The alpha test for the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, is now available. The beta features four new zones, a new dragon riding skill, the all-new Dracthyr Evokers race and class, and more. Additionally, according to an interview with IGN, Blizzard production director Patrick Dawson said Dragonflight’s alpha test won’t be long.
The full statement regarding the alpha from the production director via IGN can be seen below:
“In prior alphas… we’d have a two, two-and-a-half-month-long process where different things came online in a haphazard and less structured way,” he said. Maybe you’d get one zone, then have to wait two to three weeks, maybe even longer for the next zone. Systems wouldn’t come on at a consistent rate, that kind of stuff.
But…one of the models we liked was how we do things like raid testing. What we do is we open up a boss for people to focus on, everybody plays that boss, we get great, focused feedback on that, and then we shut it down and move on to the next boss. Likewise, we looked at our alpha strategy, and we said, ‘How can we get that type of feedback out of an alpha?’ And the answer was, instead of having this long alpha, let’s compress it a bit and focus the feedback on specific things each and every week.”
The expansion’s details:
The Dragon Isles feature four lush new zones for players to adventure through on their journey to the new level cap of 70: the vibrant Waking Shores, the verdant Ohn’ahran Plains, the sprawling Azure Span, and the resplendent Thaldraszus. Dragonriding, a new method of aerial movement, empowers players to soar through the skies of each new area in style atop customizable Dragon Isles Drakes. The isles are home to the all-new playable Dracthyr allied race, who mix the magics of the dragonflights with ranged damage and healer specializations as a solely dedicated Evoker hero class that start off at level 58.
The expansion introduces an extensive overhaul of the game’s character talent system, which offers flavorful and impactful talent choices at every level. There are also significant updates to in-game professions with new work order and specialization systems, on top of a modernized and streamlined Heads Up Display (HUD) and User Interface (UI).
Digital Pre-Purchase Bonuses & Collector’s Edition
Dragonflight is available for digital pre-purchase as a Base edition ($49.99 SRP), Heroic edition ($69.99 SRP), and Epic edition ($89.99). Each digital edition includes one or more items for you to enlist in joining forces with the dragonflights as they reclaim their lost realm:
Base Edition: Includes Drakks, a pre-purchase bonus pet to accompany you on your quests.
Heroic Edition: Includes Drakks pre-purchase bonus pet, the new Murkastrasza pet, a Dragonflight-level character boost (level 60), and a new Tangled Dreamweaver flying mount to soar on.
Epic Edition: Includes all Base and Heroic items, the Timewalker’s Hearthstone effect, the Diadem of the Spell-keeper head-slot transmog, the Wings of Awakening back-slot transmog in five color variants, and 30 days of game time.
Dragonflight also comes as a boxed Collector’s Set, which sports a trove of gear in addition to an Epic edition digital key and Drakks pet. With the Collector’s Set, players can explore Dragonflight’s visual development with the Art of Dragonflight hardcover book, upgrade their set-up with the powerful visage of an Alexstrasza mousepad, and add iconic representations of Azeroth’s five primary dragon flights in a five-pin collector’s set. The Collector’s Set is available today on the Official Blizzard Gear Store.
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