It has been almost a month since Legion, the latest expansion of the hit MMORPG World of Warcraft, was released. And given the two-year expansion cycle, it’s still too early to tell. However, it looks like Legion promises something for everyone; lore, questing, PvP, dungeoning, raiding, and more. Could this be the expansion that makes you resub? To answer that, here are 5 reasons why you should return for Legion.
Levelling is fun (if you like story)
Legion takes place on the Broken Isles, offering 4 new levelling zones (and 1 endgame zone). You can complete them in any order, as the zones and quests (including quest rewards!) scale with your level. The levelling stories are deep and engaging, and it feels natural to finish all the quests in the zone before moving on. Cutscenes are few but effective. Each zone story culminates in a dungeon, providing a refreshing change of pace as you level.
That being said, Legion spreads around the story of the zone, departing somewhat from the Cataclysm style of breadcrumb quests. At 110 I am still discovering new quests while exploring, and completing them feels like a reward as you piece together the lore.
World Quests Keep You Playing At Level Cap
Speaking of questing, once you hit Level 110, you will be able to unlock World Quests, Legion’s own unique take on the traditional daily quests. World quests take you to all 5 zones and dungeons, with many quest types. You may be asked to slay a demon for the Wardens, or craft items, or even pass mental tests. There is even a quest to remove squirrels! Quests reward gold, Artifact Power (more on that below), rep, and even gear, and the rewards scale with you, so the quests stay relevant.
Your Class Matters
In Legion, each class feels unique and distinct. With all the new abilities and animations, it is much easier to tell who is doing what in a heated battle. Yet the class uniqueness goes deeper. Each class now has access to an exclusive Class Hall, where they can meet with other members of their own class, run follower quests, research upgrades, and delve into their class lore. There is also class-exclusive questing storyline, from the moment you start levelling all the way to the endgame.
Finally, there are the Artifact Weapons: each spec of each class gets iconic legendary weapons with their own lore. Ret Paladins, for example, can finally wield Ashbringer, after so many expansions.
Endgame Will Keep You Busy
Once you hit 110, there will be plenty to do. Suramar, an endgame zone, has questing to rival any of the levelling zones. The story unfolds over several weeks as you gear up and progress, encouraging players to pursue mythics and raids. Aside from questing, there are 8 heroic dungeons and 2 mythic only dungeons, meaning players are encouraged to gear up and skill up if they are ever to see the full story. Unlike the previous expansion, Warlords of Draenor, it seems there is plenty of content to come: Blizzard has already released a trailer for the next Patch 7.1 Return to Karazhan.
PvP has been Fully Overhauled
For PvPers, Legion does not disappoint. While there are no new Battlegrounds at release, Legion does bring with it 2 new arenas: Ashamane’s Fall and Black Rook Hold Arena, and the Dalaran Sewers PvP where any player (even of the same faction) can attack each other. Fighting in the Sewers is the most PvP fun I’ve had in years.
Blizzard has also overhauled the entire PvP progression. Honour points are gone, and in its place is the new Honor System: by participating in PvP players can gain up to 50 honour levels, PvP only honour talents/abilities, and rewards for honour levelling include gold and Artifact Power. Then there’s the Prestige system: once players hit Honor 50, they have the choice of resetting their Honor Level, earning Prestige and the unique rewards few players will possess. PvP gear is also gone, and each player receives equalised PvP stats, rewarding skill more than gear level.
Bonus – Lots of Random Fun Stuff
Legion is World of Warcraft’s most ambitious expansion so far, and obviously, there’s plenty more I could write about. Here are some random ones:
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Demon Hunters
Honestly, it was tough writing this without mentioning the new Demon Hunter class. I am only 3 levels in, and I already feel they deserve their own article. -
Stormheim Grappling
In Stormheim, players are given a grapple gun and the mountainous landscape is littered with hooks. I enjoyed playing my Paladin spiderman-style as I grappled from point to point. It’s certainly a unique way to travel. -
Easter Eggs
In the grand World of Warcraft tradition, Legion is filled with easter eggs, but my favourite so far is Charlie the Unicorn [put link]. If you kill Charlie’s unicorn friends, you even get a kidney.
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So, what do you think? Are these reasons compelling enough for you to return? Will Legion see World of Warcraft return to the subscriber heights seen last in Cata? As for me, I certainly have enjoyed myself. Hope to see you in Azeroth!
Disclosure: The writer was provided with a free review copy of World of Warcraft Legion, from Blizzard SEA