World of Warcraft: Forever is a time vampire. Since its release last Wednesday, I have spent 78 hours in Azeroth. Some of that I was AFK, sure. But for many of those hours, I was lost, happily, in the rolling hills and vast planes of Blizzard's MMO - now enhanced, beautified, and given a new social energy that makes the old feel wonderfully new.

The original World of Warcraft is so beloved, so influential, that I wasn't convinced Forever could build upon it without cheapening the overall experience; without creating glaring clashes between its new additions and legacy elements that, in some instances, are now over two decades old. And while there's still plenty I haven't seen after 78 hours and 35 levels, I can speak to one truth: WoW Forever is stunning work.

Perhaps it's best to start with WoW: Forever's most obvious changes: its new lighting and weather effects. People love to speak about getting lost in MMOs, being consumed by their digital worlds, but as much as I've enjoyed World of Warcraft in the past, its ageing graphics tech never managed to ensnare me that way. Forever's new visual elements, though, have gone a long way toward pulling me in.

As I look out to sea, waves roll across the ocean. Inland, water flows fast along the rivers of Stranglethorn Vale. These are largely cosmetic additions, sure, but they make Azeroth feel so much more real. Dun Morogh's snowstorms - likely the first exposure many players will have to Forever's new weather effects - transform a peaceful, picturesque landscape into something hostile at a moment's notice.

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