It’s a relief to be spared the mysteries, cliffhangers, and multi-dimensional plans that have become staples of previous Warcraft expansions. These villains are much smaller in scope than past bosses, but they’re far more fun, and they’re packed full of personality every time they show up in a cinematic. The events of Dragonflight’s raid sets up our main plot (for now): We’re facing the Primalist dragons, a dirty little secret from the Dragonflights past. “By going into the underground, we’re coming full circle to the Black Dragonflight, which had a fraught history and very challenging paths, with all of the things that Nefarian and Deathwing have done and the legacy of the Dragonflight that his descendants have to inherit.” Image: Blizzard Entertainment “With the emergence of the incarnates, there’s definitely some baggage history that needs to be addressed,” says Terran Gregory, lead cinematic narrative director at Blizzard, in an interview with Polygon. They also play a significant storytelling role in Dragonflight, and Zaralek Cavern is no exception. Cinematics have been a part of the game since they were introduced in 2008’s Wrath of the Lich King they are one of the most iterated upon features in the game, evolving from a rare treat to a narrative staple. Setting the sceneĭragonflight has been a well-received expansion so far by fans, and it uses cinematic styles and storytelling techniques set up in the previous Battle for Azeroth and Shadowlands expansions. Here’s how they handle that delicate balance. The designers have had to put a lot of thought into how to frame these cinematics, include the player character, and capture the spirit of each hero and villain. They’re under pressure from a sinister trio of elemental villains - who are the most fun Warcraft has had with villains in years - and tons of in-game cinematics to help tell these tall tales. There’s a Succession-style storyline where Deathwing’s heirs compete to be the new Aspect of the Black Dragonflight. The Embers of Neltharion patch takes players to the Zaralek Cavern and the Shadowed Crucible, an ancient laboratory where the one-time Neltharion - later corrupted to become the mad Dragon Aspect Deathwing - tinkered with experimental lifeforms and powerful artifacts. World of Warcraft’s newest expansion, Dragonflight, has a few plotlines and political struggles running through the story of patch 10.1, which debuted Thursday.

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