World of Warcraft has now been around for more than 10 years, and its millions of users have given Blizzard plenty of reason to keep supplying new content. Warlords of Draenor is the game's latest expansion, having gone live on November 13. Now that players have had time with the content, some of the first reviews from major publications have arrived, and it doesn't seem like Blizzard's touch has slipped.
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IGN, 9/10: "Warlords of Draenor demonstrates that World of Warcraft remains perched on top of the MMO heap for a reason. An emphasis on fun pervades every detail of the experience, whether it's in the prevalent rare enemies dotting the countryside, the chance of upgradable loot, or bonus areas that encourage exploration.
"It somewhat dangerously overemphasizes single-player gameplay with its admittedly entertaining garrisons, but it does much to counter this tendency with design decisions that encourage socialization in the outside world. It's a triumph that Blizzard should rightfully be proud of, and it hints that the team still possesses enough talent to extend WoW's lifetime beyond a decade."
Polygon, 9.5/10: "I was surprised by that renewed sense of interest in and devotion to World of Warcraft. After my own lukewarm reactions to the last couple of expansions, I didn't really expect to get pulled in again. But here I am, logging in every night to run dungeons and finish leftover quests, to grab a couple more achievements or work on raiding plans with my guild. Even as I write this, I'm fighting the urge to play. Warlords of Draenor isn't just the best Warcraft expansion in years; it's a return to form as the best MMO in the industry."
Escapist, 4.5/5: "Exploration and discovery continues to be a mainstay of the game in the early going. There are plenty of treasures, hidden gear and characters to find throughout your journey to 100. Every zone also has an abundance of rare elites that will drop a decent piece of gear, although I miss gear drops being tailored to your class and spec. And where Pandaria offered the chance to upgrade gear with valor points, Blizzard has replaced that with a random number generator upgrade system that could allow a piece of quest gear to upgrade with a lucky "roll". An uncommon green can drop as an rare blue or epic purple, allowing for a bit of randomness when going through a zone multiple times with different characters."
PC Gamer, 90/100: "Warlords of Draenor is of course not a finished thing so much as the start of up to two years worth of story and content-the next chapter in World of Warcraft's story. If you play already, you've bought it already. You have no choice. It's hardly a hardship though, when it's not simply more World of Warcraft, but a genuinely surprising re-energising bolt. If Pandaria felt a bit like Blizzard flapping around after such a good run, this feels like there actually could be another ten good years in the old girl.
"There's no ignoring that it's a game from 2004 and its mechanics increasingly creak compared to more modern MMOs, but still Warlords of Draenor manages to give us a journey that feels fresher and more exciting than even their best bits glued together. A triumphant return to form for both Blizzard, and its world."
