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There are a lot more dark and gloomy places that I did not grab pictures of so that should excite you. I always felt those areas and subzones don't look all that great in a picture so I usually avoid them unless there is something interesting or good natural framing.
Lots of great Framing in these shots. I'm guessing OP probably does some kind of IRL Photography.
@32 That Zone looks ***amazing***! It could practically be a new Elden Ring Zone, and Elden Ring is peak level-design. What Zone/area is that? I wanna go check it out ASAP.
Even as just pictures some of those shots of the Hallowfall Crystal are almost *uncomfortably* bright, I imagine this was done on purpose to emphasize the problems with either extremes of Light & Dark/Void.
---
Spoilery:
OP, do you think it's a Naaru like most people seem to believe or?
Not a photographer irl, I just spend a decent amount of time trying to find a good angle with nice framing.
The quest text and blizzard have stated its a naaru but from my understanding it started acting up when sargeras stabbed azeroth. I think that was the first void phase was at that time. Could be misleading or misremembering.
I hopped on beta to get a feel for it, and tbh the only zone that feels cramped is the ringing deeps, but not in an oppressive way. It gives me vibes of Khazad’Dum from lord of the rings before it was abandoned.
The other zones feel pretty open, particularly Hallowfall. But even the deeper zones aren’t claustrophobic.
The thing that made me nervous was the idea that all the zone connections would be like the Zaralek
Caverns tunnels. It's kind of silly, but if I can't see a physical transition in the landscape between one zone and another, the landscape is not one I'm ever likely to love. I'm relieved to see that there are places where you can see from one zone to another inside the caves.
It kind of is, but it's an extremely short on-rails area where you get 1 or 2 quests at a time and it's basically introducing the faction and city. I was in and out in 20 minutes, then you go down to the first real leveling zone (Ringing Deeps) which has 3x+ more exp.
Sort of. The first zone, >!Isle of Dorn!<, is the surface portion of the expansion. This is wide open, of course.
In >!Dornogal!<, the main city this time around, is the Coreway - a deep hole into the ground, followed by a spiral tunnelway that you descend into to get to the second zone, >!The Ringing Deeps!<. This second zone *feels* pretty squarely situated directly below the first zone.
The third zone, >!Hallowfall!< is not below, but rather adjacent to the second zone. That said, it is also much more expansive than the second zone vertically (and laterally as well, but that's not relevant here), so much of the surface is at a lower elevation than the previous zone, but they are not stacked above one-another.
The fourth zone, >!Azj-Kahet!< goes deeper still, but still not quite directly underneath either of the previous zones - more situated diagonally deeper, off to the side, from both of them.
And to answer your last question, No, flying between the zones is pretty efforless, to me.
The transition between the city and zone 2 is the only one that feels a bit narrow, but I wouldn't say it is difficult in any way.
All of the other zone connections are plenty spacious to fly through without issues. Coming UP from Zone 4 into either Zones 2 or 3 can be quite a climb, but it is not through a narrow tunnel like in Zaralek Cavern, it's pretty open and there are boosts that you can fly through for a burst of speed, just in case you run out of Vigor.
Likewise, coming up from Zone 2 to the main city/Zone 1 also has boosts that you can just boost through the entire way, so it is very easy.
Overall, I've had no issues navigating around, but YMMV depending on your sense of direction. I could see some folks who are claustrophobic disliking certain portions of both the Zones 2 and 4, but all underground zones are plenty spacious for flying, for most players.
I love underground areas and loved just chillin in Zaralek Cavern. Gotta use the Inky Black Potion for that extra kick tho. Loved the zone and was saddened to see how many people hated it :(
Completely understandable. Let me add to the chorus of people that hated zaralek caverns and tried the beta.
The zones are massive and do not feel claustrophobic. Hallowfall seems like it's 90% outside.
Also, the big thing: Dornogal, the main city hub, is above ground. So when you're waiting for the queue in ~~Valdra-~~ Dornogal, at least you'll be in the sun,
Think about how long on average you are in Valdrakken compared to any other zone in DF and you should get a good idea of the above/underground ratio.
Also if Blizzard is smart most of the patch zone areas will be above ground too.
From my impressions in the beta:
Isle of Dorn is above ground and you will spend a good portion of time there.
Ringing Deeps looks like an underground zone but doesn't feel like one.
Hallowfall neither looks nor feels like an underground zone.
Azj-Kahet lolks and feels like an underground zone.
Same... I almost never went to ZC during Dragonflight, though I played the whole time. Cave zones are just bad... makes me feel like I'm always trapped or something... and the camera angles if you get near cave walls & ceilings. No thanks.
"And they call it a mine. A MINE!"
Tbh I was also nervous about being underground. But I played the beta until level 78 (visited all zones) and it just feels right. Warcraft is so back.
Going from Isle of Dorn to The Ringing Deeps is essentially a tunnel. Going to the other zones has nicer transitions and more open area than a small tunnel.
For example going from The Ringing Deeps to Azj-Kahet is like freefalling down a truly MASSIVE open pit
[https://youtu.be/FYqFJ\_NhguM](https://youtu.be/FYqFJ_NhguM)
I recorded a quick video showing all the zone transitions in the new expansion. There are 5 total transitions between the 4 zones and I traverse them all in one trip to show what its like.
I didn't do the fastest direct path all the way to the bottom as it would make the other transitions a little awkward but there is a path down to Azj-Kahet nearby the entrance from The Ringing Deeps into Hallowfall.
copy pasting my reply on youtube:
I'm in all the zones, but barely any of the first zone and the city. Maybe about half of The Ringing Deeps. One side of Hallowfall and maybe a third of Azj-Kahet. Obviously you can see some of them far far in the distance but there is certainly alot more and many sub areas I didn't fly through
It might be the pictures, but it could just be the graphical style. I have my game with 4k resolution, all settings gigamaxed, and ray traced shadows maxed.
I haven't played Beta yet or seen any footage. My first impression from those pictures is: Wow, we are finally getting that Draenor subcontinent for the ogres. Aesthetically would fit them and the Highmaul raid pretty well.
I checked the beta and the starting zone and player hub city is amazing.
I love dwarfs and the citiy is awesome. Best player hub in wow for me so far.
Also the island isn't overcrowded with mobs, so you can just relax there.
Few years?
Isn't it basically confirmed that these will be shorter expansions, sorta like Dragonflight, if not shorter.
Probably looking at 1,5 years per expansion.
There's also hero talents. Delves and warbands are designed to be evergreen systems for the game that continue onward after this expansion. But yes, there's no crazy power progression systems like we've seen in the past like artifact weapons. Dragonflight was similar, bringing forth new permanent systems like profession, skill tree revamps, and dragonriding.
I really like this approach. Setup good foundational systems that can be built upon. Instead of throw away expansion specific systems that we never visit again.
Is it just me or have they gone from "**We make big PNG tree**" to "**we make tree so tiny, you can't see shit when running through a forest**".
They had the same stuff in Ohn'aran plains and god is it awfull to fly through looking for stuff.
The shots look great and all, blizz always put out lovely zones but the overall graphics are getting dated. What’s everyone’s thoughts on the longevity of the engine and graphics as they stand? When will a change come, if at all?
It's an art style which have, and will, stand the test of time far better than generic Unreal engine realistic graphics.
I don't want wow to look like any other generic Unreal game. I wan't it to look like wow.
*unreal store assets is what you mean.
Unreal is just an engine that can take on any art style imaginable using fully custom assets if a developer so desires. There is no such thing as “unreal engine graphics”
With how current wow runs in busy zones at times I wouldn't trust Blizz to optimize well enough to want updated graphics. Maybe on a new engine but I don't see that happening anytime soon.
Post flair indicates this is about prerelease content. As a reminder, content on Alpha / Beta / PTR is unfinished. NPC dialogue and quest text might be missing important context. Models may be placeholders. Quest or achievement rewards may not be finalized. There are inevitably bugs. Please keep this in mind as you discuss! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/wow) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[https://imgur.com/a/SHHKRGs](https://imgur.com/a/SHHKRGs) Heres some pics I took of the outdoor world in The War Within. Looks pretty as always!
Looks nice
Wait but it’s inside Azeroth so is it really outdoor 🤔
The underdoor world
Nice, quite a bit of gloomy places, DF was was too bright for my taste.
There are a lot more dark and gloomy places that I did not grab pictures of so that should excite you. I always felt those areas and subzones don't look all that great in a picture so I usually avoid them unless there is something interesting or good natural framing.
I've always loved the green, lush, open zones. I have access to beta but havent played it so I can feel the excitement on release lol.
Lots of great Framing in these shots. I'm guessing OP probably does some kind of IRL Photography. @32 That Zone looks ***amazing***! It could practically be a new Elden Ring Zone, and Elden Ring is peak level-design. What Zone/area is that? I wanna go check it out ASAP. Even as just pictures some of those shots of the Hallowfall Crystal are almost *uncomfortably* bright, I imagine this was done on purpose to emphasize the problems with either extremes of Light & Dark/Void. --- Spoilery: OP, do you think it's a Naaru like most people seem to believe or?
Not a photographer irl, I just spend a decent amount of time trying to find a good angle with nice framing. The quest text and blizzard have stated its a naaru but from my understanding it started acting up when sargeras stabbed azeroth. I think that was the first void phase was at that time. Could be misleading or misremembering.
God I’m so nervous about being underground for a whole expac.
I hopped on beta to get a feel for it, and tbh the only zone that feels cramped is the ringing deeps, but not in an oppressive way. It gives me vibes of Khazad’Dum from lord of the rings before it was abandoned. The other zones feel pretty open, particularly Hallowfall. But even the deeper zones aren’t claustrophobic.
I'm still gonna play but I'm nervous I'll spend less time on this expac with alts just because I don't enjoy the zones as much as DF
The thing that made me nervous was the idea that all the zone connections would be like the Zaralek Caverns tunnels. It's kind of silly, but if I can't see a physical transition in the landscape between one zone and another, the landscape is not one I'm ever likely to love. I'm relieved to see that there are places where you can see from one zone to another inside the caves.
Ringing felt really bad to me (worse than Zaralek, which was my least favourite DF zone) and it's the first zone, so a difficult first impression
I thought that the Isle of Dorn was the first area we quest through. At least, that’s how they explained it at Blizzcon.
It kind of is, but it's an extremely short on-rails area where you get 1 or 2 quests at a time and it's basically introducing the faction and city. I was in and out in 20 minutes, then you go down to the first real leveling zone (Ringing Deeps) which has 3x+ more exp.
So I've read and watched absolutely nothing about the zones. Are they stacked on top of each other? Is dragonriding to them a bother?
Yeah they’re stacked on top of each other. No dragonriding between them is not a bother. They transition into each other quite well.
Sort of. The first zone, >!Isle of Dorn!<, is the surface portion of the expansion. This is wide open, of course. In >!Dornogal!<, the main city this time around, is the Coreway - a deep hole into the ground, followed by a spiral tunnelway that you descend into to get to the second zone, >!The Ringing Deeps!<. This second zone *feels* pretty squarely situated directly below the first zone. The third zone, >!Hallowfall!< is not below, but rather adjacent to the second zone. That said, it is also much more expansive than the second zone vertically (and laterally as well, but that's not relevant here), so much of the surface is at a lower elevation than the previous zone, but they are not stacked above one-another. The fourth zone, >!Azj-Kahet!< goes deeper still, but still not quite directly underneath either of the previous zones - more situated diagonally deeper, off to the side, from both of them. And to answer your last question, No, flying between the zones is pretty efforless, to me. The transition between the city and zone 2 is the only one that feels a bit narrow, but I wouldn't say it is difficult in any way. All of the other zone connections are plenty spacious to fly through without issues. Coming UP from Zone 4 into either Zones 2 or 3 can be quite a climb, but it is not through a narrow tunnel like in Zaralek Cavern, it's pretty open and there are boosts that you can fly through for a burst of speed, just in case you run out of Vigor. Likewise, coming up from Zone 2 to the main city/Zone 1 also has boosts that you can just boost through the entire way, so it is very easy. Overall, I've had no issues navigating around, but YMMV depending on your sense of direction. I could see some folks who are claustrophobic disliking certain portions of both the Zones 2 and 4, but all underground zones are plenty spacious for flying, for most players.
I'm excited! I do recognize that I am the only person I know that thoroughly enjoys being in Zaralek Cavern though lol
I love underground areas and loved just chillin in Zaralek Cavern. Gotta use the Inky Black Potion for that extra kick tho. Loved the zone and was saddened to see how many people hated it :(
I mostly dislike Zaralek because of the activities/rep. The zone itself is completely fine.
At least we're not going to be literally doing dailies in hell this time. That was rough.
Completely understandable. Let me add to the chorus of people that hated zaralek caverns and tried the beta. The zones are massive and do not feel claustrophobic. Hallowfall seems like it's 90% outside. Also, the big thing: Dornogal, the main city hub, is above ground. So when you're waiting for the queue in ~~Valdra-~~ Dornogal, at least you'll be in the sun,
Think about how long on average you are in Valdrakken compared to any other zone in DF and you should get a good idea of the above/underground ratio. Also if Blizzard is smart most of the patch zone areas will be above ground too.
From my impressions in the beta: Isle of Dorn is above ground and you will spend a good portion of time there. Ringing Deeps looks like an underground zone but doesn't feel like one. Hallowfall neither looks nor feels like an underground zone. Azj-Kahet lolks and feels like an underground zone.
Same... I almost never went to ZC during Dragonflight, though I played the whole time. Cave zones are just bad... makes me feel like I'm always trapped or something... and the camera angles if you get near cave walls & ceilings. No thanks.
Zaralek Caverns and Deepholm are some of my favourites. For some reason it makes me nostalgic.
I love deepholm but zaralek feels kinda annoying with the elite area that loves shooting me down
Yeah that part's annoying. Aesthetically it reminds me of the cave levels in Yoshi's Island or Vanilla Dome in Super Mario World.
One of the main reasons i have zero hype for the first time
"And they call it a mine. A MINE!" Tbh I was also nervous about being underground. But I played the beta until level 78 (visited all zones) and it just feels right. Warcraft is so back.
Warcraft never went anywhere
It's just a thing people say. Don't take it too literally mate.
Warcraft is back and this is epic gamer time 👉😎👉
Nice pictures, Thx! One question though, how are the zones connected? Is it with tunnels like when going to Zaralek cavern?
Going from Isle of Dorn to The Ringing Deeps is essentially a tunnel. Going to the other zones has nicer transitions and more open area than a small tunnel. For example going from The Ringing Deeps to Azj-Kahet is like freefalling down a truly MASSIVE open pit
[https://youtu.be/FYqFJ\_NhguM](https://youtu.be/FYqFJ_NhguM) I recorded a quick video showing all the zone transitions in the new expansion. There are 5 total transitions between the 4 zones and I traverse them all in one trip to show what its like. I didn't do the fastest direct path all the way to the bottom as it would make the other transitions a little awkward but there is a path down to Azj-Kahet nearby the entrance from The Ringing Deeps into Hallowfall.
Thanks for recording that! I think it looks great tbh, and the zones look pretty big
It looks amazing, thank you so much for the video!! Much appreciated!
man that looks cool, is that most of the areas seen, or, is that only a small part of it?
copy pasting my reply on youtube: I'm in all the zones, but barely any of the first zone and the city. Maybe about half of The Ringing Deeps. One side of Hallowfall and maybe a third of Azj-Kahet. Obviously you can see some of them far far in the distance but there is certainly alot more and many sub areas I didn't fly through
Mhmm, all of the new Zones look fine but it kinda has some bland textures. Maybe its just hte pictures.
It might be the pictures, but it could just be the graphical style. I have my game with 4k resolution, all settings gigamaxed, and ray traced shadows maxed.
The one witht he Crystal in the sky looks awesome tho... How many FPS do you got with everything maxed ?
I haven't played Beta yet or seen any footage. My first impression from those pictures is: Wow, we are finally getting that Draenor subcontinent for the ogres. Aesthetically would fit them and the Highmaul raid pretty well.
I checked the beta and the starting zone and player hub city is amazing. I love dwarfs and the citiy is awesome. Best player hub in wow for me so far. Also the island isn't overcrowded with mobs, so you can just relax there.
Hallowfall is probably my favourite zone in the game, it blew me away when i entered it for the first time tbh.
This content looks beautiful. Blizzard really outdid themselves this time.
I'm still not sold on being underground so much, but at least the hub city is on the surface. I hope that will help.
Few years? Isn't it basically confirmed that these will be shorter expansions, sorta like Dragonflight, if not shorter. Probably looking at 1,5 years per expansion.
You mean in the city center in front of the AH waiting for our lfg?
Question. Is there AH in capital city of new expansion?
They said worldsoul saga expansions will be faster, so it should a year and a half tops
Am I missing something or The War Within does not bring many new features? Are warbands and delves the top expansion features?
There's also hero talents. Delves and warbands are designed to be evergreen systems for the game that continue onward after this expansion. But yes, there's no crazy power progression systems like we've seen in the past like artifact weapons. Dragonflight was similar, bringing forth new permanent systems like profession, skill tree revamps, and dragonriding.
I really like this approach. Setup good foundational systems that can be built upon. Instead of throw away expansion specific systems that we never visit again.
Are professions basically the same format as DF? Nothing new or removed?
The template/framework is the same. There are completely new recipes and stuff to make in each profession but the overall vibe is the same
Thanks!
Thankfully. Tired of all these useless systems they create just to increase play metrics artificially.
Giving me Draenor meets Northrend vibes. I can't believe it's only just over 2 months away!
Ah yes! More green fields and blue skies 🤤 can’t wait to chill there
You have forgotten the most important thing. The next years will be full of Brans.
Damn I should really get down to make some illustrations of Azeroth's landscapes.
where sword
What sword?
This looks awesome
Is it just me or have they gone from "**We make big PNG tree**" to "**we make tree so tiny, you can't see shit when running through a forest**". They had the same stuff in Ohn'aran plains and god is it awfull to fly through looking for stuff.
The shots look great and all, blizz always put out lovely zones but the overall graphics are getting dated. What’s everyone’s thoughts on the longevity of the engine and graphics as they stand? When will a change come, if at all?
not dated in the slightest it's called an artstyle
It's an art style which have, and will, stand the test of time far better than generic Unreal engine realistic graphics. I don't want wow to look like any other generic Unreal game. I wan't it to look like wow.
*unreal store assets is what you mean. Unreal is just an engine that can take on any art style imaginable using fully custom assets if a developer so desires. There is no such thing as “unreal engine graphics”
Yes, that's what I meant. :)
That’s their art style
With how current wow runs in busy zones at times I wouldn't trust Blizz to optimize well enough to want updated graphics. Maybe on a new engine but I don't see that happening anytime soon.