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World of Warcraft New Patch: A Week Later

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As a warning, this post will include spoilers for the Alliance side of the War Campaign for patch 8.2 Rise of Azshara. If you haven’t begun the patch, or if you want to find out things on your own, you may want to avoid this post.

Hey guys! Now that’s it’s been a week, I wanted to post my impressions of Rise of Azshara which is the World of Warcraft new patch. Patch 8.2 dropped last week on June 25, 2019. I posted my initial thoughts on that first day. But, now I’ve had time to play the patch for a week,  I want to let you know if my initial impressions were correct or not.

I didn’t play on the PTR (public test realms) because I wanted the experience to be fresh. The PTR is something I normally avoid because I don’t enjoy seeing too many spoilers before the release of major content.

My goblin hunter, Delyshia, hasn’t begun the World of Warcraft new patch. I’ll be sure to create a post about my experience on the Horde side once I’m able.

By the way, Blizzard Entertainment co-founder and former CEO Mike Morhaime did an interview with VentureBeat’s at the Gamelab event in Barcelona. He talked about working for Blizzard for nearly three decades. And he spoke in the early days when he was fresh from college, and he and several friends, Allen Adham and Frank Pierce, video gamers like all of us, set out to start a gaming company.

Concerning the future of Blizzard Entertainment, Mike Morhaime said ‘he hopes the company continues to make games and he wishes them well’. I’m glad his answer was positive. Especially with everyone on edge with the recent layoffs, and with Blizzard struggling to keep their fans happy.

So, let’s get into my weekly impressions of patch 8.2 Rise of Azshara.

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World of Warcraft New Patch: Is it Sinking or Swimming?

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First, let’s do a quick recap of my first thoughts on Nazjatar.

I was amazed by the opening for the patch. Blizzard really made a statement when they had the Alliance naval fleet, chasing the Horde naval fleet in the ocean. What we didn’t know is that we were racing to our doom.

Queen Azshara used the Tidestone to part the ocean and caused both the Horde and Alliance naval fleets to shipwreck into the watery depths of her kingdom, Nazjatar.

There was even a part where Blizzard had a ship full of Alliance crewmen fall right in front of you. You could hear their screams as they fell to their deaths. It really depicted the horror of the moment. Also, I mentioned in my initial impression, that I felt truly immersed in the zone. I was trapped under the sea.

The music is incredible. At 21:00 it reminds me of the sea. The beginning of the video is music from the Zin-Azshari ruins. It’s hauntingly beautiful, and a real tear-jerker for sure.

Queen Azshara was toying with us, by letting us know she could drop the water wall at any moment, and drown us all to death. The only reason we’re alive is that she needs us for something. And, we all know that’ can’t be good. But, despite all that, the portal Jaina created took me out of the immersion, because I wondered how’re trapped if we could just teleport out?

Okay, I’m done with the quick recap. So, let’s get into it then. Is the World of Warcraft new patch sinking or swimming?

Well, it depends on who you ask. I’ve seen mixed opinions from players in the game.

For me, I do enjoy the zone, but there are major gripes. I’m going to start with what I’ve enjoyed in this patch so far.

What I’ve Enjoyed about Nazjatar

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Nazjatar is gorgeous. The zone has a purple and blueish color palette which is pleasing to the eye. Whenever I use a flight path, I feel as if I’m swimming in a sea creature. Especially because we fly over coral reefs, stingrays, and bubbles.

The ruins of Zin-Azshari are heartbreaking. As soon as I stepped foot into this once-majestic city, the music which is hauntingly beautiful compliments the area. It really captures the tragedy of that fateful day, and what befell the Highborne elves who served Queen Azshara, would be once the ruler of the Kaldorei Empire.

When the Great Sundering struck 10,000 years ago, a large tsunami sprang up and washed away the once-mighty elven kingdom. Queen Azshara tried to hold back the waves with her magic, but although she was the most powerful arcanist (witch), all her might wasn’t enough to stop the tsunami from destroying, Zin-Azshari, the empire she built.

So many elves lost their lives that day. Many were innocent and chose not to serve Queen Azshara as a naga. So, those who didn’t serve her died to the crushing ocean water, and now roam the ruins in a restless state of undeath.

Besides the ruins, I also enjoy Mezzamere which is the Alliance base. It has a pretty soundtrack and sounds very oceany (is that a word? LOL). You can hear the music for Mezzamere at 21:00 minutes in the video.

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Why Nazjatar Might Be Sinking

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Despite all those positives, Blizzard still has everything time-gated. So, I’ve only seen a fraction of the War Campaign. Blizzard released the cutscene of Thrall and Jaina talking after rescuing Baine Bloodhoof. This scene was a spoiler at the time because the patch had dropped that day.

By the way, there are so many people shipping Thrall and Jaina. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be cute, but Thrall is married guys. We don’t even know where his wife is yet! LOL!

Anyway, because everything is time-gated in this World of Warcraft new patch, that’s as far as I’ve gotten into the story in a week. What I mean by time-gated, is we must earn enough reputation with the Ankoan tribe for Alliance (Kelfin if Horde) to move on with the War Campaign. It’s frustrating because it takes a long time to earn rep.

If you’re a casual gamer, it could take you a few months. Right now, I’m on the quest to raise my followers to 3,000 experience points. I’m doing my best to play each day, but I’ve got a life (gasp) and I also divide my time between Nazjatar, Mechagon, and playing alts with my brothers.

My brothers are new WoW players by the way, and it’s been a real treat to see the World of Warcraft through their eyes. Sometimes the fandom forgets to enjoy the simple parts of WoW. You know, the stuff which amazed all of us when we were new? Like all the cool things that set WoW apart from its competition. And thanks to my brothers I’ve been reminded of some things lately. I plan to write a blog post on a few things eventually. Stuff us veteran WoW players have forgotten to enjoy.

But, back on the topic at hand, is Nazjatar sinking? Well, it shouldn’t take me forever to find rares. And, that Jumping Jellies world quest can go burn in the fire. I can already hear some of you guys doing Teldrassil tree jokes. Ha, ha, ha…

Yet, Nazjatar is one of the most unique zones Blizzard has pushed out lately. Despite the frustrating time-gated nonsense, especially when we don’t have a flight yet which makes getting around Nazjatar a headache, I still would like to know what happens next.

World of Warcraft New Patch: Is Mechagon Building Up to Expectations?

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First, a quick recap of my initial thoughts of Mechagon.

Before you could enter Mechagon Island, you had to do a series of quests in Kul Tiras for Tinkmaster Overspark. We had to help him investigate his findings on Mechagon. He then asked us to find several gnomes in Boralus to help us enter Mechagon Island.

One of the gnomes was Sapphronetta “Saffy” Flivvers. She and her ex-husband Grizzek Fizzwrench, were a surprise when I discovered them in Boralus. Apparently, the two survived the explosion of the bomb they were tied to in Tanaris. And, they’ve rekindled their romance. I honestly think they’re so adorable.

Anyway, we all rode to Mechagon on a plane, and when we arrived, we met Prince Erazmin. He’s the son of King Mechagon, and he’s staging the Rustbolt Resistance against his father.

Once we helped Prince Erazmin out, then the quest hub, Rustbolt, became active with dailies. The zone Mechagon Island, then became active with world quests.

So, is Mechagon building up to expectations in the World of Warcraft new patch? Let’s discuss it!

What I Like and What I Don’t about Mechagon

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Mechagon island is a junkyard of parts. It’s like the ultimate playground if you’re into building stuff. The Mechnocat mount looks cool, and so does that mechanical spider mount, I’ve been working on.

In this World of Warcraft new patch, I feel like Mechagon is a good break from Nazjatar. Both zones are so different from each other it’s like a breath of fresh air.

The music on Mechagon Island reminds me of Disneyland for some reason. I used to work there back in the day, so maybe that has something to do with it. As a Disney fan, I love anything that reminds me of a theme park. Mechagon feels like land at a theme park to me. It’s basically a virtual playground.

Now, it’s still a daily grind though. But, I’m not as annoyed by the grind on Mechagon Island as I am on Nazjatar.

Also, I was too harsh on the familiar asset thing. Blizzard did use familiar zone design for both Nazjatar and Mechagon, but it makes sense to the lore.

Nazjatar should have old Night Elven structures, and Mechagon Island is off the coast of Kul Tiras. Plus, the remix of the music from Tirigarde Sound is pretty neat.

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World of Warcraft New Patch: It’s not Sinking or Swimming, it’s Stable

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The World of Warcraft’s new patch isn’t sinking or swimming, it’s stable. I’m not too thrilled with the time-gated problems like usual, but I do enjoy the look, feel, and sound of the new zones.

I’m also enjoying the difficulty of the game. I was incorrect about the game being harder in old zones. It’s only more difficult in Nazjatar and Mechagon. But, I’m enjoying the challenge. I’ve died so many times in Nazjatar I’ve lost count. There are times I’ve cursed at this game in the last week. Especially when trying to complete the Jumping Jellies world quest. Good times! (sarcasm)

What do you think of patch 8.2 Rise of Azshara so far? Now that the patch has been out for a week, has it lived up to your expectations? Are you frustrated with Blizzard? Or did Blizzard rise to the challenge and listen to player concerns? Let me know in the comments section down below.

Check out this post for speculation on WoW’s new Expansion at BlizzCon 2019. Want to know the most interesting zones in WoW Classic? Or maybe you’re looking for the best ways to gain reputation in World of Warcraft? Don’t forget to check out the seven best quest chains in WoW Classic.  Have you ever wanted to taste Crispy Bat Wings? Well, my first review on the World of Warcraft Official Cookbook is available. Be sure to read those articles for help.

Also, I’m not perfect. *gasp*

If you find a typo, or if I committed the cardinal sin of incorrectly stating a lore fact or stat, please send me a message here: warcraftlover91@yahoo.com!

Happy Hunting!

Spyells


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