| This article is based on the exclusive licensing agreement between Campfire and Game Informer in China, and please repost with your consent.
This week, Blizzard unveiled its latest World of Warcraft expansion pack, Age of Dragons, showcasing a new race and class combination, Dragon Hill Summoning Sorcerer, and new players exploring the Awakened Dragon Islands. Some of the official announcements this week may not be cool enough compared to the new playable races and classes in switchable forms. However, the official does give players a better understanding of the World of Warcraft team's design philosophy and priorities in the near future. I discussed with Jackie Wiley, senior game designer of Age of Dragons, about the redesigned talent system in version 10.0 and the major changes in professional skills that the authorities have made.
Wiley said: "We are moving away from the 'borrowed power' of the current expansion pack to build the game's conventional system. However, we also let players express their ideas." The concept of "borrowed power" is often featured in the World of Warcraft community, which refers to the artifact system in "Legion Re-Arrival", the Azerith armor in "Battle for Azeroth", and the covenant skill and soul bondage system in Shadowlands, which gives players new attribute bonuses, spells, and skills, but these are not inherent in the class upgrade and talent system.
In the expansion packs that have been released in recent years, the player character will lose most of his power at the beginning, resulting in a significant loophole in the class output play and utility, waiting for the next "borrowed power" mechanism to fill these gaps. According to Wiley's statement, there will be no such system in the "Age of Dragons", and Blizzard will learn from the previous system and rebuild a more classic talent system.
Currently, World of Warcraft players automatically acquire most of their spells and skills as they level up, with only a few options that allow them to choose their preferred class specialization. Every 15 or so levels, you can choose one of three specific talents at your current level; some will improve on existing skills, while others will give you new skills. However, since there are only six options per character during a given period, there is not much room official left for players to express themselves and customize for a particular class. Now, all of this will change in the Age of dragon expansion packs.
The Talent Tree will make a strong return to World of Warcraft, allowing players to devote valuable Talent Points to their chosen skills. World of Warcraft's earliest talent system provided a talent tree for each class specialization, allowing players to choose the talent they want on the available branches to enhance specific class skills. However, Age of Dragons offers two talent trees: one for the entire class skill and status, and one for the specific specialization chosen by the player. You won't be able to turn a mage into a fire and ice mage, but the new system should provide more freedom, allowing players to minimize or maximize their natural skills and decide on the custom gameplay they want.
Each level up, the player will receive a Class Talent Point or a Specialization Talent Point, which can be used to activate abilities on a specific Talent Tree. It's not a novel concept, but the talent system is finally coming back in a refreshing way, and for players like me who prefer the World of Warcraft retro suit, it is a big step closer to the system design of the nostalgic suit. Theoretically, each level will provide feedback, such as the small rewards and appearance changes I get when building my character, which will make the upgrade experience more fulfilling, rather than just a boring mob spawner.
The official way to get the talent system back is not just about "making some changes."
"In the last few expansion packs, we've learned a lot from all the systems that are important to us, such as the Azerith Armor, the Spirit Guide, the Soul Bondage, and the Legendary Gear, and we'll learn from them." Wiley says, "So you can see some of the old stuff scattered across the Talent Tree."
Some reasonable designs (such as covenant skills) may become fixed abilities of the class, but no specific information has been given yet. For example, the Druid's "Full Moon" spell, which was originally an artifact skill of "Legion Return", was later added to the skill list of the class.
"For example, after the Legion Revisited expansion pack went live, the Balanced Druid said, 'I also want to use the skills that this big moon smashes down.'" Luckily, they can still do that," Wiley explains, "and we've learned a lot from multiple versions of the class tweaks, including content that players like, and even taking care of the needs of a small subset of players, and we want to give people a choice again."
It is worth mentioning that these changes to the talent tree do not mean that the core identity of each profession will be redesigned officially. Wiley says, "We don't want to revolutionize the entire class/specialization/output style of play like the Legion ComeBack expansion pack; if you like the current specialized gameplay, we hope you can recreate it in version 10.0 and get more customization options through the talent system."
World of Warcraft's expertise, like its talents, is undergoing some degree of innovation. Officials didn't reveal specific details, but there will be dramatic changes to the manufacturing and collection, including the importance of both to players experiencing the fantasy and economic elements of the game. Manufacturing specialties such as forging or leather making introduce attributes unique to professional skills, allowing players to focus on the specific direction of that specialty. For example, forging can choose to prioritize weapon forging or armor forging, build your own customer base, and use high-grade equipment to enjoy the reputation of the server.
Players need to be aware that not all crafted items are no different, but this time, a new "grade" attribute has been added to the game, which shows that your character uses better materials or specialized skills when crafting specific items. Specialized equipment can be automatically equipped when performing activities such as gathering or tailoring.
Finally, the new "Crafting Orders" system allows players to commission other craftsmen to craft specific items, even soul-bound items, which will make previously non-transferable and professionally exclusive items available to all players. If the player wants to submit a "manufacturing order", they can use the interface similar to the auction house to publish the "manufacturing order", select the item they want to make, and send it to the other party.
Players can provide some or all of the materials to craft items and pay for the full cost of the craftsman. This time, people can shop around and choose who they want to work with. Craftsmen, on the other hand, can use "manufacturing orders" to break out of their own world at reasonable prices, high-grade items, or additional advantages.
With the launch of the "Dragon Age", if the official can realize the various ideas currently promised, then the entire professional system will usher in a new life. I've never been so interested in participating in the world of Warcraft's economic system, and at the same time, I wanted manufacturing and gathering to be a meaningful way of interacting, rather than the impersonal auction deals that are now. The changes in the professional system, coupled with the reconstruction of the entire talent system, are substantial changes to the bottom of World of Warcraft, and I believe they will bring players a better game experience in the future.
Translation: Wang Yi
Edit: Zoe