Game director Ion Hazzikostas and art director Alex Afrasiabi talked about everything that can be expected of World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth during Blizzcon 2017.

As many fans had suspected, big changes are planned for the new update scheduled to release in 2018. The expansion will include two new continents, a new level cap of 120, six new races, ten new dungeons, and exciting new activities such as real-time Warfronts.

With Legion defeated and the external threat to Azeroth now gone, the Horde and Alliance are once again turning on each other and seeking out new allies and the players will be setting out to the seas to the new continents of Kul Tiras and Zandalar in hopes of securing some sort of leverage above the other faction. Horde players will adventure into the troll-occupied island of Zandalar as the Alliance seeks to restore ties with the naval powers in Kul Tiras.

This’ll add a lot of new, not so repetitive game play. With this expansion I believe that players will be able to really experience something new that doesn’t drag on and on with the same quests every time you decide to make a new character. Being the elf lover I am, I’ve now memorized the opening scene due to playing the quests so many times.

Another addition will be that each faction will be gaining three new sub races. Nightborne Elves, Highmountain Tauren, and Zandalari Trolls will join the Horde, while the Void Elves, Lightforged Draenei and Dark Iron Dwarves will team up with the Alliance.

Unlike the other playable races in Warcraft, these new ones must be unlocked through quests. Once the players have played through the quests and gained the new race, you’ll be able to create a new character of that race like you can with the other available races.

These new characters will be really interesting to get to know. The idea is that they’re just now joining the Horde or Alliance, so getting to see how they will impact the game will be a brand new experience for many players, including myself. The idea of having to earn your characters is something that I’m super excited about. It’s almost as if it’s a reward for all your hard work. While I’m a bit bummed that I won’t be able to have all of them right away, I am excited for the challenge.

Even with all of these incredible changes, I’m most excited that at the heart of this expansion is a renewed focus on the conflict that started everything.

The Horde versus The Alliance.