Introduction
To begin this review, let me state that I played Mists of Pandaria when it was current and have little to no problems with the content that Blizzard produced in that time frame. With that in mind, however, Warlords of Draenor is an unexpected surprise after the year-long lack of content. Siege of Orgrimmar, the final raid that allowed players to take down the corrupted Warchief of the Horde, Garrosh Hellscream, was interesting and fun for the time it was current, but leaving such content for players to continuously run through for months was disappointing. I reference Ruby Sanctum here, because this was a raid that Blizzard provided to players during the downtime between Wrath of Lich King and Cataclysm.
Regardless of the content laced into Mists of Pandaria's storyline, Warlords of Draenor picks up immediately where the last expansion left off and doesn't disappoint anywhere along the way to level 100. While I can't say that quests such as the typical collection of ten insert-ligament-here or kill eight of insert-bad-guy-here, Draenor does a lot of work to immerse the player in a familiar yet new landscape and narrative. Veteran players who had the pleasure of playing both Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness and Beyond The Dark Portal will recognize many of the villains of the Iron Horde, the collective of Orc factions that were once spread across the continent of Draenor. These factions are now unified and more vicious than ever. Grommash Hellscream, Ner'zhul and Blackhand make their return, but instead of falling to the corruption tied with Draenor Prime's narrative, they exist as allies under the direction of Garrosh and remain untainted by demonic blood. This provides players with a unique look at an alternative timeline from that of Warcraft II and serves as an amazing foundation from which the narrative springs. Without ruining anything, players will be able to interact with these villains firsthand via questing and raids, although only one raid is currently released at the time of this review (Highmaul).
Gameplay
Much of the gameplay and storyline in Warlords of Draenor centers around the player, which is given the title of Commander and bequeathed a garrison in faction-specific starting zones. Frostfire Ridge is the starting zone of the Horde and amongst the tall mountain peaks and snow dunes, they build their garrison from the ground up. On the Alliance side, Shadowmoon Valley provides players with their beginning zone and the land from which their garrison will rise. From meager tents to a grand, bonafide fortress, players will feel as though they really are at the center of the conflict and carry significant influence amongst their peers. Garrisons provide plots of land that players can develop to their liking. Building choices range from stables, which allow you to train soon-to-be mounts to profession buildings that can give players access to professions that they may not be proficient in. Perks to PvE and PvP are also bundled into building choice, as the Dwarven Bunker (Alliance) / War Mill (Horde) give players the ability to obtain one free Seal of Tempered Fate (used for bonus rolls in raids) and the Gladiator's Sanctum gives PvPers the option to earn unique titles based on their kills, as well as extra Conquest Points that they can earn via work orders. Each building can be upgraded twice and provide unique effects depending on Tier. For example, the Tier 3 Stables allows players to ride 20% on their mounts, while the Tier 2 Enchanting Building gives transmog-happy players the ability to give their weapon an 'Illusion' which gives it an aesthetic enchant that covers whatever enchant may currently be applied... or even allows them to hide the enchant to show the weapon by itself!
Quests are extremely engaging this expansion, as Blizzard utilizes phasing technology to a great extent. Areas in zones appear drastically different to those who choose to complete zone storylines and each garrison is phased to each individual player, accessible by partying up and choosing the 'View Leader's Garrison' option from their player portrait. Storylines revolving around the Frostwolf Orcs or the Draenei seeking to stop Ner'zhul's activation of "The Dark Star" immerse you from the beginning and keep content exciting all the way to Level 100.
Upon reaching Level 100, in similar fashion to Mists of Pandaria, you are contacted by Khadgar about crafting a truly legendary piece of equipment. In the form of a ring, players must enter dungeons at their normal and heroic difficulties as well as raids to obtain items necessary to upgrade the valuable piece of equipment. As of now, the highest item level that the ring can be upgraded to is 690, which includes a proc that aids the player in whatever role they fulfill within a raid / dungeon setting (DPS, Tank, Healing).
Not into quests or extended storylines? Fear not! Blizzard has taken the liberty of including 'Bonus Objectives' which encompass areas in each zone that provide a great boost of experience and gold to those who fulfill the requirements.
Dungeons provide an interesting look into a tweaked loot system and expectations of those interested in end-game content such as raiding. Loot, once granted to players upon the killing of each boss (regardless of usability), has been altered to grant rewards randomly and with a greater variety in regards to stats. With the removal of Reforging (exclusive to Mists of Pandaria when it was current), this is a welcome change from Blizzard to provide people with the chance to build their character's secondary stats with greater boosts, instead of working with what is given. Blizzard eschewed complicated talent trees expansions ago, but the ability to build characters in the same way remains with attention to secondary stats. Crafting has been altered with this in mind as well; Tailors/Engineers/Blacksmiths/Inscribers/Jewelcrafters/Leatherworkers all have the option to craft armor and weapons, but have been given recipes to craft items that reroll the secondary stats to their choosing as well as upgrade the armor to keep up with the item level demands of Highmaul (645) and Blackrock Foundry (665). That's right, you can craft your armor specifically to your spec and secondary stat requirements. A Frost Death Knight who uses a two-hander can create a belt that supplies both Multistrike and Versatility (two new stats) instead of crafting something that can give only one or the other. Unfortunately, Blizzard has implemented a limit of three crafted items per character, so don't expect to run around in full crafted gear. With gear in mind, I should mention that Blizzard has removed the unneeded stats of hit, parry, expertise and dodge to help players gear up without the necessity of hit-capping/expertise-capping and so forth.
Garrisons also provide unique chances to obtain raid equivalent gear from follower missions as well as the Salvage Yard. So far, the highest item level of gear I have found is 665, to match with Blackrock Foundry (Normal difficulty).
Overall Opinion / Outcome
World of Warcraft has existed for ten years, and while the age can be seen in older zones and outdated models, Blizzard is making its comeback after the lack of interest Mists of Pandaria garnished. They've already updated the character models for Humans, Gnomes, Dwarves, Night Elves, Trolls, Orcs, Tauren, Undead/Forsaken and Draenei, with models pertaining to Blood Elves on the way! With this in mind, Draenor lives up the expectation that Blizzard often establishes with its franchises. You can see the time and detail in each area of Draenor if your computer has the capability to run the game at a desirable setting and the world is filled to the brim with treasures, whether they drop from elite/rare monsters or are found in hard to reach places. As a game that has been around for ten years, World of Warcraft still manages to give daily significance to the things you do and rewards based on how much effort you give into your garrison and character. The best way to experience Draenor is by upgrading your garrison to its greatest potential and to reap the benefits that it provides. Without stepping foot into Normal Highmaul, my Death Knight has already reached an item level of 645. Gearing up is easier than ever before, so new players and veterans alike are welcomed to strengthen their influence in Draenor via dungeons, raids or simply building up their garrison. Regardless of what others may say, garrisons provide a lot of perks and things to do even when you've reached Level 100. Whether you like to craft, collect treasures or simply hang around with friends, you'll find that having your own little place in Draenor is a welcome addition to the World of Warcraft.