С ПЫЛУ С ЖАРУ: WORLD OF WARCRAFT: FOREVER

Summary

The reviewer assesses World of Warcraft: Forever as an attempt to refresh classic WoW with new content while preserving its old-school feel. They initially felt nostalgic returning to Azeroth, but came away disappointed that the expansion still adds mechanics and design choices they associate with modern WoW.

Launch and setup

• The November 5 launch drew heavy queues for both Battle.net and the game world, though the reviewer says the first hours were otherwise relatively stable.
• Players can choose PvE, PvP, role-playing, or role-playing PvP servers. The reviewer chose PvP, but faction balancing forced them to play Alliance because the Horde side was full.
• The reviewer selected the classic interface, then regretted it: it lacks quest markers and hints, and they could not find a way to enable them later.
• Gamepad controls were a pleasant surprise: responsive and easy to use, though less practical when communicating or fighting other players.

Gameplay and features

• The new Skyborn starting zone was overwhelmed by players. Quest creatures were killed almost as soon as they appeared, making early quests a test of speed and timing.
• Most quests retain classic-style objectives, especially grinding mobs for items with low drop rates. The reviewer found little fundamentally new in the quest design.
• Leveling is generally easier than in the old days: quest rewards and loot provide enough money, and the reviewer had few financial problems before level 40. However, careless pulls can still be dangerous, especially when fighting multiple enemies.
• Some systems feel unnecessarily complicated. Hunter pet training, for example, requires several steps and skills, which the reviewer repeatedly forgot.
• The update adds areas including Dalaran and Hyjal, new dungeons and raids, revised class talents and balance, a battleground, and other smaller additions.
• Campfires offer social and gameplay bonuses:
  • Players sit by a fire for one minute to receive buffs such as stamina, spirit, or experience.
  • The buffs depend partly on the professions of players gathered there.
  • Profession-based services may also appear; an engineer, for example, can provide a repair-and-vendor bot.
  • The reviewer feels the feature cannot create much social interaction on its own, given the lack of group quests and open-world activities outside endgame content.
• The reviewer found players largely uninterested in one another, despite the expansion’s social features.

Story

The new playable race, the Skyborn elves, begins on the floating island of Zephrys. A thousand years earlier, highborne exiles escaped to the island and made a pact with wind elementals. When the spirits disappear, the Skyborn split into two factions:

• The High Order, which seeks to restore the lost secrets of arcane magic.
• The Wind Sculptors, who want to bring back the wind elementals.

The player character, a newly adult Skyborn, is entrusted with an ancient heirloom and helps the island’s people, gathers windstones, and deals with wildlife and other dangers. The story also introduces the mysterious Nighttalon druids. As tensions grow and the island becomes increasingly threatened, the two factions decide to leave Zephrys and return to Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms.

The reviewer considers the storyline appropriately scaled and engaging, with themes of betrayal, division, and intrigue. However, side quests can make it easy to lose track of the main plot, and the campaign has few notable cutscenes or set pieces apart from its ending.

Verdict

The reviewer sees Forever as a polished, technically stable release with appealing story content, but says it does not deliver the classic Azeroth they hoped for. They criticize its casualized progression, awkward systems, and additions that feel overly focused on attracting new players rather than addressing longtime fans’ concerns.

• Gameplay: 6/10
• Story: 7/10
• Graphics and technical condition: 9/10
• Final score: 73 points

Featured gamers and sources: The unnamed IGM reviewer/narrator; unnamed players who advised on a campfire quest bug; Blizzard, discussed as the game’s developer.