World of Warcraft: Dragonflight

“World of Warcraft: Dragonflight is somehow a breath of fresh air and a celebration of classic design principles in equal measure. The return to more dynamic, old-school talent trees enhances the class fantasy with a seasoning of new abilities across the board. At the same time, the retreat of pressuring, artificial power-gating systems promotes a more healthy gameplay loop. The game is also gorgeous, with a more promising storyline, elevated cinematic delivery mechanics, and deeper core systems which make for one of WoW's best expansions in years.”

“Dragonflight feels like one of the best things to happen for World of Warcraft in sometime. Its reworks of base systems are fun and enjoyable, but its new content really stands out as impressive. Players will find exploring on their faithful companion, whether on the ground or in the sky, is quite the fun time, and the Dragon Isles themselves are well worth the journey. It may feel like jumping in the deep end here for newbies, but top to bottom, Dragonflight still feels like a great reason to play WoW.”

“It will undoubtedly take some time for Blizzard to regain the trust players lost, but to be honest, Dragonflight is definitely a solid step in that direction. If they keep their communication with the players and continue on this path, it may be the expansion that saves WoW which hit rock bottom with Shadowlands. We'll see if they can manage this or not.”

“Dragonflight makes a return to Azeroth that many fans might like. New zones and dragons bring attractive experiences.”

“With Dragonflight, Blizzard has done an exceptional job at breathing life into a game that had been floundering. This is thanks to a fun campaign that anyone can enjoy, an adventurous spirit at the heart of the world, satisfying dragonriding, as well as a location full of stories and secrets to unearth. This is as good a jumping on point for the game as ever, and it's likely the best there will be for some time. After such a tumultuous time for the MMO, this feels like a clean break – a new beginning and a recapturing of the spirit that made the release back in 2004 so captivating. If you're a lapsed player, or even a new one, scared by the sheer weight of 18 years of backlog, Dragonflight sheds most of that. It truly feels like the triumphant return for World of Warcraft and I can't wait to see what's next.”

“Those who love the traditional WoW modus operandi will be well rewarded by Dragonflight, but the expansion could have aspired to other goals with a little more courage in terms of creativity and design.”

“Dragonflight has been the revitalization that World of Warcraft sorely needed after Shadowlands. Yes, there are some issues that still could use some work, but that’s the nature of MMO development, especially when you change things up to such a degree as this expansion did. I’m also heartened to see them willing to make big adjustments like they have planned in 10.0.5. I honestly thought Guardians were going to have to suck it up until 10.1, at the least for a talent tree rework. If they can keep this up and regularly deliver content and adjustments, Dragonflight could be the best expansion World of Warcraft has ever done.”

“For the first time in a long time, I feel like I have a healthy relationship with World of Warcraft. I'm playing because I want to, not because I need to. I'm driven by a new sense of exploration and comradery, rather than seeing a number tick up that I know will be lost to time. It does feel like the start of a new era for the gracefully aging MMO, and I'm excited to see what's next.”

“Blizzard renews World of Warcraft with a good expansion from several points of view; however who knows what qualitative peaks it could have reached with a pinch of extra creative courage.”

“Dragonflight is a sharply-written and breathtaking experience for the first few dozen hours, but suffers from somewhat threadbare endgame options.”

“I’d like to say that it’s been years since we got such a good World of Warcraft expansion, but that kind of declaration could backfire. Still, my first impressions after two weeks of playing are very positive. I’m surprised how much time I spend in Dragonflight.”

“Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.”

“Dragonflight isn't the most thrilling expansion in the MMO's lineage, but it's a fresh start, which is a rare thing for a 20-year-old videogame to get.”

“World of Warcraft: Dragonflight makes an attempt to get the franchise back on the right track and while it's not perfect, it is a pretty good start and it is headed in the right direction.”

“For newcomers or lapsed veterans, it's still easy to recommend World of Warcraft: Dragonflight. It's just worth noting that, for all the new baubles and exciting innovations, it's ultimately the same game underneath it all, for better and for worse.”

“With a newfound emphasis on exploration and adventure, one game-changing feature in the form of dragonriding, and largely successful overhauls of old staples like professions and talents, the latest expansion for Blizzard's storied MMORPG soars.”