The past few expansions inWorld of Warcrafthave either revolved around or continued to develop the Night Elf storyline, andDragonflightseems to hint towards a major development for their future home. The burning of Tel’drassil changed the landscape of Azeroth irrevocably, asBattle for Azerothand the Fourth Wardisplaced the Forsaken and the Kaldorei over the extreme actions of Sylvanas Windrunner. While the Forsaken have slowly regained some sense of normalcy under the leadership of Lillian Voss and the rest of the Desolate Council, the Night Elves have drifted in a perpetual state of limbo ever since that fateful event.
The Dragon Isles took the Kaldorei plot in a direction that not manyWorld of Warcraftplayers were immediately happy with, trading the life of Malfurion Stormrage to bring Ysera back from theShadowlands. While the game’s narrative director implied that this transaction is temporary, many night elf fans were dismayed that Azeroth’s iconic druid was put out of commission at a time when his people needed him the most. With Ysera returning to the fold, the Kaldorei needed a win to balance things out, and it looks like Blizzard Entertainment had something special in mind.
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Players who complete the Valdrakken Accord faction until Renown Level 19 will be able to witness a moment with Tyrande Whisperwind and Ysera standing on the western coast of the Ohn’ahran Plains, gazing out into the sea. This specific part of the Dragon Isles zone inWorld of Warcraftwas tied to several encrypted files during theDragonflightbeta, and many players theorized that it would be the spot of the next World Tree to replace Tel’drassil. It would seem that those players were right, as the dialogue between Ysera and Tyrande seems to confirm that the world seed provided by theWinter Queen inShadowlandswill bloom off the shores of the Ohn’ahran Plains.
Given that Blizzard revealed a confidentroadmap forWorld of Warcraftin 2023, it’s quite possible that the emergence of a new World Tree will play a large part in the patches to come. While the chances of it becoming a playable zone in either 10.1 or 10.2 are slim, at the very least,World of Warcraftplayers should expect to see the new World Tree blossom over the course of the expansion.
Many fans find it wishful thinking, but depending onwhereDragonflighttakes its story, Blizzard may be setting up the foundation of a newCataclysm-level rework for the old world.Dragonflighthas often been touted as the beginning of a new chapter for theWarcraftsaga, and there may be no better way to set the tone for future expansions than to finally make the new player experience narratively coherent.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflightis available now for PC.
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