In my first diary entry of reviewing World of Warcraft's fifth expansion, Warlords of Draenor, I came across a number of issues that prevented me from progressing further into the first “true” zone of levelling, Frostfire Ridge. These issues – latency, buggy quests and high server queues – have for the most part been reduced or even eliminated since its launch last week. So, sit back, queue up some garrison missions and read on for my thoughts of Draenor so far.

As mentioned above, Frostfire Ridge is the first “true” zone for levelling a character on the Horde side, with Alliance gaining access to a similar zone called Shadowmoon Valley. For this diary entry I'll be covering the Horde side, however in the future I do hope to return as an Alliance character to see the various structural changes. If I feel like betraying my faction pride, that is.



Arriving on Frostfire Ridge isn't a small feat, with the introduction to the zone preceded by a quite explosive cinematic that saw you escaping from the oncoming Iron Horde thanks to a timely placed boat that you were able to capture. Upon your arrival to the zone you aren't in the best of shape, with your boat now shipwrecked and no real knowledge of the land you now stand on. Thrall is pretty quick to point out these lands belong to his ancestors, the Frostwolf orc clan, though you quickly notice it isn't just their clan trying to claim ownership to the lands.

I have to give props to Blizzard once again on their presentation with Draenor. With the long-running MMO approaching its tenth year of running, it amazes me each time I log in that what I'm seeing is being created with some quite dated toolsets and engine designs. The art style particularly for Frostfire is breathtaking, showing a ceaseless winter and volcanic peaks that its inhabitants are desperately trying to survive.

Once you've met up with the chieftain of the Frostwolf clan, Durotan, you'll be tasked with actually building yourself a base to survive the harsh wastelands and also that of the Iron Horde's impending doom. Blizzard has taken a real personal approach to this aspect of the game, ensuring that players feel like their Garrison is their home, and that they chose what goes where. By the end of the third tier of your garrison you'll be able to fit up to three small buildings, two medium buildings and two large ones, all of which offer various benefits for your ever-changing playstyle.



It became quite clear early on just how influential the garrison system will be in Blizzard's overall strategy for Warlords of Draenor. Not only does my garrison feel personal, but I also need it for gaining specific resources, or better yet resources that I would typically have to compete for in the outside world. At the time of writing my garrison has made it to tier 2, and currently occupying my land plots are the Lumber Mill, a Blacksmith, Storage and Barracks, all of which serve the purpose of gearing up my Tauren Paladin towards the PvE dungeon/raid playstyle.

Alongside these beneficial buildings players also have access to a wide range of followers. These NPCs are scattered throughout the world of Draenor to find, each one offering a unique range of skills that can help both in your garrison and out in the field of battle. For garrison duties you can assign them to various missions that, when completed successfully, have the potential to award powerful items that you typically couldn't get elsewhere.

After being quite overwhelmed with the amount of customisation and sheer potential my garrison had it was time to venture back into the snowy wastelands of Frostfire. Coming into Draenor I expected Blizzard to greet me with the typical barrage of quests that task me with going here or collecting this, however this expansion has truly surprised me, for now. Unlike past expansions, Draenor has begun to feel more inviting on the idea of stepping off the beaten path. Instead of being rewarded with nothing but emptiness like the past, this time round you may actually find some truly unique engagements with the world.

One great example was when I discovered a nice blue-grade item from a dead ogre's body that I just happened to wander onto after following up a random mountain pass. These kind of interactions with the world definitely helped keep my interest peaked, as I wasn't sure when I'd next discover a random rare monster or perhaps even a follower wanting to join my ranks.



Another mention I'd like to make is that questing this time round doesn't feel as grindy. While there are still some remnants of the “go here, kill this and bring back 20 of these” quests that made up the bulk of past expansions (I'm looking at you Burning Crusade), Draenor definitely opts for a more entertaining path. This is definitely helped by the various bonus objectives littered throughout each zone, all offering unique twists on the emerging story. Sure these bonuses were simply a quest without the quest giver, but for some strange reason I never felt like I was doing it because it was a quest or it was there, but because in doing so I could see my actions change the environment and that spoke to me on a personal story level.

And this is where I believe Blizzard are really trying to take Warlords of Draenor. Personalisation is a very big key to this expansion, not just through the ability to customise your garrison to how you want it, but also in elements of storytelling. While we've had expansions before name you as the champion, none have really put you directly in the centre as much as Draenor does. Blizzard's continual use of phasing definitely plays a key role in obtaining that personality, and one I wholeheartedly encourage and want to see more of.

Topping the experiences I had with Frostfire Ridge will definitely be difficult, not just from being introduced to the garrison system but just the way the zone had this climatic ending. Standing next to Frostwolf clan members who had accepted me as their brother as we await a mass charge of Thunderlord and Iron Horde enemies was an experience I'm eagerly hoping to relive in other zones. That kind of heart-pumping cinematic experience is something I've sorely missed from World of Warcraft, one that I last felt back in Wrath of the Lich King's days as we stood by the Wrath Gates waiting for the prince himself.



Leading up to Warlords of Draenor's release Blizzard had been pretty vocal on bringing back the Warcraft to their massively mutliplayer title, and I can easily say from experiencing just this zone that this has been achieved with flying colours. While we continue to ponder whether Warcraft 4 will ever be a thing, World of Warcraft's fifth expansion is definitely an acceptable replacement, for now at least.

Stay tuned for next week's diary entry as we move into the war-torn lands of Gorgrond, where questing takes an unexpected turn and I venture into my first Draenor dungeon. Make sure to catch the previous diary entry over here as well, and as always make sure to leave a comment on your thoughts of Draenor so far.