Dragonflight Expansion Overview

The World of Warcraft Dragonflight expansion is almost upon us. Starting on November 28, 2022, WoW fans will get to visit the mysterious Dragon Isles. Since the original WoW Dragonflight expansion leak in Spring, the community learned numerous exciting details concerning the Dragonflight expansion. The new race with its exclusive hero class is a particular highlight, as are Dragonriding mounts with their unique mechanics. Major changes to core systems like talents and professions have received much attention, but there are many smaller tweaks as well. In this overview, we bring together information from Dragonflight news, interviews, and previews. Read it to prepare and learn how we can enable the best Dragonflight expansion experience possible!

Dragonflight Expansion Story

The Shadowlands storyline ended up being rather divisive. While some fans found its events a fascinating glimpse into the setting’s afterlife, others thought its grandiose cosmic conflict were overblown and difficult to follow. The WoW Dragonflight expansion tries another tack. After a timeskip, Azeroth’s adventurers are called upon to travel to a thus far unexplored corner of their world: the Dragon Isles. Dragons have long played a major role in the MMORPG’s narrative, showing up as questgivers, friends, and foes alike. Many of them are fan-favorite characters. In the Dragonflight expansion, they seek help from friends in reclaiming their long-lost sanctuary after millennia of absence.

At least at first, this reclamation endeavor is opposed by the primordial protodragons, renegade draconic groups, and other foes like the Djaradin demi-giants. There may be some greater threat involved as well, but it has not yet been disclosed. In addition to aiding their friends, heroes from across Azeroth can also assist in their home factions’ scientifically-minded exploration of the archipelago and assist other native groups. Exploration and character-driven narrative are touted as a key focus for questing in the Dragonflight expansion, resulting in lower but more relatable stakes. In acknowledgement of widespread criticism, the Dragonflight expansion will not include Mission Tables or “borrowed power” mechanics.

Dragon Isles Zones

The Dragon Isles that provide the backdrop for the Dragonflight expansion are a verdant archipelago that witnessed the emergence of draconic races. Those sacred islands were abandoned when much of their primal magic drained away during an ancient catastrophe, but now this magic has returned in force. Today, the land is marked by both elemental magic and dragonkind essence, giving a fascinating appearance to the terrain and local fauna. It also has many hard-to-reach places, which suits the flight focus of the Dragonflight expansion. Much of the accessible area is concentrated within a single island, which is separated into four huge new zones that adventurers will visit in order of greater physical elevation:

• The Waking Shores: A hostile, volcanic territory that services as the traditional habitat of black and red dragons. Visitors from Azeroth make their camp on the local coast and clash with Djaradin dragonkiller clans. It is also the site of the Siege on Dragonbane Keep, a prominent PvE event;
• Ohn’ahran Plains: An expansive land of scenic green plateaus and valleys, inhabited by green dragons and clans of uncommonly sophisticated centaurs;
• The Azure Span: Reminiscent of Northrend in both size and climate, a cold and mountainous domain populated by blue dragons and tuskarr and contested by less civilized creatures. The single largest location in the Dragonflight expansion and beyond;
• Thaldraszus: The literal and figurative peak of Dragon Isles, an ethereal wooded mountain realm that contains many structures left behind by dragons and titans. Valdrakken, the Dragonflight expansion hub settlement and a meeting place for dragons of all colors, is its main highlight, but the region is also the residence of bronze dragons.

Dragon Isles Factions and Reputations

As heroes make their way through the Dragon Isles, they will inevitably become involved with different groups that will reward them for ongoing support. The reputation mechanic that governs such interactions has undergone a rework for the Dragonflight expansion. Players now earn Renown with major factions at each 1,000 Reputation threshold. Apart from their nomenclature, the difference from the Standings is that the Dragonflight expansion approach is much more granular, with more interesting rewards being given out more often. There are four major Dragon Isles factions, each with its own Renown progression and special focus:

• Dragonscale Expedition: An interfactional coalition of scholars who unlock various exploration-themed activities throughout Dragon Isles and help find treasures;
• Valdrakken Accord: The combined draconic leaders who direct their allies to assist individual dragonflights with their problems. They also sponsor Dragonriding races for the new Dragonflight expansion mounts;
• Maruuk Centaur: Residents of the steppes who challenge newcomers to join in their migrations and hunting expeditions;
• Iskaara Tuskarr: Denizens of cold mountainside villages invite new arrivals to participate in Dragonflight expansion fishing and cooking competitions.

Players can earn Renown with all four major Dragon Isles factions simultaneously if they want. Amassing a certain amount of Reputation with any allies will be necessary to advance in the Dragonflight expansion campaign, though on the whole it seems less central to story progression. The larger Dragonflight expansion factions have subgroups with their own interests and special prizes, which may use a different progression system. For example, players can commit to Wrathion or Sabellian, two candidates for leadership over the black dragons, during weekly quests in exchange for unique titles and cosmetics.

Dungeons and Raids in the Dragonflight Expansion

Eight Dragonflight expansion dungeons have been revealed, including a newly-discovered wing of Uldaman, a vanilla instance. Mythic Plus content in the Dragonflight expansion will take a cue from the final season of its predecessor. In each season, players will have access to Mythic Plus variants of four Dragonflight expansion dungeons and four legacy instances. The exact instances will change each season. Maximum rewards from this activity require clearing Mythic +20 instances, and the Affix rotation will be refreshed more often.

The first Dragonflight expansion raiding instance has likewise been disclosed. Heroes will combat the Primalist protodragons, archenemies of their more orderly draconic kin, in Vault of the Incarnates. It contains eight bosses, separated into three (rather than two) loot item level tiers. Alongside basic plunder, some of the encounters will yield tokens for the Vault of the Incarnates Class Sets. The standard four difficulties will be available. As usual, more raids are expected to arrive in Dragonflight expansion updates. Those raids will involve Group Loot, meaning the plunder will be distributed on the basis of stated needs and luck.

Dragonflight Expansion Hero Class

The original Hero Class Dracthyr Evoker is discussed in detail in our class Dracthyr Evoker overview. The main facts are summed up below:

• As of the Dragonflight expansion, Dracthyr appear solely as Evokers, which are denied to older races;
• Evokers start out as level 58 heroes in the Forbidden Reach, a closed-off zone near the Dragon Isles but denied to other adventurers at the outset;
• Each Dragonflight expansion player can make one Evoker per server. All Evokers after the first one may only be made in servers where the player already has an adventurer at level 50 or higher;
• Dracthyr players must choose to join the Alliance or the Horde during character creation;
• Dracthyr heroes possess draconic and more humanlike forms, and change from one to another seamlessly outside of combat. The former shape is required to use many of their abilities, including flight (based on Dragonriding flight mechanics) and natural weapon attacks. The appearances of both shapes can be customized extensively;
• Evokers are medium-range spellcasters with abilities inspired by the five dragonflights. Their specializations are Devastation and Preservation, focused on inflicting magical harm or healing allies, respectively;
• Evoker spells feed off Mana. Some also cost Essence, a separate passively-regenerating resource;
• Certain Evoker spells can be Empowered by holding the cast button before releasing it, unlocking additional effects in exchange for delayed casting;
• The priority attribute for Evokers is Intellect;
• Evokers can wear cloth, leather, or mail armor, and wield fist weapons, daggers, staves, maces, swords, axes, and off-hand items.

Dragonriding Mounts in the Dragonflight Expansion

While air travel is nothing unusual for WoW, the Dragonflight expansion introduces an altogether different type of flying mounts native to the Dragon Isles. There are multiple distinct species of drakes whose appearance can be customized extensively using unlockable features (like horns, tails, or armor) from various Dragonflight expansion sources. Those mounts use an elaborate flight system that incorporates momentum and different altitudes, as well as the mount Vigor resource. Heroes will collect Glyphs to pick up various abilities that let them move faster, change altitude, and undertake still more elaborate maneuvers.

During the Dragonflight expansion, this mode of flight will be restricted to the Dragon Isles. Ordinary flying mounts will perform as they did previously outside Dragonflight expansion content, while staying grounded in the Dragon Isles. Fortunately, adventurers will gain access to Dragonriding mounts fairly early in the Dragonflight expansion, letting them see all that the Dragon Isles have to offer without too much of a delay. Dragonriding is key for exploring Dragonflight expansion locations. It is also used for PvE and PvP races.

Dragonflight Expansion Professions Overhaul

The Dragonflight expansion brings numerous changes to professions, in addition to new Dragon Isles materials and recipes, including:

• Orders for items made using specific recipes, drafted and assigned by players to willing guildmates, friends, or anyone else through personal messaging or a trading interface. Heroes do not need to know the recipes or even have the professions themselves to place the orders;
• Crafting soulbinding items that can be purchased and bound by other players;
• Quality systems for crafted items that determine their item levels, bonuses, and other characteristics;
• Granular specializations for crafting professions, such as armorsmithing or making items for a specific slot for blacksmiths. Progress in those specializations will modify the quality of affected objects when they are crafted;
• Recrafting to modify crafted items, such as raising their quality or adding one of the numerous Dragonflight expansion reagents;
• Dedicated professional skills that influence harvesting or crafting processes and their outcomes;
• Dragonflight expansion professional gear granting bonuses to professional skills. Those items do not take up inventory space;
• Specialized bags for reagents from Dragonflight expansion and older content;
• Numerous profession quests and events throughout Dragonflight expansion content;
• Designated crafting tables in communal areas in the Dragonflight expansion hub.

Dragonflight Expansion Talent Rework

The Dragonflight expansion also reworks the talent system, returning it to its pre-Cataclysm roots. In contrast to the fairly linear progression in recent retail variants, players shall get to decide which active powers and passive effects to pick in what order. Each adventurer will have a basic tree and a spec tree. Dragonflight expansion talent system talent points are earned separately for each tree upon reaching a higher level. Players can save their preferred talent builds and load them in resting areas, letting them prepare for raiding or PvP quickly. Fans can start planning their builds already with the Dragonflight expansion talent calculator.

Dragonflight Expansion PvP

Although PvP is not the main Dragonflight expansion focus, it still received some tweaks of note:

• Early Dragonflight expansion PvP gear may be obtained through crafting or PvE;
• Dragonflight expansion PvP gear bought with Conquest is guaranteed to have the best PvP stats of any Dragonflight expansion equipment from the start. Upgrading it will only make it better in PvE content;
• Solitary competitors may queue up for the Arena through Rated Solo Shuffle, which counts as a ranked PvP mode for all purposes;
• There is a new Arena setting in the Dragon Isles;
• More PvP Brawl events are in the works for the Dragonflight expansion;
• Competitive Dragonflight expansion PvP will let contenders earn Dragonriding mount customization options (for example, Gladiator Titles in Dragonflighte xpansion seasons will yield such options instead of different mounts).

Dragonflight Expansion Miscellaneous Features

Quite a few other changes in Dragonflight expansion are worth noting:

• The highest level that can be attained in the Dragonflight expansion is 70. Leveling is necessary to complete the Dragonflight expansion campaign and access certain World Quests;
• As of the Dragonflight expansion, the Chromie Time alt leveling system goes up to level 60 and includes the Shadowlands as a leveling environment option;
• The class combinations all races can access have been expanded, with Priests, Mages, and Rogues made available to everyone in the Dragonflight expansion other than the Dracthyr;
• The Dragonflight expansion user interface has been revamped, with much greater support for customization and larger monitors;
• Dockmasters in the Dragonflight expansion will display how quickly boats will arrive or depart;
• Players could use poor and common items for transmogrification in the Dragonflight expansion;
• Many Dragonflight expansion unlocks and rewards shall be account-wide, although quest completion and Renown progress are not;
• Heroes could claim prizes from the Dragonflight expansion Weekly Chest in Valdrakken. Each week, players who participate in the latest endgame content will get to choose a random prize out of options they unlock by reaching certain thresholds in raiding, Mythic Plus, or PvP activities.

Dragonflight Expansion Release Schedule

The WoW Dragonflight expansion release date has been confirmed as November 28 for the USA and the Western Hemisphere and November 29 for EU and other regions. However, Dragonflight expansion content will not be introduced all in one go. Here is what has been revealed concerning the rollout schedule for Dragonflight expansion features:

• October 25: First stage of the prepatch, bringing interface and talents changes;
• November 15: Second stage of the prepatch, enabling WoW Dragonflight pre order customers to make Dracthyr Evokers and complete their starting experience. Invasion events will occur and the Normal variant of the extended Uldaman instance will open its doors;
• November 28/29: Main content added, Dragon Isles and eight starting dungeons opened for exploration;
• December 12: First Dragonflight expansion PvP and Mythic Plus Season begins. Vault of the Incarnates raid launch with all three core difficulties available;
• December 19, January 2, January 16: First, second, and third Raid Finder Wings for the first Dragonflight expansion raid opened.

How CakeBoost Can Help

The Dragonflight expansion certainly brings a lot to the table. Its storyline and reward system adjustments promise to address many of the frustrations that the community had with its predecessor. The Dragon Isles are full of fascinating secrets and breathtaking landscapes that would be fun to explore with new hero class or mounts. Tremendous changes to talents and professions give players plentiful cause to roll up new adventurers. Many fans are eager to sink their teeth into Dragonflight WoW expansion content. Yet, no matter what tweaks are introduced, seeing all that the MMORPG has to offer always required a lot more time and effort than some players are willing or able to invest.

CakeBoost’s WoW Dragonflight Boosting Services offer a solution for fans who are too busy or discouraged by the grinding involved. With our help, they can still explore the Dragon Isles at their preferred pace, while outsourcing tedious or frustrating content to professional boosters. Our Dragonflight Power Leveling services can bring new and old adventurers alike up to speed quickly, helping players try out different character options. Those who have leveled their heroes to the previous cap can reach the new one without delays using Dragonflight Power Level 60-70. We can also farm gear and resources, complete runs in new or updated instances, and unlock any content or features our clients want to see.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Dragonflight Expansion

Q: What will be the next WoW expansion?

A: The Dragonflight expansion shall be the latest chapter of World of Warcraft’s story, arriving in November 2022 and letting players visit the enigmatic Dragon Isles.

Q: What is the Dragonflight expansion about?

A: In contrast to the cosmic stakes of the preceding storyline, the Dragonflight expansion story is relatively grounded. It concerns the endeavors of the champions of Azeroth as they reclaim the Dragon Isles, the once and future domain of the dragonflights. Exploration and NPC interactions lie at the forefront of its story experience.

Q: What’s new in WoW Dragonflight?

A: The Dragonflight expansion implements four new zones for questing in the Dragon Isles, an innovative race class combo with its own exclusive starter zone, and an advanced flight system for a novel kind of mounts. It also overhauls talents, professions, and the user interface, making all of those systems more versatile and customizable. Adventurers get to advance through ten more levels. They can look forward to earning Renown with four major factions to unlock cosmetics and local gameplay features. Several additional character generation options are unlocked. Eight dungeons plus a single raid have been revealed so far, with further instances to arrive in future updates.  The Mythic Plus rotation features select older dungeons as well as some among the Dragonflight expansion instances.

Q: How much is the Dragonflight expansion?

A: The basic edition of the Dragonflight expansion costs 49.99 USD. The Heroic Edition Dragonflight Expansion price is 69.99 USD, whereas the Epic Edition is 89.99 USD. Benefits for every purchase may be examined on this page.

Q: Will there be a character boost for the Dragonflight expansion?

A: Players can get a character boost to level 60 as part of the Heroic or Epic Edition, or as a separate service through the MMORPG’s integrated shop. The adventurer who benefits from this boost will also receive appropriate gear for content at that point in the progression and access to flight in most zones. That will let them access Dragon Isles content faster.

Q: Does buying Dragonflight give you Shadowlands?

A: No, and in fact it is necessary to own the latter to pre-order the former. However, precedents suggest that after the Dragonflight expansion’s release, Shadowlands will become part of the base game, letting Dragonflight expansion owners access it at no extra charge.

Q: Will Covenants matter in the Dragonflight expansion?

A: Covenants, Legendaries, and other “borrowed power” features from the previous expansion are restricted to its content and cannot be used in the Dragon Isles. However, players are free to revisit older content if they wish. Special features have been added there for the benefit of Dracthyr Evokers.

Q: When can I buy the Dragonflight expansion?

A: The Dragonflight expansion will become purchasable for everyone on November 28. Right now, it can be pre-ordered by Shadowlands owners here.

Q: Can I play the Dragonflight expansion now?

A: The expansion is currently in the beta-testing stage. Fans can volunteer to participate in the Dragonflight beta here. If they get lucky, they will get to experience Dragon Isles content before release. Otherwise, they would have to wait until November 28.