Blizzard puts four new zones and three ports into World of Warcraft: Forever

World of Warcraft: Forever gets four new zones at launch: Mount Hyjal, Shen’Dralas, Riverglades and Zephras Isle. That is what Wowhead writes, based on the panels at BlizzCon. Three ports and over 1,000 new quests come with them.

The four new zones

Mount Hyjal is the endgame zone and holds the first raids for 20 and 10 players, Hyjal Summit and the Barrow Deeps. Forever is set after Warcraft III, so Archimonde’s skeleton still lies near Nordrassil.

Shen’Dralas sits between Mulgore and Desolace. The zone carries on the story of the Shen’dralar and that of the centaur tribes of Desolace, Wowhead writes. Quests are added around the dungeons Razorfen Downs and Maraudon.

Riverglades fills the gap between the mid thirties and the early forties. Players reach it from Steamwheedle Port or through a new route from Redridge into the Burning Steppes. Ogres and the Twilight’s Hammer live there, and the new dungeon Krol’dok Stronghold lies in the zone.

Zephras Isle is the starting zone of the Skyborne, the first new race. It serves levels 1 to 12 and explains where the Skyborne come from: elves who escaped Dire Maul with the help of the air elementals of Al’Akir. After level 12 players move on to the zones of their own faction.

Three ports for getting around

Southshore finally gets a use for its dock and becomes a stop between Menethil Harbor and Auberdine. Steamwheedle Port gets a boat that carries players across the continent to Riverglades. Stormwind Harbor is the one players already know, added in Wrath of the Lich King.

What changes in the starting zones

Every starting zone gets new NPCs, quests and experiences compared to WoW Classic, says Lead Content Designer Evan Lee according to Wowhead. The content players know stays in place beside it. Desolace and the Wetlands receive large packages of extra quests, so they feel less empty.

When the story is set

Forever takes place in year 1 of World of Warcraft, before the Dark Portal opened and before players travelled to Northrend, says Senior Game Designer Josh Greenfield. Executive Producer Holly Longdale places the game directly after the campaign of the Warcraft III expansion Forsaken Kingdom.

The journey over the destination

The developers stressed at BlizzCon that the journey weighs heavier than the destination. Associate Production Director Clayton Stone names camping, tradeskills and the Legacy talents as the features that let players stop and look around.

Which zones follow after launch has not been announced.