It looks like World of Warcraft’s Recruit a friend program is heading back to Azeroth following a hiatus over the summer. In May, Blizzard announced that the feature – which lets you team up with your pals in-game to take on adventures and earn some goodies together – would be taking a break while the studio developed a new version to replace it. Now, that version is on the way.
Announced in a post on the WoW website, Blizzard says that Recruit a Friend “returns soon!” The studio reveals a “new-and-improved Recruit A Friend” that “retains fan-favorite features” while also introducing a raft of new rewards on offer for players to grab – all because “Azeroth is best experienced with friends at your side.”
The new RAF program will be pretty similar to the previous version in that you’ll be able to use Friend-to-Friend summoning to teleport to eachother’s location (this has a 30 minute cooldown) and you’ll also earn a 50% experience bonus when teamed up.
However, the new RAF lets you link to up to ten pals and collect goodies like game time plus some “unique rewards,” which can include pets, mounts, and other things, “the longer they play.” The post introduces a “curious” monkey called Rikki, a two-seater aeroplane mount called an Explorer’s Jungle Hopper, a new title, and more, all up for grabs through the program.
The post says that WoW players, both new and veteran, can sign up to the new RAF program if they’ve not bought game time on their account in the previous two years. Then, each time a recruited friend tops up their account with game time, you’ll get some progress towards a reward, with accelerated progress for the more friends you invite.
Other benefits included in the new system include faster leveling – a 50% bonus to XP when teamed up – plus the new Party Sync feature lets you align everyone in your group to the same point in your quest state and phase, as well as adjust your level, if you want to be by your pals’ side as they level up. You also don’t need to worry if someone in your party’s already completed a quest you’re all just getting stuck into – there’s a replay quest option.
The new-style RAF will also include a panel in-game to help you keep track of your reward progress, access Party Sync, and give you some specific activities you and your group can complete to earn rewards.
Blizzard says Recruit a Friend will head to World of Warcraft in “the next few months.” If you’re keen to find out more about how it’ll work and how to get started for when it arrives, head over to the WoW site post. You can also see a picture of a curious monkey called Rikki, who is adorable.