The road from level 30 to 60 in World of Warcraft: Forever is going to look a lot different from what veteran players remember. Blizzard Entertainment has released a new video breaking down the back half of the leveling journey, and it introduces two brand-new zones that fill in parts of Azeroth players have never been able to explore before.
The official World of Warcraft account shared the video two days ago (October 19th), teasing that the climb to the level cap will take players "to parts of Azeroth previously unknown."
The Riverglades Brings Back A Warcraft II Faction
The first new zone is the Riverglades, which Blizzard describes as building on factions and adventures from Warcraft's past. Alliance players will meet the Brotherhood of the Horse, a faction that goes all the way back to Warcraft II.
According to the video, the Brotherhood are remnants of the most elite Knights of Stormwind who fought at the battle for Blackrock Mountain. When Turalyon marched the Alliance forces through the Dark Portal to take the fight to Draenor, these knights chose to disobey orders and keep hunting down the remnants of the Horde instead. Blizzard notes that some would see this as oath breaking, while others would see it as choosing the path of greater honor. Either way, they broke with Stormwind for good.
In the 20 years since, the knights have made their home at Farholde Keep in the Riverglades, where they continue to fight the remnants of the Old Horde, the Twilight's Hammer clan, and the Bolder'ok ogres. As the video puts it, "For them, the second war never truly ended."
Horde Players Get Their Own Story
Like Stranglethorn Vale, the Riverglades is open to both factions. Horde players will spend time with the Bolder'ok clan, a group of ogres who broke away from the Twilight's Hammer after seeing so many of their kin fall into madness following the Second War.
Blizzard says the Bolder'ok have been forced to survive with enemies on all sides. They live in the shadow of their former Twilight's Hammer masters at the nearby Krol'dok Stronghold, while competing with the humans of Farholde for resources on the open plains. That adversity has made them strong, independent, and formidable.
Both factions will run into the Twilight's Hammer, which has seized the old Horde stronghold now called Twilight's Shroud along with Krol'dok Stronghold. The video teases that the clan's foothold bodes ill for the entire Eastern Kingdoms as well as the Riverglades.
The zone is also filled with side activities, including wrecking a pirate operation, rescuing a horse, and the Bloodmasters' Ring, a fighting ring deep in ogre territory where players can test themselves against the ogres' best brawlers.
Mount Hyjal Is The Final Stop
The leveling journey wraps up in Mount Hyjal. According to Blizzard, Malfurion Stormrage and the druids have kept Hyjal sealed for five years, and now the road has opened for the first time since the Third War.
Players will work with the Druids of the Talon and other members of the Cenarion Circle to heal the land and rebuild after the Battle of Mount Hyjal. Tensions between the Horde and Alliance, who have been living together in an uneasy agreement, are starting to heat up again. There is also a Curious Crow who has uncovered sinister warlocks and activity involving the Wild King, and who needs players' help because, as the narrator jokes, she is just a crow.
Hyjal also leads straight into the endgame. The video ends by teasing the Barrow Deeps, the 10-player raid hidden inside the mountain, which Blizzard detailed yesterday alongside Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair. All three raids unlock on December 9th, about five weeks after WoW Forever launches on November 4th.
Would you rather spend your leveling time with the Brotherhood of the Horse in the Riverglades, or with the Bolder'ok ogres on the Horde side?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.