World of Warcraft’s new addon, Dragonflight, is slated for release in 2022. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus was able to take a look at the game before the alpha and is enthusiastic about the new class. The Rufer (“Evoker”) is really fun!
The press event only ran for 2 days, but I made full use of them. I spent over 10 hours looking at the new Dragonflight content including UI improvements, crafting and one of the new areas. Check out our hub for a summary of Dragonflight’s features.
But most of the time was spent playing the new class. I spent 7 hours looking at the Rufer, a very special class.
For she is firmly bound to the new race of Drakthyr. Every Drakthyr is a Caller and every Caller must be a Drakthyr. It all also comes with an almost unnecessarily large number of customization options, thanks to which my character creation took 10 minutes.
To be honest, I didn’t think the Rufer was capable of much. A caster class that comes with only 2 specs, wears chain armor, and fights with elemental magic? Sounds like shamans and I found them boring.
In general, I don’t like casters. Ever since Cataclysm came out in 2010, I’ve only played melee main characters. I’ve always dutifully raised my witcher to the max level, but I’ve only been actively raiding with warriors, rogues, paladins and death knights for 12 years.
So now the caller comes and shows me how much I may have missed. Because wow, it’s so much fun!
We have compiled a few highlights from my test here for you in a handy 3-minute gameplay. Keep in mind that this is an early alpha and gameplay is subject to change before release:
3 minutes of gameplay for Rufer, the new class in WoW Dragonflight
Only 2 specs, but many ways to play
Similar to Legion Demon Hunters, Callers only have 2 specializations: Devastation (DPS) and Preservation (healing). However, they don’t actually fight with elemental magic, but with the colors of the various dragonflights:
Drakthyr are descendants of dragons and as such can fly. As in the new Dragon Rider system, Drakthyr can take to the skies and then glide, gain momentum with abilities, and travel great distances. However, this takes practice.
The special thing about the callers are 2 completely new magic mechanics: essences and empowerment. Essences are required as a resource to cast stronger spells. Empowerment makes spells stronger the longer they are cast, with various effects.
You can read more about the new Caller class in our special:
WoW Dragonflight: New Class – All about the Callers of the Dracthyr
Talents make Rufer really good
This all sounds standard for a new class, maybe even a little less than usual. But what makes me consider the Rufer as my first caster after 12 years is the versatility.
A talent system is coming back with Dragonflight. And here the Rufer clearly stands out from all previously known talent trees. Because even within his specializations, there are still more subtleties that I can play with in my own way:
As a Drakthyr Caller, I truly feel like a descendant of the famous dragon aspects And that’s exactly why the new class is so exciting. But there is also the fact that the Rufer skill kit feels round, maybe a bit too strong.
I played alongside Marylin Marx from GameStar during testing – she as a red dragon, me as a blue one. We started straight away at level 65, the maximum was 68. Our experiences were quite different, as I could see from our conversations on the side.
Where I primarily fought with instants and a lot of movement, Mary often stood at the back and literally bombed opponents away. Read Mary’s impression of the Dragonflight Alpha as well as her interview with Game Director Ion Hazzikostas at GameStar.
Along with the Drakthyr comes dragon riding as a new feature in Dragonflight. You can see the gameplay here in the video:
4 minutes gameplay of Dragonflight, the new feature in WoW Dragonflight
Versatile and fun, but also really hard to learn
Even as a DPS caller, I can heal properly with at least 2 spells and keep myself and my group alive. The spells, at least as a blue dragon, flow into one another with harmonious alternations of long casts, instants, and channeling.
It’s all about the dragon fantasy. Things like a fire breath or Deathwing’s famous annihilation flight, which even comes in a healing version, are part of the kit. The last time I got so wrapped up in a class fantasy was with the Class Halls in Legion. Above all, the villain with his pirate rework really grabbed me back then – like the Rufer manages to do now.
On the downside, the Rufer is pretty difficult to play. When creating it, there is a warning that this is an “advanced class” and that you might want to play a different one if you’re not that experienced.
In fact, being overwhelmed by new talents and skills, it’s hard to figure out when to use what. Even after 7 hours of intense gaming I’m not sure if I’m really doing everything right. But at least it felt better and better as time went on.
Since the press event called for us to quest through a new area, I spent most of my time playing the DPS spec. There weren’t any dungeons, so I couldn’t really test the healer, just play around a bit.
However, what I’ve seen and tried there so far seems unique in a similar way to the damage spec. Green Dragons play differently than Bronzes, similar to Discipline and Holy Priests with different healing styles.
By the way…now that I get to talk about it, the Dragonflight inventory leak is correct. There really is a new bag slot, and at least in the Alpha, some materials stacked up to 1,000 times. Whether this will be adopted remains to be seen. In the video we tell you everything you need to know about Dragonflight in 3 minutes:
Everything you need to know about the new WoW expansion “Dragonflight” – in 3 minutes
The Rufer as a role model for the future
Part of the reason I find Rufer better than any other caster is its range. Unlike most spell classes, summoners with many abilities only have a range of 25 yards.
This makes Rufer a “mid-range” class, as Product Director Pat Dawson revealed to me in the subsequent interview. So they fill a gap between the melee and the ranged and are unique in terms of positioning.
Players have had ideas for such classes since at least Legion. Demon hunter or hunter with two ranged weapons such as hand crossbows or pistols. Outlaw villains as true gunslingers with mid-range ranged combat.
As of now, these classes don’t exist, and the Caller is the first to really test this distance. Dawson said that the first step is to see how the new ideas are received. However, callers may serve as a template for upcoming class changes or new specs.
WoW wants to bring more content than ever before, makes smaller expansion
If you want to see the new features and the Drakthyr for yourself, you can sign up for the Dragonflight beta test. The alpha starts today (July 14, 2022), but only for a select few players. The beta should be made available to more people.
Dragonflight is scheduled for release in 2022 and according to Dawson everything is on track to achieve this goal. Internally, the game is much further. My test also felt… more finished than the Shadowlands Alpha did back then. But it remains to be seen whether everything will still work out. There is still no consensus in the community:
WoW: Fans are skeptical about the new Dragonflight expansion – right?