BlizzCon 2017 World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth Panel Transcript

Warfronts

Ion: On the other hand of the spectrum, from Island Expeditions… Island Expeditions are small scale skirmishes in the new world. Warfronts tell the story of large-scale battles back on the homefront.

This is the Battle for Azeroth between the Alliance and the Horde. This is what all the resources are for. This is what the Alliances are for. This is the fight that we need to win.

What does large-scale battle means for us? Well, we have so much fantasy to drop on here. Going all the way back to the Real-Time Strategy (RTS) roots of the franchise. Going back to Warcraft II. Going back to Warcraft III.

Let me give you this hypothetical fact pattern. You are the commander of an Alliance expeditionary force tasked with landing in enemy-controlled lands. Secure an outpost. Build it up. Secure supply lines. Protect them. Build up your base. Upgrade your buildings. Train troops, and then lead them out into enemy territory. Eventually, sieging and overwhelming the enemy’s fortification, and crushing them.

I just described about 2/3 of all Warcraft campaign maps right there. Well, this is World of Warcraft, and let’s put YOU in that experience. This isn’t an RTS. This is you as a champion on the frontlines, playing out that fantasy. Living that experience. What does this mean?

A Warfront is a 20-player cooperative raid as you join an Alliance force, as you join a Horde force, to build up a base, and take on a vast enemy entrenched — led by a powerful commander; and what you will do along the way is gather resources, build structures, decide whether you want a Barracks, or a Stable collectively. Upgrade those things. Retrain troops. Upgrade your troops, and lead those groups into battle to claim ultimate victory on behalf of your faction.

Now, both Islands and Warfronts — I am just giving you a quick high-level overview, but again at 4pm right back here in our Gameplay and Systems Deep Dive we will be talking a lot more about both of these features.

NEXT: BATTLEGROUNDS & ARENAS

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