Summary
The story inDragonflightfeels far from concluded, which is why manyWorld of Warcraftplayers felt blindsided to discover that Guardians of the Dream is most likely the final patch of the expansion. Unlike thedisjointed story ofShadowlands,Dragonflight’s cohesive theme of unity and renewal set amidst the backdrop of the Dragon Isles was much better received by the community. It introduced new villains in the Primal Incarnates, who left a strong impression on many a player, from the maddened Raszageth and sadistic Fyrakk, to the methodical Iridikron and principled Vyranoth.
Since launch, these four proto-dragons played a central role as the overarching antagonists inDragonflight, and Guardians of the Dream is to set to conclude the growing threat of Fyrakk, now imbued in Shadowflame and consumed by his lust for power. However, for manyWorld of Warcraftplayers, it feels like the story still has many plot beats left unexplored. Fyrakk was always seen as the stepping stone to facing the leader of the Incarnates, the mastermind Iridikron. His presumed sudden role as thefinal boss ofDragonflightfeels unsatisfying in the eyes of the community, and yet newly datamined evidence all but confirms that Patch 10.2 is the last major content update for the expansion.
A permanent Augment Rune was recently added to the Public Test Realm, obtainable by reaching Level 18 Renown with the Dream Wardens, and spending 100,000 gold for the item. Given that the Eternal Augment Rune was added in the final patch ofShadowlands, this Dreambound Augment Rune strongly implies that Fyrakk is the final boss, and that Iridikron’s story will likely be concluded in thenextWorld of Warcraftexpansion. A thread was created on the officialWorld of Warcraftsubreddit by DanielMoore0515 to discuss the reveal, and it hasn’t exactly been a cheerful discussion.
Many players pointed out that if Fyrakk ends up being the final boss,Dragonflightwould be the expansion with the fewest raid bosses by far (with 26 across 3 tiers). It would also mark the first time inWorld of Warcrafthistory to feature expansions with only two major content updates in a row, asShadowlandssimilarly concluded with Patch 9.2. In conjunction with the $10 price increase, some players expressed the sentiment that the game has gotten too expensive compared to the content it provides.
Blizzard has fulfilled its promise by adhering to theambitious content roadmap forDragonflight,butWorld of Warcraftplayers should prepare for “short” expansions to become the norm going forward. While there are no reliable leaks of the nextWorld of Warcraftexpansion just yet, if Patch 10.2 ends up being the final content update inDragonflight, there is a chance that it could launch in Summer 2024. Players will certainly know more after BlizzCon.
World of Warcraftis available now on PC.
MORE:How One World of Warcraft: Dragonflight Questline Missed a Perfect Lore Opportunity
