One of Blizzard’s primary goals with WoW Dragonflight was to return to the roots of what made Warcraft great during the likes of Wrath of the Lich King and Mists of Pandaria, and for Team Liquid Twitch star and avid MMORPG enthusiast Gillian ‘Eiya,’ the latest expansion is a much-needed step back in time.
Eiya is one of the pillars of the WoW streaming community alongside the likes of Caroline ‘Naguura’ Forer and Annie ‘AnnieFuchsia.’ Her in-depth knowledge of the game and playful personality have earned her a dedicated following that is incredibly passionate about all things Warcraft.
While many a corner of Azeroth fell silent in the lull period between Shadowlands and Dragonflight, Eiya believes that Dragonflight has helped breathe new life into Blizzard’s MMO, calling it a “beautiful expansion” whose lush new zones rival that of her favourite chapter of the WoW saga, Mists of Pandaria.
“It feels like old school WoW maps where everything is wide open and you get to wander around without having to figure out how to get up some cliff, or where the elevator is to get up some tall building every five seconds,” she tells PCGamesN. “The game just feels ‘free.'”
In terms of going back to Azeroth’s roots, she states that Dragonflight comes “as close as it can for someone who has been playing for as long as I have.
“The most familiar feeling is the sense of exploration; how I am free to go wherever I want and I don’t feel gated from doing anything (yet, please Blizzard!). This feels like an expansion where we are truly free to enjoy it how we want. Having Dragonriding is such a unique compromise to the norm where we don’t get flying until a few months in.”
I asked her where Dragonflight sits on her tier list, and at the moment, things are looking pretty positive. “Mists of Pandaria will always be my number one, and if it continues to be as fun as it currently is Dragonflight will be pretty high up there,” she states, going on to highlight “it’s too early to tell at the moment, but I am remaining hopeful. Sometimes I worry that this feeling is too good to be true and a change will be implemented that will suddenly make the expansion un-fun again, but for now I am enjoying my time in the Dragon Isles!”
I also enjoyed my Dragonflight adventure, so if you want my unbridled thoughts be sure to check out our WoW Dragonflight review. If Eiya’s excitement has inspired you to dive into the wonderous world of the Dragon Isles, be sure to check out our WoW Dragonflight tier list, and our list of the best WoW addons to get ahead of the curve. Oh, and you’ll also want to note down all of the WoW Dragonflight dragon glyph locations; to quote Eiya, “it’s important to get all your glyphs before you do anything else!”