After the events of Legion, the conflict between the Horde and the Alliance resumes with a vengeance in this new extension, the two factions this time fighting over Azerite, a mineral that recently appeared following the defeat of Sargeras. We will spare you the details of the scenario, which is spread over thousands of quests and goes a little in all directions, but know that it involves Titans, Gods and a few legendary heroes including Sylvana Windrunner, Anduin Wrynn or again Jaina Proudvaillant (Hearthstone players will not be out of place…). The progression, which allows you to go from level 110 to level 120, benefits from a good general staging. Admittedly, there is no escaping the presence here or there of basic quests ("bring me back ten teeth of things") but the highly scripted quests are numerous, and the cutscenes which reveal the main story in small touches are very successful . As it should be, Battle for Azeroth brings its share of new dungeons and raids, with some of the activities reserved for high-level play not yet available at the launch of the expansion. 
Moreover, this two-step deployment also concerns the new character races, since "only" six are available now, and two more are planned for the coming weeks. Eight new races is a lot... and maybe a little too much! With such a number, we suspect that the developers did not start from scratch to create them. In truth, Void Elves, Lightforged Draenei, Dark Iron Dwarves, Humans of Kul Tiras, Nightborne Elves, Highrock Tauren, Mag'har Orcs, and Zandalari Trolls are merely derivatives of the races. existing, and that is why they are called "allied races". A few cosmetic changes, two or three specific characteristics and you're done! Moreover, it is impossible to create a new character belonging to one of these races from the outset. You must first unlock each of them by farming various reputations. Even if these allied races are always good to take, their impact on the universe of the game therefore remains quite weak.
THE BATTLE OF THE PLANET
With the conflict between the Horde and the Alliance hotter than ever, the two factions find themselves thrust into two well-separated continents, each of which is divided into three zones. For the player, it's an opportunity to discover brand new environments and new creatures. The Alliance lands on Kul Tiras, which features aquatic environments, sea monsters, pirates, and witches. The Horde is entitled to Zandalar, where we come across temples of pre-Columbian inspiration, fox-men, snake-men and dinosaurs of all kinds (including undead dinosaurs…). Dark and mysterious atmosphere on one side, bright colors and exotic creatures on the other, the success is total for both factions. And rest assured, whatever your character's affiliation, he will have the opportunity to admire the opposing continent during the most advanced quests. The graphics engine is obviously showing its age but, as often, Blizzard manages to make up for the technical shortcomings thanks to a real artistic mastery, which spreads into the soundtrack, which is really very pleasant to the ears.
Since we are talking about the technical question, let us specify that some bugs are still present during certain quests. We were able to see an NPC inexplicably lamenting a recent massacre, while all the surrounding characters stood perfectly upright. A few seconds later and without any transition, all the models are suddenly replaced by corpses. A little further, the quest asks us to burn corpses by throwing a torch on them. The method works perfectly, but the attackers who were interacting with the bodies continue to do so, in a vacuum, once their victims have gone up in smoke... Come on, let's say that these bugs are due to the suffering endured by Azeroth! The planet is indeed in bad shape following the wound inflicted by the giant sword of the titan Sargeras. This serves as a pretext for entrusting the player with a very special artifact, called the Heart of Azeroth, which is more or less the equivalent of Legion artifacts. This pendant must be reinforced regularly using Azerite, which translates from a gameplay point of view into the regular improvement of the characteristics of various pieces of equipment.
PVP IS DEAD, LONG LIVE PVP!
Among the novelties that are fun, but do not upset the gaming experience, we find the exploration of islands. It is a cooperative mode (and possibly competitive if you choose the PvP difficulty mode), where you must collect Azerite by completing quests, killing creatures and exploring the environment. Content is randomly generated, and available islands vary from week to week. This mode is therefore the best way to collect a maximum of Azerite in order to best evolve the Heart of Azeroth. But the biggest change brought by this expansion concerns the overhaul of the Players versus Players system. The distinction between PvE and PvE servers has simply fallen by the wayside. From now on, it is up to each player to decide if they want to activate the war mode or not. If so, his honor talents will be activated and he will gain 10% more experience up to level 120, then 10% more gold and resources once that level cap is reached. But above all, he will regularly meet other players who have activated the war mode on his way, which will allow him to earn conquest points and, eventually, new sets of PvP equipment. Getting ten kills increases the character's damage and healing in War Mode, but as you earn victories, a bounty can be placed on his head, and his position revealed on the opposing faction's player map. Trying the PvP adventure is therefore easier and more profitable than ever, but it is still completely optional. Good game ! Finally, Battle for Azeroth also has a new PvE mode, which seeks to recapture the strategic aspect of the original Warcraft games. These War Fronts are played in twenty, and require you to build buildings and units, collect resources and control capture points, with the aim of eliminating a boss entrenched in a fortress guarded by many NPCs. Not available when the game was released, this mode has been available since September 5. If your interest in World of Warcraft is still alive, all you have to do is join the battle for Azeroth!
