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New Preview Showcases Gorgrond Denizens

by - 9 years ago

While the Artcraft series seems to be over, that hasn’t stopped Blizzard from posting another expansion preview article that focuses on showcasing the flora and… well, floral-fauna of Gorgrond, one of the questing zones to come in Warlords of Draenor.

You might hear some folks argue that Blizzard is just re-skinning older models to make them match with the new expansion aesthetics; the genesaur are clearly using the tol’vir model from Cataclysm, while the Infested are using the “plague eruptor” model from Wrath. Aside from the part where this is modus operandi for Blizzard (the saurok used the new worgen model, and the saberon in WoD are using the same skeleton as well) there’s the part where the new models look fantastic, even if it amounts to a new coat of paint. The bottom line is that this is going to be a beautiful zone to play in, and that’s what this entry is highlighting.

Read the full post below.

The primal forces that forged the lands of Draenor are still in conflict to this day, and in no other place is this more evident than Gorgrond. A land of contradictions, Gorgrond features barren rocky plains and dense overgrown jungles. Everywhere one looks, there’s evidence of a realm at war with itself and monstrous creatures as dangerous as they are ancient.

Botani

The Botani

Slender, deliberate, and calculating, these enigmatic living trees single-mindedly tend to the wilds of Draenor. Wise in the ancient ways, they seek lost artifacts of bygone ages to empower the explosive growth of their territory… often at the expense of Draenor’s other sentient denizens. The botani wage an eternal war against the creatures of stone, and the natives of Gorgrond do their best to survive in the midst of constant conflict between the botani and the goren, gronn, magnaron and others. Since the Iron Horde and the creatures of stone began working together, the botani have become even more aggressive – orcs and draenei both have been disappearing of late into dense botani enclaves.

Infested

The Infested

The botani have long cultured unique plantlife in their irrigated ponds or tree dwellings, but far more terrifying is their ability to cultivate flora within a living host. Unwary natives are captured and seeded in an agonizing process that alters their physical makeup and takes complete control over their bodies, turning them into mindless walking saplings. The entire process is poorly understood, but these grisly infested can be seen guarding botani enclaves or shambling ahead of the botani host as gruesome cannon fodder whose corpses eventually seed new terrain.

Genesaur

Genesaur

Genesaur are enormous demigods who date back to the age of colossals, when giants shaped the terrain of Draenor amidst constant warfare. The botani have retained the ability to communicate with these bastions of life, and genesaurs are revered as gods in their culture. Draenei have not yet determined if genesaur are immortal or not; genesaur emerging from botani-tended pools often retain the memories and will of their long-dead forebears. Adventurers fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of these rare beings are cautioned to give genesaur a wide berth. They are deceptively quick given their size and destroying them will take a small army of well-equipped heroes.

Goren

Goren

While the gronn and magnaron shape the world through their brute individual strength, the goren are scavenging opportunists who dart unseen between the lumbering feet of their larger cousins. Roughly the size of an Azerothian trogg, goren live in massive colonies that burrow through the earth, gobbling up minerals and leaving twisting caves in their wake. They enjoy devouring crystalline minerals, which are digested and extruded through their skin, giving some goren the benefit of an armored crystalline shell. The bane of both orc and draenei miners, goren sniff out and infest mineral-rich burrows. Adventurers should be wary of the gorens’ ability to shoot crystalline projectiles and swarm around unprepared explorers in rolling packs, as well as their impossibly sharp teeth and acidic spit.

Between the creatures of stone and flora, and the Blackrock Clan looking to expand their domain, Gorgrond is a place you won’t forget easily… assuming you make it out in one piece.

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JR Cook

JR has been writing for fan sites since 2000 and has been involved with Blizzard Exclusive fansites since 2003. JR was also a co-host for 6 years on the Hearthstone podcast Well Met! He helped co-found BlizzPro in 2013.


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