World Of Warcraft: Warlords Of Draenor Gameplay Videos Show Starter Zones

The first gameplay videos from World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor have hit the web. The footage from the upcoming expansion shows off the two starting zones, Shadowmoon Valley and Frostfire Ridge.

Shadowmoon Valley is where level 90 Alliance characters begin the expansion. Here they'll help the draenei battle against the Iron Horde. They'll also have to contend with the Shadowmoon Clan, a group of orcs led by the warlock Ner'zhul.

Although Shadowmoon Valley was featured in Burning Crusade, it's very different inDraenor. The region now features moonlit plains rather than toxic wastelands. The Alliance foothold in the region is the holy temple of Karabor, which in Burning Crusadewas the home of Illidan.




Some wildlife from BC will make a return, though, such as nether rays and sporebats. Blizzard has updated many of these creatures with new models though. It doesn't look like Blizzard is just recycled old expansion content.

MMO Champion reports that the last questline for Shadowmoon is a doozy. Don't read the quote below if you don't want the events spoiled:

Ner'zhul uses an evil force, the Void Terror. At the end of the zone, you fight Ner'zhul and he manages to corrupt a Naaru into a "Dark Naaru". To purify the Naaru, Velen sacrifices himself and dies. This is a pretty huge plot twist and his death will be part of a cinematic at the end of the quest. It is followed by a giant battle. You join Maraad (freed from Ner'zhul earlier) to fight the Iron Horde.

Horde players, meanwhile, will start out in the Frostfire Ridge. Frostfire is a snowy mountain range that the Frostwolf Clan calls home. They're led by Durotan, the father of Thrall.

The players will help the Frostwolf Clan expel invaders from their homeland. Presumably these invaders include the Iron Horde, the orc coalition that Durotan has refused to join. The Iron Horde are the main antagonists for the expansion for both Horde and Alliance players. They're currently building an army that they'll use to invade Azeroth. Players will have to travel across the entire world of Draenor to stop them.

The gameplay footage was released by Inven, a Korean gaming site. They're one of many press outlets that were given a sneak peek at the game. Blizzard also planned preview events in North America and Europe so you can expect more details about the expansion in the coming weeks. Chadd Nervig, technical game designer for WoW, said that a "flood" of information is on the way:

In the mean time, please hold tight, and forgive me for not answering every question until our big burst of info goes out. Thanks!
— Celestalon (@Celestalon) February 21, 2014