World of Warcraft patch 10.2, Guardians of the Dream, explained

Blizzard also announced three new games. World of Warcraft expansions at this year’s BlizzCon, we’re still not done with the current expansion, Dragonflight. World of Warcraft players are delving into the Emerald Dream in the game’s next patch, Guardians of the Dream. Patch 10.2 is set in Azeroth’s spirit world, the Emerald Dream.

We’ve seen hints and glimpses of the Emerald Dream in the past, but this time we’re going much deeper in service of a final stand that ties up many loose plot threads that date back to the Legion expansion. Here’s what you need to know:

What does Amirdrassil mean in Guardians of the Dream, the World Tree?

The World Trees provide a sanctuary and anchor for the people of Azeroth. The Final Battle of Azeroth Warcraft 3,It was centred on Nordrassil. A World Tree, it spreads life-giving energy across the planet and grants the Night Elves eternality. Nordrassil was badly damaged, which led the Night Elves to plant Teldrassil, a replacement tree… which Sylvanas Windrunner burned down at the start of Battle for Azeroth expansion.

Amirdrassil was the third attempt to grow a World Tree that would serve as the home of the Night Elves. This one has been blessed by Elune and the Winter Queen, while also being enhanced by souls from the innocents who died during Teldrassil. Amirdrassil’s seed was an important plot line throughout the entire series. Shadowlands expansion, and it’s culminating in Guardians of the Dream.

“This is such an important moment for Azeroth as a whole, we wanted to include everyone we possibly could who would have an interest in making sure that Amirdrassil blooms, or that the Emerald Dream doesn’t turn into a fiery hellscape, or Azeroth doesn’t turn into an expansion of the Firelands,” says Katherine Bankson, assistant lead quest designer at Blizzard, in a call with Polygon.

Primalist Dragons are a serious threat to the world. Dragonflight, and that culminates in the expansion’s final raid, in which players chase after the fiery Fyrakk before he can scorch the tree as it blooms in both the Emerald Dream and Azeroth.

Image: Blizzard Entertainment

Why does the Emerald Dream make such a fuss?

Emerald Dream was present at the Emerald Dream in World of Warcraft’s lore, but players have only heard about it or explored small slices of it (which were usually corrupted by some sort of enemy). We’re getting our first look at a peaceful, pure slice of Dream. Unfortunately, it’s under attack. It’s a battlefield now. Characters from the lore are showing up, including divine beings, Druids, as well as some unexpected ones like Forsaken fans favorite Lilian Voss.

“I’m a fan of bringing back characters that we’ve seen in the past, because they don’t just stop moving and doing things just because we, the player, have walked away and gone elsewhere. They’re still off doing their own thing […] Their world doesn’t revolve around you. You revolve around their worlds,” says lead narrative designer Anne Stickney.

Sylvanas led the Forsaken in destroying the World Tree. Voss now works with Night Elf heroine Shandris Fetheroon in order to assist the Emerald Dream. “It’s a story about reconciliation, grief, and conflict,” says Bankson. “These two aren’t going to be dancing off into the sunset of the Emerald Dream together — there’s way too much tension for that. But we wanted to dig into that tension, because it’s juicy, it makes for a great story.”

Dragonflight has moved past the classic Horde vs. Alliance conflict, and Nordrassil’s bloom provides a sort of closure to one of the greatest acts of war in recent memory. “Dragonflight as a whole hasn’t been what I would call a factional expansion, where we’re talking about the two factions [Horde and Alliance] — it’s been much more about the Dragonflights,” says Stickney. “That’s the tactic that we’ve been taking a lot with this expansion.”

Blizzard believes that Guardians of the Dream can provide an satisfying conclusion to many plot lines by emphasizing personal stories, rather than the factions. “What are those personal stories we want to tell, outside of ‘Oh, we need a good Alliance person, or a good Horde person, to tell that story’?”

The last raid will be included in Patch 10.2. DragonflightAs announced by BlizzCon, there is likely to be one final patch that bridges the Worldsoul Saga expansion and the Guardians of the Dream. Guardians of the Dream is released on 7th November, giving the players enough time to experience the Dream until the next expansion. The War WithinArrives in 2024