BFA Prioritizes Teamwork, Arriving on August 14 for $50 on PC

I went hands-on with Battle for Azeroth at PAX East 2018, and while I got to experience only one aspect of the gameplay, it reminded me a lot of playing some of the Warcraft RTS titles back before the series went MMO-only. The mode pitted two teams of three players — one Horde group and one Alliance group — against each other in a race to collect resources.

This turned out to be a phenomenally bad idea, as even our high-level characters were not much of a match for the groups of equally powerful enemies, who often attacked in groups of three or four. World of Warcraft may be relatively friendly to solo players, but those who want to excel in Battle for Azeroth will have to (re)learn the fine art of teamwork.

For players who prefer cooperative grouping, Battle for Azeroth will also feature the Warfront mode, which channels RTS elements even more strongly. Up to 20 players will band together to establish a base, lead troops and even siege enemy locations. These events will all take place against computer opponents rather than real-life defenders, however — good news for shy players, and bad news for hardcore PvP enthusiasts.