We have begun the alpha testing phase and want to provide all of you with some details on how we have been planning for this phase of testing to roll out before we move to the beta.
This time around we plan to do some focused zone testing early on so we can get as much feedback as possible from each phase of updates. To do this, specific zones will be available and then disabled to keep alpha testers in the active areas. While the zones are expected to weave in and out of existence during the initial stages of the alpha, the majority of other content and features will continue to persist week over week following their introduction into the alpha.
Our goal is to roll out a new phase every week. As a reminder, testing phases can be very fluid so depending on implementation, feedback, or issues, the schedule could change at a moment’s notice. Alpha testers should keep an eye on the alpha forum for updates on what is available in each update.
Here is a breakdown for what players can initially expect to see in the first phase of Dragonflight alpha:
Phase 1 Zone Experience: The Azure Span
New Race and Class: Dracthyr Evoker
Dragonriding
New Interface HUD Revamp
Talent Revamps for Death Knight, Druid, Hunter, Priest, and Rogue
Professions: Alchemy and Blacksmithing
Full details on the following phases will be shared as we get closer to them, but here are the current plans for the zones:
Phase 2 Zone Experience: The Forbidden Reach
Phase 3 Zone Experiences: The Forbidden Reach and Waking Shores
Phase 4 Zone Experiences: The Forbidden Reach and Thaldraszus
Phase 5 Zone Experiences: The Forbidden Reach and Ohn’ahran Plain
Phase 6+ All zones are expected to be playable
Please read the patch note thread for full details of each phase as they become available.
Thanks for your interest and see you in the Dragon Isles.
I wanted to thank the devs for what’s looking like an amazing expansion and provide some feedback!
Based on a lot of the testing many people in the community members have done, I have compiled a list of the feedback that might be helpful to the devs.
Feedback on System
Customization: It would be fantastic if we could save presets on customizations it would be great. A lot of other games have it, and it would be nice to have.
Feedback on Dragonriding
This might be nitpicking at the best feature we’ve had in years, but when reaching max speed, the speed effects can be a bit too overwhelming to look at. It’s been suggested that it would be dialed down a little and only a little bit.
Feedback on Dracthyr
Racial:
Glide: in Visage form, the glide looks and feels clunky and weird. Perhaps, like the Demon Hunters, having the wings spring out from their backs when gliding in Visage form would really help with the fantasy & smoothness of the passive.
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Soar: Though the community agrees that such a strong racial requires a long cooldown. 5 minutes feels a bit extreme. Reducing it 4 minutes would put it in line with other strong abilities without making it insanely overpowered.
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PrinciplesofSoaring: The addition of a toned down version of the Vigor system would be highly appreciated to the players that want to fully immerse themselves in the “Im a dragon” fantasy.
Feedback on Evokers
Spells
CastingRange: While aim of the Evokers being in the midst of the battle with their high mobility compensating for their shorter caster range is apparent, the 25yards does feel a bit too harsh on our Evoker friends. The suggestion here that an extra 5 yards would be quite reasonable to their casting range without it conflicting with their concept.
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Spiritbloom: The animation for this spell is beyond beautiful. I think everyone in the community can agree to that. There is a bit of a weird look to it in the beginning of the cast where the “Bloom” animation is upright as if a flower is blooming in mid air, however. Might I suggest tilting the animation to look as if the flower is blooming right out of the Evoker’s hand instead? Highly appreciated, I’m sure!
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Talents: While everyone is very excited about the new Talent overhaul, there are certain talents that are placed in a really awkward spot in the tree, completely far away from their sisters that affect the same spell. A good example of this would be Cycle of Life being on the exact opposite side of all the Emerald Blossom affecting talents. Im sure someone can give a better example, though.
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DreamBreath: It seems that the animation does not accurately display the actual range of the ability or the ground indicator.
I really hope the devs take look at this feedback and let us know their thoughts. If you have further feedback please reply with it! Let the devs see it before its too late!
Also, I know there’s a specific forum for feedback but it wasn’t working for me so lol.
Please can we be advised how Blizzard is choosing what players are getting access to Alpha?
It seems that streamers always gain access or those who do high end content however there are members of the community who do testing for a living so would provide just as valuable feedback on the systems (and would likely be unbiased to reporting issues which make a specific class the meta).
What logic goes into the choice or is it just those groups and then random other people are drawn out of the hat?
The things id do for alpha invite is beyond comprehension. Did SL beta testing and reported some bugs and gave feedback sadly no invite for alpha this time fingers crossed for an invite later or potentially for beta again
the Movement in dragon From should be Real… like A real Dragon !!
i got alpha testing and playing it a bit… the most thing make me thinking is why The dragon is walking !!
Don’t ruin soar in Dragonfligt! let the movement stay as it is, it looks major awesome! with the mobility! Hell make it faster!!!
It’s like spiderman 2 on the PS2 the reason people loved it, was that it felt good to play, no wack movement, just a pure smote experience with a lot of fun and speed, to see the game in a unique way that is hard to replicate. Don’t make “Soar” boring, it will make the game less fun, and it’s the easy and silly things people enjoy and seek, not some list of order, it’s like that in our own world, games are for abstract and wired situations that would not likely be in our normal day life, so what if it’s “broke” that’s what players want, stuff that feels OP, often OP = fun, if there are no real competition then it’s only OP for your own experience, no one gets hurte by it, maybe it will bring a hole new life to your game, the speed limit should not be in games, we have it in life because it’s necessary! It’s not in a video game, people can’t get hurt when there are no collision!
