Blizzard's retro MMO is about to sail into uncharted waters, but right now, it's clearly something special
The first thing I did in the World of Warcraft: Forever beta was roll a Troll. It was an instinctive response; my original WoW character, all the way back in 2005, was a Troll, and the sun-baked plains and dustbowls of Durotar and The Barrens will always be my Azerothian homeland. Naturally, the first thing I wanted to see in WoW: Forever's reimagining of classic WoW was how these environs look in the game's gorgeous new rendering.
I only took the character to level 6, however. I realized that this was the character I'd want to play and the path I'd want to follow in the live game when it launches this week, on Nov. 4, and I didn't want to spoil that experience. At the same time, I felt a professional obligation to check out Forever's brand-new race, the Skyborne elves, and their flying-island starting zone, Zephras Isle. So I started again, with a Skyborne Druid.
I had a nice time. I experimented with the official gamepad support and found it very useful, if not a natural fit for every facet of WoW's complex interface. I marveled at the developers' ability to write quests and build landscapes in the classic WoW style, effectively unlearning two decades' worth of evolving game design.
Here is an MMO that is simultaneously tougher and more relaxing than the modern game. It's less directed and has a much slower pace.
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