Blizzard announced the next World of Warcraft expansion today at Gamescom. World of Warcraft: Legion will be the MMO’s 6th expansion and will bringing back some familiar faces along with some new zones and lore.

Some features we gather from the trailer are:

  • New Hero Class – Demon Hunter!
  • New Continent – The Broken Isles
  • Artifact Weapons
  • Class Order Halls
  • Adventure to Level 110
  • New Dungeons and Raids
  • New Honor System
  • Beta begins later this year.

Some more info that was gleamed from the discussion that took place at Gamescom:

  • The full CGI cinematic is coming in the future
  • The Broken Isles was a vast Night Elf civilization, we now have the bones of that civilization. The entire continent is a graveyard of sorts. It has the tomb of Sargeras, a gateway to endless Legion worlds.
  • Ashbringer and Doomhammer weapons are coming as Artifact weapons, as well others.
  • We are here to restore peace to the world by forming or renewing class orders, like the Silver Hand.
  • Dalaran will be the main hub of the expansion..
  • We are going into the Emerald Nightmare, will get glimpses into the Emerald Dream.

Artifacts  & Artifact Weapons

  • There are 36 Artifacts, one for each specialization.
  • You start by seeking out the Artifact for your spec.
  • Ret Paladin – Seek out Ashbringer
  • Frost Death Knight – See out Frostmourne’s shards in Icecrown Citadel and reforge them into a pair of runeblades
  • Earn Artifact Power as you accomplish things. Completing quests, dungeons, battlegrounds, and most major activities. The power is spent to unlock traits that empower your weapon and character, as well as visual customizations.
  • Each artifact has a trait tree. You choose how you navigate the tree.
  • Some are simple damage increases, some are new utility such as Death Knights resurrecting themselves.
  • Each weapon has different looks that you can unlock. Some unlocked by leveling your weapon, some are achievements, raiding, and PvP. Each look has different color variants.
  • The base weapon has the look we all know and love. There are variants such as an Ashbringer made out of fire, shadow, and lightning.
  • Sheilun, Staff of the Mists – Mistweaver Monk will go to Pandaria. Variants have Pandarian influences such as the Crane or Sha.
  • Felo’melorn – Fire Mage will seek out the blade
  • The Eagle Spear – New to the lore. Highmountain Tauren weapon for Survival Hunters. Several animal themes.
  • Icebringer and Soulreaper – Blades forged out of Frostmourne. Lots of skulls!
  • Doomhammer – Enhancement Shamans earn this weapon. Fel, Fire, Crystal, and other variants.
  • Fangs of the First Nightsaber – Feral and Guardian druids customize the look of their form rather than a weapon. Spectral, Armored, and other variants will be available. Base cat form also getting an updated model.

Class Orders

  • Alliance and Horde are fighting, but classes can band together to fight this threat.
  • There will be a heavy focus on class identity.
  • You lead the Class Order.
  • Order Halls are a base of operations for your class. You share them with other players of your class. Only members of your class can enter this area, similar to the Death Knight starting area.
  • Halls will be located in thematically appropriate areas.
  • Shamans in a cave near the Maelstrom.
  • Paladins will be under Light’s Hope Chapel.
  • Warlocks will be on a Legion Portal World.
  • You get special quests and work on your Artifact weapon here.
  • Your Hall has Champions, an evolution of the followers. This time around you aren’t raising an army, but a small group. Some will be established characters. There will be more integration with the world. They won’t do things instead of you, but help you to accomplish things. They discover an area for you to investigate. You work alongside them and with them rather than sending them out on missions.

Dungeons and Raids

  • Dungeons are essential to the MMO experience and there should be more of them with reason to do them for the entire expansion.
  • Halls of Valor – High up in the clouds, level up dungeon. Inspired by Valhalla.
  • Black Rook Hold – Max level dungeon in Val’Sharah. Was a bulwark against the Legion, carved out of the mountain to be a fortress. A shadow fell upon it, so you fight your way through to the top to solve this problem.
  • Vault of the Wardens – Return to the Demon Hunter prison where you begin the hunt for Illidan.
  • Eye of Azshara, Darkheart Thicket, Neltharion’s Lair, Helheim (Takes place on a ghost ship sailing through the sea), Suramar City (City of Night)
  • Violet Hold – Deep secrets here awakened by The Broken Isles. We learn more about the origins of Dalaran, mages of Dalaran, and the world itself.
  • The Emerald Nightmare – Raid with 7 bosses. Players have always wanted the Emerald Dream. We climb into the tree and cross through to the Dream.
  • Suramar Palace – 10 bosses. Home to the Nightwell, center of Suramar’s power. Face off against Gul’dan. Start in a catacomb, work your way up to the Nighwell and Gul’dan. He can’t run away this time! Not a green Orc raid. It is a royal Elven city.

Demon Hunter

  • Horns come with different styles, types, no horns is an option.
  • Tattoos are another feature with variations.
  • Skins can be normal, scaly, different colors.
  • Eye coverings
  • Hero Class – unique starting experience and start at a high level.
  • Awaken in the Vault of the Wardens, awoken to fight the Legion.
  • See the past, Illidan sends you on a mission to another world.
  • Demon Hunter specs – Havok (DPS Spec) and Vengeance (Tank Spec). Only two specs. Demon Hunter healer didn’t make sense. Two DPS or Tank specs would water down the identity of the class.
  • Skills can cost Fury or generate Fury.
  • Spectral Sight – Allows you to see through walls
  • Double Jump – get over things that other classes cannot!

Honor System

  • Gear playing such a huge factor in PvP isn’t great.
  • PvP talent system will help to balance PvP independently from PvE. Abilities only work in PvP.
  • You unlock more and more, giving you more options as you PvP more.
  • Abolish Magic – Dispel all magic every 2 sec for 6 sec. Replaces Dispel Magic. 20 sec cooldown.
  • Blood and Soil – Shaman talent take reduces Bloodlust cooldown, only works for you when cast.
  • Mind Quickness – add 15% haste
  • Necrotic Strike – Absorbs heals on the enemy target.
  • Prestige Ranks – You can reset your honor level and do it again for cosmetic rewards. This is extra rewards for players that do a lot of PvP.
  • You can earn a badge for your unit frame that shows your rank, special mounts, and PvP Artifact variants.

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