World of Warcraftjust recently began its beta testing phase forDragonflight. Players exploring the newWorld of Warcraftexpansion noticed a new buffering screen while traveling to the Dragon Isles which seems to confirm its location on Azeroth.
The Dragon Isles are the storied homeland of dragonkind on Azeroth. Shrouded by magic for millennia, recent events inWorld of Warcrafthas finally allowed the dragons to return to their ancestral home. Most of the events in the nextWorld of Warcraftexpansion will take place acrossthe five new zones inDragonflight.
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The new map briefly appears on a player’s screen when they take the boat from Orgrimmar or Stormwind to the Dragon Isles tobegin their adventures inDragonflight. According to the map, the Dragon Isles are located north of the Eastern Kingdoms, to the east of Northrend. The silhouette of the Dragon Isles is not yet on the map, meaning this screen could be a placeholder until the final one is added. This also means the exact location could change, though it will likely be in the same general area.
The new region inDragonflightis far away from theMaelstrom located in the center of manyWorld of Warcraftzones. SomeWorld of Warcraftdevelopers had previously stated the Dragon Isles were located north or northeast of the Eastern Kingdoms, and this map seems to corroborate that information for the most part.
ManyWorld of Warcraftlore houndsare glad to see the general placement of the Dragon Isles on the map of Azeroth. Watching the world expand over the last two decades of expansions has been exciting for many, and a source of hilarious memes for otherWorld of Warcraftfans. The original Dragon Isles concept scrapped during the development ofBurning Crusadewas also located north of Lordaeron–a callback many fans appreciated.
However, someWorld of Warcraftfans are left scratching their heads about how the geography of Azeroth works. On the Dragon Isles, the Azure Span–the southernmost zone inDragonflight–is the coldest, with the regions growing warmer the further north they go. With the Dragon Isles as far north as Northrend, many are befuddled by how there can be any warm regions at all. Perhaps some day,World of Warcraftcan situate the continents of Azerothon a globe to show how it all makes sense. Until then, fans may have to accept the magical world of Azeroth doesn’t play by the same rules as Earth.
World of Warcraftis available now on PC, withDragonflightlaunching later this year.
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