Blizzard has plenty of updates coming to World of Warcraft.
The publisher detailed upcoming patches coming to Legion, the latest (and according to GamesBeat, the best) expansion released for its massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Legion sold 3.3 million copies in its first day, and a steady stream of new content ensures that those players stick around and keep paying for their subscriptions.
What’s coming in Patch 7.1.5
Patch 7.1.5 is Legion’s first small patch, meaning it doesn’t introduce significant new content like a dungeon or raid, but it will offer new rewards and evergreen content. Blizzard did not specify when this patch would release, saying it would be soon.
It will include Timewalking versions of dungeons from the Mists of Pandaria expansion. This enables players to go through the old content but have it be challenging and give appropriate awards for their level 110 characters.
The patch also brings back the Brawler’s Guild, a place where players can compete on 1-vs.-1 battles against computer opponents. While much of World of Warcraft is meant for multiplayer play, the Brawler’s Guild is mostly meant for solo players. However, random raid-sized bosses in the guild will summon multiple players queued for the mode. You can also earn Brawler’s Gold, which you can use to buy items like shirts and a Basilisk mount. Plus, the classic Arena for player-vs.-player combat Blade’s Edge is getting a graphical update.
7.1.5 also adds micro-holidays, smaller versions of the in-game holiday events that typically last for a couple of weeks and offer new quests with special rewards. For example, there will be an Ahn’Qiraj Remembrance Day, hearkening back to when players opened up that special Ahn’Qiraj gate back in 2006. Meanwhile, Volunteer Guard Day gives you a chance to take on a role normally reserved for non-player characters.
The patch brings about more changes for the MMOs classes, tweaking classes and their specialization for better balance. While this will include number-tuning, meaning simply making abilities stronger or weaker, some talents and spells will be completely changed. Blizzard will also bring back some abilities it removed from certain specializations before the launch of the expansion, including traps for non-Survival Hunters.
What’s coming in Patch 7.2
After that, comes the larger 7.2 patch, called The Tomb of Sargeras. It has players returning to the same place where many Warcraft heroes died in the events leading up to the launch of Legion. It continues the story of the Class Hall campaigns that started in the expansion. It was also add new World Quests, daily tasks that players can complete for rewards like gold and gear.
The patch also has players creating bases on the Broken Shore to help set a foothold in the Legion-controlled area. Meanwhile, the Legion will begin assaulting the other Broken Isles zones, similar to the Legion Invasion events in the game before the launch of the expansion. Unlock the invasions, these assaults end with a three-player scenario where you take the fight to a Legion airship.
And, thankfully, 7.2 will enable us to use our flying mounts in the Broken Isles. You can earn that ability by earning achievements tied-in with story quests. Also, each class will get a unique flying mount, which you can earn by completing the Class Hall Campaign.
Of course, 7.2 also includes the Tomb of Sargeras raid, end-game content intended for 10 to 25 players. It offers nine new bosses, each dropping new loot to help make your characters stronger. That includes Kil’jaeden, one of the Legion’s biggest commanders and a foe familiar to Warcraft fans.
For those who prefer 5-player content, you can check out the new dungeon Cathedral of Eternal Night. While the raid descends into the Tomb of Sargeras, the dungeon has players rising up the tower. 7.2 will make the Heroic and Mythic difficulties of the original Legion dungeons harder, while making their rewards more powerful. Blizzard is also going to split the new Karazhan dungeon up into two instances that players can choose to queue up for with random players.
On the PVP side, 7.2 adds Brawls, similar to a feature that Blizzard’s been adding to a lot of its other games, including Hearthstone and Overwatch. Brawls change rules and offer unique fights. For example, you can play a variation of the capture-the-flag Warsong Gulch map that allows you to capture the enemy flag even if your team’s flag isn’t in your base.
The patch also brings new traits to unlock for your Artifact Weapon, which players have been using since Legion launch. This includes the ability to put new points in old traits as well as all new abilities that you can unlock new perks. You can also now spend Order Resources to unlock more Artifact Power, which you need in order to unlock those new traits and make your weapon stronger. 7.2 will also continue the Artifact Weapon questlines and allow players to unlock a new appearance. You can unlock the new appearance by completing difficult, solo challenges.
So, yeah … that’s of stuff coming to Legion. Blizzard didn’t say when 7.2 would release, but it did promise that it would follow soon after 7.1.5.
However, 7.2 won’t be the end of the story. Blizzard teased future content that had players taking the fight directly to the Legion by going to their home planet of Argus. We don’t know if that will be in a future patch or expansion.