WoW Unveils New Plunderstorm Abilities and Features

Plunderstorm has thrillingly returned to World of Warcraft, delighting fans with an array of new features and rewards. This pirate-themed battle royale, where 60 players vie for supremacy and treasure in the Arathi Highlands, is back after a brief delay and is now live once more. As players eagerly await Patch 11.1, they can dive into this exciting PvP mode that promises to keep them engaged for at least a month, though no official end date has been set.

This second run of Plunderstorm comes packed with enhancements designed to enrich the gameplay experience. The battlefield has been updated with new points of interest and mobs, and all non-elite enemies now respawn shortly after being defeated, ensuring a continuous flow of plunder. Horses scattered across the map offer players a swift means of traversing the expansive terrain in search of chests, elite foes, and adversaries. Additionally, the in-game map now features zone threat indicators, highlighting areas of frequent combat, and allows players to select their preferred drop zone at the game's outset.

New World of Warcraft: Plunderstorm Features

• 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.
• 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 variety of new spells during Plunderstorm. Aura of Zealotry offers a passive speed boost to the caster and their team, with the ability to cast Consecrate, creating a damaging area and further enhancing speed and melee attacks. Celestial Barrage, on the other hand, unleashes a chargeable line attack of moonbeams. For utility, Call Galefeather summons an eagle to repel enemies, while Void Tear allows for strategic teleportation, damaging and slowing foes. Adjustments to existing spell cooldowns and a new UI for ability management enhance the gameplay experience further.

A new Plunderstorm Practice Lobby has been introduced, where players can experiment with abilities, adjust keybindings and transmogs, and socialize. From the Practice Lobby, players can queue for games or visit the Plunderstore, the hub for obtaining Plunderstorm rewards. Access to Plunderstorm is also available directly from the login screen and within retail WoW through the PvP interface.

Notably absent this time around is the Trios mode, which allowed for three-person teams. The reasons behind its exclusion remain unclear, but fans are hopeful that Blizzard will bring it back before Plunderstorm sets sail once more.