Warlords of Draenor: Gameplanet interviews Alex Afrasiabi
Gaming news website Gameplanet has posted an interview with Creative Director Alex Afrasiabi featuring a detailed discussion about the next expansion for World of Warcraft. Along with discussing the development of Garrosh Hellscream, Afrasiabi dropped some interesting new tidbits we hadn't heard before. Ner'zhul will be allied with the Iron Horde, but only for, as stated in the interview, a short time. In addition, garrisons are shaping up to be a massive, interactive experience -- and sound much more expansive and interesting than the farms introduced in Mists of Pandaria.
And if that weren't enough, there's some new details on the introduction to the expansion itself. The Iron Horde is trying to push through the Dark Portal into Azeroth, and players are immediately thrown into a frenetic 45-minute gameplay experience in which they are immediately confronted by thousands of Iron Horde. Afrasiabi states that players will, in that moment, realize where the orcs that have been streaming through the Dark Portal in the weeks leading up to the expansion's release have been coming from. It looks like we'll have our return of pre-expansion events -- something that was sorely missed leading into Mists of Pandaria.
But the most interesting part of the interview involves the discussion of flight on Draenor.
Players have been well aware that flight will not be available at the onset of the expansion, but in the interview, it seems that this may be a test to see how players react to a world where flying simply isn't possible. Note that this isn't an indicator that flight will not be introduced at all in Warlords -- it's simply Afrasiabi weighing in on the topic. While players seem to be split right down the middle as to whether they love or hate the idea, Afrasiabi thinks it's something that could absolutely work.
While I don't think I could imagine a world without flying at all, I do have to say that I enjoyed leveling through Pandaria without flight. It made the quests seem a little more challenging, the world a heck of a lot more vast, and encouraged exploration in its own unique way. Sure, you couldn't get up to the tallest peaks of the continent, but you knew that they were there, and that you'd be able to visit them eventually. Having said that, it would feel really strange if, for the first time since WoW's first expansion, we simply weren't allowed to fly, whether it be in this expansion or any other.
Check out the full interview for more from Alex Afrasiabi -- and let us know what you think in the comments. Is flying something you think is a must-have for World of Warcraft? How did you feel about not having flight until level 90 in Pandaria?
