Will the new raiding tier win back the community?
The second raid of Battle for Azeroth, the latest World of Warcraft expansion is opening up today. This new instance, called Battle of Dazar’alor, sees the Alliance and the Horde fight for the control of the Dazar’alor, the Zandalari Trolls’ capital city on the continent of Zuldazar.
Today also marks the beginning of the second season of both PvP Arena and Mythic+, with a new affix called Reaping that causes the dungeon trash to periodically respawn and rush back at your group.
Finally, all Azerite gear obtained as of today will have an additional power ring — a first step towards a revamp of that gearing system, which has attracted criticism since the launch of the new expansion.
Battle of Dazar’alor
Battle of Dazar’alor, the new raid hitting live servers this week will take place in the capital city of Zuldazar, Dazar’alor, known to players as the major city for the Horde in this expansion; it is home to the Zandalari Trolls, a race with a rich history within World of Warcraft and the latest addition the Horde’s playable race options (they will only be available to play in the next patch).
As a pivotal point on Zandalar for the Horde, it is a high priority target for the Alliance and this point is the basis for the new raid. The Alliance will be assaulting the city of Dazar’alor, attempting to disrupt the establishment of the Horde races there, as well as trying to defeat the Zandalari Trolls’ leader, King Rastakhan, and end the blossoming relationship between the Zandalari and the Horde.
For the Horde, they are fighting to defend their new allies from an old enemy. The Alliance are one of the oldest foes of the Horde, having been founded decades ago to repel them, so it comes as no surprise that they are seeking to stop the Horde from growing stronger with the addition of the Zandalari.
The fights between the two factions will take place over the golden pyramid of the city, eventually spilling out onto the frozen seas as the Horde make their final effort to drive the Alliance out of the city.
The raid itself features 9 bosses. The first 3 bosses are common to both factions. Then, the raid follows both the storylines of the Alliance and the Horde, with Alliance players turning into Horde characters for the Horde storyline and Horde players turning into Alliance characters for the Alliance storyline.
- Champion of the Light — Despite their different appearances, the Champion of the Light for both factions is a fierce military leader with a devout following of soldiers, their bond strong enough to rally them to a higher level of power.
- Jadefire Masters — They may seem deceivingly inexperienced at first, but the Jadefire Masters’ teamwork in combining the mystical arts of the Monk and the blistering magical power of a Fire Mage is second to none.
- Grong — The mighty beast, Grong, has reached new heights of strength after his transformation; for the Horde, he is a rampaging super-weapon, for the Alliance, he is an undead monstrosity.
- Opulence (Alliance storyline) — As the name suggests, Opulence is the definition of wealth in the golden pyramid of the Zandalari, with the masses of gold and riches taking physical form to protect itself from any other than its true owner.
- Conclave of the Chosen (Alliance storyline) — As the Loa of the Zandalari rest in their sacred hall, their Aspects stand guard and ensure they are not disturbed by the unworthy.
- King Rastakhan (Alliance storyline) — As king of the Zandalari, Rastakhan was always going to be a target for the invaders, but he has found a new companion to aid him and his people: the Loa of Death, Bwonsamdi.
- High Tinker Mekkatorque (Horde storyline) — As leader of the supremely intelligent gnomes, Mekkatorque is not only gifted in the creation of his inventions, but also in wielding one of the deadliest sets of armour to emerge from the minds of the Gnomish people.
- Stormwall Blockade (Horde storyline) — The Kul Tirans revere their Tidepriests for their abilities to command the skies and seas, but Brother Joseph and Sister Katherine stand out even among the Tidepriests, with ancient rituals and magic at their fingertips.
- Lady Jaina Proudmoore (Horde storyline) — Once an advocate of peace between the Alliance and Horde, Lady Jaina has become one of the most powerful human mages alive and, with the frozen seas at her back, she will stop at nothing to ensure victory for the Alliance.
Mythic+ and PvP Arena Season 2
The Mythic+ Season 2 and the PvP Arena Season 2 start today. Along the reset of the Mythic+ leaderboards and PvP leaderboards, the Season 1 Mythic+ affix Infested is being replaced with Reaping, the Mythic+ affix in Season 2.
This new affix causes trash in the dungeon to resurrect as Souls at regular intervals. Every time you clear 20% trash (so at 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%), all of the trash that you have killed since the last resurrection respawns and needs to be faced again by your group. The Souls that the enemies resurrect as come in 3 types: Risen Souls, Tormented Souls, and Lost Souls. Each need to be handled in a specific way.
For more information about progressing through Mythic+ content in World of Warcraft, Icy Veins has Mythic+ guides for each spec and class.
- Blood Death Knight Mythic+ Tips—Frost Death Knight Mythic+ Tips—Unholy Death Knight Mythic+ Tips
- Havoc Demon Hunter Mythic+ Tips—Vengeance Demon Hunter Mythic+ Tips
- Balance Druid Mythic+ Tips—Feral Druid Mythic+ Tips—Guardian Druid Mythic+ Tips—Restoration Druid Mythic+ Tips
- Beast Mastery Hunter Mythic+ Tips—Marksmanship Hunter Mythic+ Tips—Survival Hunter Mythic+ Tips
- Arcane Mage Mythic+ Tips—Fire Mage Mythic+ Tips—Frost Mage Mythic+ Tips
- Brewmaster Monk Mythic+ Tips—Mistweaver Monk Mythic+ Tips—Windwalker Monk Mythic+ Tips
- Holy Paladin Mythic+ Tips—Protection Paladin Mythic+ Tips—Retribution Paladin Mythic+ Tips
- Discipline Priest Mythic+ Tips—Holy Priest Mythic+ Tips—Shadow Priest Mythic+ Tips
- Assassination Rogue Mythic+ Tips—Outlaw Rogue Mythic+ Tips—Subtlety Rogue Mythic+ Tips
- Elemental Shaman Mythic+ Tips—Enhancement Shaman Mythic+ Tips—Restoration Shaman Mythic+ Tips
- Affliction Warlock Mythic+ Tips—Demonology Warlock Mythic+ Tips—Destruction Warlock Mythic+ Tips
- Arms Warrior Mythic+ Tips—Fury Warrior Mythic+ Tips—Protection Warrior Mythic+ Tips
New Ring on Azerite Gear
In Battle for Azeroth, Azerite gear are pieces of gear (exclusive to the Head, Shoulders, and Chest slots) that do not have secondary statistics. Instead, they have had 4 rings, each offering a different set of powers of which one had to be chosen. Only one of the rings could offer powers that would impact gameplay in a meaningful way.
Starting with Mythic+ Season 2 and the release of the Battle of Dazar’alor raid, Azerite gear now has 5 rings and the added ring also offer powers that can impact gameplay (this means 6 gameplay-changing powers for your characters instead of only 3 previously). For some classes, this has had dramatic implications. For example, Enhancement Shamans now have several viable builds, obtained by choosing specific powers on Azerite gear and combining them with specific talents.
As always, Icy Veins has Azerite guides for each spec and class in the game, where you can find more information about your characters, going into Season 2.
- Blood Death Knight Azerite Guide—Frost Death Knight Azerite Guide—Unholy Death Knight Azerite Guide
- Havoc Demon Hunter Azerite Guide—Vengeance Demon Hunter Azerite Guide
- Balance Druid Azerite Guide—Feral Druid Azerite Guide—Guardian Druid Azerite Guide—Restoration Druid Azerite Guide
- Beast Mastery Hunter Azerite Guide—Marksmanship Hunter Azerite Guide—Survival Hunter Azerite Guide
- Arcane Mage Azerite Guide—Fire Mage Azerite Guide—Frost Mage Azerite Guide
- Brewmaster Monk Azerite Guide—Mistweaver Monk Azerite Guide—Windwalker Monk Azerite Guide
- Holy Paladin Azerite Guide—Protection Paladin Azerite Guide—Retribution Paladin Azerite Guide
- Discipline Priest Azerite Guide—Holy Priest Azerite Guide—Shadow Priest Azerite Guide
- Assassination Rogue Azerite Guide—Outlaw Rogue Azerite Guide—Subtlety Rogue Azerite Guide
- Elemental Shaman Azerite Guide—Enhancement Shaman Azerite Guide—Restoration Shaman Azerite Guide
- Affliction Warlock Azerite Guide—Demonology Warlock Azerite Guide—Destruction Warlock Azerite Guide
- Arms Warrior Azerite Guide—Fury Warrior Azerite Guide—Protection Warrior Azerite Guide
[Icy Veins is part of the Enthusiast Gaming Network! Hearth back to the inn and listen up for their World of Warcraft tips and breakdowns.]
