player feels right at home in Azeroth, and a big reason for that is the amazing scenery that is both beautiful to look at and immersive.

The Dragon Isles are filled with a wide variety of biomes, grand structures, and cool wildlife. Every zone has a unique look to it, from the natural ambiance to the architecture of buildings, filled with unique NPC and enemy designs.

Whether you prefer a frozen land surrounded by crystals or the absurd heat of lava pools, you will definitely enjoy the zones in Dragonflight. Furthermore, they feel much more organic than what we have seen with the previous expansion, Shadowlands, and are a better fit for the overall theme of medieval fantasy that we love so much in WoW.

8. A Refreshingly Simple Story

Now, anyone may argue that they’ve really enjoyed the story in Shadowlands, BfA and Legion, or any expansion for that matter, and people have every right to enjoy whatever they want, but some of the story developments in WoW have been a bit controversial over the years, with never before mentioned villains appearing out of nowhere and claiming to have been the real big bad behind the scenes for the whole Warcraft franchise.

Dragonflight goes back to the basics of what a World of Warcraft franchise should be: a fun and intriguing adventure in new lands, with powerful enemies to face and a lot of lore relevance without needing any retcons or convoluted plot elements.

Players have really been enjoying this new adventure and I can say for myself that it has been a wonderful ride.

7. Unique New Race And Class

New classes are always a big deal in MMORPGs because their release can change the entire meta of the game and offer a whole new playstyle for new players and veterans alike.

WoW Dragonflight has come with the release of the awesome Dracthyr race, which are a shapeshifter race similar to the Worgen, and their exclusive class: the Evoker.

While the player base was a bit divided at first when it comes to the visual design of the Dracthyr’s draconic form, no one can argue that the Evoker class is not only amazing and very powerful at the current meta, but it offers a unique way to play the game with telegraphed abilities and skills that feel very reminiscent of action combat MMORPGs. 

6. Dragons Are Awesome

Dragons are a staple of the medieval fantasy genre, especially in RPGs, and it has been a long time since they’ve received a proper spotlight, all the way back in Cataclysm.

Well, that couldn’t have changed more radically, with a whole expansion focusing on dragons and their lore, a new dragon race with the Dracthyr and their exclusive Evoker class, the all-new way to travel through Azeroth with Dragon Riding, and much more.

If you like dragons, then this is the perfect time to come back or play World of Warcraft for the first time.

5. Professions Are More Fun Than Ever

Gathering and crafting in World of Warcraft has been very lackluster in comparison with other top 5 MMORPGs currently available, especially its biggest competitor Final Fantasy XIV.

The profession revamp that came with WoW Dragonflight was much needed and brought a lot of improvements that benefit every player who engages in these activities.

There are new and improved ways to make gold with your profession, a good example of that is the Specialty Fishing system, a whole new UI, and the crafting orders. Lifeskills are a great way to chill and pass the time inbetween more engaging content, and this is a great time to do that in WoW.

4. Incentive To Play On Alts

Most WoW players make alt characters because every class feels very unique when it comes to their playstyle, and it allows us to play as different races or even a different faction altogether.

However, making alts has become increasingly difficult in previous expansions because of convoluted progression systems such as the Artifact Weapons all the way back in Legion.

With the release of Dragonflight, we no longer have this issue. The expansion gives great incentive to play on alts, not only by the absence of a weird progression system but also because we now have Adventure Mode, a way to venture through the Dragon Isles in a whole new manner after you’ve completed the main story campaign, going through the zones as you level up in any order that you want to.

3. Freedom To Build Your Character

The return of talent trees in the form of specializations is something that players in WoW have asked for years and it is finally here, making one of the most radical changes in terms of gameplay that the game has ever received.

Specialization is a very in-depth system that lets players adjust a class to their own playstyle, enhancing abilities that they decide to use the most. Furthermore, different specialization trees have completely different playstyles and even roles in some cases.

We all love to mess around with builds when we are playing a good RPG and now we can do that in World of Warcraft once again.

2. No Borrowed Power Systems

As we’ve mentioned before, previous expansions in WoW have suffered from convoluted progression systems that were character specific and required huge amounts of grind.

These were called ‘Borrowed Power Systems’ by the player base because they were rendered completely useless once the new expansion came out. It really doesn’t feel very good to dedicate huge amounts of time to grind something that will soon become useless.

Dragonflight brings us back to simpler times of gear progression, allowing players to go up in power without the unnecessary complication of a cumbersome system that will never be relevant again.

1. Moving Around Never Felt So Good

If you really think about it, most of the time you spend playing an MMORPG is basically moving around from point A to point B.

Dragon Riding is a whole new mount system, very much inspired by Guild Wars 2, that revolutionizes the way in which we move through Azeroth. Flying on top of these dragons involves physics and unique mechanics, including active skills, that allow you to reach your destination much more quicker and in a much more dynamic fashion.

This is a very welcome addition to World of Warcraft and we can only hope that Blizzard continues to expand on this system, and maybe even allow Dragon Riding outside of the Dragon Isles in the future.

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