World of Warcraft’s faction rivalries are largely dead in a new launch cinematic that highlights all the dragon goodness coming in WoW’s latest expansion.
Blizzard is well-known for its CG cinematics, and Dragonflight’s launch cinematic doesn’t disappoint. Unlike the story-heavy cinematics of more recent expansions, including an earlier one for Dragonflight, this latest trailer is more akin to mood-piece cinematics of older expansions like the Burning Crusade. It puts a spotlight on many of the core themes, gameplay features, and characters of the expansion.
This is the first expansion where cross-faction play will be available from the get-go, and the launch cinematic helps to highlight that fact by featuring a character from each faction flying side-by-side (without trying to kill each other). Flying a red dragon for the Horde is a Zandalari troll, with a Wildhammer dwarf flying a blue dragon for the Alliance.
In the livestream where the cinematic debuted, cinematic director Anna Morgan said the Zandalari troll and Wildhammer dwarf were chosen to represent their factions due to each race’s unique history. Wildhammer dwarves were the first to tame and ride gryphons in Azeroth, while the Zandalari are accustomed to being around giant dinosaurs. The two share a bit of lighthearted competition before fleeing from the big bad boss for Dragonflight’s launch, Raszageth the Storm Eater.
Though dragonriding takes center stage (it is, after all, one of the few brand-new features in Dragonflight), fans get a quick look at some other new aspects of the expansion, like the new Dracthyr Evoker (the first race that is also a class in the game’s history), the return of the Tuskarr, and an awe-inspiring appearance from the dragon queen herself, Alexstrasza.
Dragonflight arrives in full on November 28, but players can already take the game’s new customizable user interface and talent tree reworks for a spin. A pre-patch event that includes a revamped version of a classic WoW dungeon and elemental invasions goes live today. Those who pre-purchased Dragonflight can also create new Dracthyr characters and play through the new Waking Shores starting zone. For more on Dragonflight’s pre-patch, check out the official patch notes.
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