Blizzard’s “World of Warcraft” has launched a new card called “Battle Royale” to provide fans with new fun before the release of the “Internal War” expansion pack.
World of Warcraft conducted a media interview on the 19th regarding the new content “Plunder Storm,” which is scheduled to release with Update 10.2.6.
Plunder Storm is World of Warcraft’s first 60-player Battle Royale content. It was inspired by the pirate theme and was designed to bring new fun to fans as it is the finale of the Dragonflight expansion pack.
The development team emphasized: “We developed it based on the principles of simple and fast gameplay, fun, meaningful choices and novel combat.”
The Plunder Storm login method supports duo and solo modes. Duo mode can also be enjoyed by pairing with a complete stranger instead of a friend. The content is for up to 60 people, but even if all 60 people are not busy, it will automatically start after a certain matching time.
In looting storms there is loot that can give you various honors. In the process of acquisition, a storm that slowly narrows the battlefield slowly blows, and you have to survive by fighting with other users in it.
Blizzard wanted more users to be able to enjoy Looting Storm, so they designed it so that people could enjoy World of Warcraft at their leisure even if they didn’t purchase Dragon Army, as long as their playtime of World of Warcraft was registered. There is no class distinction. You can learn new skills every time and have fun creating your own build. Accordingly, the character selection window was also developed specifically for the looting storm.
Once the update is applied, a Plunder Storm icon will be added to the left of the Dragon Army icon in the character selection window. By pressing the icon, you can select a character, Solo or Duo mode and enter. Characters can be created as any race other than Draktyr.
When you start the game, you enter a space called Beer Bay. Here you can try out Plunder Storm’s specific abilities in advance and think about which build to use. When the game starts, you have to ride the parrot and get off at your desired destination.
After the descent, explore various locations and farm loot and skills. The level can grow up to level 10. This way you will have to develop your character and survive until the last survivor.
Plunder Storm allows players to increase their Honor level up to 40. All player actions during the plunder storm are equivalent to experience points to increase the honor level. By increasing your honor level, you will receive various rewards such as a parrot, a crab pet, a Pepe pet, and a pirate-themed transmogrification. There is also a costume that you can get as a reward if you win at least one match in the looting storm.
World of Warcraft’s ambitious new content, “Plunder Storm,” will be announced on March 20, and content updates will be applied at an appropriate time for each global sub-region.
– Orlando Salvatore Senior Software Engineer
Q. When it comes to the pirate theme in WoW, there are several areas. Why did you choose the Arathi Highlands?
The Arathi Plateau was not considered from the beginning. Initially, we looked at the area where Kul Tiras is located and decided that it would be difficult for players to navigate because the composition of the highland and lowland areas was too vertically diverse. So, after thinking about which area would be fun for players, I finally chose the Arathi Plateau.
The Arathi Highlands are a very ancient area in WoW and can be enjoyed by both the Horde and the Alliance. It is also the area where the first faction PvP was possible. Overall, I thought the nostalgia and setting the area provided matched well with the direction of the looting storm. We were preparing new resources for the region during Battle for Azeroth, so we thought it would be a good idea to use them.
Q. In Korea we especially like PvE. It is expected that as time goes by it will be difficult to gather 60 people. If it’s limited-time content, can it be implemented via global matching?
Looting Storms are matched by region. It is not structured to wait for all 60 people to be filled. The maximum number is 60, but you can start with fewer people. Every week we ran internal tests with both people who didn’t like PvE and people who liked PvP, and carefully analyzed each feedback.
Improvements and changes have been iterated based on feedback. Finally, we gathered all Blizzard employees as well as the WoW team and conducted a test. I’m sure many users will like it.
Q. The combination of WoW and the Battle Royale genre is refreshing. Why did you choose the Battle Royale genre?
We shared many ideas and created a prototype on the topic of how to enjoy WoW in a more fun way. They said they were inspired by Battle Royale, but also referenced a lot of content from other genres. If you like Plunder Storm, you’ll experience the skill shots of the MOBA genre, the strategic elements of the RTS genre, the RPG elements of Warcraft 3, and the impactful feel of the fighting game genre.
Q. In Battle Royale, so-called “teaming”, where some people don’t intentionally attack each other, is a problem. Are there systems systematically implemented to solve this problem?
Plunder Storm is content designed with a pirate theme. Within the content, all pirates have a setting where they fight against the world. Since the pirate theme goes well with the plunder and mayhem, I think any playthrough could be fun.
Once you land at a specific location, you have no idea who you’ve landed on or who you’ve been matched with. You may temporarily form an alliance with someone, but since this is last-person-wins content, the betrayal will eventually happen in a pirate way.
Furthermore, the developers hope that Plunder Storm will be played in a very fair environment. For example, if the “teaming” you asked for is sometimes used as a temporary strategic game with a random person, and if a specific player intentionally pairs with the same person and repeats the team game, immediate action will be taken. The reason for blocking third-party add-ons is the same.
– Ray Bartos Senior Live Game Producer
Q. Does Plunder Storm operate on a seasonal basis?
It is only being offered as a limited-time event, but it has not been decided whether it will be run as a season. The priority is to make sure the content is good to introduce for the first time and continue to work. We will carefully monitor whether it offers enough entertainment. I hope you like it very much.
D. If you combine skills after you acquire them, it is likely that the required combinations will eventually become fixed. How do you view the balance patch cycle?
It’s hard to share the balance patch cycle right now. As mentioned above, we will actively receive feedback and make decisions. In Plunder Storm you can use skills in many different combinations. While it’s not gear, there are also useful items like barrels. The degree of freedom and usability that can be achieved here cannot be ignored.
Players can combine melee and ranged abilities as they wish, but it is important to obtain the appropriate items to use them. For example, using a bush item allows you to use the “Raid” skill more effectively.
During the testing process, I was able to hear other developers’ opinions regarding the use of skills. It was a really helpful moment because I was able to hear things I hadn’t thought about. We will also actively observe user opinions.
Q. What benefits can I get from the standard double jump? I’m also curious if there is a separate technique that uses jumping. Is the difference in terrain elevation worth using strategically?
In the case of the double jump, there were many internal reviews that said it was a fun element. In World of Warcraft, only certain characters could double jump. Since no fall damage occurs during the Looting Storm, this method of movement can provide a great advantage, such as the ability to easily climb over fences.
Techniques or skills that can benefit from jumping have not yet been implemented. Additionally, you can make small gains by using the elevation difference. Beginners will be able to judge more easily if they play from above.
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