Blizzard Entertainment has announced the next WoW Dragonflight patch: Patch 10.2.5, titled Seeds of Renewal.
This next patch will be another “point-five” patch that bridges the gap between the ongoing major content patch and the game’s next release. This means there won’t be as much content as the release of Patch 10.2 back on Nov. 7, although players will still have the chance to engage with various developments when it comes to both WoW’s overall story and gameplay.
While Patch 10.2.5 won’t be the final patch of Dragonflight, it will set the finale of the expansion in motion, while still allowing WoW to transition into its next era with the start of The War Within.
Here’s everything coming to WoW Dragonflight when Patch 10.2.5 hits the live servers, along with what you can expect to see on Public Test Realms (PTR).
All changes and additions coming to WoW in Seeds of Renewal Patch 10.2.5
Dragonriding comes to WoW’s old world
In Patch 10.2.5, Dragonriding will be coming to the whole of Azeroth. Since the start of the expansion, players have only been able to use their Dragonriding mounts on the Dragon Isles, but with the next patch, you’ll be able to take all of the new mounts you earned during this expansion and soar through the skies of Azeroth’s pre-existing continents.
In Patch 10.2, it became possible to use your traditional flying mounts in the Dragon Isles, and in the next patch, the inverse will also be true.
PTR: Dragonriding is available throughout Azeroth but is limited to 80 percent of the maximum dragonriding speed.
Reclaim Gilneas in an all-new storyline
One of WoW’s most forgotten zones, Gilneas, will be the centerpiece of a new storyline that allows players to reclaim the city in the name of the Alliance. Although Gilneas was introduced to WoW in 2010 as the starting zone for the then-new Worgen race, it’s been largely unused since that point. In Patch 10.2.5, though, we’ll be battling alongside one-time Gilnean king Genn Greymane as he leads forces back into his homeland in an effort to take it back.
PTR: Reclaiming Gilneas won’t be available for testing on the PTR.
The Dragon Isles’ story reaches a natural conclusion
The story taking place on the Dragon Isles will be coming to a close next year, and it’s likely that Patch 10.2.5 will put a bow on the last year-plus of content that we’ve been playing through in Dragonflight. The next patch will see players progress through “epilogue” chapters of the Dragonflight story that will likely tie up loose ends throughout all of the zones of the Isles.
Additional Dragon Isles content will be discovered through the “Azerothian Archives,” which will give players a look at how the continent used to exist prior to the events of Dragonflight via a weekly public event that takes place in the Azure Span.
PTR: Group activities aren’t available on PTR.
Perfect your dungeon skills in an all-new practice mode
A new system will be coming to WoW dungeons that will allow you to complete them alongside NPC companions that are controlled by AI. This new feature called “follower dungeons” will be focused on helping newer players learn mechanics in Dragonflight dungeons, but experienced veterans could practice their mechanics and party compositions as well.
PTR: Follower Dungeons are only available for Dragonflight dungeons on Normal mode. Players can queue alone or with up to four other players. Once they enter, an NPC follower will fill any missing role. When using an NPC follower all players will still receive the same rewards as they would for Normal dungeons with a full party of players.
Outland Cup
While you are dragonriding outside the Dragon Isles, why not test your skills at the Outland Cup? From Nov. 16 to 29, participate in 13 races spread across Outland on Public Test Servers. You don’t even have to have Dragonriding unlocked to participate, and you can rent out a drake. There will also be plenty of rewards for participating in the races.
Draenei and Trolls receive customization revamps
Blizzard is continuing to add more customization options for another batch of WoW races, with Draenei, Warlock Tyrant, and Darkglare demons receiving unique customizations and Trolls seeing five new hair colors. On top of that, there will be dedicated customization Achievements for completionists.
Dragonflight has been incredibly kind to players looking to expand upon their characters’ appearance, with several races and classes getting updated models and new customization features. The immense amount of customization that Dracthyr Evokers enjoyed when they were added to the game at the start of Dragonflight set the bar for the entire expansion, and now, the rest of the game’s races are continuing to catch up.
Class and Race changes
- Dracthyr – All Dracthyr now have empowered soaring, meaning they can now fly as they were dragonriding, complete with vigor and all other abilities.
- Evoker – Preservation Evokers who had trouble maintaining Reversions will probably like the new change as it makes rotations feel smoother. Essence Bursts can now trigger when casting Reversion. Unfortunately, mana cost has been increased by 10 percent for most of the spells.
- Monk – Dance of the Wind’s (Mistweaver and Windwalker) dodge chance is increased by 10 percent and an extra 10 percent for every four seconds until a player dodges an attack. Ancient Teachings (Mistweaver) now increases Stamina by an extra five percent
- Shaman – When shamans use Earth, Fire, and Storm Elementals, they will appear smaller for allies and enemies. For shamans, they will still appear larger.
When will WoW Seeds of Renewal Patch 10.2.5 be released? WoW Seeds of Renewal Patch 10.2.5 release date
As expected, the patch will become available before the end of January. Specifically, Seeds of Renewal goes live on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, according to Blizzard. There doesn’t appear to be an exact launch time, but we’ll be sure to update this article should Blizzard provide one.
