Game Director Ion Hazzikostas and Lead Quest Designer Josh Augustine carried out a group interview on Dragonflight Patch 10.1: Embers of Neltharion with MMORPG, MMO-Champion, Dot Esports, Dexerto, and Wowhead. They discussed topics such as design philosophy, computational addons, and the potential expansion of dragonriding in the future!
Design Principles
In the interview, the developers discussed their design philosophy for Dragonflight, emphasizing the importance of transparency and responsiveness to player feedback. This shift in mentality was sparked by their realization that the old approach was no longer working and they needed to establish a better connection with the player base. They hope to build trust through communication and address any mistakes they make during the development process.
The Dragonflight expansion has been well-received by the players, and the developers are proud of their accomplishments. They plan to carry the lessons they learned into future updates, starting with Embers of Neltharion. They also addressed the possibility of reviving old dungeons, stating that they want to be flexible and focus on creating compelling experiences that represent the original dungeons.
The interview touched on the topic of computational auras and addons, with the developers wanting to reclaim some territory in the arms race between them and the community. They aim to provide players with challenges that require coordination and decision-making, rather than relying on addons to solve problems.
Regarding Dragonriding, the developers believe it will likely become a universal feature in the game, though they are still considering how it will coexist with traditional flying and mount collections. They are being conservative in their approach to avoid setting unwanted precedents.
As for encouraging alts, they have seen a slight increase in players using alternate characters, but their goal is to make playing alts fun and empowering instead of tedious. Lastly, the developers are still working on making Solo Shuffle more appealing for healers, although there are no immediate plans for changes in the upcoming 10.1 update.
Loot System & Transmogrification
MMORPG inquired about the Catalyst in 10.1, and the interviewees confirmed that it would go away and return in early June. Players won’t have to do anything to earn charges; they will accumulate account-wide charges each week. The old catalyst will become unavailable, with plans to allow the new catalyst to convert Season 1 gear without consuming a Season 2 charge.
Wowhead asked about the Sparks of Shadowflame unlock schedule and what would happen to previous sparks. Players will obtain half a spark each week, starting with the launch of 10.1, and one full spark every two weeks thereafter. Season 1 sparks can still be used for crafting, but no more Bottled Essences will drop.
Regarding the availability of old Mythic loot and previous elite transmogs from PvP, the team has no current plans to make those available but may revisit the idea. They acknowledge the exclusivity of elite armor but are open to discussing potential changes.
Concerning legendaries, the team hasn’t decided to change the approach entirely but is exploring new lore and potential legendary items. Legendaries have been created on an adhoc basis, and the team is confident they’ll return to this concept in due course.
To address the issue of obtaining tier sets for transmog purposes, the new roll for transmog option has higher priority than greed rolls. The team acknowledges the need for a solution and may explore options to purchase lower-level appearances in the future.
Mounts MMO-Champion asked about the philosophy on mount acquisition in Dragonflight. The answer was that RNG and long-tail random chase still have a place in the game but should be used sparingly. Mounts should ideally signify something the player did to obtain them, with luck-based mounts being in the minority.
Regarding the unavailable Big Blizzard Bear and Tan Camel, the team acknowledged that they should be hidden if not obtainable and flagged it as a bug. The general rule is that if a mount is not actively earnable, it should not be displayed as unlearned.
Cross-Faction Guilds
Dot Esports asked about the potential impact of cross-faction guilds on faction-dominant servers. The interviewees believe that while there won’t be immediate changes, the new system should lead to more flexibility and viability for minority factions in the long run.
Dexerto inquired if there’s a possibility that faction walls might be brought down entirely, allowing seamless interaction between Alliance and Horde players. The team responded that they are cautiously moving in that direction, but there are technical and player preference challenges to overcome. They are working on a piecemeal approach, starting with instanced gameplay, and want to ensure that any changes are opt-in to respect different player feelings about faction conflict.
DoT Esports questioned if the game’s story would return to faction conflict in the future. The team replied that there’s always a possibility and that opportunities still exist to tell stories about faction conflict, even within the context of cooperation. They emphasized that the context matters, and while Dragonflight focuses on cooperation, other settings might allow for exploring factions not working together.
Story Direction
The two-decade history of World of Warcraft (WoW) is seen as a huge asset when it comes to character development and storytelling. The interviewee mentions the opportunity to explore Neltharion’s history through Wrathion’s eyes in the upcoming content update. While the game’s past is a treasure trove, the developers are not limited to it and can still create new stories.
Regarding side stories, there is no set rule for their development. However, they tend to continue existing story threads or provide opportunities for one-off stories. The Baine side story is an example of a one-off story that emerged from a designer’s initiative. As the game moves forward, the developers plan to explore its rich history and continue to expand on various storylines.
In Patch 10.1, characters like Wrathion, Ebyssian, and Sabellian struggle with whispers, which relate to the story of Neltharion turning into Deathwing. Although Josh, the interviewee, couldn’t provide a full answer on the narrative of the legendary cloaks, he explains that these characters are wrestling with the same forces that caused Neltharion’s transformation. The characters must determine if every black dragon is destined to succumb to this dark fate or if they can overcome it and find a new direction for their flight. Sabellian’s return in Dragonflight allows him to witness Neltharion becoming Deathwing, which helps him better understand his father and decide whether to follow in his footsteps or choose a different path.
