WoW Dragonflight: Everything you need to know about the ninth World of Warcraft expansion

In April 2022, game developer Blizzard announced the ninth expansion of World of Warcraft — Dragonflight, with the release scheduled for November 28, 2022. 

Also included is the new area Dragon Isles with new zones, the race-class combination Dracthyr Evoker, new talent systems, a new profession system, leveling to level 70, and also the brand new dragon riding. All important features and innovations that are known to date are presented below in an overview article.

New continent with four territories and capital

The new WoW expansion Dragonflight will again offer a new continent. The Dragon Isles is home to four new leveling areas:

• The Waking Shores: red dragonflight
• Ohn’ahran Plains: green dragonflight
• The Azure Span: blue dragonflight
• Thaldraszus: bronze dragonflight

The new capital city of Valdrakken is also located in the Thaldraszus area. Here, players will find a neutral auction house, which can be used by Horde and Alliance members alike. Also new is The Forbidden Reach zone, where the new playable race, Dracthyr, starts.

New race and class Dracthyr Evoker

However, the new race and new class will only be available in a double pack. Dracthyr Evoker is a class-race combo that can only be chosen together and cannot be used by other classes or races.

With this race, players can take on a humanoid and dragon-like form. The class itself offers the Devastation (ranged DD) and Preservation (healer) specializations.

Since the talent updates for other classes are still in full swing, it is of course possible that the talents, abilities, and the general way of playing the new race-class combo will also change. Nevertheless, it is already foreseeable that the Evoker as a class will receive some strong cooldowns. There are also some smaller cooldowns that Blizzard says must be handled correctly. The positioning also plays an important role with Evoker especially as a healer, as Evoker has to get closer to colleagues than other healers.

By the way: Blizzard itself indicates that the Dracthyr Evoker is a class for advanced players.

Empower the Evoker’ abilities

The summoners in Dragonflight are capable of launching empowered attacks. This feature allows attacks to be modified by not just clicking the ability button once, but by holding it. This fills a bar that charges the ability. When released, the attack unleashes and the effect is stronger than when used with a single click.

Brand new dragon riding for the Dragon Isles

With this new feature, the name says it all. Players get a customizable dragon and can fly on its wings across the Dragon Isles. As your dragon progresses, it can not only change its appearance but also fly further and faster.

The new feature only works on the Dragon Isles and only with certain mounts. The speed of flying is significantly faster than normal flying, depending on your own progress.

Tip: The new race Dracthyr has a dragon form and therefore also has dragon wings. Dragon riding will work with this race in dragon form and does not require an extra dragon.

Dragon riding itself can be played by players relatively early in the expansion, but their dragons are not trained at the start. They are therefore quickly taken out of the air by opponents. After a certain training time and with more experience points, dragons become more enduring and maneuvers are also possible. There will even be a talent tree and glyphs for the dragon-riding feature.

Important: The Dragon Riding feature is account-wide! This means that the progress only has to be earned once and applies to all characters.

If a player has reached the maximum level of dragon riding, all features are unlocked for the account, but adjustments can also be made. These relate to:

• the mouth
• the horns
• the wings
• the tail
• and the armor of the dragon

How does dragon riding even work?

The dragon riding itself is not like normal riding or flying in WoW. Anyone who climbs onto a classic flying animal does not have to pay attention to anything and can simply start flying. The dragon riding in Dragonflight is built more as a kind of mini game.

The flight is influenced by many factors, including gravity. At the beginning, the ride is a kind of gliding. But the more experienced player becomes with their dragon, the better their skills become. You can use thermals, gain altitude and fly faster. Other features such as barrel rolls or speed boosts are also part of the plan.

Important: Dragon riding is supposed to replace normal flying on the Dragon Isles – at least that’s how it looks at the moment. However, this also means that there will probably not be a Pathfinder achievement for Dragonflight, as traditional flying will only be possible with the Dragon Ride feature. However, there may still be changes here.

Revision of the profession system

With World of Warcraft Dragonflight, Blizzard overhauls the entire professional system. Specifically, there should be a specialization system that should make the professions more interesting overall.

Below are the most important information and features of the new or revised profession system in Dragonflight:

• Re-crafting: This function allows an item to be crafted again. The first item, Diligence of Crafting, and a few reagents are combined. The goal is to improve the quality of the item.
• Special Equipment: Special items, such as tools or accessories, are introduced for the professions. Three of these can be used per profession. In the future, skinning knives, fishing rods, and the like will no longer have to be stored in the inventory or exchanged.
• Crafting Orders: New to Dragonflight are crafting orders for professions. Players commission other players to craft certain items, and can even transfer materials to the craftsman.
• Crafting Stations: There should be a dedicated crafting station for almost every profession in the Dragon Isles, where profession skills can be improved.
• New Interface: Professions in Dragonflight also get a whole new interface. Above all, the pure optics are new, but also the possibility of tracking recipes like a quest, so that players can immediately see which reagents are still missing for a recipe.
• Quality: Professions in Dragonflight are all about quality, and depending on skills and reagents, the equipment can also be of higher quality.

Many professions will also receive detailed upgrades. An example is jewel crafting and inscription, where the probing or grinding functions have been updated so that processing is now easier and faster.

Talent system overhauls

Anyone who has played World of Warcraft for many years knows the very old talent trees, where players had wide and extensive trees to choose from despite their specialization. There were countless variants and types of play here, since the focus could be set very differently in each case.

In Dragonflight, the old talent system is supposed to return in a way, but it wasn’t simply carried over from before, but fundamentally revised. Of course, as in every expansion of WoW, there are also numerous class adjustments. It is still unclear what the final talents of all specializations will look like, as it is known that many changes will be made before the release.

New instances and raids in Dragonflight

What would a new expansion be without new dungeons and raids? Among numerous dungeons, eight bosses await players in the Vault of Incarnates raid. The final boss is Raszageth the Storm-Eater.

What else is new in WoW Dragonflight?

New race-class combinations: Whether you want to play a mage, rogue, or priest, you now have all races to choose from. The same will presumably also apply to the race change that can be bought.

New Level Cap: Characters can level up to level 70 in World of Warcraft Dragonflight.

Fame levels instead of reputation: The new dragon aspects on the Dragon Isles have a lot of quests for players, which are rewarded by fame levels and not by reputation.

Higher Stacks: In the future, players will be able to make higher stacks. Reagents can be stored 1,000 at a time instead of 200 in a stack. Most consumables have had their stack increased from 20 to 200.

User interface customization: Blizzard has completely reworked the user interface. All areas can now be individually adjusted by hand, so that creative addons in particular could be a thing of the past. However, you will still be able to use them voluntarily.

Mythic Raid-Level Professions: To help players become more independent from raids, characters can use their Rank 4 Professions to craft items that are raid-level Mythic bosses. Rank 5 is said to offer even higher item levels. For such powerful items, however, craftsmen sometimes have to work together and play up their specializations in painstaking work.

These game editions will be made by Dragonflight

In the usual manner, Blizzard offers Dragonflight in three editions.

• Basic: The Basic Edition includes access to the new expansion and the new race-class combination. This edition is mandatory to play Dragonflight. The pre-ordered version of the Basic Edition also comes with a pet.
• Heroic: For more features, pick the Heroic Edition, which includes everything from the Basic Edition plus a flying mount, two pets, and a character boost to level 60.
• Epic: If you want to enjoy all the benefits, choose the Epic Edition. It includes everything from the Basic and Heroic Editions, plus the Timewalker’s Hearthstone effect, the Diadem of the Spell-Keeper’s head-slot transmog, the Wings of Awakening back-slot transmog in five colors, and 30 days of game time.

Players also have two Complete Collections to choose from, which include the features of the Heroic and Epic Editions, but also unlock all previous expansions and a few additional rewards.

The Dragonflight Collector’s Edition, on the other hand, is the well-known box containing, among other things, Dragonflight collector’s pins, a bound art book and a mouse pad.

Why are dragons the main theme of the expansion?

In general, Dragon Isles are supposed to be the home of dragons, which is why each dragonflight also controls a dedicated area.

When the Legion attacked, the dragons defended Azeroth and left their homeland. At that time they left behind the Titan guardians to protect their islands. Now, 10,000 years have passed and the elemental power has awakened on the Dragon Isles and the Dragons can finally return home.

By the way: When Dragonflight is released, the journey starts with a quest from Alexstraza. This invites Hordler and Alliance members to visit Dragon Isles with a ship.

Questions and answers about WoW Dragonflight

Which expansion is WoW Dragonflight?

World of Warcraft Dragonflight is the ninth expansion of WoW. The original Classic version of WoW launched for EU players in 2005.

When was WoW Dragonflight announced?

Blizzard announces Dragonflight as a new WoW expansion on April 19, 2022. At that time, an online event was taking place where the new expansion was unveiled.

What’s the release date of WoW Dragonflight?

The release of WoW Dragonflight is set for November 28, 2022.

Which new areas can be found in Dragonflight?

In WoW Dragonflight, Blizzard introduces a new continent again. The Waking Shores, Ohn’ahran Plains, The Azure Span, and Thaldraszus await players on the Dragon Isles. The new capital, Valdrakken, lies in Thaldraszus. Also new is The Forbidden Reach zone, where the new playable race, Dracthyr, starts.

Is there a new race or class in WoW Dragonflight?

Yes, Blizzard is adding a new race called Dracthyr, an ancient race of humanoid dragonkin that can shift between human and dragon form. As the Dracthyr Evoker, players have two specs to choose from — Devastation or Conservation — as their specialization.

What is the new level cap in Dragonflight?

Players can now level their character up to level 70 in WoW Dragonflight.

When is the pre-patch 10.0.1 coming? for dragon flight?

The Dragonflight Pre-Patch in EU is launching in two phases:

When does Dragonflight season 1 start?

The first season in Dragonflight is expected to start with the opening of the first raid, Vaults of Incarnates.

When can you fly in Dragonflight?

Flying is unlocked as a feature in Dragonflight very early on by riding a dragon, but initially slowly and not persistently. Dragons require training so that they can gain increased stamina and fly longer through maneuvers.

Where to find the Dragon Isles

The Dragon Isles, the new continent of Dragonflight, is in the north of Azeroth.

What is the name of the new capital in WoW Dragonflight?

The new capital in Dragonflight is Valdrakken, located in Thaldraszus on the Dragon Isles. A neutral auction house for Horde and Alliance can be found here.

Are there portals to Orgrimmar and Stormwind in Valdrakken?

Yes, in the new Dragonflight capital of Valdrakken, there will be portals to Orgrimmar and Stormwind for Horde and Alliance. The portals are to the northeast in a main building called the Seat of the Aspects.

Are there new professions in Dragonflight?

No, WoW Dragonflight does not get any completely new professions, but the existing profession system will be made more interesting, provided with work orders and revised in many places.

Which is the best class in WoW Dragonflight?

As in every expansion, many players are already wondering which class will be best in Dragonflight. However, as always, the answer is not easy. If you want to commit now, you should be careful, because there are still a lot of changes to talents and abilities to be made. Unique selling points of some classes could later be thrown overboard. So if you think that only this one class is indispensable for a raid, you shouldn’t get excited too soon. Blizzard wants to make unique skills available to other classes.

Header: Blizzard Entertainment