Will the new raiding tier win back the community?
The second raid ofBattle for Azeroth, the latestWorld of Warcraftexpansion is opening up today. This new instance, calledBattle of Dazar’alor, sees the Alliance and the Horde fight for the control of the Dazar’alor, the Zandalari Trolls’ capital city on the continent of Zuldazar.
Today also marks the beginning of the second season of both PvP Arena and Mythic+, with a new affix calledReapingthat causes the dungeon trash to periodically respawn and rush back at your group.
Finally, all Azerite gear obtained as of today will have an additional power ring — a first step towards a revamp of that gearing system, which has attracted criticism since the launch of the new expansion.
Battle of Dazar’alor
Battle of Dazar’alor, the new raid hitting live servers this week will take place in the capital city of Zuldazar, Dazar’alor, known to players as the major city for the Horde in this expansion; it is home to the Zandalari Trolls, a race with a rich history within World of Warcraft and the latest addition the Horde’s playable race options (they will only be available to play in the next patch).
As a pivotal point on Zandalar for the Horde, it is a high priority target for the Alliance and this point is the basis for the new raid. The Alliance will be assaulting the city of Dazar’alor, attempting to disrupt the establishment of the Horde races there, as well as trying to defeat the Zandalari Trolls’ leader, King Rastakhan, and end the blossoming relationship between the Zandalari and the Horde.
For the Horde, they are fighting to defend their new allies from an old enemy. The Alliance are one of the oldest foes of the Horde, having been founded decades ago to repel them, so it comes as no surprise that they are seeking to stop the Horde from growing stronger with the addition of the Zandalari.
The fights between the two factions will take place over the golden pyramid of the city, eventually spilling out onto the frozen seas as the Horde make their final effort to drive the Alliance out of the city.
The raid itself features 9 bosses. The first 3 bosses are common to both factions. Then, the raid follows both the storylines of the Alliance and the Horde, with Alliance players turning into Horde characters for the Horde storyline and Horde players turning into Alliance characters for the Alliance storyline.
Mythic+ and PvP Arena Season 2
The Mythic+ Season 2 and the PvP Arena Season 2 start today. Along the reset of theMythic+ leaderboardsandPvP leaderboards, the Season 1 Mythic+ affixInfestedis being replaced withReaping, the Mythic+ affix in Season 2.
This new affix causes trash in the dungeon to resurrect asSoulsat regular intervals. Every time you clear 20% trash (so at 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%), all of the trash that you have killed since the last resurrection respawns and needs to be faced again by your group. The Souls that the enemies resurrect as come in 3 types: Risen Souls, Tormented Souls, and Lost Souls. Each need to be handled in a specific way.
For more information about progressing through Mythic+ content inWorld of Warcraft, Icy Veins has Mythic+ guides for each spec and class.
New Ring on Azerite Gear
InBattle for Azeroth, Azerite gear are pieces of gear (exclusive to the Head, Shoulders, and Chest slots) that do not have secondary statistics. Instead, they have had 4 rings, each offering a different set ofpowersof which one had to be chosen. Only one of the rings could offer powers that would impact gameplay in a meaningful way.
Starting with Mythic+ Season 2 and the release of the Battle of Dazar’alor raid, Azerite gear now has 5 rings and the added ring also offer powers that can impact gameplay (this means 6 gameplay-changing powers for your characters instead of only 3 previously). For some classes, this has had dramatic implications. For example,Enhancement Shamansnow have several viable builds, obtained by choosing specific powers on Azerite gear and combining them with specific talents.
As always, Icy Veins has Azerite guides for each spec and class in the game, where you can find more information about your characters, going into Season 2.
[Icy Veinsis part of the Enthusiast Gaming Network! Hearth back to the inn and listen up for their World of Warcraft tips and breakdowns.]
