“World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor” Release Date Announced

This Expansion Isn’t Going to Be During Finals Week, Kids

By Anni Simpson on August 14, 2014 at 10:54pm

Blizzard revealed the release date for the next expansion, “Warlords of Draenor” for Thursday, Nov. 13, four days after the end of BlizzCon. “Warlords of Draenor” throws players back in time 35 years prior to the opening of the Dark Portal and offers an alternative perspective to the Outland players were originally introduced to in “The Burning Crusade.”

“Warlords of Draenor” offers players a slew of new features, some which have been demanded since the beginning of the game in 2005: player housing (garrisons), guild housing, a new level cap of 100, seven new zones, improved character models, and even a “free” boost 90, a character which automatically loads a new character at 90 in level-appropriate green gear (ilvl 383).

To celebrate the new expansion and the 10 year anniversary of the game, Blizzard plans to capitalize on the long-running vanilla nostalgia. Players can queue in the Looking for Raid (LFR) finder to join a 40-man raid group for the old world raid Molten Core. Players who successfully down Ragnaros at the end of the instance will be rewarded with a Core Hound mount. The celebration also includes a 100 vs. 100 battleground focusing on the well-loved Tarren Mill vs. Southshore war ground. Just for logging in, players will even receive a Molten Corgi battle pet.

The announcement is a huge relief after two years of “celebrating” with a thinly-veiled attempt to get players to grind their alts with a reputation/XP buff item that disappeared after two weeks.

Additionally, Blizzard also unveiled a new animated series that focuses on the lore behind “Warlords,” “Lords of War.” The first episode paints the story of Kargath as a slave in the Gorian Empire. For years, he was imprisoned underneath Highmaul. The series uses a series of thickly-drawn, edgy paintings to tell the story. The first episode is available on YouTube.

For more on the developments on “Warlords,” “Lords of War,” and the 10 year anniversary, be sure to keep up with Player Theory, who will be returning to BlizzCon this November.

World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor

Release: 11/12/2014 [NA] 11/12/2014 [EU]

Publisher: Activision

Platforms: Mac, PC

Purchase: Amazon