After 20 years, World of Warcraft is going from a MMORPG to a battle royale, like Fortnite. But, thankfully, it’s just an extra event being added to the core WoW experience.
The World of Warcraft team has announced a new event called Plunderstrorm, and it’s already available to play.
“Plunderstorm is World of Warcraft’s take on a Battle Royale,” says Lead Software Engineer Orlando Salvatore.
Salvatore and associate game director Jeremy Feasel explained how Plunderstorm works on a WowCast video released on YouTube.
“It is a pirate-themed battle-royale-inspired event that takes place entirely within World of Warcraft and is available for all active WoW subscribers,” says Feasel.
We’re yet to play World of Warcraft Plunderstorm, but we know enough about it to get a sense of what it is like.
What is World of Warcraft Plunderstorm?
Plunderstorm is designed to be played by World of Warcraft members of all levels. You work up your character and its class from within the mode itself, rather than bringing a standard character into the fray.
You make a new character with each match, levelling the figurative playing field. And you pick up abilities in chests, earning the sort of spells in seconds that might take you ages to achieve in standard World of Warcraft.
Plunderstorm is accessed from the game’s main menu, not by just teleporting to a specific location from within World of Warcraft proper.
Some of the familiar tropes of Battle Royale games are here too. The play area is constrained by a magical storm, one that surrounds the players and gradually hems them in to push the remaining fighters in for a final confrontation.
It’s very Fortnite in that sense. But rather than playing solo, World of Warcraft Plunderstorm also lets you play as part of a team. If you die, there’s a chance for team members to revive you before you are kicked out into spectator mode.
However, these are more like Hunger Games-style teams, as only one player can win at the end of this mode. It’s a case of “the winner being the last one standing,” according to the World of Warcraft website.
“Player versus enemy” encounters are going to be much more important here than in most games of this type too. You’re likely to take on non-player nasties before attacking other actual players. This is important because your character levels up in each game, giving you a better chance against actual human players.
Each match will feature 60 of these players, and lasts 10-15 minutes, a duration steered by the contraction of the play area.
And where is it set? The Agatha Highlands, found in the Eastern Kingdoms.
Plunderstorm rewards system
While Plunderstorm is for the most part a standalone mode, playing it will unlock rewards that can be used either in the main game or World of Warcraft Classic.
Playing Plunderstorm will see you climb up 40 “renown levels” that unlock these rewards. Classic rewards include a “pet and a mount” according to associate game director Jeremy Feasel.
Plunderstorm may not be around forever. And whether it’s the start of something big or a mode only hardcore World of Warcraft fans will remember in six months depends on the player response.
“Depending on player feedback we will see what the future of Plunderstorm looks like,” says Feasel.
A World of Warcraft membership costs £9.99 a month, dropping to £8.69 a month if you commit for a year.
