Plunderstorm has made a thrilling return to World of Warcraft, delighting fans with a host of new features and enticing rewards. This pirate-themed battle royale mode, where 60 players vie for supremacy and loot across the Arathi Highlands, is back with a vengeance. Launched on January 14 after a brief delay, Plunderstorm promises at least a month of action-packed gameplay as players await the arrival of Patch 11.1.
This second iteration of Plunderstorm brings several exciting updates. The battlefield has been enriched with new points of interest and mobs, and all non-elite enemies now respawn, ensuring a continuous supply of plunder. To enhance mobility, fast travel horses have been introduced, allowing players to swiftly navigate the map in search of chests, elites, and opponents. Additionally, the in-game map now features zone threat indicators, showing where battles are most frequent, and players can even choose their starting deployment zone.
New Features in World of Warcraft: Plunderstorm
- New points of interest
- Respawning non-elite enemies
- Fast travel horses
- Zone threat indicators on the map
- Selectable deployment zones
- Practice Lobby
- Plunderstore featuring new and returning rewards
- Game mode access while on World of Warcraft: The War Within characters
- New abilities:
- Offensive
- Aura of Zealotry – Passively increase movement speed for your allies. Cast to consecrate the ground damaging enemies periodically. While in consecration, gain enhanced movement speed and melee attacks.
- Celestial Barrage – Call down a barrage of moonbeams, damaging enemies. This spell can be empowered to greatly increase its range.
- Utility
- Call Galefeather – Call forth Galefeather to knock enemies back with heavy winds for a short duration.
- Void Tear – Tear into the Void, placing a Void mark. Recast Void Tear to instantly return to the mark, damaging and slowing enemies. The recast can be performed instantly while casting any spell without interruption.
- Offensive
- Ability balance changes
- Earthbreaker – Cooldown decreased by 2 seconds at all ranks.
- Slicing Winds – Cooldown increased by 2 seconds at all ranks.
- Star Bomb – Cooldown decreased by 2 seconds at all ranks.
- Storm Archon – Cooldown decreased by 2 seconds at all ranks.
- Toxic Smackerel – Cooldown increased by 1.5 seconds at all ranks.
Players can now collect and upgrade a range of new spells in Plunderstorm. Offensive spells like Aura of Zealotry, which offers a passive speed boost and the ability to damage enemies with Consecrate, and Celestial Barrage, a chargeable line attack, add new tactical options. For utility, Call Galefeather allows players to summon an eagle to knock back enemies, while Void Tear enables teleportation to a marked point, dealing damage and slowing foes. Cooldown adjustments for existing spells and a new UI for ability management keep the gameplay fresh and engaging.
A new Plunderstorm Practice Lobby has been introduced, providing a space for players to test abilities, adjust keybindings and transmogs, and socialize. From the Practice Lobby, players can queue for games or access the Plunderstore, where they can acquire Plunderstorm rewards. These features are accessible not only from the login screen but also within retail WoW via the PvP interface.
Interestingly, the Trios mode, which allowed three-person teams, is absent from this run of Plunderstorm. While the reasons for its exclusion remain unclear, the community hopes that Blizzard will bring it back before the event concludes.
