Summary
After weeks of anticipation,World of Warcraftpulled back the curtain on Patch 10.2.6, titled Plunderstorm, which was highlighted by a new battle royale game mode that players can try out. The new game mode was kept under wraps by theWorld of Warcraftdevelopment team and is considered a limited-time event in which players can earn cosmetic pirate-themed rewards including outfits and more.
The first indication of Patch 10.2.6’s existence came whenWorld of Warcraftrevealed its 2024 roadmaps for both the Classic and retail versions of the game. Unlike other patches launched throughoutWorld of Warcraft’s 20-year history, Patch 10.2.6 did not have any public test realm (PTR) client to download, so players were largely kept in the dark over what the update contained. WhileWorld of Warcraftexecutive producer Holly Longdaleremained tight-lipped about the lack of updates concerning Plunderstorm, she reiterated that the reasons for keeping Patch 10.2.6 hidden would be justified once the update goes live.
Blizzard posted a small tease that confirmed the presence of pirates in Patch 10.2.6, but the full picture was made clear on March 19. ThoughWorld of Warcraftremained in maintenance at the time of writing,Blizzard posted a blog updatethat covered what players could expect in Plunderstorm. Taking inspiration from titles such asFortnite, Plunderstorm is a 60-player battle royale in the Arathi Basin. The Plunderstorm game mode is accessed from the character select screen inDragonflight.World of Warcraftplayers must make a new character in Plunderstorm, but each class will play differently in this mode. WiththeHearthstoneanniversary event winding down, this new game mode will be a limited-time event that players can try. The duration of this event remains unknown.
What Is World of Warcraft: Plunderstorm?
In Plunderstorm, defeating monsters and other players will allow combatants to collect treasure and upgrade abilities they find scattered throughout the map.As is the case inFortnite, a storm will shrink the battlefield and any players caught in it will be eliminated. However, for participating and winning battle royales,WoWplayers will earn renown points that will give cosmetic rewards such as a pirate outfit. That said,World of Warcraft: Classicplayers will not be left out, as they can earn a special parrot mount by playing Plunderstorm. However, Plunderstorm requires downloading the retail version ofWorld of Warcraftand an active subscription. Blizzard stated that all addons would be disabled in Plunderstorm to ensure a fair challenge for all players.
All in all, Plunderstorm is the first game mode of its kind to be put intoWorld of Warcraftthroughout its long history. But only time will tell how players will react to Plunderstorm, and how much feedback the developers will get.
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World of Warcraft is an incredibly successful MMORPG that has been going strong for almost two decades. It’s one of the highest-grossing franchises in history and is widely considered the most popular MMORPG ever made.
