For people in the know, launch issues for a World of Warcraft expansion is as familiar as your Mum’s best spag bol – and World Of Warcraft: Dragonflight was no different.
It’s a pulse-pounding moment when your method of transportation – be it zeppelin or boat – comes to a grinding halt on it’s way to lands anew. The social experience of a new expansion actually makes this a somewhat fun occurrence as you suddenly find yourself playing a game of roulette with your mates to see who will actually set foot in new lands.
Far less interesting is when you simply can’t log in, which was a fairly rampant issue.
[#Dragonflight] We're currently investigating an issue affecting our authentication servers, which may result in failed or slow login attempts.
— Blizzard CS – The Americas (@BlizzardCS) November 28, 2022
For those stuck in the dreaded real world, the warm comfort of memes could at least aid them in this trying time:
"dRaGonfLigHt nOw liVe" pic.twitter.com/iMVMNAJcPi
— Sin'dorei NPC (@MorisDreadvale) November 29, 2022
— MeG💙 (@BlueElvii) November 29, 2022
Servers during #Dragonflight launch pic.twitter.com/0qISaRiqTZ
— Method (@Method) November 28, 2022
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Blizzard at EVERY launch day… pic.twitter.com/9fXxxuvA4c
— crazygoodkungfu (@crazygoodkungfu) November 29, 2022
Luckily, our friends at Blizzard are much like The Architect from The Matrix – this is not the first time they have needed to fix launch issues, and they have become exceedingly efficient at it.
With world servers restored, they quickly implemented some Portals to allow players to avoid the perils of traveling by boat or zeppelin – drowning is never fun, even with memes to make it less serious. And with the Dragon Isles finally accessible by all, a warm reception is trickling forth from many parties in response to the storytelling and aesthetic they have discovered:
genuinely love the dragonflight cutscenes so far, both in style and storytelling — feels wild?? after wincing my way through so much of shadowlands which felt hamstrung by writers trying to reach for things but not being allowed & big hammy plot beats. great new direction tbh
— unromanceable npc companion (@yaranyarai) November 30, 2022
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Okay so Dragonflight has been really fun. The zones are huge, I’m not even out of the first one. A lot of sidequests have been more about building up the world rather than just killing stuff or moving from point to point. And the dragon riding is just as fun as I’ve heard.
— Jesse, Of The Abyss (@KzintiCV) November 30, 2022
Even personally, friends who have long grown cynical towards the world of Azeroth have taken the time to tell me that they have been pleasantly surprised by what is on offer.
It’s great to see such positivity, especially when Dragonflight is by far the most inclusive and progressive WoW expansion to date – with a fantastically broad range of characters that weave an interesting and intriguing story, it is a uniquely fresh experience.
Did you have trouble accessing Dragonflight? Are you currently enjoying the experience? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
Known throughout the interwebs simply as M0D3Rn, Ash is bad at video games. An old guard gamer who suffers from being generally opinionated, it comes as no surprise that he is both brutally loyal and yet, fiercely whimsical about all things electronic. On occasion will make a youtube video that actually gets views. Follow him on YouTube @Bad at Video Games
