World of Warcraft Dragonflight is a few short hours away, and many fans are excited to log back into the MMO. However, it should be noted that despite expansion launches always being an exciting time; only some things always go according to plan. With that in mind, players should prepare by reviewing the following checklist before the official launch.
1. Try Logging In Early
As Blizzard no longer takes down servers for expansions, it’s a good idea to log into WoW as soon as possible. If everything goes smoothly, all of the content from the expansion will be enabled without logging out or reloading, and players at level 60 will see XP gauges again. Instead of having every player overwhelm the servers and try to log in simultaneously, it’s a good idea to jump in at least an hour or two in advance if you can.
2. Prepare For Login Queues
For anyone unable to log in ahead of the expansion’s launch or disconnected from the event, queues will likely be a thing, and they can be quite long. Blizzard has done a lot of work over the years to reduce queue abandonment, but once an expansion launches, it always comes back, at least for a while. Queues in Warcraft don’t tend to be too bad, and they should go pretty quickly, so patience is optimal.
3. Be Mindful Of Addons
With the beta cycle and the pre-expansion patch, many addons were updated before the expansion launch but are also normally updated right after launch. So you should check for addon updates before you check in over the next week or two, as some accessories are likely to be broken.
4. Server Restarts Are Common
There’s always a chance of pressing issues being discovered after launch, which may cause Blizzard to restart the servers. With hotfixes, they usually don’t need to restart the servers. However, things may come up that require it. Remember that when this happens, most people will try to get back simultaneously, so there will likely be a queue to get back.
5. Wait If You Can
With all the potential problems caused by expansion launches, it may be more enticing to wait a while. Doing this means letting the first wave of players through, which often makes for a better overall experience. The first season doesn’t start until two weeks away, so there’s plenty of time to level up and gear up, especially if you’re only building one character.
