A pair of new islands will hit World of Warcraft’s island expeditions next month, along with the meaty Tides of Vengeance update. Unfortunately, Havenswood and Jorundall both look like pretty gloomy places, so don't expect any beach fun. Joining them are changes to what you’ll be doing in these expeditions, which fuel the war between the Alliance and Horde.
Havenswood looks like your typical Kul Tiran port from the first screenshot, while Jorundall looks like the sort of place you wouldn’t want to linger, what with the imposing tomb and spooky trees. Nowhere nice has trees that look that ominous. You won’t be there for sightseeing, anyway.
Islands old and new will feature two additional events revolving around the collection of azerite, and expect to do a bit of fighting while you try to fill your pockets.
“Since the launch of Battle for Azeroth, we’ve continued to iterate on Island Expeditions. In Tides of Vengeance, we’ve tried to shake things up with the addition of Azerite Ruptures and Extractors, add a bit more variety to what you can expect on any given island,” Blizzard says. “You may encounter one of these in place of an invasion, and even invasions will have more variety—for example, you may face Southsea Pirates and Earth Elementals on an upcoming island visit.”
When you encounter a rupture, you’ll need to deploy a collection device, in turn summoning enemies in several waves. The event culminates in a battle with a rare or rare elite enemy. You’ll be able to get more azerite than usual by defeating them, too. When you do this, every player will be notified, so you might get some help, but you’re just as likely to be attacked by the opposing faction.
Extractors can be plonked down on azerite extractor locations, not surprisingly, and net you azerite over time. Blizzard warns, however, that it can be captured by the enemy team, while also pulling NPCs hanging around the area. Just like the rupture device, everyone will be told where the extractor is the moment you deploy it.
Tides of Vengeance promises to be a significant update, introducing a new raid, a warfront in Dark Shore, the Kul Tiran and Zandalari Trolls allied races, some big changes to the azerite armour system and a whole bunch more. The expansion is due out on December 11.
